My fingers clenched around the bunched fabric before I reluctantly let go, the hem once again brushing the floor. I ducked my chin as the woman kept walking, leading the way to what I assume as the alpha Isaac’s room. The tight bun and her light blue midi reminded me of Ms. Hannah, our housekeeper. A whirlwind of emotions was swirling inside my chest, a thousand questions circling my mind. But I did not dare to voice them. Astrid lay dormant, as she had been for the past couple of days. The woman walked gracefully, and I wondered if he was in charge of the other house helps.
The corridor was long and seemed never-ending, lined with portraits adorning either side which I could see from the corner of my eyes, occasionally there were a few vases, large ones and albeit expensive or ancient. It had branched into different directions on the left, but I couldn’t see anyone in these hallways. The place, however, looked much brighter than I imagined. We crossed a small balcony and as I gazed out of it, I saw that it looked over to a garden. We turned a corner and crossed a few rooms which were all closed. I wondered why.
“We are here,” she suddenly announced when we reached the room at the end of this short hallway. She turned around, her small eyes looking straight at me, her petite face neutral. I swallowed thickly, only managing a short nod. She didn’t dawdle or wait for me to say anything else. Instead, she pushed open the heavy black door, ornately carved and polished. Even with my current predicament, I couldn’t help but admire the gigantic room, so well kept and clean.
“Your luggage has already been brought and a maid will be here shortly to dress you in proper clothes,” she intoned. However, the way she emphasized ‘proper’ made it sound as if this gown was anything but that. I bit my lower lip from retorting. I couldn’t possibly taint my pack’s...I ceased the thought there.
“If that’s all then I shall take your leave.” Before I could even open my mouth, she bowed and left the room. When the doors closed with a thud, I heaved out a weary sigh. I finally lifted my veil, feeling ridiculous at doing the task, a ritual that was usually reserved for the groom. My eyes burned at the patheticness of the situation. The huge room looked as if it hadn’t been used for a long time, there was no trace of personalization which seemed odd to me.
I padded to the bed positioned in the middle of the room, facing the door, and carefully placed my veil atop the neat beige blanket. My black clips came off next. I kept the bun intact and then sat down at the foot of the bed, waiting for whoever would come up and dress me up. A strange lethargy and numbness came over me. The strangeness and the seriousness of the situation suddenly sat heavily upon my shoulder.
Was my family even worried? Probably not. Would I keep living a life that is worse than death? Probably yes. A loud knock on the door jolted me out of my moroseness. “Come in.” I was thankful for the steadiness in my voice.
The doors opened and a girl about my age walked in with a small food trolley and was followed by another girl who carried what probably was my ‘proper’ attire. I stood up, while the petite one brought the trolley to a halt, the other woman, a black haired, average height woman laid the dress on the bed just beside my veil.
“We will help you with the dress and then you can have some food,” the black-haired woman murmured, averting her gaze. The petite one didn’t even utter a word, silently waiting behind the other one. I decided to not pay any heed to this. These people might have a hundred reasons to dislike me or be disappointed in me. However, the way the short girl stole glances as quickly lowered her gaze made me feel suspicious. She almost looked guilty.
“Alright,” I murmured, ready to get over with this. With a lot of difficulty, I had managed to come to terms with the fact that marrying alpha Isaac or being his bride would entail bonding, and bonding meant mating. When I laid my eyes on the dress, it solidified my thoughts. The dress was made of fine silk, purple in colour, spaghetti straps and a deep neckline that would hardly keep anything to the imagination. I was not surprised when I saw the lack of underwear. With reddened cheeks, I hurried to the ensuite washroom. The silk felt soft against my skin and I was grateful to have finally stepped out of the gaudy dress. When I came out of the washroom, the short girl was preparing a plate for me while the taller one was near the dresser. My veil and clips were probably moved to another place because they were no longer on the bed.
They must have sensed my arrival for they both looked up at me, their eyes wide. “You look beautiful,” the short girl exhaled before she quickly lowered her gaze. “Thank you?” It should have been a statement, but I was never really called beautiful back in...Once again I actively stopped myself from thinking. The taller one came up to me and took the gown from my hand.
I was guided to the dresser. The taller one, put some light make-up on me and styled my hair into a fishtail braid. Despite the praise, all I saw in the mirror was the reflection of a girl who had easily given up, one who was equivalent to a commodity to be bartered. They left me with a few parting words of waiting for the alpha to arrive in the evening and that I should eat.
I glanced at the food and nibbled on some fruit slices and biscuits before pushing the trolley to the farthest corner of the room, beside the dresser. I glanced at the huge wall clock on the far left of the room. I wouldn’t have to wait for long. I didn’t know whether to be relieved that the anticipation would be over or scared that I would meet someone whom the world has hardly seen in the past few years. I walked over to the window that overlooked the back of the palace, into another garden.
Was this alpha’s garden? Well, he wouldn’t have time for this, would he? My thoughts wandered to these people’s shifty behaviour and attitude. Some were welcoming while some were scared, why? There was not a single picture of the alpha in this room and not even on the internet. Even though there was news of him conquering territories, there was no photo. In fact, the last photo was taken three years ago when he was 21.
A gust of warmth caressed my face, bringing with it sweet scents of flowers and fruits. I kept the window open and walked back to the bed. My bone-deep tiredness suddenly made itself known and before long my eyes had drooped close.
~~~~~~
The feeling of something wet touching my face and a distinct touch of muzzle startled me awake. A scream ripped out of my throat as I came face to face with a black wolf, his golden eyes staring at me.
“Mine.”
[Warning: Dubious consent]“Who...who…” My throat felt dry as I stared at the....werewolf? But we didn’t look like this. I scrambled to sit up, but his furry arms bracketed me, caged me from moving. I clutched on the blanket tightly.“Mine,” he repeated, voice grated. I averted my gaze from his golden ones. Fear and panic had rendered my mind blank and even Astrid didn’t respond. She merely whimpered when he nuzzled the crook of my neck, right where the scent gland was situated. I was sweating profusely while hoping for alpha Isaac’s arrival. The room was doused in darkness. The dim lights from outside filtered in but they barely did anything to illuminate the room even to the slightest.“Please….leave,” I managed to
The temporary relief from the harsh reality broke sooner than I would have preferred. I woke up to the feeling of soft fabric against my skin and opened my eyes to see that my bed mate was long gone. I closed my eyes again, feeling a dull pain in my head. I drew the cover further up until I could snuggle back and turned to the other side when I felt the twinging pain in my lower half and slowly I felt the soreness and stiffness all over my body.Astrid whimpered in my mind and it was then that I finally let the reality sink in, it was then that I finally realised that last night hadn’t been a nightmare; it had very much happened. I lay on the bed, staring at the ornately designed ceiling, stared until my vision blurred and I had to blink, stared until I felt my eyes burn and tears fall.“Come to bed so tha
[Warning: Body dysphoria and self-hatred]Marcus was a tall and stout looking brunet. He sat in his office chair working on the laptop and the moment he saw me, he stood up and bowed respectfully. “Good morning, luna. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting.” I felt nodded awkwardly, not used to such a show of respect and also feeling ridiculous at the show of such high regard.“Please have a seat.” He gestured to a standard looking black office chair. But his gaze frequently flickered to the mark that sat glaringly and was on full display because of the round-necked t-shirt.“Firstly, I apologize for not being able to welcome you-”“W
My pity party ended with a hesitant knock from one of the maids. Having asked them to wait, I shrugged on a t-shirt and joggers. The clothes dragged me into another bout of nostalgia. Clarissa had come alone to collect the food tray which had remained untouched. “But you must eat something,” she said anxiously. I shook my head. “I will ask for something if I’m hungry. Hope the food will be available even after lunch hours?” I aimed it to be teasing, attempting to mask my bitterness with the fake smile, but Clarissa’s eyes widened. Clearly, she thought I was being sarcastic. “Ye-yes, of course, luna.” “Good.” She ambled towards the coffee table to collect the tray but before leaving she said. “Uh…the pack doctor wants to…um, make an appointment with you.” She didn’t meet my eyes while saying this and thi
I couldn’t fathom her words for a few moments before I dumbly repeated, “Enigma?” Georgia nodded. Her gaze shifted to the door, then she lowered her voice. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, please. But since you are the new luna and I regularly do clinical check-ups of Alpha, I thought you should know.”I vaguely nodded. My mind was preoccupied with the new revelation. After I bid goodbye to the doctor and came out of the chamber, I walked slowly towards the Alpha’s residence. Some pack members hurried from one part of the courtyard to the other and I could hear the hustle and bustle of daily life, outside where everyone else lived. My gaze was fixed on the wall that was built high and sturdy around the residence and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was for the Alpha’s protection or the pack members.
“I wanted an explanation.” I don’t elaborate my answer, however, I make sure my gaze remains unwavering. His golden eyes narrow slightly. He does move from where he stands in front of the door. I notice his jaw clench, his nostrils flare slightly. I can’t help but admire his sharp features and how it rivals his rough nature, his angry personality. I tilt up my chin slightly, not one to back down or cower. I’m an alpha, even if I am slightly less powerful, but I am not useless. I cross my arms to hide my sweaty palms and lean against the casement, the cold air hits my nape, creating goosebumps on my skin. “So you harass him? It was your father who struck the deal,” he gritted through his clenched teeth as he strode forward, prowled towards me like a predator. I actually felt like the prey. I could only hope that it did
I watched the doors close behind him with a heavy thud, a sound that sent a jolt to my chest. I stared at the closed doors for how long I had no idea, maybe not until I felt an itchiness of dried cum on my inner thighs or the distinct ache in between my legs. I half-sat , my mind going blank for a moment. Shame had already spread across my body like a wet blanket. I sat up completely, naked and shivering. I refused to cry, but the tears didn’t listen, they rolled down my cheeks. I sniffled as I got off the bed. The wind blew in from the still open window caressing my skin, making me shudder. I cast a glance across the pristine white satin bedsheet, which was now ruined by cum and drops of blood. It’s strange how when he first invaded me and took my virginity, no blood was spilled, whereas today, it was the opposite. The dark red splotches reminded me, glared at me and taunted me of the loss of my virginity, a hollow concept created by soci
I didn’t know how to react to this. The woman, however, knew exactly what to say. She was stoic like her son, her gaze fiery and hostile. “I am the late Alpha’s true mate, but he didn’t want me to be the luna.” The bitterness was evident in her tone. I nodded, trying to make out some sense of this fact. “You must be the girl whom he chose,” she said after scrutinizing me. I managed to not squirm under the weight of her gaze. The girl he chose, huh? I also tried my best to not cringe at this. Her eyes narrowed, razor-sharp as if waiting for me to slip up.“Try not to disappoint him,” she said when I hadn’t replied verbally. I blinked while her face remained impassive. I wanted to say, “Who the hell does your son think he is, that I won’t dare to disappoint him? He is already disappointed, I think.” But none of