I held her hand and guide her outside. My nature found her futile attempts to pull away amusing. The little Luna had a spark within her that the beast would love to see ignite. She had traumas, anyone could notice, and that made my nature salivate with desire for the blood of whoever had hurt her.
The old healer was wise in his silly way. If it weren't for the drink to control me, I don't know what might have happened.
As we left the room, my Beta was standing in the corridor waiting for me with his mate. She had an excited gleam in her eyes and I could imagine the calculations in her mind.
— Alpha, the pack elders are gathered at the Hecate temple. They say you broke the rules and are concerned.
Eli didn't need to say anything more. That bunch of useless old folks was already plotting.
— What bullshit rule do they think I broke? Not reporting every step to a bunch of mummies?
I heard a low whimper and loosened my grip on Nadja's hand. She took a step back, head down, the stench of fear suffusing the corridor.
A scared little mouse.
— They pointed out that they were not consulted about the acceptance of a new member into our pack.
Eli's eyes paused on Nadja and she shrank back in fear. I hated seeing her scared by me more and more.
— And why should I care about their wounded feelings?
— Old Antenor wants to send some servants to invite allied Alphas to today's celebration...
I couldn't hold back the growl of my third form. Those parasites were going too far behind my back. Nadja tried to escape from my hand and I instinctively pulled her into my arms. I felt the rapid beats of her frightened heart and her breath coming in gasps.
The beast is possessive, and the elders' intention was to allow her mate to find her.
What was their interest in this mess?
I don't know, but I will find out.
She was just a pup, and she would be mine when she matured. My beast had different ways in mind to kill any alpha who claimed a connection with her. Even if that was not right, my beast didnt care.
I must be going crazy, soul connections are sacred and must be respected, but imagining little Luna with another male made my stomach churn.
Tabita positioned herself a little behind me and spoke in a low voice:
— Alpha, the girls from harem have prepared a meal for our guest and are waiting for her, can I take her while you sort out the situation?
For a few seconds, I couldn't push her away from me. Despite the fear, she kept her face pressed against my chest. The smile on my face was sincere, did little Luna want to use my own body to protect herself from me?
Reluctantly, I pulled her away a bit, holding her face in my hands. So beautiful, her face smaller than my hand, small upturned nose, soft lips in an also small mouth. My mind created images of a bold and sassy child, who would become a strong and confident Luna.
What happened to her that made her look like a scared mouse?
— Will you behave if I let you go with Tabita to the harem?
She moved her lips, but no sound came out, her eyes glassy on mine without blinking.
— Answer, little Luna, will you be a good girl while you wait in the harem?
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before answering:
— Yes, Alpha, I will be obedient!
— What a good girl you are, Nadja. Eat well and don't stray from Tabita, understood?
She nodded, biting her lips, complying with my orders. What a lovely little thing, my beast screaming that she was ready, even though her body didn't have many curves. I would need the old man's help once again, to confirm her age and examine her, but first, I would have to face the meeting of pompous aristocrats who believed their opinions were worth any crap.
— Tabita,I will trust her safety to you! Do not leave her alone for a second and make sure she eats well. She is too weak and too thin. Prepare her for the ceremony tonight and remember: Do not say a word of what you witnessed today to anyone, am I clear?
— Yes, sir, trust me, I will take good care of little Luna… but… we need to talk about what you said in the room…
Tabita was the one who crossed the boundaries with me the most, even more cheeky than Eli, but the uncontained happiness at the sight of Nadja was enough for me to overlook the excitement.
I held one of Luna's hands and kissed, savoring the scent of her skin. I would have to be away from her for just a few hours and my nature felt as though we were on a war journey.
Thus the Goddess created the Lunas, absurdly attractive to the Alphas. They are gifts from Hecate to my kind, and only the best would taste their flavor.
An Alpha needed to prove their worth to become a leader, but a true Luna is born a Luna.
*****
SHE
The confusion in my mind and heart seemed to worsen with every moment the Alpha was near. I wanted to run far away from him, although my body leaned towards him unconsciously.
The scent coming from his body, oh Goddess, how could something smell so good?
When he abruptly wrapped me in his arms, my body reacted by nestling against his bare chest. A gesture that felt so intimate and dangerous. I was at his mercy, if he squeezed just a little harder, he could easily break my bones, and to my surprise, I nestled in without hesitation, feeling safer than ever.
No one could hurt me while the enormous Alpha held me, only he…
When he pulled me away from his chest, the absence of the warmth of his skin made my body shiver from the cold. It took me a moment to return to the reality of my situation. He was a monstrous beast that had captured me, and if I did not behave, the punishments could be terrible.
That Alpha could order me to do anything and I would say yes, I don't know if from fear or simply from wanting just a bit more of that warmth. He told me to behave and be a good girl…. That was the most absurd thing I could hear from such a powerful beast. His eyes had a playful gleam, someone who knew much more than I could imagine. He smiled at me…
Oh, my Goddess, such sharp teeth in such a beautiful mouth with a smile that crinkled his eyes…I would behave for the rest of my life if I were graced by that smile.
How shameful, I should be memorizing the way to the Harem to plan a future escape and not fantasizing about an Alpha.
Alphas are perverted, Alphas are cruel… Behind that beautiful smile were sharp teeth that would tear my flesh and swallow me whole. Oh, Goddess, once transformed, he could literally swallow me whole!
Tabita walked ahead of me through the hallways, the wall was dark stone illuminated by oil lamps strategically placed. It was a private access from the Alpha's house to his harem. I knew what a harem was, the leader of the tribe had one, where he kept some omegas, both males and females, that he used whenever he wanted, sometimes lending them to visitors.
These omegas took care of the Lunas like me and Rebeca, bringing food and clean clothes. Some of them did not speak and had such empty eyes that frightened me more than the guards.
When a member did something to please the leader, they received, as a reward, the opportunity to spend an entire night with them, and often, lost wolves or those from other tribes paid to use them as well. One could hear screams, sobs of crying and despair.
On those nights, Rebeca cried softly and did not tell her stories. She said that she would not allow that to happen to us. She shared her tea with me and made me drink everything from the mug. She said it would help me sleep, but it didn't work, I stayed awake all night with heat in my insides, accepting it so she would feel more at ease.
We stopped in front of a double wooden door and Tabita held my hands appearing a bit uncomfortable.
— Um.. Luna, it's… the girls here in the Harem can be a bit, hm… inconvenient, let's put it that way. Not all of them, of course, just some can be annoying with newcomers. They think they are important just because the Alpha sleeps with them sometimes.
I brought my hand to my stomach with the cold pain that gripped me. I knew he was a monster, all alphas are! Female slaves, that's why he sent me here!
— Oh crap, I'm talking too much…. Actually, the Alpha doesn't come here much, Luna, he works too much and is alone all the time. A bunch of them likes to stir up trouble just to flatter Hira and he doesn't—
— Who is Hira?