CHAPTER FIVE

“Luna, you seemed curious about the carvings, didn’t you?”

That cool—and may I say, sexy—feminine baritone swept across my ears, making my eyes widen like saucers. That taunting, playful tone was unmistakable, even though it had only been a short while since I met that person... or thing?

“White wolf?” My jaw dropped.

“Quite the description, don’t you think?” She flashed a teasing smile.

“Blake,” I corrected myself, flustered.

Questions marks ran wild in my head. Blake, right? In Arazona, Blake was definitely a man’s name.

“My name? It’s a unisex name.” Blake raised her hand in mock surrender.

If anything, I hated how effortlessly taunting she looked and sounded.

“I didn’t say anything,” I mumbled, almost rolling my eyes. Did werewolves have the power to read minds too?

“You had it written in your eyes, Luna.” She shrugged.

“Ohhh.” That hit my ego hard.

I always prided myself on being unreadable. Even back in Arazona, I was said to be one of the hardest people to read. Guess they were either lying, or I was delusional.

She pointed at the wall, drawing my attention back to the carvings.

“You were looking at the carvings.”

“Yeah, I was,” I said, my gaze flicking back to the wall with genuine curiosity.

Truth be told, I was curious about a lot of things:

How did they balance their human and animal instincts?

Did they live in family units?

When they reproduced, were the babies born in human or animal form?

Everything about their paranormal existence repulsed and intrigued me. The human in me found it unnatural, even unacceptable. I’m not your perfect, open-minded heroine—and I won’t pretend otherwise.

But those weren’t questions to voice. Not yet—not when my fate was still a mystery.

I was raised in a royal palace where survival depended on silence and subtlety. Direct questions had their time and place. There were other ways to find answers.

Curiosity killed the cat, but this one still had lives to spare.

So I replied, “Yeah, the carvings are vivid and beautiful. Even the best artist in my kingdom couldn’t match the work of whoever did this.”

Blake glanced down at me with an expression I couldn’t read.

“Luna.”

I looked up. “Can you call me Hazel?”

“It would be utterly disrespectful to call the Luna by her name.”

She stepped back and adopted a respectful posture that reminded me of the handmaids in Arazona, though she was nothing like them.

“You may continue your explanation,” I said calmly.

“Yes. The larger figure is the great god Zeus, and the other is Lycaon, son of Pelasgus—our forefather. He was cursed by Zeus and turned into a half-human, half-wolf. But we, his descendants, believe the Moon Goddess favored him and protected him. Though cursed by one god, he was blessed by another.”

She paused. “Since then, we’ve lived under the Moon Goddess’s favor.”

That was a lot to process.

“Wow,” was all I could say.

The carvings suddenly made more sense, a visual tale of their origin and evolution. I made a mental note to study the wall thoroughly later—alone. Something about Blake standing behind me made it hard to focus.

“You’ll get to know more about our people in time, my Luna,” Blake said with a grin. It was a bookish grin, and for a second, I saw the shadow of a nerd behind her handsome features.

Maybe that meant I had a little more time to live.

“I guess so,” I said, giving her a knowing glance.

“Then let me take you to your chambers. You must be uncomfortable in your human dress.”

She looked down at my heavy wedding gown.

In contrast to her simple, beautifully woven raffia cloth, my gown felt... too much. Too extravagant. Too extra.

May I also say: the material of their clothing—from the Alpha’s attire to Blake’s—was nothing like what we wore in Arazona. I’d ask about that later.

“Heh.” I gave a lame chuckle, suddenly far more aware of my suffocating gown.

I felt less like a bride and more like a foreign intruder.

She led me away from the wall and down a wide, exquisite hallway. I assumed it led to the chambers she mentioned.

I couldn’t help but notice how sparsely populated the pack house was.

Unlike the bustling royal palace in Arazona—filled with handmaids and guards—this floor was nearly empty. I saw only one room tucked in the far corner.

I had underestimated the wolf beings. I expected chaos, wild instincts, caveman architecture. But their home was organized, refined, and intelligent.

Their carvings and architecture told me they weren’t mere beasts—they were something else entirely. That realization made me all the more wary.

“Here we are.”

She stopped before an enormous door. I noticed a smaller panel built into the structure—just large enough for a creature to pass through.

So... that’s how they moved in beast form.

It made sense. They were hybrids, after all. Smart hybrids.

“The Alpha and Luna’s chambers,” Blake said, gesturing grandly.

I glanced at her, suspicion in my eyes.

This is the trap. My prison.

She smiled. For a second, I couldn’t see past her androgynous handsomeness. Her tall frame towered over my average build.

“You are in safe hands, Hazel.”

Her whisper made my skin prickle. She looked intrigued, but kind. There was no pity in her eyes.

For the first time in a long while, I felt more than a princess.

I felt like Hazel.

I couldn’t even remember the last time someone called me by name. Even my own royal parents never did.

“You’re safe here, I assure you. We won’t go back on our end of the treaty. You’re our Luna now, and we’ll respect you as such. In time, when you begin to trust us and show loyalty, you’ll see.”

I blinked. I didn’t believe her. She had an effect on me—yes—but belief? No.

There was no way they’d simply accept a human—their enemy—into their home and hearts.

But I didn’t say that. I just smiled and slipped back into emotional control.

This girl... she was bad for my health.

“Thank you, then,” I said coolly.

Blake stepped back and adopted a formal stance.

“Your helpers will arrive soon.”

She pushed the door open, ushering me in.

I curtsied and stepped inside, cautious.

“I’ll leave you now, Luna.”

I turned just in time to see Blake bow and walk away.

I didn’t stop her.