Chapter Six

Aaronne’s POV

Three weeks pass and I am sitting at my dressing table, dressed in a silk robe as some of my maids fuss over me.

Today is the beginning of the coming of age ceremony. I will be doused in precious oil, chalk, native glitter and perfumes daily till the day my father officially hands me over to Ronan.

My mother is to prepare me for the ritual but for some reason, stepmother Lyra claims to be very busy. 

I am missing my mother. If she were here, if lay on her lap and tell her all my worries.

I stand at the window, staring at the full moon and thinking that I am left with two more moons. Two more moons and I'd be mated to Ronan.

‘The first moon….’ I think, trailing off as I watch how it glows. It is so beautiful, I think to myself, wondering if I can go to the cove tonight.

I keep dreaming of the waters, thinking of the boy I met that day.  

Who is he? And what was he up to? Why was he loitering around the cove? Is he a wolf too?

Sigh...I didn't even get a chance to know his name. 

My maid, Freya, hums, snapping my attention back to reality as she pours a thick, ruby-red oil into her palms. She adjusts my seating posture until I am now facing the mirror.

“Hold still now, Lady Aaronne,” she chirps, happily. “This will make your hair glow for your Alpha.”

The oil smells sweet and heavy, but the scent is way too strong that it makes my head ache.

Another maid who had been folding my dresses, Lina, leans in to watch, nodding when she saw it. “It’s raspberry seed oil,” she explains, her fingers entangling in her hair for a brief moment. “It is very potent. It helps a young she-wolf’s own power to… bloom. You’ll need to be strong, to match a wolf like Lord Ronan's."

“I heard he's stronger than when the Alpha was in his prime,” Freya giggles.

“I know the lady will make strong pups and I'll oil their hair too,” Lina responds as they keep making jokes. “The lady and Alpha Ronan are a perfect match!” 

  

I can see the nervousness in their eyes when they say it, but I do not react, I just stare at the mirror like I am not the one being spoken to.

“I'm sorry my lady,” Lina apologizes when I do not reply. She is thinking that I am offended. 

“I know you meant to harm,” I say, waving my hands dismissively towards them. I beckon them to go ahead with rubbing the oil. “Besides you're right, I need to be strong to match a wolf like Lord Ronan.”

“My lady, I pray to the moon goddess for you everyday. Worry not, your wolf shall come before you get wedded,” Lina assures.

“I don't think it's right for a princess to be wedded off to a man from another pack without seeing her wolf. It plunges her into extreme danger. What if the Alpha wants to hurt her?" Freya resumes behing a talkative. Again. 

The whole talk of people seeing their wolfs always gets me anxious. Tension rises in me and I do not know when I speak. “Silence! You will not speak about my wolf anymore. I will turn whenever the moon goddess sees fit.”

“Sorry my lady,” Freya says and in no time, they change the topic of discussion and go back to bicker about Ronan. 

“Freya, did you see him shift? At the feast? So big! So powerful! My brother says he’s the strongest young Alpha in three generations,” Freya muses, chuckling shyly.

“Someday, I'll be a powerful Alpha female too,” Lina adds, bumping into Freya's shoulders a bit as she picks up a brush. “I will find my wolf and rule a big nation. I will also marry a strong alpha.”

I chuckled when she said that. It is good to dream big. These girls have no hope of marrying a lord, yet they believe they can. They are courageous and I am not. 

They girls had talked about my wolf as if it were a late bloomer who just needed a little encouragement. 

‘How would they react when they find out that there really is no wolf sleeping?’ I wonder, staring at them in the mirror.

It is obvious there is no wolf deep within, just a swan who definitely will not be coming out for a while because her own mate has sworn to kill her. 

‘What will he do when he finds out?’ I wonder, a gruesome imagery forms in my head as I think about all the most brutal ways to kill an enemy.

“Don’t you worry, my lady,” Freya soothes, snapping me out of my thoughts. She must has mistaken my silence for fear as she begins to comfort me. “He will be a good mate. Strong mates make strong packs. You will be the heart of a great empire.”

Can these girls just shut up?! I think father needs to change my maids. Freya and Lina are known for being talkatives and gossip. They could yap about one thing for hours, turning round and round in circles. 

I let them finish as they wipe their shiny hands on their clothes.

“Rest now,” Lina says, having made my bed. “Let the oil work. Dream of running on four legs.”

They bustle out, still chatting about Ronan’s might, and about the glory coming to our pack. 

As soon as they are gone, the secret door in the corner of my room hidden behind the mirror pushes open. 

Anya slips in, her face down with worry. I give her a questioning look, knowing she is supposed to be in the kitchens and not here.

“Your face.…” she notes, coming closer to sit on the bed opposite the stool where I am sitting. “Your face is as red as that oil. Ronnie, what is happening to you?”

I cannot speak. How do I explain my thoughts to her? So I just shake my head, diverting my gaze back to the moon.

She does not say anything. She gets up and goes to bolt the door and then returns to her previous position. She is there for a while just waiting for me to speak but my lips tremble every time the words tried to form.

“Tell me,” she whispers, kneeling in front of me, as she takes my cold hands. 

“You have been extremely pale for over a month. What is it?” she continues, urging me to speak. “Is it the mating ritual coming up in two moons?”

I shake my head negatively, watching my fingers absentmindedly. ‘How did it feel to get something you've always wanted but yet couldn't have?’ I wonder.

“Are you feeling sick my lady?” Anya asks, pressing her palm against my head and my hands. 

My hands have been cold ever since my shift at the cove and Anya had made it a point of duty to always get me extra beddings for warmth but the truth is, I am not affected by it. 

“Is it the pain, my lady? The pains your bones feel? Can I bring some balm?”

“No, Anya.”

“Is it Stepmother Lyra? Are you hurt that she refused to grace you with her presence during the first day of your coming of age?”

I shake my head negatively once again, just staring at her blankly. 

I had memorized the contours of her face because father had said Ronan didn't want weak wolves around me when we become mated. He wants me to surround myself with Alpha and Beta wolves.

My heart bleeds whenever I think about how I would leave her behind and all alone in this pack. We'd both be all alone, without each other comforting words, secrets and hugs. 

But that isn't the elephant in the room right now, something else is bothering me and I drag in a ragged breath, thinking about all possible ways to tell her the truth. “I…” I trailed off, my voice failing me.

Clearing my throat, I try again, dropping my voice in a whisper as I say, “The boy… The boy from the cove…”

Anya’s brow furrows as she shifts, drawing close to me as she asks, “What about him?”

“He…”

“He what? Have you seen him again?” 

“He is… he is my mate.”