Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen

294 The Silver Moon Pack

Selma Payne’s POV:

Looking at the layers of lace edges and soft muslin on the bridesmaid’s dress, as well as the large gems embedded in the cuffs and neckline, I took a deep breath. I began to silently calculate how much financial pressure these once-worn clothes would bring to the royal family.

Please don’t laugh at me for being so calculative. Only the head of the household indeed knew how expensive daily necessities were. I’d already begun to learn how to deal with the royal family’s finances from my mother. Looking at the account books daily, I almost feel that money was not money but white paper.

Being a Princess of my royal parents and being a Princess of the werewolf pack were two completely different experiences. This mental exhaustion was ten thousand times more tiring than facing Azazel. When I thought about how I’d have to deal with endless government affairs every day for decades, I felt that I should find a place deep in the mountains and live in seclusion until I die.

These were all jokes.

Standing in front of the mirror in the same bridesmaid dress, I suddenly felt like I wasn’t the bride but was going to a friend’s wedding.

At this moment, I suddenly understood Avril’s melancholy before her marriage. Everything had changed too quickly. One ceremony, one night, and everything had changed.

Lovers had become husband and wife. Although love had not changed, only love had not changed. Marriage brought not only sweetness but also responsibility. Once you decided to stay by your side from now on, the world would instantly change its expectations of you. So many good couples had become resentful of each other, but how much of it was because reality and fantasy were so different?

What was my label for Aldrich? My lover, my partner, my boyfriend, and my fiancé. However, the word ‘husband’ was completely different from the previous labels. The weight was thousands of times heavier than all the other labels combined. It represented a formal contract, a serious relationship that could no longer be viewed as a joke. Every step that he took with him would determine the future.

Marriage... Could I really get used to it?

It was soon the end of August, and only a few days were left before my coronation and wedding.

The emissaries of various packs have arrived one after another. Besides preparing for the ceremony these few days, I followed my parents to meet the important guests. Other than the southern Duke and Carolyn, I didn’t know anyone else. Before every meeting, Kara would bug me with the guests’ basic information.

As the left-hand President, Arkadius would have to accompany us to more important meetings. As my father’s trusted aide, his authority in the Council of Elders was greater than the fence-sitting right-hand President. He also had a wider network in the various packs. Under his lead, I quickly learned about the various packs.

A few of the Alpha left a deep impression on me. For example, the leader of the Silver Moon Pack. He was a talkative middle-aged man. People’s first impression of him might be that he was tactful. However, when you had a deep conversation with him, you would find that this was only a superficial understanding. He was an Alpha with great wisdom, and tactfulness was just another wisdom honed by time.

Francis Quinn was about the same age as my father, and the way he looked at me was inevitably a little tolerant and gentle, like an elder to a younger generation. In front of me, he didn’t maintain a respectful distance like other Alpha; instead, he could freely talk to me about the Silver Moon Pack, which doubled my good impression of him.

“Please forgive me for my recklessness, Your Majesty, Your Highness,” he said with a slight sigh. “I have a daughter about the same age as the Princess. She married into the Shadow Pack a few years ago. I was reminded of my daughter when I saw the Princess, so I was a little naggy. Please forgive me.”

I smiled and nodded, saying, “There’s no need to be so formal, Sir. On the contrary, the conversation with you made me feel very gratified, and I don’t feel bored at all.”

However, Francis’ daughter was married to a Shadow Pack member. I didn’t expect to hear about this here. It was a little unexpected.

The meeting time ended, and Francis said goodbye to us. Although I was a little curious about his daughter, I couldn’t force that topic on him out of courtesy.

The Silver Moon Pack was considered one of the more powerful packs of the werewolves. Although the Shadow Pack was also a wealthy pack, the difference between the Silver Moon Pack and the Shadow Pack was like the difference between a second-tier city and a super-first-rate international city.

The two packs were not close to each other. Francis must have found his mate there since he agreed to let his daughter marry into the Shadow Pack.

Who could it be?

I compared the candidates in my mind and found that they were most likely my brother, Rhode, and Benson’s head guard, Daniel.

After thinking about it for a long time, I laughed at my own unruly thoughts. What did it matter who it was? Anyway, it had nothing to do with me.

Soon, it was the day before the ceremony.

The palace was now like a complicated and precise instrument, with countless joints operating orderly. Everyone maintained their high spirits and was full of physical strength, sparing no effort in the final preparations for tomorrow.

As the person in the spotlight, I finally had some free time. My only task for the past few days was to receive all sorts of care and maintenance. I would go through the schedule twice when I had nothing to do. It could be said that it was good after all the hard work.

As for secretly video-calling Aldrich, it was the 21st century, and some old rules didn’t have to be followed so strictly, right?