Chapter 60
The floor-to-ceiling walls in the dining area exuded simplicity and class. The waiter led them to a table by
the window and Lucianne remained standing to take in the view of the city. Xandar’s hand then came
from behind her, resting on her abdomen as he whispered into her ear, “Lucy, how about we order first,
then take in the view?”
“Okay.” Lucianne whispered back but she didn’t move until Xandar gently tugged her hand towards her
chair.
After they had ordered, Lucianne continued taking in the scenery. Xandar was taking in another scenery
– his mate across the table. She looked absolutely picturesque as her starry eyes absorbed the sight
before her eyes.
When she was done, she told Xandar, “I never imagined coming here this year or even in this
lifetime.”(This will be daily updtaed at www.jar.com) She reached for his hand across the
table, and placed hers over it as she uttered a grateful ‘thank you’.
He lifted her hand up to kiss it and said, “Anything for you, Lucy.” Her flustered look was gorgeous. With
a shy but affectionate smile, she began their conversation, “So, you’ve already told me about your
parents and Granpa Brock. I’d like to know more about Aunt Reida. She sounds like a person I would’ve
liked as a friend, being opinionated and all.”
Xandar snorted, “If she were alive, you’d probably be spending more time with her than you d o with me.”
Lucianne smiled wider in response. Xandar then continued, “Aunt Reida was the complete opposite of
my mother. She was different from most women. She makes herself heard. And unlike my mother, Aunt
Reida married her bonded mate.”
“Wait, what?” Lucianne questioned in surprise, “King Lucas and Queen Vera were not bonded by the
Moon Goddess?”
“I thought you knew that.” Xandar’s eyebrows furrowed as he said in confusion. Lucianne shook her
head. So Xandar went on, “My father was all about power and influence so naturally he picked one of the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBlackfur daughters to wed. And knowing how different the two sisters were, it wasn’t a difficult choice to
make on who he wanted. Not that Aunt Reida would have accepted him anyway. She and Granpa
Blackfur never liked him.”
“But if they didn’t like him…” Lucianne processed what she’d just heard. “Why didn’t they stop your
mother?”
Xandar smiled sadly, “It’s like you said. She loved him. It was so clear that he never loved her t o the
intensity that she did him. He was there for what she was. My mother was there for who he was.” 1
Lucianne stared at the flowers on the table before she asked, “If my next question is too
invasive, just tell me that it’s a private matter and I’ll drop it.” She took a breath before asking, “Were any
of them bonded to someone else?”
Xandar smiled at how hard Lucianne was trying not to offend him. He stroked her hand as he said, “Yes.
They both rejected their bonded mates. Aunt Reida told me that my mother found her mate two weeks
before she met my father. But she rejected him as soon as the King asked for her hand within minutes of
meeting her. Her bonded mate was devastated but accepted the rejection nonetheless because my
father threatened to challenge him for my mother’s hand if he didn’t.”
“So, her rejection came before the late King’s threat to challenge her mate?” Lucianne asked. Xandar
nodded simply. “Oh.” Lucianne responded meekly and muttered to herself, “That definitely changes how I
see things.”
He asked, “What do you mean?”
Her mouth opened but no words were coming out so she closed it back as she groped for the right
words. Understanding what she was doing, Xandar said gently, “Baby, you don’t have to filter your words
with me. I told you that, and I meant it. I still mean it. Just tell me.”
She took another moment before she cautiously said, “I think that Queen Vera may have been after
power, too.” Lucianne paused to gauge Xandar’s reaction.
There was no defensiveness or hurt in Xandar’s eyes, just curiosity and a genuine want to hear her out,
so Lucianne continued, “The mate bond…it would’ve only grown stronger by the second week. I mean
look at us, our bond is only a week old and we already feel like this. The fact that the late Queen could
just sever it within minutes of meeting the late King, without being threatened beforehand…” she shook
her head sadly, “Either her bonded mate was abusive, or she was after your father’s position and power.
If her choice was driven by a want of power, it certainly explains why she didn’t take your side when it
came to the Kyltons and their daughter.”
Xandar muttered, “He definitely wasn’t abusive. Hm…”he proceeded to internalize her explanation. They
were both quiet for a while before Lucianne said, “It’s just a theory, Xandar. I don’t know what really went
on in her mind. I just…”
Xandar was brought out of his train of thought as he uttered, “But you might be right though. I t does fit
into something she always proudly told me since I was a child.”
Lucianne waited for him to continue. He said, (This will be daily updtaed at
www.jar.com)“Since I was a boy, she would remind me that our family is loved by all because we
were the most powerful family in ex because we were great leaders, kind, respectable or anything like
that. But because we were powerful.” Xandar shook his head disapprovingly as he muttered to himself,
“What a disgrace.”
Lucianne was shocked by his choice of words. So she stroked his hand comfortingly before suggesting,
“How about we stop with Queen Vera there, darling. Let’s just go back to Aunt Reida.”
Xandar furrowed his eyebrows, “Why are you even feeling bad about this? You’re not the one making
these comments.”
“Well, I’m the one who led you there.” Lucianne admitted in guilt.
Xandar disagreed, “No, you just helped me see. You shouldn’t feel bad about giving me another
perspective, Lucy, especially one that makes sense. If Aunt Reida were alive, she would’ve told you to
own it.” Lucianne could not help the upward curl of her lips at what he said.
He then sighed in surrender and said, “Well then, I guess my parents’ marriage was more perfect than I
thought. Both were after power and influence.”
Lucianne then began, “She may have really loved him in the end, Xandar.” He looked at her in confusion.
Didn’t she just say his late mother accepted a royal proposal in pursuit of influence and power? What did
she now mean that the late Queen really loved the late King i n the end?
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLucianne proceeded to explain, “It’s not the most ideal form of love for most of us but some who…
choose their own mate over one given by our Goddess do eventually learn to be okay with the person
that they are with. It could be driven by a sense of duty, or in your mother’s case, power and status. It
would start out…as a bit of a challenge but eventually, one will find little things to love about the other
person. And with a child, they would have another thing t o love and live for. The luckiest ones even fall
in love as the years go by. It just takes time. Your father may have never loved your mother as deeply as
it was ideal. But your mother…she may have liked the power but at the same time she may have fallen in
love with your father, too.”
Xandar looked at the woman sitting right across from him. He smiled in awe before he asked, “I lost
count of the number of times I’ve asked you this but I still want to know: how did you know that? I mean it
makes sense, too. But how did you know without having to meet her?”
Lucianne offered a small smile, “I was rejected five times, Xandar. I have five sources of reference. The
scenario I gave you was what I learnt from the rejection with Alpha Brandon. H e had a duty as his pack’s
leader to choose a Luna of an Alpha bloodline. It started out awkward for them but they eventually fell in
love, and they’re really proud of the two kids they have together. Their love is so strong now that his
Luna isn’t even worried when I’m around him. I would go so far as saying that she’s one of my favorite
people to talk to as a. friend.”
Xandar gazed at her with a soft smile before a waitress came with their food. After the waitress asked
them to enjoy their meal and turned to leave the table, Xandar got up and leaned over the table to peck a
kiss on Lucianne’s cheek as he whispered, “You’re amazing.”
“You are too, Xandar. Now, sit so we can eat.(This will be daily updtaed at www.jar.com)” Her
hand gently pushed him back towards his seat as she started blushing again.
For the next few minutes, the only sound came from their forks and knives cutting at and poking on food.
Xandar then said, “Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention about my father’s bonded mate. Uncle Conrad
told me that the woman had already been rejected once. After the second rejection from my father, she
only lived for another month before taking her own life.” Lucianne stopped chewing, and her widened
eyes were fixed on Xandar’s unperturbed ones.