~Kaida Orion~
I wake to the sound of rain tapping against the paper-screen windows, and my heart beating, as though warning me of something. The soft light of a single oil lamp glows on my desk, its flame flickering against the darkness in the room.
I pull the silk quilt tighter around my shoulders, while the room feels too quiet. Too… empty, even though I share this house with my husband, Lupus Caspian. Two years of marriage, and yet tonight, I feel his absence more keenly than ever.
I sit up, careful not to disturb the quiet order of the room. My brush and ink rest neatly on the table, the syllables of the letter I drafted still half‑finished. "Moon emissary," "rite of the pack," "blood oath." I stare at the half‑empty page. How can I write this?
My chest tightens as I set the brush down and rise, padding quietly to the window. Outside, the courtyard is drenched in rain, and the cruel breeze rattles bamboo leaves, and the moon hides behind heavy clouds. No full moon tonight, ideal for secrecy, or for hiding my terror.
I close my eyes, inhale the scent of rain and earth, Instead of relief, my skin prickles. A distant howl drifts through the dark, that is a wolf's call.
It could be nothing, but I seriously know what it is... It's the pack.
I take a trembling breath. Two years ago, I married Lupus as part of a union between our two clans, the werewolf packs disguised as noble families. On the surface, we live as humans, but beneath that surface flows moon-blooded power. Through marriage, our packs would strengthen. But on our wedding night, I realized I married not only a husband… but a wolf.
His transformation happened in secret, I mean, In shadows. I have never seen him under moonlight because I have not been invited. And guess is not yet time, and every night I fear I will hear him howl across the rooftops, never know if it is for the hunt… or for me.
I turn away from the window. My hands sift through the drawers until I find what I'm looking for: a small bronze pendant, carved with lupine teeth circling a full moon. This is my proof of bond with the pack, my acolyte's seal. My eyes sting as I trace the edge.
"If he calls tonight…" I whisper, voice breaking. "Will I answer?"
I couldn't give myself any answer, Just continue listening to the raindrops. Meanwhile, In the courtyard, a soft knock echo. Though it was delicate, or let me say, deliberate.
My breath stops instantly, but the knock came again, softer this time, hesitant.
"Kaida?" A female voice, hushed, and familiar.
Instantly, I knew it's my maid, Loita.
I swallow. "Yes."
Two small feet pad across the floor, and Loita stands inside the room, cloak soaked through, her hair a dripping mess.
"Alpha Lupus has gone out," she murmurs, pressing a handkerchief into my hand. "He summoned you."
I blink, summoned me? My husband, the pack's Alpha, calls me?
I run my thumb over the soft cloth. "Tell me… did he say why?"
She shakes her head. "No, only that the rain drives him into the night, I fear he may be in danger."
Dread surges through me, as I drop the handkerchief and grab my robe.
Loita curtsies. "I will gather your cloak."
As she leaves, I do the only thing that feels right, which is, I slip on the pendant, wrap its silk cord around my neck, and knot it tight.
The pendant feels heavy, but still warm like life itself pulsing at my chest.
Meanwhile, I step outside in the storm. The rain hits me in cold sheets as I step into the courtyard. The breeze disturbs my hair, and the cloak Loita hands me is soaked through in moments. I press the pendant close, remembered strokes of its carved wolf teeth. Could it be protection or a warning? I seriously don't know.
Then I saw my husband, Lupus, standing at the edge of the pavilion, one hand clutching a soaked lantern. He does not speak, but the lantern's light glints off wet stone.
"Kaida." His voice is low, calm, and it cracks something inside me immediately I heard it.
I take a step. And then another, until I stand before him.
His dark hair is plastered to his face. Rain traces rivulets down his cloak. But his eyes… his eyes burn with an intensity that stops my breath.
"Why did you call?" I ask, voice trembling.
He lowers the lantern. Its light falls across his sharp face, and I see the faint outlines of his wolf‑teeth mark, a subtle claw‑scar of our heritage.
"There is a moon‑pack meeting tonight," he says. "Near the old bamboo grove. I must go. But you… you must come with me."
My heart leaps, and asked. "Why?"
He looks away, into the storm. "It is... tradition. The Alpha's bride attends the first call of the pack. It binds you, I mean, binds us."
I kneel in the puddle at his feet and say. "I will go with you." The rain soaks my hair. My robe clings, but still, I nod. "I will go."
His gaze finds mine, and I swear I see something soft behind the Alpha's steel.
He holds out his hand. "Then rise, my bride."
I slip my hand into his. It is warm and strong like a lifeline.
On our way through the grove road, we walk in silence, the dirt path turning into mud under our feet. Rainwater streams down branches. Lightning flashes, illuminating the forest in stark, pale brilliance.
I clutch his arm, fear pools in my stomach, but it is not only fear. There is excitement bubbling like fire.
"What should I expect?" My voice is barely more than a breath.
He squeezes my hand. "Pack legacy," he says softly. "You will swear your oath. Learn the names… feel the bond."
I swallow back bile, because 'bond'? I already fear what that means. Pack bonds are more than oaths, in-fact they are spiritual ties. Once formed, they cannot be broken.
"What if I refuse?" I dare ask.
He glances at me. Moonlight, though hidden, seems to reflect off his hair. "Then the pack... will not accept you. And I... would never forgive myself for that."
My heart clenches, I know he's offering me a place. But at what cost?
Lightning cracks overhead. Thunder booms, and after few steps, we reach the Moonlit Grove
They are there. Figures cloaked in dark. Eyes shining. Wolves.
Not wolves in full beast, no, but lupine silhouettes shape-shifting, muscles growing, eyes glowing with ancient hunger. The ritual ground is a circle of white stones.
I step forward, and a hush descends as I feel a cold thrill.
He stands behind me. I place my free hand on his back, solid, reassuring. My heart pounds like a drumbeat of fear and courage.
A figure steps forward, the Council's Oracle. Her voice echoes, though I can't see her. "Alpha Lupus's bride has come. Will you accept the oath?"
I inhale deeply, and raise my head.
"Yes, I will."
At that moment, lightning splits the sky. A sheet of light floods the grove. Thunder rattles the world, and I was scared.