HE
Knock, knock, knock
The black claws, which had tored my fingers, were loudly striking the wood of the armchair where I was sitting. Before me was the group of the pack's elders, seated in a semicircle in my workspace.
I could smell mothballs, elixir of longevity, and lethargy.
If "annoying" had a characteristic stench, it would be what they exuded in my presence. Their pompous and lavish robes represented status and wealth among them, which differed greatly from my attire. My choice was merely leather pants from one of the animals I had hunted.
I would be naked, were it not for the fact that we were approaching winter.
Interesting how they were so talkative until I entered and sat in my chair. Some even boasted of their supposed importance in the pack and how they deserved more respect and consideration.
— Should I interpret your silence as confirmation of everyone's trust in the decisions made for the benefit of the pack?
Normally, I would maintain silence until one of them had the guts to say something, however, I was out of patience for political games.
— Alpha, you brought a Luna to our territory. A young Luna not claimed, so to speak…
I turned my face to confront the elder. Oseias, the most traditionalist among them. At the Ceremony of Hira's Ascension as Luna, he was the only one who stood against the decision until the last minute. A great devotee of Hecate and guardian of her temple, to him, true lunas are irreplaceable.
— Hm… — My response was nothing more than a grunt as I observed the elder's wrinkled face.
There was a gleam of satisfaction in Oseias's lofty eyes, his chin was slightly raised. At least, someone was pleased with Nadja's arrival, even if the reasons were not the most altruistic.
— We must invite all single allied alphas as soon as possible! — Antenor said excitedly, addressing the other elders, in an attempt to gather allies. — If one of them recognizes her as a mate, the entire pack will be grateful to us, along with a great dowry they will have to pay for a Luna on our lands!
The armchair shattered under my hand, while a loud growl echoed through the room. My nature, possessive as it was, despised the old man's words. Canines grew in my mouth so quickly that they cut my lips and a trickle of blood ran down my chin.
My Beta placed a hand on my shoulder, assuring my beast that everything was under control. It seemed that the creature trusted him more than my human form.
The elders shrank in their seats, eyes wide open at noticing the presence of my third form, although there was no transformation, the aura that emanated was unmistakable.
— I don't think it would be convenient, Lord Antenor.
— Why not, Beta? — The old fool believed it was safer to address Eli than me when asking the question.
— She is too young to recognize a mate, it's risky to expose her existence; any alpha could claim she belongs to him and be lying.
— We cannot take risks. Lunas are sacred; her presence in our lands is a gift from the Goddess. Finally, we will have a Luna in our pack! — Claimed the old Oseias with arrogance.
My beast assessed him favorably. It concluded that he was not stupid; we didn't need to kill him.
— Our clan already has a Luna! — Antenor shouted, irritated.
— A sham! Your niece will never be a true Luna!
The noise of the punch I delivered on the wooden table made them fall silent. My hand was covered in black fur that extended up my arm, the black claws fully exposed. The sharp teeth made it difficult for me to speak when I ordered them to be quiet.
Everyone was on their knees on the ground due to the authority that emanated from the beast.Even my Beta had trouble keeping its body upright.
— Tonight, we will have the acceptance ceremony for the little Luna in our pack. No one outside needs to be informed and—
— I won't have any problem tearing your tongues out to keep you from speaking! — I interrupted Eli, displaying a wicked smile.
Without further ado, I left the room that was already smelling of mothballs and formaldehyde. Not that it actually smelled like that, but it was how it made me feel.
*****
SHE
I met many other females in the harem, a bit more than twenty in total lived there. It was like a mansion, with several rooms for them. Sunna and Hadit, being sisters, shared the same room, where I was while Tabita applied their makeup to my face.
— You are very beautiful, Luna, this makeup will only enhance what the Goddess gave you.
That was the name they called the dye they put on their faces: makeup. They seemed to be having fun painting my face. Now and then, they debated over some chosen color, which would be the most appropriate for me.
— She has beautiful, large, black eyes, the eyeliner will make them even more pronounced.
— This color for the lips, a mouth that everyone will wish to bite.
That last sentence made me uneasy, but when I questioned whether all of this was to sacrifice me as food for the males, they laughed even louder.
— Silly girl, you are a Luna by birth, the male wolves and many of the females will want to devour you today, however, in a delicious way. Oh dear… you are too young to understand…
That was Hadit, after Eda left, she became much friendlier and talked a lot, especially about obscene things that made her and Tabita giggle.
— Hey, she's not the only one who hasn't experienced what you're talking about, have some compassion for both of us!
— Oh, Sunna, but your time is coming, I can smell your wolf! There are several males interested, hoping you belong to one of them! They are lining up to see who will be the first to mount this little hot wolf!
Sunna's cheeks turned red, and she became even more beautiful. She got shy when they talked about these subjects, but Hadit and Tabita seemed to not care; in fact, the more modest embarrassed Sunna became, the more they teased her.
— If I don't find my mate, I won't stay in the harem anymore!
— Why not? — Tabita looked at her, surprised. — Don't be silly, it can take years to find him, if you even find him, you can't miss out on all the fun!
— I got tired of waiting for my mate two years after my wolf emerged. — Hadit shrugged. — You have no idea how uncomfortable the cycle is. We can't get pregnant, however, nature goes on its course. A virile and fiery male works wonders!
— Have you talked to Luna Hira about this? — Tabita said in a more serious tone. — The old healer said that your wolf could emerge at any moment. Some males have already offered to take care of her when she arrives, and do you know what that means for the wolves....
— I'll talk to her tomorrow…
— Talk to Hira as soon as possible, dear, because this morning, General Azis offered to be your first.
— No! — Sunna's eyes widened.
— He didn't arrange it with you beforehand? — Asked Hadit, confused.
— No! I mean, yes, he offered, but I rejected him!
— Eli told me he said you agreed, everything is arranged with the Alpha, if your wolf emerges, he will mount you. I thought you knew, that's why I brought it up….
I knew, males do not respect females and force them to do… things… with them. If the Alpha allows a male to use her, there will be nothing she can do...
— I'll talk to Luna Hira right now, wait for me, girls!
Hadit and Tabita exchanged glances and I noticed something I hadn't seen before.
— Are you sisters?
Both seemed embarrassed before answering.
— We are cousins, our mothers were twin sisters.
The embarrassment disappeared, and I couldn't understand its cause. They both went back to chattering and painting my face. Not satisfied, they combed my hair and used some kind of perfumed oil on it. When they finished, they asked me to look in the large mirror in the corner of the room.
I knew it was me, but I could hardly believe what I saw. My appearance had changed, it was the same face, but I no longer had the sickly and pale look. I looked healthy, with glowing skin and a more feminine appearance.
The body, however, seemed even more immature inside the ill-fitting tunic.
The door to the room opened and Sunna came back, smiling.
— I spoke with Luna Hira and she told me not to worry, as I will be protected. When my wolf presents herself, I will leave the Harém and move to the Alpha's mansion. Luna Hira will chose a role for me.
I could hardly believe what she was saying, and from the happiness and relief radiating from her, it was true! This Luna Hira must be a very kind female and blessed by the Goddess!
— The males won't be able to force you?— I asked to be sure.
A thread of hope tried to settle in my chest.
— Of course not! Alpha Dérik forbade males from forcing females, even if they are in heat, since he ascended to the throne.
— That's great, sister, you can relax now and enjoy the moon! The general won't like it, but let him deal with it when he catches the scent of new meat.
Sunna stopped in front of me with a beautiful smile on her face.
— Luna, if it's not being too forward, may I offer you one of my dresses? It's used, but it's like new and will look beautiful on you.
I couldn't resist her request, and I confess that, internally, I wanted to look pretty for the first time in my life, and if that young female wanted to help me, why not?