***Attention: From this chapter onward, the texts will be written in the first person whenever it is the protagonists' POV.***
***
SHE
My body slide into the bathtub until the warm water cover my face. It was the first time my body felt the cozy sensation of a heated bath. In my years of captivity, we bathed once a week, all together in the yard, while the guards threw buckets of cold water at us. As the number of captives decreased, the embarrassment of bathing in public increased, and the coveting gazes of the guards made the task even more arduous.
I held my breath and stayed submerged as long as I could. When I emerged, desperate for oxygen, the throbbing in my head was worse. I massaged my temples and tried to expel from my chest the agony and fear of the unknown.
After a botched escape attempt, I lost my only friend and was captured by another pack. A shiver ran down my spine, and my stomach threatened to expel its meager contents. Along with the fear came a feeling of shame for the pleasure that the warm bath in the comfort of that room provided.
I couldn't be so foolish as to create expectations of better treatment from my new owners. I knew very well how cruel males could be and how costly any display of charity would be in the end.
That creature, the male who captured me, was more powerful than any wolf I had known before. The greater the power, the greater the perversion. I know, I saw it happen several times with the Lunas and omegas who were bought or "borrowed" as soon as they "matured."
— Luna, are you done?
The female before me intrigued me. A female Beta… How was it possible for a female to be in a position of power in a pack's hierarchy? I didn't dare to lift my head and look into her eyes. The pack's rules had not yet been presented to me, but I was cautious not to break any of them.
I stood up and accepted the towel she offered me. My hands trembled; it had been days since I had eaten, and the weakness of my body was apparent. Were they punishing me for being so weak? I tried to hide the trembling but knew she noticed. I held my breath, fearing her reaction, until I felt her hand touch my arm gently.
I couldn't help but shy away from the touch, and as I took a step back, I fell out of the bathtub, sprawled on the floor. My exposed nudity left me in an even more defenseless position. Fear paralyzed my body, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the worst.
— By the gods, Luna, forgive me. Let me help you up! Did you hurt yourself?
The Beta female crouched down and helped me, talking non-stop about how sorry she was for being so clumsy.
When I stood before her, I noticed her eyes had softened.
— I hope you didn't hurt yourself; Alpha Dérik will eat my liver if he knows I let you fall…
I couldn't control my fear when I heard her mention the Alpha. Alphas are cruel; some omegas did not survive after Alphas visited their cells.
I could still hear the screams in my nightmares…
Did she fear that he would devour her? That huge creature could devour both of us in minutes. My head was shaking frantically from side to side.
No!
Not an alpha!
— Luna? What's wrong, why are you crying?
Tears streamed down my face without me realizing it. I clasped my hands, mentally begging her not to say anything.
— P-please… no… not the Alpha….
The fragility of my voice surprised even me.
— Luna, it's okay, I was just joking… eh… You don't need to be afraid, Dérik is a good leader.
I couldn't take it anymore; darkness fell over me.
*****
HE
— My Alpha, welcome back! — Hira bowed before him respectfully.
The headache that started in the old healer's cabin intensified upon hearing the voice of the Luna I had chosen.
— What are you doing here? — I asked with little patience. My beast wouldn't stop demanding that I check on the little intruder we brought.
— I was waiting for you. I heard you captured a young female intruder, and since I'm the Luna of this pack, it's my responsibility to help you deal with this kind of hassle.
This female seemed like the best choice to bear my heir and for the survival of the pack. Strong, intelligent, healthy, beautiful, and from a good family. She was my favorite from the harem, a good lay when she was in heat. I don't regret the choice; she's competent in taking care of the pack's females.
Unfortunately, at times like this, she had a tendency to confuse her position in the hierarchy.
— I don't remember asking for your help, Hira. I can handle a little intruder myself!
— I know you're capable, my Alpha, but she is a female and I am the Luna, that is my job and—
— I am the Alpha, the decision is mine! You obey me, that's your job! — I had no problem reminding her of her place.
— She is in your bedroom, Dérik!
If she knew the effort I was making to control my beast, she wouldn't have said my name without the title. The numbness in my fingers indicated that the third form was breaking through my barriers.
Satisfying the violence of my nature was the only way to control it so that something worse wouldn't happen. The beast had never been so dominant until it encountered the little Luna.
Before she could blink, my hand tightened around her neck.
— Never dare to disrespect me again, especially in public! The intruder is my business! You take care of the females of the Harem; we will have a banquet tonight. I want them to dance and serve my men in front of the temple of Hecate!
I hadn't thought of any of this until that moment. A banquet in front of the Mother Goddess's temple had two objectives: the confirmation of a Luna through sacramental copulation, as mine had been with Hira, formalizing her title of Luna, and the arrival of a new member.
Unconsciously, in the middle of the courtyard, I declared that the intruder would be part of the Black Wolves pack. Normally, this decision was made in the presence of the elders, but for many years no one had joined my people. We were doomed to extinction after the death of my mate.
My soulmate. Destined for me by the Mother Goddess herself. The true Luna of my pack, whom I never got to know…
— I will do what you commanded right now, my Alpha!
Hira left, but not before I noticed the barely contained fury in her shrewd eyes. Three things dominate our blood, what most attracts our kind: the connection with the soulmate, sex, and power. For each wolf, the order can be altered.
Hira and I lost our mates; our lives are guided, then, by sex and power.