A noble gasped and it rippled through the guests nearby.
Basil's eyes hardened as he bared his teeth, "You think too much of yourself to ask me such a thing. It is my right to do as l please in my castle."
"But, I am your luna. We rule this kingdom and castle together while the king is on the border. I have every right to know. Our army is still at war with the vampires. We can't afford to spend so much money"
"You were not born to be the luna!"
Basil yelled, angrily, "I have allowed you to fill the role until now. How dare you tell me what to do!"
Delia wrapped her arms around Basil, speaking softly, "Please, my Prince. Think of the guests..."
Basil's fury vanished as he turned to Delia. His eyes were soft and his smile was sweet. It turned Laura's stomach. Could a she-wolf from an unknown pack truly be so much better than her?
"Of course, my love. Such wise words. Truly, you are the one."
He turned back to glare at Laura. She flinched at the anger in his eyes.
"Look at yourself. You are more like a maid of the castle than my luna. Don't mention the budget problems to me. Everyone knows you spend more money on useless projects. If I were you, l'd be too ashamed to show up!"
Everything she did was for the kingdom, for Basil. How could he not see that?
"I-I just"
"You are nothing."
Laura lowered her head. She knew that. Basil didn't need to tell her, yet she had striven to rise above that. Three years of hard work had yielded nothing.
Would it ever mean anything?
"Though I am glad you have shown your wretched face and spared me the trouble of having you fetched."
Basil lifted his nose, "Prepare to leave at once. Soon, 1 will announce Delia as my mate and the one I will love for the rest of my life."
Laura gasped, her eyes bulging as her worst nightmare became real.
Leave? Basil loved Delia? She knew there had never been love between them. She knew she was only Basil's marked mate, but this was too much.
"Delia will be the luna of the kingdom. As for you, Laura Hamiltion, I care not what happens to you after our divorce."
Her jaw trembled and her eyes burned with tears. She had been luna and Basil's wife for three years. She had led the kingdom alongside him while the king was away with all the grace and proper care.
Basil couldn't just throw her away like dinner scraps!
"You can't "
She choked and stumbled in shock as their bond broke. It was so fragile like all marked mate bonds were. It had cost him nothing to destroy it, yet it had cost her everything.
"No... No. You c-can't." She wailed.
"You can't!"
Basil turned. His eyes were cold and merciless.
His voice was almost happy as he smirked at her, "I told you. I will do as I please. You are not even fit to be a spare maid in my castle. Now, get out of my castle!"
He can't! Her heart clenched. Laura couldn't believe what she was hearing.
The past three years couldn't have been meaningless to him. Even if they didn't mean as much to him as they meant to her, they had to have meant something!
Sarah stepped forward, bowed low and beseeching, "Your Highness, our Luna"
"Don't call her luna!" Basil snarled.
"She doesn't deserve that title! Seize her!"
Sarah flinched and screamed in terror as Basil's soldiers advanced on her and dragged her away from the opulent hall.
"Wait!" Laura cried, "How can you"
"Your Majesty, please!"
Sara cried, struggling against the soldiers.
"Move!"
"You can't do this to me!"
Laura reached for her, but another group of soldiers blocked her path as Sarah disappeared into the shadows still struggling. Her cries filled Laura with grief.
She had only ever had Sarah on her side. Most of the nobles shared Basil's contempt for her lowly status. The few who didn't were too bound in politics to go against Basil's orders. Who could she turn to?
She turned to see Gavin Mirabelle, Basil's grandfather and the most powerful minister of the kingdom.
He had only ever held Laura in contempt. His smile was triumphant as if he had finally gotten rid of a long-standing obstacle.
She looked up at the soldiers who blocked her path. Their eyes were full of sympathy and discomfort.
"Lu…" One of them cleared his throat, "Miss, go back to your pack. Your things will be packed and sent to you."
Would they not even give her a horse to ride?
Even if they did, where would she go?
She had been Basil's marked mate and Luna for three years. King Adolph had been unable to leave the war front and had left Basil in charge of the kingdom's affairs, but Basil had not met his mate.
He and the ministers had been desperate to find someone to help shoulder the burden and held a grand ball hoping to find a suitable marked mate.
At the time, she had been a mateless beta of the Emerald Twilight Pack, a completely unremarkable pack within the kingdom.
Her parents refused to even consider Laura as their heir and sent her to the ball with the hopes to solve the problem of their wretched daughter and their low status in one stroke.
She remembered the awe she'd felt seeing the castle and wearing the new dress her parents had bought her. She smiled at everyone and had been exceedingly polite.
She spoke with the brightest nobles of the kingdom and thought she had proven herself worthy enough to garner a personal meeting with Basil. He had been attracted to her, yet disparaging of her status.
She could not blame him. She was an ordinary beta from an ordinary pack and he was the heir to the kingdom.
Despite her shortcomings, he had chosen her and she had fallen for his handsome face and the thought that he believed she could stand beside him. She had been so foolishly happy to marry him and find some measure of use and worth in his eyes.
She thought her parents meant the best for her, but she learned quickly that they only meant the best for themselves.
Her marriage had only ever been a means to gain more money and status.