Xaden POV
We were getting married to a girl we hadn't seen in three years.
Not just any girl, the princess. The one with the butterfly tattoo on her neck.
That mark had haunted my memory since the banquet at her mother's birthday. I couldn't recall her face, not clearly, but that tattoo? It branded itself into my mind like a curse.
I didn't know if she still had it. Or if she still remembered me.
We'd had a wild night back then. Just one. But I remembered the fire in her laugh, the way she pushed boundaries, then acted like she didn't care what the world thought. She wasn't soft. She was sharp, like shattered glass.
And yet… there was something about knowing it was her that made all of us pause.
"I hate being kept waiting," Caden grumbled beside me, jaw clenched. His voice echoed through the marble chamber, drawing a sharp glance from the man across the throne.
Our father. The Alpha King sat on the throne, eyes locked on us.
"Show some patience," I said to Caden, though I shared the same frustration. "You know how these transitions are."
"Transitions?" Xidex scoffed from the corner, arms crossed. "You mean, veils, lies. That's what it is. A marriage for peace."
I didn't respond to my brother's comment, but he was right.
And yet... a part of me wanted to see her again.
My gaze snapped to the grand doors as they opened with a slow, deliberate groan.
My brothers fell still beside me.
And then she walked in.
She stepped in, cloaked in moonlight silk and crowned with diamonds we had sent her. It clung to her body like it belonged there.
And damn… she wore it well.
I almost whispered gorgeous under my breath but clenched my jaw instead, locking it all down beneath a cool exterior.
Her steps were light as she gently walked forward, her eyes lowered in shyness perhaps. But as she stopped right in front of me, my dick rose at the spicy scent that came from her.
Damn it.
"Princess Lucy," the herald announced. "Daughter of King Graveranon of the Shadow Kingdom." She bowed slowly, a smile tugging at her lips.
My eyes scanned her neck, searching for the tattoo I had used to recognize her. But it was covered in glittering stones and curls of dark hair.
"Welcome," I said evenly. "It's been a long time, Princess Lucy."
"Yes," she replied, lifting her gaze. Her voice was breathy, not the familiar tone I had heard before… or perhaps it had been a while; I couldn't recall the sound anymore.
"I've thought of you all… often," she added, her lips curling slowly. "How hot you looked. And it just kept my body… wanting."
I blinked once.
That surprisingly caught me off guard. The Lucy I remembered would rather bite off her tongue than admit that. She exuded fire and pride.
But this girl…this woman was bold. She was flirty, the type of girl we adore.
Time really does change people.
"I can't wait to take her to bed…" Caden muttered, low and wolfish. "The things I'd do to her right now… unholy."
She winked at him as though she wanted the same thing too. Like she wanted it just as badly.
Riven chuckled under his breath. Malek licked his bottom lip.
"Little Lucy grew into a wild princess," Malek murmured, smirking. "I might actually prefer this version." He smiled with his devouring eyes.
I grinned quietly, I swear, I preferred this new Lucy to the one I met three years ago. She was a little boring… But look at her right here… She looked like fire.
The herald cleared his throat. "Let the ritual begin."
She stepped between us. As she turned, my eyes swept down her back, following the curve of her waist and the arch of her spine. I wasn't the only one.
We all looked…. Our cock reacting to the view in front of us.
One by one, we pricked our fingertips and let blood drip into the golden ceremonial cup. The union ritual was for binding.
Then we passed the cup to her.
Lucy hesitated. Her green eyes darted across our faces before she pierced her skin with her nail. She let out the softest cry as the blood joined ours.
"Now, drink," the herald commanded. "One by one. And the bond will be sealed."
The cup was placed in my hands first. I raised it, lips parting…
"NO! Don't!"
The voice cut through the hall like a whip.
Gasps echoed. Lucy stiffened beside me.
Every head turned toward the source of the outburst.
A girl, ragged and disheveled, stood at the door. Her hair was tangled, and her dress was torn. Dirt smeared her cheek. She looked nothing like royalty.
She had the same hair as Lucy, but she was looking all dirty. Her dress was tattered, her hair a dark, messy curtain, and her feet bare. Mud and blood clung to the hem of her torn gown.
"What the hell is this?" I snarled. "How did a beggar get in here?!"
My eyes turned to the guards.
"Don't you know how to do your job anymore?"
"Exactly!" Lucy snapped beside me, her green eyes flaring. "This is sacred. How dare you let filth inside?"
But the girl's eyes… they weren't focused on me.
Then they were locked onto Lucy.
"You know I'm not a beggar, Selena!" The girl shouted, her voice thick with fury. "You stole my dress. My diamonds. And you left me in the woods to die while you came here—to marry my husbands!"
The air thinned. My blood froze. Selena? Why was the girl calling Lucy Selena?
She must be a jealous maid who was so obsessed over us.
Lucy's hands clenched. She stormed toward the girl and landed a tight slap that echoed through the chamber.
"Don't you dare call my husbands yours," she seethed, venom dripping from every word.
Gods…so hot and possessive.
The girl staggered, holding her cheek. "I can't believe this… Selena. I don't believe you'd go to this extent."
"Guards," I snapped. "Remove her. This is a ceremony, not a circus."
I could feel my patience thinning with every second of this absurd display.
"We don't have time to waste on tantrums. We can deal with the beggar later… or the jealous maid, whatever she is."
"No, I don't think she should just be thrown out. I think she needs to be locked up, because anyone that delusional shouldn't be free. Comparing her filthy self to this goddess? Disgusting." Caden growled, his eyes blazing with irritation.
The guards seized her, but she fought against their grip, desperation flaring in her eyes.
"You have to hear me out—please! I'm not a maid! I'm not a beggar!" she cried, her voice trembling with panic.
But her words were swallowed by the silence of the hall, fading into the background as she was dragged out, her protests echoing faintly behind the closing doors.
Then, just as the doors were about to slam shut, her voice rang out—raw, desperate, cracking under the weight of emotion.
"Xaden, it's me! Lucy! Look at me. You know it's me!"
The room seemed to still. My heart lurched.
I froze, turning slowly, my eyes locking onto hers.