Beast Gacha System: All Mine-Chapter 200: Long Awaited

Nikolas was silent.

He knew it.

This was why.

This was why he shouldn’t have put his full faith in a woman.

Ruby had urged them. She had been so certain. Her visions, her prophecies, her divine sight, she had pressed them, pushed them, insisted that the army must move, that the timing was critical, that Arkai Dawnoro would die and the north would be theirs for the taking.

And Nikolas had believed her. Because she was his mate. Because he loved her. Because she was the Saintess, and the Saintess was never wrong.

But she had been wrong. And now they were standing in the Wolf King’s hall, surrounded by sneering nobles, while the object of their failed gambit smiled and announced his wedding.

Women. They let their emotions cloud their judgment. They see what they want to see and call it divine.

He watched the veiled woman, Lady Sees, the Dragon’s Physician, the Wolf King’s Luna, smile those deep red lips at the crowd, and he felt something twist in his gut.

This woman had somehow inserted herself into Arkai’s life, into his confidence, into his bed. She had appeared from nowhere, this variable, this unknown, and upended everything.

Those swaying hips as she moved beside the Wolf King. Those long legs, visible through transparent panels of black and gold, wrapped in chains that whispered with each step. Those deep red lips, curved in that serene smile that promised secrets and pleasures in equal measure.

She was the woman who had created the miraculous medicine that saved his father. A woman who might be a dragon herself.

She was at least useful.

At least beautiful.

Look how docile she was beside Arkai. Look how their chemistry captivated every eye in the room. The way she leaned into him, just slightly. The way his hand found hers as if by instinct. The way they moved together, two bodies in perfect, unspoken synchrony.

Their bond must be so strong. Strong enough to propel the Black Wolf King even further, even higher. A mate like that could make a man unstoppable.

While Ruby, his Ruby, the true Saintess, stood humiliated at the edge of the crowd, still frozen in the space where Arkai had dismissed her.

This was why.

If only Arkai Dawnoro was his father instead of that weak, shortsighted man who couldn’t even defend himself against the Lion King’s attack.

If only that Dragon Physician was his mate instead of Ruby, with her failed prophecies and her desperate attempts to salvage her crumbling credibility.

Of course he would still work with Ruby. He would still use her. She was still the Saintess, still valuable, still his, bound by a bond that nothing could sever.

But he knew that it would be hard to trust her again.

And somewhere in that cold, dark space where his love for her had once burned, where adoration and devotion and the fierce joy of claiming her had lived, a small, vicious voice whispered.

I told you so.

She was just a woman.

You should’ve been able to control her better.

"My madam and I," he said, "will have our wedding soon."

As Nikolas seethed, the announcement rippled through the hall. A collective intake of breath, a rustle of fabric as bodies shifted, a thousand thoughts converging on a single point of revelation.

A wedding.

The Wolf King, who had refused every offer, every alliance, every beautiful and powerful woman thrown at his feet for years, was getting married. To a woman no one had heard of until moments ago. To a woman whose very existence upended every assumption about his future.

And then the spell broke. Conversation erupted. People began to move, to circulate, to find their allies and exchange the glances that conveyed entire conversations without a single word.

The musicians, taking their cue, struck up something light and celebratory. Servants appeared with trays of food and wine, weaving through the assembled power with the practiced invisibility of their trade. The banquet, officially, had begun.

Arkai stood at the center of it all, his veiled Luna still at his side, receiving the tide of well-wishers and opportunists with the same measured calm he brought to everything.

Some approached with genuine warmth, old allies, neighboring lords who had always respected him. Others came with calculations glittering behind their smiles, seeking favor, seeking connection, seeking access to this mysterious woman who had somehow captured the un-capturable Wolf King.

Lady Sees received them all with that same serene smile, those deep red lips curved just so, her veiled face revealing nothing while promising everything.

The chains at her wrists and waist caught the light as she moved, and more than one guest found their eyes following the glint of gold long after they should have looked away.

"How joyous!"

"This is certainly worthy of celebration!"

"I really thought you’d never marry, Your Majesty."

"Me too!"

A small figure suddenly materialized between the Wolf King and his Luna, popping up as if he had simply willed himself into existence at the perfect moment.

Ten-year-old Rinne beamed at the assembled guests, his tail wagging behind him with undisguised enthusiasm.

"I also thought Lord Father would never marry," he announced. "Lord Mother proved us wrong!"

He nodded sagely at his own words, as if delivering a profound philosophical truth. "You just need an overly magnificent woman to change minds." Another nod, even more self-assured. "Father was lucky. Too lucky. The luck is too overwhelming, he can’t shoulder it alone."

Arkai scoffed, but the sound carried no real heat. "Brat." His hand descended on the boy’s head, a brief, affectionate ruffling. "Have you finished your homework? Why are you here?"

"Why can’t I party too?!" Rinne huffed, ducking away from the hand with practiced ease.

The guests around them laughed. The Luna too, chuckled, her melodious voice carrying through the noise like wind chimes. Her hand, elegant and draped in golden chains, landed gently on the boy’s shoulder.

"You must be tired after studying," she said softly. "Let’s grab some snack."

Rinne’s eyes widened, literally sparkled, and his small hand shot out to grasp hers. "Yes, Lord Mother!"

That was how he ended up dragging her toward the dessert table. The mysterious, enchanting Lady Sees allowed herself to be pulled along by an enthusiastic ten-year-old, separating the newly announced couple with cheerful disregard for protocol.

Arkai narrowed his eyes.

His bride. Stolen. By a child.

So... even the adopted son loved the bride? What was this harmonious family display?!

Before he could follow, before he could reclaim his Luna from the clutches of an overexcited cub, Borak appeared at his elbow. The beta’s presence was sudden, urgent, materializing from the crowd with news that could not wait.

He leaned in. Whispered.

Arkai’s expression changed.

It was subtle. A faint freezing of his brows, a cooling in his eyes. Thankfully, everyone was watching the enchanting Luna and the boy at the dessert table. So, they didn’t notice the momentary pause that was quickly smoothed over.

But Cecilia, turning back after realizing he hadn’t followed, caught it.

Their eyes met across the room.

Arkai’s gaze warmed instantly. It was a reassurance. He nodded once, a small signal. Something has come up. I need to go. Then he turned, reluctant but necessary, and disappeared into the crowd with Borak at his side.

Cecilia watched him go, her smile never wavering.

What was it? Her mind raced, cataloguing possibilities.

Arzhen? Had the Tiger Prince finally returned? Anton? A complication with his recovery? Perhaps... Elara?

Anton had decidedly not attended, even though he was also in this residence, resting with his aides. Arzhen could return at any moment, could show up unannounced. So could Elara.

Or was it... her husbands? Eastiel? Oathran? Had something happened to them? Something that required Arkai’s immediate attention?

"Lady Sees..."

The voice cut through her thoughts like a blade.

Near the snack table, bathed in the warm glow of chandeliers and the curious eyes of nearby guests, they finally met again.

Ruby.

The true Saintess stood before her, close enough to touch, her saintly robes a stark white against everything else in the banquet. Her expression was composed, pleasant. The face of a woman approaching a new acquaintance with polite interest.

But her eyes.

Her eyes were searching.

Finally... they were face to face once again.

Oh, how long awaited this moment was.