Firefly

Elysia's Pov

Mama said nothing as she helped me with my dress. I was expecting a word of assurance from her because I was fucking scared and nervous. He was going to have his hands on me, we were going to have—sex. Tears gathered at the corner of my eyes.

"Are you crying?" Mama's cold voice had me snap my eyes open as she placed more roses in the bathtub. "You know how ungrateful you are… stop acting like a bitch and soak in there before the Alpha gets angry.”

I bit my lip, sticking my leg into the tub before getting in fully.

"I still don't know why she is acting pathetic. I know you like this, little sister.” Elara’s taunts were like needles to my ears. I swallowed back the anger burning inside me. I remembered the last time I talked back at her—Father had stuck a rod into the fire and struck it against my waist… then he came to pet me again, saying it was just to teach me respect. He was scared I would talk back to the Alpha and get killed, but I knew if Elara had done something worse, Father would have held his arms out to her and sincerely whispered how much he loved her more than anything in the world.

After I was done, I put on a black thong and bra brought to me by the Alpha's other wives, along with a black fishnet dress they said the Alpha would like. Mama styled my hair, and I knew she didn’t even want to be here with me, but this was a duty of the bride's mother. If the bride had no mother, a female from her family or a trusted friend could step in.

"Lay back on the bed, be good, and don't bring more shame to the family."

I laid back on the soft king-size bed like Mother had asked me to, trying not get hurt by her words.

"The Alpha said he wants her blindfolded. He said she should use this." A maid walked in with a red lace blindfold on a platter, and Mother came to me, fastening it around my eyes before pushing me back onto the bed and exiting the room. I heard the sound of the door locking.

They had left. Goosebumps grew on my skin as I took a huge gulp, my fists tightening on the bedsheet, my body tense with dread over what was about to happen to me. I was about to lose my virginity. Could the Moon Goddess help me this time and stop this from happening? I had been a good girl. Even as a human, I had attended festivals dedicated to her. What more did she want from me?

My heart pounded wildly as I heard the creaking sound of the door again. I forgot to breathe, hearing light footsteps getting closer to the bed.

"You look beautiful..."

The scent that enveloped the room didn’t smell like the Alpha's, but the voice was the same. Or was I overthinking? The Alpha didn’t smell like pine and musk… he smelled of faint alcohol and leather instead.

"Th... thank you, Alpha." Anxiety coursed through me, and I swore I could explode from it.

"Are you nervous?"

"No… no, I am not."

Yes, I was—so much that I could feel myself trembling.

"Should I make you feel better, Firefly?"

The Alpha had never given me a nickname. This made my stomach tingle with something I had never felt toward the Alpha before… but I had felt it once when I used the dildo. My gut was telling me this was not the Alpha, but I still chose to believe he was before I made a mistake that could cost me my head—or my family’s.

My heart pounded hard against my ribs. "Yes, Alpha. Make me feel good."

My voice was shaky, sweat breaking out on my skin. Please, make me feel good by letting me go, I cried inwardly.

"That's what I’ll do, Firefly. Your Alpha is going to make you…” He paused, and I shivered lightly, feeling his touch on my leg, which began moving up to my inner thighs.

"Alpha...?" The title fell from my lips like a squeak when I felt light breathing grazing my neck.

"Hmm."

Something wet and moist caught my earlobe, and a sweet sensation thundered through my body.

"You smell so fucking good, baby."

"You... you are not the Alpha."

Those words were forced from my lips, my brain about to go fuzzy from whoever’s touch this was.

"Yes, I am not the Alpha, but I would become Alpha for you."

His hand caught my throat as he gained access to my neck, nibbling and biting on it.

"Where is the Alpha? And what if he catches you with me?"

This was wrong. I was being touched by a stranger. I tried to raise my hands even though they felt weak, but he caught both of them, turning me on all fours.

"Don't you feel anything?"

He had stopped mimicking the Alpha. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper that made me shudder lightly, his fingers digging into my skin.

"Or are you wolfless? Because I can't sense your wolf."

Why was he asking? Was he foreign to the pack? Even the ants knew about my so-called "disability."

"Yes, I do not have a wolf." Even I could hear how pathetic I sounded.

"Fuck the Moon Goddess… just fuck her!!!"

His voice sounded bitter as he let me go roughly. I could sense the thick frustration in the air, and I heard the retreating sound of his footsteps.

"You are just not what I expected."