3

Akemi Ravenscar.

I’m not a virgin…not anymore.

It’s been one month since I gave that part of myself away, to a man I believed I’d spend my life with—Elias. We met in secret. We fell in love secretly. And I let him deflower me secretly. Gareth doesn’t know about it.

Once I open my eyes, the foreign bedroom sinks in. And there, I see them—sun melted eyes watching me on the pillows. I squeal, jerking backward, only to realize that there is nowhere to go. How long has he been watching me sleep? A shiver runs through me. I hope to heaven that I didn’t whisper the secret I now carry, the one I’ll have to guard for as long as I can.

In a few days—if I’m lucky, weeks—he’ll get to know the truth that I’m not a virgin. And when he finds out, he’ll kill me. Not just me, but my brothers, their wives, my nieces. All of us will be reduced to ashes.

The bed is wide yet he is like a mountain fallen on the landscape. His body is massive and basked with muscle. When he rises, I follow his movements as though entranced. If he looks like this in human form, what does he look like when he shifts to the creature he is?

I can’t believe he shared the bed with me and didn’t touch me. Now that I see he is not a brute who would force himself on me. I gather the nerve to ask how it’s possible that me, a human and he, a wolf are mates.

“King Khal—” I stop him.

Slowly, he turns to look at me and I lower my eyes. Lowering my eyes was a mistake because then, my gaze is helplessly drawn to the center of his loose pants. What I see is a massive hill, a prominent concave, not just proof of his masculinity but a declaration of its enormity. My breath falters. The form of it in the fabric is gigantic and impossible to even be real.

My mind spins as I try to imagine it between any woman’s legs.

Surely, she wouldn’t survive, would she? I have to leave this place before I become a victim to that.

“How is it possible that I am your mate?” I grip the sheets.

“I am as clueless as you are, human.” Khal’s voice is inhumane, as if he’s speaking about an object rather than a person.

“Are you—sure? What if it’s a mistake?” My voice wavers, though I don’t know if I’m asking or begging.

“If it were, the mark on your chest would have already killed you.” he says, and my eyes drop to my chest. There it is—a red scar, glowing with the truth of his words.

“Now, get up…you have slept for long enough!” His voice sounds like a reprimand. I jump up from the bed. I can’t remember how I slept but I know it has something to do with the bite on my neck.

“Where—are you taking me?” I ask, fumbling with the sleeves of this nightdress, tied with too many ropes for me to understand. His words about me sleeping for too long…does that mean he’s been waiting for me to wake up?

“I’ve marked you as Luna,” he says, as though that’s all the explanation I need. “And by the traditions of this kingdom, you must meet the wolves who guard our forests. It’s a rite of passage to be accepted.” Khal doesn’t wait for my response. He begins to leave, shirtless, and I stare at the deep spine of the back. I see scars of years past, claw marks and fangs bite.

Quickly, I fasten my feet…following behind the shadow of his persona. Wolves? Did he say wolves? Does he mean…actual wolves? My stomach twists.

Would they be able to tell that I am not a virgin? Heavens, I don’t understand any of this…what is going on with my life?

I follow Khal through the massive corridors of his bedroom or our bedroom, the magnanimous size of it becomes clear this morning. Yesterday, everything was a blur of tears and confusion, but now, the grandeur sinks in—this room alone feels like a castle.

After going through a number of corridors, a set of doors who loom so large they might as well touch the heavens swing open. Outside of that, there is a long hall lined with people—guards, elders, gammas—all standing in silent observation.

I’m scared but I have to follow him. They are all looking at me, perhaps, critiquing my humanity in the state of their hearts or worse, they are about to sniff out that I’m not a virgin. I don’t even know what sort of wolves he is talking about…are they here to claw me?

After following Khal for what feels like an eternity, he halts, and steps to the side, taking his place beside Ozaiah. She's the only other person here I recognize by name, but beside her, I assume, the rest of the royal family. A young girl eyes me with suspicion, and an older woman looks curious about me. Elders—or whatever they are called—stare at me with indifference, like I’m an abnormality, a mere thing.

Suddenly, the ground my feet begins to rumbles, and I turn sharply to face the front.

Are those—wolves?

My heart thuds. Yes, they are!

Real wolves, terrifying, larger than any animal I’ve ever seen. Their bodies are so large, so impossibly powerful that the floor bends under their weight. Their paws are like massive slabs of muscle, a hunting set, who look like they enjoy the thrill of tearing something—someone—apart.

“Help!” A scream rips from my throat

Khal's glare lands on me. "Stay put!" he growls.

But I can’t control the shaking of my hands even as I clasp it tightly over my mouth. The wolves begin to surround me…their massive heads lower to sniff at me, noses brush against my skin with hot, humid breath. Their eyes never leave me—a yellow menace. I can hear the rumble of their growls through my bones as they circle closer, forming an oppressive ring around me. Their teeth flash with every snarl, sharp enough to tear through flesh in seconds.

"Please—" I whisper, looking at Khal but this king remains stone-faced.

Just as I start to think it can’t get any worse, the ground begins to quake harder. And this time, something even more terrifying steps forward—a wolf like no other. It is humungous, towering over the others at eight feet, with fur blacker than the deepest void. Its eyes burn with a malevolent intelligence that chills me to my core. Its fangs are so long they nearly touch the ground.

The growl it lets out is an angry thunder and my legs begin to move on their own, stumbling backward to escape. If no one is going to save me, I’ll have to save myself!

"Help!" I scream again, but the sound only echoes back at me, lost amid the feral growls and thudding paws of the wolves that are closing in behind me. It’s not just fear that makes my knees weak—it’s the way the wolves watch me. They must hate me. To them, I’m weak, useless. Prey.

"My goodness, can she stop screaming?" one of the royals sneer.

"She’s not fit!" someone else mutters, and the words are a punch to my gut. How can they be saying that about me now when I’m scared for my life?

"Of course, she’s not fit! She’s human!" Another voice adds to the chorus.

All of a sudden, Khal steps behind me, not as a protector but as a barrier, keeping me from running. The concrete wall of his body presses against me, reminding me I have nowhere to escape.

The jet-black wolf is now focused entirely on me, its agenda is to come even closer as its monstrous size blots out the rest of the world. Tears blur my vision as I try to comprehend how this is going to end. Without any option, I turn and slam myself into Khal, pressing my body against his, clutching at his chest for he is my only lifeline.

"Please—please, I’m scared.” I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking uncontrollable and all of a sudden, he places his arm around me—as if to protect me.

“That’s enough.” I feel his heart quake when he speaks.

“But your majesty, the black wolf hasn’t—”

“She is afraid. She is only human. It will take time for her to get used to all of it. Leave!” Khal says. From the heavy sound of retreating paws, I know he’s referring to the wolves. Their thunderous stomps fade into the distance. Once the last rumble disappears, Khal pushes me away, as though the mere act of touching him is beneath him. He separates us like I’m a nuisance.

I wipe tears from my face but before I can even process the next thing, a group of girls surrounds me. Their hands are gentle but insistent, they begin to guide me away from Khal and out of the intimidating hall. The tension in my shoulder’s eases, but only slightly, as I’m led back into the massive room I had just left moments ago. Khal’s bedroom.

My feet stumble over soft rugs that swallow my steps, making me feel clumsy. The transition from the soft fabric to the smooth marble of the corridors is jarring, and I nearly trip as we move deeper into the labyrinth of halls. I have been brought to a bath chamber.

I glance back and forth. Those young girls are all darting around me, speaking to each other in quick tones. My gaze settles on the large, circular golden tub that is filled to the brim with steaming water. One girl starts sprinkling red petals into the water. Another pours something white and thick—milk?—into the tub.

Others are putting some sort of herbs too.

“What are you doing?” I finally ask.

“I am Kie, Luna. I am your omega ward. We are here to serve and prepare you for your first day as Luna now that the king has raised no alarms about your virtue. This bath has been prepared and those herbs we put in are to heal in between your legs.” She says.

I freeze, burning with embarrassment. Heal in between my—? No, no…

Nothing happened between me and Khal last night. 

“Tell us, do you feel sore down there? It’s fine, Luna…you can tell us the truth.” another girl asks quietly.

Wicked heat starts to creep up my neck. “N-no.” I shake my head furiously. They think it’s because of... of his size? I bite my lip, staring down at the floor. They’re talking about him as if he... as if we... Oh, this is so humiliating!

“If you don’t feel sore today. Then, perhaps, you will need it in the next ten days.” Kie says.

“What is happening in the next ten days?” I panic.

“As per the traditions of Basgiath, the first consummation is between you and the king alone. But the second will be witnessed by the bond elders who must be present to ensure that the king has truly... penetrated you, fulfilling the sacred bond." Kie explains and I take a step away from her.

It feels like air has been sucked out from my lungs. Witnesses? Elders, no less? How could anyone stand there and watch something so intimate?

"And after that…you will be crowned Queen and Luna to all of Basgiath." Kie continues.

I need to leave this place. I need to run away. I can’t accept this fate!