Chapter One: The Wedding

Elowen's POV

I winced in pain as my maid tightened the corset of my dress. 

She dragged the ropes so sharply that I could almost feel the content of my stomach giving way. 

Not that I had anything to eat that morning. I was too nervous to even take a bite out of anything.

I stood in front of the mirror, admiring the fitting of the dress. I was clothed in a delicate ivory satin, detailed with silver embroidery. The hem of the dress was laced with precious stones, but none of the stones were as precious as the day was to me.

I struggled to sit down, my stomach tightly snatched, as my maid styled my white hair into soft waves. My makeup was lightly done, adding a touch of red to my lips.

I am Elowen, princess of MoonShire Pack. And today, I am going to be Queen Luna after I marry Thorne Blackwood.

Just thinking about it made my heart beat faster. The wedding was a very private one, only few people were invited. Thorne strictly supervised the guest list himself, inviting my brother, few of my friends, and some others that only he knew, to the Wedding.

He told me that he didn't want anything to go wrong today, and I flushed red when he leaned in to kiss my neck. Everything was perfect.

"Where is Elowen, and what have you done with her?"

A man's stern voice came through the door of the dressing room. 

The maid seized what she was doing and bowed. His presence was commanding and his wolf scent was strong.

"Papa, you are not meant to be here"

I laughed softly, adding layers to my beauty. "This is a ladies room"

"Oh! Is it now?" He said, stroking my hair gently "then, as the King of MoonShire, I declare myself a lady for today—just so I can spend time with my daughter" he gave a deep heartwarming laugh and signalled for the maids to leave the room. 

Lycan King Vander helped his daughter stand up straight and admired my beauty. I was almost sure I saw tears gather in his eyes, but I was uncertain as he had never shown weakness before, not in front of me.

"You look just like your mother princess" he said with warmth filled in his voice "I'm sure she would be proud of you"

Tears streamed down my face as the little memories I had of Aleda, my mother, came flooding in. Life had been difficult without her, but King Vander had always made sure he protected his children, he always made sure he protected me.

"Where's Cave Father?" I asked, noticing that my younger brother wasn't hovering around as he would on a day as grande as this. I hadn't seen him since the day begun which was very strange, given that he always looked out for me and would have checked in to see if I was okay.

"I haven't seen him since" Vander said "but I'm sure he'll come around" he added dismissively, almost as although he wanted to avoid even talking about Cave.

"Now" Vander said walking behind me "I must give you what I came for" 

He moved my hair gently over to the side and fixed a necklace on me. It had an emerald locket attached to it, but the locket could not be opened. It had a keyhole, but there was no key to it, not that I knew of.

"How does this come open father" I asked trying to force it open. He gestured for me to stop.

"The key to that locket lies within you Elowen" he said with all seriousness "your mother harnessed it's powers to bring MoonShire peace during the Bloodwars" he paused and looked into my eyes.

"Now it is yours" he added sternly "you must guard it with your life"

"I will father" I promised.

Vander took my hands and we walked out of the room together. He held me close as we walked down the spiral staircase to the Royal Hall. 

Then my eyes met his. Thorne Blackwood. 

He was as stunning as he was when I first met him. His green eyes pierced through me and his smile eased the tension that was rising in my chest.

It was a reassurance that everything was going to be fine. 

My eyes ran through the guests at the Hall. Most of them were unfamiliar, but my attention fixed on a lady in a crimson red dress. The dress was very fitted and accentuated her curves. 

I noticed her speaking to Thorne earlier and all eyes seemed to have been on her before I arrived, but no matter how seductively she dressed, I was the star of today, and she couldn't steal that.

I also saw Cave standing at the middle of the hall, but his expression was not joyful. His brows were furrowed, but he quickly forced on a smile when he saw me. 

Thorne walked towards me ensuing so much charm. He bowed lightly. 

"Your majesty" he said playfully.

"Oh don't be silly Thorne" I chuckled "to you, I'll always be Elowen, just Elowen"

He took my arm in his and a few escorts, along with the guests, followed us to the Royal Ship.

The plan was that we were to set sail only a few miles North and head back before dark. Hundreds of wine barrels were loaded onto the ship and foods of all sort were carried in by the maids.

I turned to my father as I was about to step into the ship and hugged him tightly. I knew he was always going to be there for me, but I was so overwhelmed with emotion at the moment. 

"I love you father" I said tears streaming down my face. "I love you too princess" he said kissing my forehead. 

Thorne nudged me forward gently and we walked into the ship. Vander followed me closely behind. I also noticed that the lady I saw earlier, the one in the red dress, was also following closely, but I discarded that. 

Today was not the day for suspicions. I would ask Thorne about her after our wedding night.

'Our wedding night' I thought. My cheeks flushed red.

The wedding and the reception moved on flawlessly. Drinks were served in excess, most of the guests were drunk and singing merry songs by the time the sun was setting. It was tradition that the couple had nothing to drink until the night.

Though I observed that the people Thorne invited kept their drinks to a bare minimum and were very sober. 

The lady in red especially kept staring at me, making me feel very uncomfortable. She didn't even have any wine or eat anything. 

"Elowen, come with me, I want to show you something" Thorne held me and gently pulled me away from the drunk singing groups I was laughing with. 

We walked to the Ship's deck and strolled towards the Forward, the pointed front of the ship.

I was freezing, but he didn't seem to notice. I pushed that aside, afterall, his voice in my ears and the warmth of his touch were more than enough to shield me from the cold air.

"As my queen, I promise to show you the whole world Elowen" he said climbing unto a deck just near the edge. "We will rule together and we will stretch our love past the boundaries of the ocean" 

"Thorne" I yelled, fearing that he would fall of the edge. I knew he was reckless, it was one of the things that drew me to him. "Get down from there, it's dangerous"

"Come be with me, my Queen" Thorne stretched his hands towards me. We were so close to the edge of the ship, but he was my mate and protector. He would never let anything happen to me.

I hesitantly climbed unto the ship's edge and he wrapped my waist from behind. He held me firmly, but spoke so softly. The wind was in my hair, and the waves crashed mildly against the ship. For the first time in a long time, I felt alive.

Then, Thorne's hold around my waist tightened, and the warmth in his voice suddenly gave way to something colder and darker.

"Do you feel it, Elowen?" he whispered, his lips brushed softly against my ear. "The wind in your hair, the waves crashing below us... It’s freeing, isn’t it?"

"Yes," I murmured, smiling and completely oblivious. "With you, it’s perfect."

A bitter chuckle escaped his throat.

I stiffened.

"Perfect? You think this is perfect?" His voice was a low, almost mocking tone. "You think you and I are some fairy tale couple destined for a happy ending? Do you know how pathetic you sound?"

I froze. 

"Thorne... what are you saying?"