Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 49: Princess Elara

**Theo's POV**

I stood at the entrance of the palace, fidgeting with my cufflinks. My father and Peter stood beside me. I could not help but notice that he looked a little bit nervous. I could not blame him though, I was nervous as well.

The Lycans would be arriving very soon.

As we waited for the Lycan King and Queen to arrive, I thought about Tiana. I wondered what she was doing right now. I had been looking forward to seeing her all day, but with the Lycan King's visit, I knew I wouldn't have a chance to talk to her until later. Fiona on the other hand has refused to speak with me till now. She avoided me in the hallways and even when I visited her chambers, she did not want to see me.

I decided to give her time as Peter had suggested. It just broke me to know that I was the reason she was the way she was.

The guards began to open the gates of the palace and the sound of horses and chatter outside signaled the arrival of our guests in a carriage. My father glanced at me and Peter, and we stepped forward to greet the Lycan royal family as they stepped out of the carriage. The servants were handling their luggage and other things.

The Lycan King, Corvin Soren, was tall and somewhat frail looking, with piercing yellow eyes and black hair that fell to his shoulders. However, I knew his appearance was deceitful because of the kind of reputation he had. Corvin Soren was the kind of man whose scent instilled fear in anyone. He was a principled man but a very brutal one. Those who had the misfortune of being on his bad side always lived to tell the story while wishing death would take them. Death was always an option they begged for for the rest of their lives.

He was with his queen, a tall woman with wavy black hair. One of her eyes was yellow in colour and the other one was an icy blue colour— almost like it was frozen. Unlike her husband, she had a warm smile. Their daughter, the Lycan Princess, stood beside them.

I was taken aback by the princess's beauty. Her long, black hair fell down her back like a waterfall, and her green eyes sparkled in the fading light. She was tall and slender, with a quiet confidence that commanded attention.

I felt a weird sensation like a jolt of electricity had run through my body. I couldn't explain why, but I felt drawn to the princess in a way that made me feel guilty. I had feelings for Tiana, after all.

The Lycan King and Queen greeted my father warmly, and the princess curtsied elegantly.

"You haven't met her before but this is our daughter," Corvin said. "Her name is Elara."

"Pleasure to meet you, my lady," I said with a small bow, placing a kiss on the back of her hand after my father had done so. She simply gave me a look of contempt instead of smiling like my father had.

Peter on the other hand did not bother exchanging pleasantries with her. He just turned his back like she was not even there.

"We shall escort you to the guest house prepared for you," my father said. "I am certain you would like to freshen up before dinner tonight."

"Certainly," Corvin said.

"I hope the journey was not too much trouble," I asked politely. "And the rogues did not attack as much."

"There were barely any," Alpha Corvin said. "The one we encountered was already weakened. Strangely enough."

I turned to Peter and smiled. The repellent was working. It was just a pity we could not find a permanent solution to the rash the soldiers have.

We showed them to the guest house and then my father Peter and I spent our evening ensuring everything for dinner was in tip-top shape.

As we waited for our guests to return, my father turned to Peter and whispered, "Remember, Theo, the Lycans are our allies. We must show them respect and hospitality. I saw that you turned your nose up at their princess earlier."

"Couldn't help it," Peter snorted. "She's not a pleasant person."

I nodded, still feeling a little annoyed by the look she had given me. I don't know why but the annoyance was more like anger and heartbreak.

When the Lycans returned, we made our way to the dining hall, where a huge feast awaited us. The tables were loaded with roasted meats, steaming vegetables, and all sorts of foods.

As we sat down, Peter did not even waste any time talking about why they were here. "We shall show you the architectural drawings and structures tomorrow morning but I shall explain then now," Peter began. I could swear he did not want to remain in the same room with them for a second longer.

"We just started dinner," I said. "Maybe we should—"

"I actually appreciate him going straight to the point," The princess, Elara said. "Don't you? Father? Mother?"

The Lycans's royalties nodded.

"Well in that case," I muttered, feeling defeated.

"Your Majesties, we had to work on a multi-layered defense system to protect our pack from rogue attacks," Peter began. "The outer wall was made of reinforced stone. Initially, it was to stand at least twenty feet high but we later decided on twenty-three for extra safety. It was topped with iron spikes to deter any attempt to scale it by the rogues.”

The Lycan King nodded thoughtfully, "That's impressive," he said. "But what about the gates we passed at the border? Something technical from what I saw."

Peter smiled. "The gates are made of thick iron, reinforced with additional locking mechanisms and guarded round the clock. We'll also have watchtowers at regular intervals along the wall, equipped with archers and signal flares to alert the pack of any approaching danger."

The Lycan Queen asked, "How did you protect the engineers during construction?”

"We used temporary barriers to protect the engineers as they worked on the wall. These barriers were made of reinforced wood and metal, easy to move and reposition as needed." I said.

They began to ask more questions and as Peter continued to explain our defense system, I found myself growing more and more captivated by the princess. I couldn't explain why, but I felt a deep connection to her.

As we finished our meal and the servants began to clear the tables, I caught the princess's eyes, her green eyes glinting in the candlelight.

My heart skipped a beat as I felt a sudden jolt of attraction. I looked away, feeling guilty for even noticing another woman when I had feelings for Tiana.

But as I glanced back at the princess, I caught her staring at me again, her eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made my heart racing.

My wolf stirred within me, whispering a single word in my mind...

MATE.