They Want Me to Take Over the Campaign

••• Arabella’s POV ••• I woke up to the light morning breeze and the sunlight peeking from the fluttering curtain of our bedroom. My mind recalled the things that had happened yesterday, and I couldn't help but feel the tears of heartbreak and anger stung my eyes. How could Abigail do that to Aurora? My twin sister really took her as a best friend and was nicer to her than I was. But all she got in the end was getting killed by her so-called best friend. I couldn’t help wondering if Aurora was really Abigail’s target or if it wouldn't matter if it were either of us twins. A chill traveled down my spine when I thought I could’ve been the one getting killed at that time or that I had been keeping my sister’s murderer by my side all these years. Not that I preferred Aurora to be the one who was killed, as she did, but the thought of being murdered that young... I took a deep breath to shake my fear off. How vicious was Abigail that she could have the thought of murdering someone when she was still young? A snarl escaped my lips when I thought of killing her myself as revenge for my twin sister. “Ari,” Iris suddenly spoke in my head. “Calm down for now. We have to abide by the law.” “But-” I wanted to complain as I couldn’t bear the thought of that evil she-wolf being alive after killing Aurora. “Remember what Max said last night,” Iris tried to talk some sense into me. “He promised to help you in this matter. Furthermore, if you kill that bitch, you will be imprisoned, and you might not be able to spend the rest of your life with him.” At the mention of what Max had said last night, the anger burning inside me doused out, and my lips curled into a sweet smile. Was last night an indirect confession of his love for me? He had never said the word ‘love’, and I still didn’t dare to fall in love with him for fear of his feelings for me or his promise to spend the rest of our lives together only because of our matebond. “Oh, please,” Iris rolled her eyes at me. “We’ve only found out we are fated mates a few days ago, but he’d been treating you nicely since the beginning.” “Can’t it be because he wants to save his face?” I asked her with doubt. “I mean… We needed to look like the perfect couple in front of others.” “Did he need to do it when you guys were alone?” Iris seemed irritated by my disbelief that Max could have genuinely fallen in love with me. Too lazy to argue with her, I wiggled to Max’s side of the bed and became a bit dejected when I found it was already cold, like he had woken up a long time ago. Why didn’t he wait for me to wake up before he went out? Did our talk last night mean little for him? “Maybe he has something urgent to do...” Iris tried to comfort me, but I could feel her disappointment, too. I shook off my feelings and got off the bed to shower and get ready to go to the office. There was no point in being downcast... After I finished getting ready, I went down and was pleasantly surprised to find Max cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Sensing my presence, he placed the last piece of food on a plate and turned the stove off before striding toward me. “Good morning, my love,” he greeted me as he wrapped me in his arms and pecked my lips. I blushed at the way he addressed me while Iris squealed in joy in my head, “He loves you!” “Good morning,” I returned his greeting shyly. “You came down just in time for breakfast.” His smile was slow and languid, making him look kind of a sexy and gentle house-husband. I had to force myself to look away, or I might jump him on the spot. “You cooked breakfast for us?” I asked to distract myself from this sexy mate of mine. “I did.” He let me go and placed the plates and two cups of coffee on a tray before picking them up and asking me to follow him to the terrace at the back of the house where the flower garden was located. We enjoyed our breakfast on the terrace when he asked, “How many pups would you like to have, Arra?” I nearly choked on my breakfast before getting my composure back and asked him back, “How many do YOU want?” “As many as you are willing to,” he replied thoughtfully. “What if I just want to have two pups?” I asked with curiosity. “As long as that’s what you want,” he shrugged. “Didn't you say you want to have many pups?” I teased him. “I’ll respect my sweet Luna’s wish. I won't force you to bear lots of pups for me if that’s not what you want,” he replied. “What if we only have daughters? Will you keep impregnating me until I give you a son?” With him being the only child, he might want a son as an heir. “As long as they are our children, I won’t care about their gender. Furthermore, I think daughters will be cute just like you,” he said with a smile. "I will spoil my little princesses when we have them, and I'm sure you'll be a great mother to them," he added. We kept daydreaming about our happy life together with our pups until suddenly, my phone rang. I answered it in speaker mode, and Marie’s voice came through the receiver. “Princess Arabella, the Queen and King have decided to stay out of the new King’s campaign matters and that they were going to leave it in your hands.” I was surprised by the news and looked at Max, who seemed to be pondering about something. “Did Mom tell you this news?” I asked her. “She did,” Marie confirmed. “And she asked me to inform you.” “Alright. Thank you, Marie,” I told her and hung up the phone while sighing helplessly. Mom must’ve purposely kept me in the dark to surprise me so I wouldn't have the chance to object. I tried calling Mom and Dad, but they didn't pick up. They must have been busy now... “Arra, have you ever thought of running to become Queen?” Max asked. “No.” I shook my head and gave him a reason, “I’m never interested in it because I saw my parents put too much time and effort into running the pack, and I have other things I want to do.” I guessed it was for that reason that my parents left me in charge of the campaign. On the one hand, it was to hone my skills. On the other hand, they knew I wouldn't be running for it, so there would be no possibility of backroom deals. “When I become the next King, you’ll be my Queen,” Max said lightly. I laughed at him, thinking it was funny for him to say that. Would a he-wolf like him allow a she-wolf to be his personal Queen? I didn't think so. “Oh please, Ari,” Iris snorted, unhappy with my thought. “Don’t be too ignorant.” “What do you mean by that?” I glared at her. “He’s been taking care of you and serving you in his own way, yet you still think he can’t treat you like his Queen.” Her reply rendered me speechless, and I felt guilty for not really acknowledging Max’s many efforts to make me happy. “At least now you know about it,” Iris seemed to scold me for being too ignorant before. “Thank you for reminding me,” I told her sincerely. “Do you still want to be a doctor?” Max’s question disrupted my conversation with my wolf. I pondered about it for a moment and asked him, “Can you accompany me to the building you have bought for me?” “Of course,” he replied, and we went to his car after finishing breakfast. We went to the building, and as we walked around, I told him, “I’ve decided to turn this into a training center. Rosa would be in charge of teaching magical knowledge to prepare more people for potential attacks from dark witches.” He was about to reply to my decision when my phone rang again, and I saw it was the werewolf council’s number. I talked to them and told Max about our conversation on the phone after we hung up. “The werewolf council has just informed me that my parents’ abdication will be officially announced tomorrow, and I’m supposed to take over the campaign at that time.” “We better get you a new gown, then,” he said as if he had expected this to happen. “Let me do it,” I told him. With little time to spare, I hurriedly looked for the right outfit. I called the royal pack’s tailor, as she had been dressing me my whole life, and she delivered a magnificent gown to the Silentmane Canines Pack. It was another silver gown, which is the moon’s color, and it was also my sister’s favorite color. I tried it on to see how it fitted me and wished Aurora could be here now, giving me strength with her warm embrace... Thinking of these things, tears welled up in my eyes. Max then walked in and looked at me in the dress, seemingly stunned by my beauty.