Genevieve

Chapter 39: Doubts

It was unheard of for kings to leave their true mate and give the place of their queen to someone else. It did not sit well with the werewolves, but even if the people wished to resist or voice out their concerns, it was the kings that held absolute power. Genevieve felt that she was in the spotlight, and she felt more conscious than ever. She never felt so nervous in her entire life. She was anxious and disoriented. She couldn't believe what the kings had just done, and what they had in mind.

The kings had planned everything out, and they were going to remain firm about their decision. They told the people about Gen's living arrangements and told everyone to be on their best behavior with her. The kings encouraged Gen to say a few words as well, and she was uncertain about what to say.

"Hello. It is nice to see you all. I hope you all take care of me, and we get along. I hope one day we can be one kingdom-stronger and united than ever!" Gen voiced out since she felt that it would make things easier and would be better for the kingdoms in the long run.

But unfortunately, the people didn't seem to be too keen on the unification of the kingdoms and Gen felt that she had started on the wrong foot with people. She didn't want to let anyone down, so she immersed herself in getting to know about the kingdoms from the very first day. Everything was new for Gen, and she had to get accustomed to the differences between humans and werewolves. She also had to understand their customs and rituals. She had all the information she needed, but she had to put in extra effort since she had to study four kingdoms.

The kings were pleased to see how excited and zealous she was, but they didn't want her to overdo anything. Since the kings had been absent for a month, they decided to go back to their kingdoms as soon as everything was over. All of the kings were upset that they had to say bye to Gen except for Markus. He was overjoyed to have her all by himself, and he had planned a lot of things.

"Markus, can I ask you something?" Gen inquired, and he encouraged her to go on.

"Did I say something wrong during the ceremony in the morning?" Gen kept wondering about the small speech she gave in the end and the reaction she received.

"No, you didn't. You did great!" Markus told her honestly, but Gen was not convinced.

"The people didn't seem in favor of what I said," Gen mentioned as she could tell from the people's gaze.

"It is just that every kingdom is so different, and people don't like change," Markus clarified, and now it made more sense to Gen.

"Maybe if we make slow changes and take their feedback, the people will be able to adapt to it gradually," Gen suggested, and Markus thought that it was a great idea. She discussed it with the other kings, and they decided to work together to make it happen.

Markus had undermined the workload, and unfortunately, he wasn't able to spend much time with Gen. But she was also understanding and kept herself busy. Markus couldn't let the opportunity go out of his hand, so he went full out at the end of the week.

He blindfolded Gen and took her to a place where he could spend some time alone.

"You can take off the blindfold now," Markus told her, and when she did, she was surprised to see the sight in front of her.

"Tada!" Markus exclaimed as he revealed a cute picnic setup. Genevieve was a sucker for such things, and she was overjoyed when she saw all the arrangements. The spread consisted of her favorite food, flowers for décor, miniature crockery, a cheese board, and a basket. It was all so aesthetic and pleasing to look at.

"This is adorable! I can't believe you did this," Gen cheered, and Markus was happy to see her happy. They had a great time taking pictures, and Gen was the only person Markus loved to photograph. He was glad that she was by his side, and they were finally making amends.

Markus finally felt like he was home.

Lucius didn't wish to make the same mistake again, and this time Gen received a grand welcome. Lucius was on his best behavior, and all his anger was down the drain. He arranged a barbecue feast for all the people in his pack, so Gen could meet them and get to know them better.

Gen got along with everyone and what she loved the most was how werewolves helped each other altruistically. They not only cared about each other but about her as well. She felt a sense of community and a sense of belonging with them. They were all like a huge family where they would ask and check up every now and then.

Lucius was also extra attentive toward Gen. He would fill Gen's plate with food whenever he noticed that it was close to empty and made sure to ask her when she needed something.

"I don't think I've ever had so much food. I think my stomach is going to explode!" Gen complained, and so Lucius stopped. But that didn't mean that Gen didn't have room for dessert. They had ice cream, and Gen was glad that he remembered that she loved vanilla. It was the little moments that ended up accumulating and becoming the big things.

Damien was glad to have a second chance. The first time around everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong, and this time everything had to be right. Damien did not like the outdoors, but there was a place that he wished to go with Gen.

The beach.

To lay under the sun, get a tan, watch the sunset, and have a heartfelt conversation was what he craved. Gen loved the beach, the feel of water touching her feet, the serenity, and the calmness. She felt like Damien was the perfect person to be with since they could stay in comfortable silence and enjoy.

"How pretty!" She exclaimed as she watched the sunset, which was her favorite part.

Damien, who had his eyes on Gen, agreed.

It started to get chilly during the night, and Damien sensed that Gen felt cold, so he offered his jacket to her. The jacket made Gen feel warm on the outside as well as on the inside. There was something else that caught her eye as well. It was a garden that Gen didn't see the last time she was around, and she asked around who planted it.

"The king did."

The garden had her favorite flowers- irises. She remembered how she told Damien about them when he was unconscious, and she thought back then that he wasn't listening. She never knew that a flower could cause a garden to bloom in her heart.

Everything was going well, and on account of Gen's arrival, Tristan suspended training for a week, so he could focus solely on Gen. He planned a movie night where they watched a romantic comedy. He wasn't a fan of movies, and even when he did watch them, he watched action or mystery/thrillers. But this week was dedicated to Genevieve (as well as the rest of his life), so he was willing to watch all the rom-coms that existed. To see her happy was his greatest fulfillment, and he felt content to have her by their side.

At the end of the month, they reunited in the Central Kingdom, and all the kings were happy with the progress they made. But there was something wrong with Gen's mood.

"What did you do?" The kings barged onto Tristan since he was the last one to be with Gen, and he defended himself.

"Nothing! I promise. Everything went well, and she was happy this morning," He stated, and everyone wondered what it could be.

They looked at the birthday gifts that they got her and couldn't give to her, and they finally felt that now was a good time to give them to her. They had even bigger things to do and say, but they were waiting for the perfect opportunity. But Gen's decision put them a step back when she said,

"I don't want to go back to the werewolf kingdoms. I wish to stay here."

Author's Note:
Hi everyone! I hope you're well. This is the second last chapter and it has been such a rollercoaster ride with this story. I really wanted to extend it a little further with a few more twists and turns, but I think it is best to wrap it up for now. I might revisit this story in the future and improve it. Thank you for your love!
Happy reading!