The Betrayed Luna Mated to the Lycan King by Laura-rave
Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Thorne stepped into the office only to see Nathan waiting for him, he cocked his eyebrow up. “What’s up?” He asked just as the man dropped the documents for him.

“Even more came in. There’s some dispute in two packs, although I don’t think it’s something worth your time but I still coin joined the matters so you can check it out.” He tells him. Thorne nods, taking a seat.

“I hear you plan on lifting Natalie’s status?” He asks and Thorne nods mindlessly, taking the file in his hands, he takes out the papers and begins to scroll through them.

“How did you hear it?” He asks and Nathan shrugs casually. “Frances might have let it sl*p out.” He replied. Thorne nodded, he wasn’t too surprised actually.

“So, it’s true?” He asks and this time the Lycan king does look at him, his eyebrow quirked

1. up.

“Yes, of course it’s true. I should’ve done it the moment realized she was my mate but now, I’m done putting it behind me.” He says and the beta nods.

“Have you been doing what I asked you to?” He asks and Nathan goes stiff, nodding his

head.

“I have watched him all the while he’s been present here. I haven’t seen much so I can say he hasn’t done anything inappropriate.” He says, hiding what he overheard.

“Is that right? So Jeffrey has no other intention since he’s here?” He asks and the beta nods affirmatively. The man hums and goes back to his work. Nathan watched him for a second, wondering how he’d take the news if he told him what he overheard. Not now, he’ll have to be sure first.

“Well, excuse me.” He says, bowing to the man before walking out the door.

Natalie carried a basket of oranges in her arm, and sweat beads formed around her forehead as she walked into the kitchen. It’s been some days since she woke up and now she’s far much better. She figured it was better to work and help out than lay around doing nothing, she still had to earn her keep after all.

She placed the basket against the island, took out two big oranges, and washed them,

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smiling to herself as she imagined Thorne praising the oranges so much. She paused,

shaking her head to get the thoughts out of her head. A sigh escapes her l*ps, she throws her head back, shutting her eyes for a second. This is crazy, she shouldn’t be thinking of the man this way, and yet…

She opens her eyes, shaking her head again. “This has to stop‘ she tells herself and continues washing the oranges and when she feels it was enough, she places them on a tray alongside a knife and carries it, hoping the man would actually like it. With a. Smile sprawled on her l*ps, she walked towards the staircase.

She doesn’t get to go far when she sees Frances and Jeffery walking down the very same stairs she was about to get on. She paused, shifting to the side to allow them pass, her head lowered in respect. She expected them to ignore her and walk by but she’s surprised when Frances stops right in front of her. Natalie lifted her head, looking between the two awkwardly.

“Oh, look we ran into, Frances.” Jeffery points out and at this, Natalie becomes even more confused.

“I-” she’s cut off harshly by Frances.

“Who are you taking those to?” She gestures at the oranges laid on the tray. A smile involuntarily takes over Natalie’s l*ps before she notices. Frances noticed it though.

“Alpha Thorne,” Natalie replied and Frances hummed.

“You can go.” She says, allowing her to pass, Natalie is quick to leave, hating the weird vibes she was getting from the other. She could tell the woman didn’t like her at all and it wasn’t like it got to her, not after what Eleanor did to her.

Frances watched with bitterness and anger as the girl rushed up the stairs to go give Thorne the oranges. His words came back to haunt her again.

“Looks like she’s beginning to see him as more of a man than her king,” Jeffery comments and Frances swallows hard.

“Shut it.” She snarks and the other smirks.

“It burns you doesn’t it, seeing him want her so openly that anyone can see it and even those that can’t see it can perceive it, and yet, here you are. He’d rather lift her status than talk about your mating ceremony. If that isn’t..”

“Do you

derive some sick pleasure in seeing this?” Frances asks, eyes filled with disdain directed at Jeffrey.

“What can I say? I love chaos.” He replied and winked before walking away, leaving Frances at being at the edge of the stairs alone.

Natalie placed the tray in front of him, taking a step back, she lifted her head only to see the man already staring at her. “Why are you working?” He asks earnestly and is met with wide panicked eyes.

“I- I thought- I am okay.” She stammered, not expecting the question and certainly not from him. Natalie swallows hard, looking away from his rather intense gaze.

“Thank you though, but I’d prefer if you didn’t work. You should be recovering after what happened. Also, madam Chrissy told you too.” He says and to say she’s shocked is an understatement.

“I–yes I’ll be heading over to hers and I just thought. I’m sorry.” She replied nervously, rubbing her hands together. Thorne looks at her for a second longer and sighs, looking away.

“You should be with Madam Chrissy now, shouldn’t you?” He asks and she nods hastily, taking a step backward and bows to the man. She hurried out of the office, wondering what was wrong with the man today. It’s not like she can understand him anyway.

Ten minutes later. Natalie arrived at Madam Chrissy’s home. She lived by herself away from the pack from the main pack house. Natalie has always wondered why though. She pushed the door open, taking a light step into the wooden house. A frown slowly makes its way to her face, an offensive odor fills the entire living room. She placed her hand over her nose, trying to hold the offensive stench away, but it did nothing. Eyebrows furrowed, she looked around the place, not a single soul could be seen.

“Katherine.” She called out and the smell got even more potent. She couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from, she was begging to taste the foul odor on her tongue.

She halted in her steps when she heard a loud crash, it seemed like something had fallen. She turned towards the direction of the noise. “Katherine.” She called out again and heard

someone sneeze.

“Madam Chrissy.” She calls out, walking towards the room where the noise had come from. She didn’t

get far as someone stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind them,

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coughing. The person lifts their head and they pause in their steps eyes wide with surprise. “Oh, it’s you.” The lady says and Natalie recognizes her as the other apprentice who works with Madam Chrissy.

Natalie tilts her head sideways, dropping her hand from her nose, she looks at the girl carefully. Firstly, she was covered in yellow powder from head to toe, her hair scattered and rough, face red too. “A–Are you okay?” Natalie asked, her eyes darting towards the now–shut door. The girl smiled at her, it’s weird and strange.

“What are you doing here? Are you here for Madam Chrissy? I’m not sure she was expecting you, was she?” She rushed out, walking towards Natalie, the smile still plastered on her face. It was beginning to freak Natalie out.

“Umm…I heard…” she trailed off, nudging her head towards the door.

“Oh, you heard that. I was fooling around with some things. Come on, I’ll lead you to Madam Chrissy.” She smiled and this time it was less uncomfortable than it had been earlier. Natalie nods, letting the girl lead her towards the living room she had come from before.

“Wait here, I’ll tell her you’re here.” She tells Natalie. Natalie nods, pausing a bit, her face scrunched unpleasantly.

“What’s that horrid smell?” She asks and this catches the girl’s attention. She clicks an eyebrow up, looking at Natalie carefully before sniffing the air. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What smell?” She asks. Natalie looked at her like she was sick.

“You can’t smell that? This foul stench that’s oozing in here?” She asks carefully. A frown makes its way to the girl’s face. “No, I cannot. It might be the effect of the poison. I’ll let Madam Chrissy know.” She replied but Natalie wasn’t convinced. Effect of the poison? She’s been okay ever since she woke up, why would the after–effects of the poison start now?

“Okay..” she drags out and the girl smiles again, already walking away before stopping when she hears Natalie call out to her again.

“Katherine?” She asks the girl.

“She should be with Madam Chrissy.” She replied and walked away.

Madam Chrissy walks towards her, a smile stretched on her face. “You’re here? I lost track of time. How do you feel?” She asked. Natalie lowered her head, bowing to the woman.

“I’m fine, Madam Chrissy. You asked me to come today.” She says, rubbing the nape of her n*eck awkwardly when she thinks back to how she almost didn’t come.

“Yes, I did, come along.” She says, gesturing at her to follow her. She stops suddenly, turning

to look at Natalie.

“Aya told me you were perceiving something here? Can you still smell it?” She asked and Natalie nodded, the smell wasn’t as potent as it had been when she stepped into the house. Chrissy looks at her blankly for a second and nods.

“That’s fine, come with me.” She says and begins to walk towards the passage leading to the back of the house. Natalie has always had her session with the middle–aged woman in her study or the living room alone but today? The woman pushed the door open and stepped into a garden. Natalie’s jaw falls open when she steps outside. She would’ve never believed a garden this big could be here.

“T–you did this?” She asks in surprise, glancing at the woman who wore a proud smile on her face.

“Of course, this is my pride and joy. How do you think I am able to get the different types of flowers that I need?” She asked but it’s never occurred to Natalie that the woman could have a garden this large in her backyard.

“Come sit, today I won’t be drilling your head. We’ll use our limited time to chat, what do you say?” She asks Natalie, leading her to a table already set by the house, making a shade for them and also a good view of the garden.

“You won’t?” Natalie asks and the woman nods with a smile on her face. “I won’t. I don’t think you

wolf wants to be drilled today.” She says and Natalie nearly stumbles. Her face ran pale at the mere mention of her wolf. She had made peace with the fact that she’d never hear her wolf again, not after the terrible experience she had.

“Y–you can feel my wolf?” She rushed out, eyes wide with something akin to panic. Madam Chrissy smiled at her, took a seat, and gestured that she sit too. Natalie plops down, eyes still wide and waiting for a reply.

“You can feel her too, can’t you?” She asks and this throws Natalie off. She balks in shock. “I can’t.” She stated flatly.

“I bet you, you can feel her. She’s there. She needs a little bit more coaxing but she’s there.” She says casually but this, this was the greatest news Natalie had heard in a long time. Tears filled her eyes immediately, blurring everything out.

“Is that why I can feel this unusual energy inside of me? I can almost feel electricity zapping at my fingers.” She rushed out. Chrissy’s smile drops immediately after she hears her,

sitting up.

“You can feel electricity at the tip of your fingers?” she asks and Natalie nods slowly, seeing

her reaction.

Chrissy looked at her for a while, longer than five seconds, her eyes were unreadable no matter how hard Natalie tried to read it. She blinked and leaned back against the chair.

“Do you drink?” She asks, changing the subject too easily. Natalie opened her mouth to speak but as the door opened, Katherine stepped out with a tray filled with cups, behind her was the girl from earlier, Aya.

“No I don’t..” she trailed off when the girls set them on the table, also sitting next to them.

“You hate it or you haven’t tried it before?” Madam Chrissy asks and Natalie shrugs. She’s never tried it therefore she doesn’t know how it tastes.

Katherine pops a bottle open and pours the drink for them all. This is a different setting than Natalie is used to.

“Well?” Madam Chrissy asks impatiently as she takes the alcohol–filled cup and lifts it to her l*ps.

“I haven’t tried it,” Natalie says and the woman hums, taking a gulp.

“You should try it. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to let go when you’re under the influence.” Katherine piped up and Natalie smiled. Aya on the other hand doesn’t say a word, she only looks at Natalie and drinks. Natalie smiled, she took the cup, bringing it closer to her l*ps, aware of the six eyes looking at her and waiting for her to take her first sip. She opens her mouth and gulps the drink, swallowing every bit of it in a go without waiting.

Katherine’s eyes widen at the sight just as Aya’s face fills with horror. Madam Chrissy grins at her like a proud mother.

“That’s it!” she grinned, downing the rest of the alcohol in her mouth.

Natalie tried smiling but couldn’t, not with the hotness in her chest or the bitter aftertaste of the drink. She wondered briefly just how there were drunkards in the kingdom if the thing tasted this bitter.

“Okay!” Katherine yelled, pouring them another round of alcohol.

Three hours later, Thorne stood with an amused smile on his face watching Natalie and the two girls scream at each other endlessly. He had come himself to Chrissy’s home in the guise of taking a walk. Natalie had left the pack that evening to come for her session but she hadn’t been back ever since.

Now, he stood a few feet away, watching her hold the blonde girl’s cheek in her hands, screaming at how soft it was.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to have her this drunk,” Chrissy says, bowing beside him. Thorne nods, waving her off.

“It’s okay. It’s good to see her loosen up.” He says even though they both knew he was tendering his words. She wasn’t just loosened up, she was drunk.

“I’ll take her, you take care of the other two.” He tells her, walking towards where the three girls are now crying. Natalie looks at him, l*ps pursed from crying, eyebrows furrowed like she is seeing him for the first time. She then raised her hand, pointing a finger at him.

“You!” She yelled, hiccuping slightly. Thorne smiled at how cute she looked, holding her up even though she kept her finger pointed at him, pouting hard.

“Wait, I have too..” she slurred out but he paid her no mind, holding her wrist, ready to walk out but stopped when she began to cry again.

“Don’t take me.” She cried out

“Don’t take her!” They yelled drunkenly, tears and snot running down their face. Thorne was glad no one from the pack came along with him. He certainly didn’t want anyone else seeing her this way, just him. He has to be the only one.

“You’ll see them later.” He says, not like she was listening. He finally walks out with her, a smile sprawled on his l*ps when he looks at her.

They make it half of the way with her only humming, singing carelessly, and cooing at the birds she apparently saw at night with no one seeing the two of them. Natalie stops abruptly and he does too, looking at her worriedly.

“Are you okay? Do you need.” He stops when she grabs his face, literally grabs his face, her two hands placed on the side of his cheeks. “You were so mean to me today.” She says and

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for a second he thought she had sobered up from walking. The thoughts vanished from his head when she began to giggle.

“I did?” He asked, a smile on his l*ps on seeing her pout.

“You did but you know, that’s okay. I’ll allow you be mean to me, just today.” She says, still pouting. His eyes drop to her puffed l*ps and he swallows thickly.

“You’ll allow me? Why?” He asks, wondering if he should ask Chrissy to help with this too. She shouldn’t be allowing anyone be mean to her, no matter who it is.

“Becos…” she drags and he waits.

“I-..” she drags out again and he waits. She whines, tiptoeing, and presses her mouth to his.