Chapter 4 Rumors About The Royal Family

Cathy's POV

Upon seeing Claire's shocked expression downstairs, an unprecedented feeling of satisfaction overwhelmed me. I had never felt so liberated before. After all these years, I had finally won against her. And, I was sure that I would keep stepping on her head from now on.

But as I grinned, my father, who was walking ahead of me, turned back and warned me with a stern look.

"This is my first time visiting royalty with you, Cathy," he said with a serious expression and a menacing gaze that sent shivers down my spine. "Don't disappoint me. If you embarrass us in front of Prince Louis, I will never take you out again in my life."

I was scared, speechless, and my mother kept signaling me from the side.

After a few seconds, I replied with a pale face, "I understand, father."

As we entered the room, I unconsciously began to recall Claire's calm and collected demeanor. I remember her smile when she interacted with the other pack members. I disgustedly realized that I was still trying to imitate every move of her until now. Damn it, it seemed like I could never shake off her shadow!

"Respected Prince Louis, greetings from the Blue Moon pack," we bowed to the royal member sitting in the center together. I couldn't even see what the prince looked like, but under his powerful Lycan aura, I couldn't help but tremble violently.

It felt like a mountain was pressing on my head, and my chest heaved violently. But the prince wasn't interested in us. He casually exchanged a few words with my father and then let us leave. My father's prepared pleasantries had no effect at all. However, before we left, he suddenly called me out.

"You, stop," he said.

I immediately froze in place, not daring to turn around. My parents also stopped in their tracks. I saw my father give me a glance, his eyes full of warning.

There came a sound of a chair being pulled, and then I heard footsteps on the carpet as the prince approached me. His Lycan scent grew stronger and stronger. A cold sweat appeared on my forehead, and I could hardly breathe.

I felt the prince stop behind me, and no one spoke in the room. After a terrifying moment, he whispered, "Forget it. Just remember not to wear such strong perfume when meeting royalty in the future."

His voice was disappointed. I had no idea what I did wrong, or how Claire would behave when she met the guests with my father. But I could tell that my father was angry, and after we left the room, he cursed at me fiercely, and I almost cried.

My mother tried to defend me, "She's just a child... and Paul, are you sure you want to scold her today? Don't forget what's coming up!"

My father finally stopped his harsh scolding. He looked at me coldly and said, "Don't make me regret choosing you, Cathy."

I sniffed, holding back my tears, obediently lowered my head. But my eyes gradually became fierce.

"I won't disappoint you, father," I said.

I'm willing to do anything as long as I can beat Claire!

……

Claire's POV

When I saw Cathy smile at me outside the VIP room on the second floor, my blood ran cold.

I felt a sense of defeat. I was breathless, my expression blank, taking a sip of my drink, but my hand holding the glass couldn't stop trembling.

"Damn it," I heard Mrs. Smith cursed behind me with disgust. She rarely spoke so vulgarly, which was completely inconsistent with her usual elegant demeanor.

I saw them stay in the VIP room for a few minutes before leaving. My father's expression seemed unsatisfied, still looking back frequently before leaving. I knew he wanted to please the prince inside, but it seemed that the prince didn't give him that opportunity.

"Do you have an interest in Prince Louis?" Mrs. Smith observed my expression. She knew I was upset because of my father's behavior, so she tried to shift my attention by talking about royal gossip. "Although he's a very powerful Lycan, you'd better stay away from him."

She looked around at the people and then whispered to me, "It is said that he did some terrible things to snatch his mate. His brother was the previous king, and he died half a year ago. Do you know what I mean?"

I was surprised and forgot about the unpleasantness just now. "So the rumors are true?"

"Yes. It is said that his sister-in-law, his brother's wife, is his mate. But we don't know what's going on. The royal family doesn't allow us to talk about it."

Her voice became lower and lower, and then she changed to a cheerful tone, "I heard you already have your own mate?"

"Yes, his name is Joe, my chosen mate."

Mrs. Smith was very eager to meet Joe. She was always worried that I would be deceived by boys with ulterior motives, but I was no longer a child.

"You don't know how attractive you are to them, dear," she told me like this. "You're beautiful, young, lively, and you also have the legacy your mother left you. If I were a man, I would definitely pursue you."

I raised my mouth high. This is also the power of leaving my family. Today, Joe will propose to me. After we get married, he will become Alpha according to the tradition of our pack, and I will become Luna. I believe that Joe and I will be good rulers. We will have many children and grow old happily together.

Oh, Moon Goddess. Although I knew he would propose to me, my nervousness reached its climax at that moment.

Today is the day! The proposal and life I have been looking forward to is coming.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"

A man's voice came from the microphone, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

The deep red curtains ahead were pulled back by someone.

I looked up suddenly and saw Joe standing behind them!

My heart started racing as I realized what he was about to do.

I had an overwhelming urge to cry.

The werewolves around us stopped talking, all eyes on him and me. I covered up my emotions and tried to keep my posture straight.

'Be cool, Claire.' I kept telling myself in my head.

"Is he proposing?" a girl whispered, then quickly shut up as everyone's eyes shifted between her and me.

'Keep smiling, Claire. No, wait, look surprised.' My wolf, Helen, was getting excited.

"I feel very honored to stand here today," Joe's voice was shaking, and I could tell he was nervous.

'Cut the crap, man. Get the ring out and get down on one knee. Hurry up!' Helen was impatient.

"Today, I have something very important to announce."

Under everyone's gaze, he took out an exquisite velvet box and slowly walked down the stage towards me.

The spotlight followed him as he moved closer to me.

'Take a deep breath, Claire...'

I caught sight of my father, stepmother, and sister in my vision. Look, today was my victory. I had said I would leave the family as the victor and take charge of the pack.

Someone was already recording with their phone.

Joe walked up to me. He was still as charming as ever. I could see his Adam's apple quivering slightly due to nervousness. I saw the Cartier logo on the box in his hand.

'3, 2, 1,'

I counted in my head. Then I lowered my head to put on a shy expression and slowly raised my hand to look at his eyes.

'I do,' the words were already in my throat. They were about to come out.

But Joe passed by me without stopping.

He walked behind me and knelt in front of Cathy.

"Dear Cathy Ganbino, my mate..."

He looked at my sister and, to my incredulous gaze, took out that sparkling diamond ring and said in a deep and affectionate voice:

"Will you marry me and become my Luna?"