Diana lay in bed, trying to fall asleep. She had bathed her baby and dressed him in a cosy manner. She cuddled him under the duvet and tried to sleep.
Just when she felt like sleep was coming, she heard a soft knock on the door. She ignored it and the knock persisted.
"Calhoun, go away. I don't want to see you." Diana muttered.
"My lady? It's not King Calhoun. It's just me." The soft voice came. "Someone is here to meet you, a lady from the antique store. I was wondering if you asked her to come."
"Ugh. What is Elizabeth doing here? I thought I asked her not to show up."
"My lady? Did you say something?"
"Yeah... Um, no. Um..." Diana rubbed her sleepy head. "Tell her to come."
Then she wondered how the maid had easily found her in the room.
Did Calhoun know where she was and sent the maid to her? If Calhoun knew, could he not even show up at least, to show her that he cared and did not mean any of what he said?
After a while, Elizabeth arrived at the room with the maid. Diana had a straight face when they arrived. The maid bowed at her and left her alone with Elizabeth.
"You know, when I said to gain the king's attention, I did not have in mind that you would be his missing lover," Elizabeth said. She began to place the boxes she came along with on the side table. Her eyes fell on the sleeping boy.
"Oh, how cute! He looks just like you." She exclaimed. Diana chuckled. Anyone who saw Coco with her would instantly say they looked alike. But if they also saw Calhoun, they would know that Coco was a replica of Calhoun and he only had the shape of her eyes and nose.
"Yeah, people say that." Diana agreed. She wasn't planning to correct anyone either.
"Um, my lady... How come you don't want to continue to attend the banquet? This is already two hours and thirty minutes gone and the banquet is about to begin. I noticed a lot of people have already arrived."
"Good for them," Diana said.
"You have to attend, my lady. I think I sighted the king somewhere in the castle. He was dressed so gorgeously and I think that all the girls will swoon over him."
"Good for him," Diana commented monotonously.
Elizabeth sighed. "How about you dress gorgeously as well and show up with your son as your date? That way, the king will want to be around you but you can either allow him or not."
The idea seemed cute and Diana was buying it. "Well, did you come with the things I'd need?"
"Of course! Ellie always comes prepared!"
"What about Coco?"
"I brought wonderful attire for him too. I hope he can walk now. Cause he's gonna need to follow momma on foot."
"Not in a stroller?" Diana asked, glancing at Coco.
"That could work. But let's get you ready first. Have you had a shower since you returned?"
"Nope."
"Alright, go and soak for a while. I would set the things I need." Elizabeth said. As Diana left, she began to take out the things she needed. After fifteen minutes, Diana emerged with a robe wrapped around her newly washed skin.
Elizabeth handed her a different lotion and she applied it to her skin. Then she began the make-up. After doing it, she unwrapped her still-damp hair. She took out a blow dryer and dried the hair.
It took Elizabeth thirty minutes to finish with the hair after spending about twenty minutes on the make-up too. By the time Diana checked herself out in the mirror, she was wowed.
"Waa, mama." She turned to find Coco awake and staring at her. Her son must have been surprised to see this version of herself. Elizabeth helped her into her dress and that was it. Diana felt happy that Elizabeth did not cancel out. Now she was too eager to know how Calhoun would feel when he saw her.
Elizabeth took out a cotton shirt and trousers that had a midnight blue colour with silver designs. Diana wore it on Coco. It was such a hard feat since the boy was playing around and would undo a button she had done. Eventually, they completed the task.
It was almost eight pm already and Diana was feeling fidgety. She stared at herself for so long and when she finally regained her composure. She turned to finally leave.
Elizabeth dressed up and followed her down, pushing Coco in the stroller.
"Are you coming along?" Diana asked. "This banquet is for werewolves."
"I know," Elizabeth said. "I'm a werewolf too. Don't I look like one? I know! I wasn't a born wolf!"
"Really?" Diana asked, forming an elegant accent. "Tell me more."
Elizabeth giggled. As they walked down the corridor, she began telling her about the incident that led to her becoming a werewolf. Diana was wowed. Elizabeth was such a strong woman. She had faced the transformation on her own and she came out victorious.
"You're so strong! I never knew that some citizens faced such issues." Diana exclaimed. "I assumed that you all remained in your houses."
"Well, I would have but the store owner called me to attend to someone in the store. When I got there, no one was there. And I called to inform him and he said he only wanted me to stay there and be certain nothing went missing."
"Such a cruel person!" Diana exclaimed. "You shouldn't work for him! How much does he pay you?"
"Five hundred dollars a month."
"Ugh! Such a cheap price after selling so many expensive clothes? Who is he?"
"I heard he is late now. He died before the war began." Elizabeth said. "I think his runaway daughter was the last person to be slain by King Calhoun."
Diana was confused. The last person she knew was slain was not a girl but a man. "Her name?"
"Patricia," Elizabeth answered. "Her father is Simon. He works in the palace too so it's easy for him to get all these antique wears when the king wishes to dispose of them."
Diana nodded. "That's wicked and somehow smart too. Hm, Simon has always been a man of risk. But if he died before the war then who called you to send you there?"
"It was his first son. He has taken over the store now." Elizabeth answered.
"How would you like to come and work for me? You can work as Coco's nanny." Diana said. "My best friend used to do that but she fought beside me during the war and almost died so Cal had to give her something that was supposed to preserve her life."
"Well, it turned her into a werewolf even when the full moon wasn't out yet and she has lost control. We await her transformation back and then we can welcome her to the pack family."
Elizabeth smiled. "Can I be welcomed tonight too?"
"Of course. I shall be the one to introduce myself." Diana nodded.
By the time they were arriving at the banquet space, they noticed all the chattering die down to a soft sound of spreading whisperings.
Calhoun had joined them to celebrate the last full moon. He sat on his special throne which was always used outside. While he sat, the seat beside him was empty and he felt empty as Diana did not sit beside him.
Felix could tell what was going on in his mind and he also wanted to know why Diana was missing.
"My king, why did she not show up? Did you guys have another argument?"
"What? We didn't argue. We just had a little misunderstanding." Calhoun answered. "I didn't think she would take my words too seriously and not show up."
Felix scoffed lightly. "I know you well enough, Calhoun. You know how to shift blame to someone else. Tell me, what happened?"
"She went out and didn't tell me where she had gone. Thomas left and Coco cried so much. Immediately I saw her, I demanded where she had been."
"Oh, God." Felix sighed. "Calhoun, you have to learn that Diana has always lived in a softer environment. All this hardness in your voice isn't her thing."
"She has to learn," Calhoun said, waving his hand off.
While he and Felix were discussing, he heard the chattering among the crowd die down and he noticed that their gazes were in a particular direction.
"Sigh, I wonder what had got these wolves staring so lustfully. I bet a servant has exposed her privacy." Calhoun commented.
Felix turned to check who it was and the chuckle that was already coming out turned to a choking cough. Calhoun glanced at him.
"What would your wife do if she saw you staring at her so much?"
"Cal... My king... You need to see this." Felix whispered urgently.
Calhoun rolled his eyes. "What the hell do I -"
He stopped short when he noticed who it was. Calhoun did not know when he stood up from his seat and headed towards where the angel was walking from. He could not take his eyes off her. Diana looked too beautiful to be ignored. He knew she would show up! He just knew it!
Slowly, he walked up to her. Diana had a stoic expression on her face and Calhoun cleared his throat.
"Darling, you look so breathtaking!" He exclaimed. "How can you look so beautiful and dare to come out with me by your die?"
"I have my son," Diana replied icily. She continued her walk and Calhoun grabbed her hand. Diana turned to glare at him but she found him staring so intently at her.
She scowled nevertheless. Why was he playing so unfairly?
"Let go, Calhoun." She whispered.
"Never. I can't let go of you when you look this beautiful!" He refused instantly.
"Calhoun, allow us to go."
"Stop it," Calhoun whispered. "Let her go with Coco."
"He's my son, remember?" Diana reminded sarcastically.
Calhoun sighed. He was feeling frustrated. He couldn't understand why Diana was so upset when he referred to their son as "her son". After all, he was also her son, so what was the problem? Women were unpredictable, and he just couldn't seem to grasp Diana's way of thinking.
Despite his confusion, Calhoun couldn't help but think about how beautiful Diana looked that night. He couldn't help but wonder if she would have been nicer to him if she knew that he wanted to propose to her. He knew that he had to act fast before someone else swept her off her feet.
Calhoun realized that he needed to communicate better with Diana and try to understand her perspective. He couldn't let his frustration get in the way of his relationship with her and their son.
He decided to take a deep breath and approach the situation with a clearer mind, hoping that he could find a way to make things right between them.
"Diana, before you leave." He said and once again, the woman stopped. Angered, she turned to glare at him but her glare turned soft when she noticed him on his knees. He took out a box that contained jewellery.
Elizabeth gasped loudly and covered her mouth instantly. The whisperings that were spreading when Diana had come out suddenly disappeared and everywhere was dead silent.
"Diana... The love of my life. You're the only woman who was able to fight through my cruelty and manage to steal my heart, disregarding all the injuries you sustained by the wayside. I don't think I could ever love anyone like you, and I don't think I want to love anyone else."
"So please, will you do me the honour of being my woman, my queen and my wife, the Luna of the wisteria pack?"
Diana was struck. She was so emotional. Slowly, she began to shake her head as she sobbed and Calhoun's hope crashed to the ground.