Lirvana clutched her head, dropping to her knees as the voice echoed again.
It was piercing, like it was crawling through her skull.
"Who are you?" she cried out.
> "Help me... and I'll tell you who I am."
Her breaths grew shaky.
"Help you how?"
> "Find the Moonmark."
"What?" she whispered, confused. "What is a Moonmark?"
> "A mark…an etched moon symbol. Find its bearer."
Lirvana blinked hard, vision blurry.
"How do I find the bearer?! Tell me!"
Silence.
The voice vanished just as suddenly as it came.
"Ugh!"
She let out a frustrated groan, slamming her palm against the floor.
But there was one person who might be able to help her make sense of this.
She would find them soon. She had to.
But first... she had unfinished business.
Her gaze darkened.
Serena.
Lirvana's lips curled into something cold. "I'll deal with you in a way you'll never forget."
*************
Kaelen sat in the throne room, his fingers gripping the armrest like it owed him something.
Anger. That was all he felt. Burning and sour in his chest.
The way she speaks, her looks , everything about her claws his insides.
The bond was already taking a toll on him ,his rut now occurred randomly and came with a fuller force , nothing the Consorts did satisfied him.
"Your Highness…"
A guard stepped in, bowing slightly. "The Council wishes to speak with you."
"Of course they did. They always did. Heir this. Mating that."
"Why didn't they just take the human and breed her themselves?"
Kaelen barely nodded.
The elders entered with their usual smugness and took their seats like the place belonged to them.
"Alpha," one began, "today is the Moon Dance. It's the perfect time to claim her."
Kaelen didn't even look at them. "It's also the time I'm most feral. She might die."
He stood slowly, towering. "Let me decide this myself, leave."
They didn't argue. They never did.
They just bowed their heads and walked out like cowards.
***************
Serena walked slowly, hugging herself as she wandered the endless corridors of the castle. Every hallway looked the same. She couldn't, for the life of her, remember the way back to her chambers.
"Hey!" a voice called out.
Serena spun around.
A girl approached—familiar. Yes... one of the maids who had bathed her like a doll. Serena stiffened slightly.
"Naya," she said, finally placing the name.
The girl smiled. "You remember me."
Serena shrugged. She'd been annoyed with her at the time, but shoved it aside. She had questions now.
"Where are you going?" Naya asked.
"I... don't exactly know," Serena admitted. "I was just walking. Can I go sightseeing? Do you have rare items in Selvayra?"
Naya tilted her head, amused. "Some are right here in the castle. But you can't leave—not in your current state."
Serena nodded, unsurprised. Still, when Naya gestured for her to follow, she didn't hesitate.
They entered a warm, sunlit cottage nestled within the heart of the castle. Naya led her to a corner where strange flowers shimmered under a glass dome.
"This flower only blooms under moonlight, and when it blooms don't breathe it in," Naya explained. "It's used during the final mating ritual and our traditional Moon Dance. It's an aphrodisiac and it's very effective."
Serena blinked. "Like... it makes you horny?"
"Horny?" Naya echoed, confused.
"Never mind," Serena muttered. "But why is this the first thing you're showing me? Are you plotting to sneak me into the Alpha's bed with this? Because I'm not doing any final ritual."
Naya chuckled. "You said you wanted rare items. Do you have this flower in the human world?"
"Well, we have aphrodisiacs," Serena said, eyeing the bloom. "But I've never seen one that blooms under the moon."
She carefully picked a few of the flowers and tucked them away.
Next, Naya picked up a small vase. "This one repeats your words, try it." She urged Serena
"Hello?," She said skeptically.
"Hello," the vase echoed back in a perfect mimic.
Serena gaped. "No way!" She grabbed the vase and cradled it like treasure.
Naya continued, showing her more magical trinkets—floating feathers, glowing stones, frozen beads that shimmered like ice. Serena eagerly collected a few of the more interesting ones and returned to her chambers with arms full.
*************
(Serena's Chambers)
She carefully placed the items in the corner of her room, eyes still wide with wonder.
"Naya," she called out, suddenly serious. "How do I leave this place?"
"Maybe start with where you came in," Naya said, leaning against the doorway.
"I can't even remember where I crashed through."
"That'd be the Moon Altar. It's inside the castle's greenhouse."
Serena frowned. "How did I go from being in the forest to crashing inside the castle?
"No idea. But if anyone has the answer... it's the King."
Serena's jaw tightened. "Why hasn't he killed me yet?"
Naya paused. "You're his second chance," she said gently. "His first mate died 70 years ago. You're his last now. Without a second-chance bond, the kingdom won't have a royal heir. If you die... he dies too."
Serena choked on her breath.
"Seventy years?" she repeated, purposely ignoring the last part. "How is he still that... hot? I mean... good."
Naya laughed softly. "It's the Selvayra effect. We age very slowly. Our King is a Trueblood Alpha."
Serena gestured for her to sit. "Okay, now you have to explain. What's a Trueblood Alpha?"
Naya sat beside her without hesitation.
"He's... different. Special. I heard he was born during a rare lunar eclipse. He's not just any Alpha."
She paused, then continued.
"In Selvayra, everyone has a rank and a pack. But the King rules above all."
Serena nodded. "What are the ranks? And packs?"
"Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. I don't know all the pack names, but there are twenty total across Selvayra. Each has its own Alpha. The King's Consorts is made up of One Beta or Omega from every pack."
"And you , what is your rank?" Serena asked.
"Omega," Naya said.
Serena gave a small snort. "You're very knowledgeable. Why are you telling me all this? And why don't you hate me like the others?"
Naya shrugged. "I like you more than the rest. I don't have a reason to hate you."
Serena looked away. "You know, my world would freak out knowing what they write as fiction actually exists."
"No," Naya said sharply. "Humans aren't supposed to know we exist."
Serena's laugh faltered. "Right. Yeah. Like that would stop me," she thought to herself.
She grew quiet, then asked, "But if he loved his dead mate so much, why does he have Consorts? Isn't that... cheating?"
Naya's gaze dropped. "He's a Trueblood. His sexual urges are... stronger. He can't mourn forever. I hear that sometimes, the Consorts visit the healers after a night with him."
Serena's throat went dry.
>"If they can't handle him... what does that mean for me?
What am I even thinking? I would never do such a thing."
Naya stood. "Tonight's the Traditional Moon Dance. The Head Consort must have told you, it's the eighth rule"
"She said Rule Eight wasn't for humans," Serena replied.
"Well... during the dance, that flower I showed you? It blooms. Wolves go wild. They mate uncontrollably. The Consorts are allowed to be with anyone. It's a dangerous night. You're human. You need to stay locked in your chambers. Don't come out—no matter what. Even I would stay in. I don't want an Alpha touching me by mistake."
Serena nodded slowly, wondering why the Lirvana girl hadn't told her any of this. Just read the stupid rules. Nothing helpful.
"Thanks, Naya. Really."
Naya smiled and nodded.
She left quietly, the door shutting behind her.
Serena stared at the moonflower glowing faintly in the corner. Quickly, she covered it with a cloth.
>"If it's an aphrodisiac, then I'm not safe from it either…"
She replayed Naya's words in her mind:
> "Seventy years... Trueblood... If I die, he dies..."
She had no idea what she was in for.
But at least now, she had knowledge.
And knowledge was power.
****************
(Warning: slightly explicit, read with caution)
Serena tossed on her bed, the castle air warm and still. Her eyes fluttered open when a sudden howl echoed through the walls, followed by a deep, steady rhythm and drums.
She sat up immediately, not being able to sleep with such noise and music.
The howls became Louder, Fierce and Wild.
She blinked into the darkness as she recalled....
"The Moon Dance..." she whispered
She slowly rose from her bed and crept toward the door, remembering Naya's firm warning from earlier.
"Stay inside, no matter what you hear."
"Don't look. Don't breathe it in."
But she was anxious , she wanted to see what was going on, the curiosity pricked at her skin.
"Just a peek... nothing more." She assured herself.
She opened her door slightly. A blast of sound rushed in….chanting, drums, and the haunting notes of some ancient flute. Her heart pounded. Her bare feet padded down the hallway, cool stone against her skin, as she followed the sound through the corridors.
Then she stepped outside.
The moon was high... Glowing. Almost too bright.
Below it, the courtyard was alive. Werewolves moved in circles, dancing under the light, their bodies twisting, shifting. Some had already transformed—fur gleaming under the moon, eyes glowing.
Serena hid in the shadows.
Her eyes landed on the flowers near the center of the circle. It was blooming beautifully, its amazing blue petals were enchanting—the Moonflower. She stared, stunned. It was breathtaking
Serena's hands quickly flew to her nose, blocking the air.
"Don't breathe it."
"Don't breathe it in."
But the atmosphere changed quickly , turning into something she would have never expected to witness with her human eyes.
She heard groans. Sharp, breathless cries.
Her gaze darted around.
She froze, dumbstruck.
Wolves mounted each other, in the open. No shame. Big and muscular, their thick girth hard and pulsing.
Some she–wolves—still human ,were on their knees, taking them deep, choking and moaning.
While some were being pounded hard, the skin slaps were so loud like whips.
They fumbled their breasts and the males sucked on their clits harshly. Most of them were in groups, it was like an orgy.
Too shocked, her hands fell from her face.
Just one inhale.
It hit her like fire.
Heat crawled up her neck, spread across her nipples, and down….hot, tight, aching between her thighs. Her breath hitched. Her legs trembled. Her core pulsed.
She spun around, running across the corridors to find her room, but nothing looked familiar anymore.
"Which way... which way..." she muttered panicking.
She stumbled, falling to her knees inside the corridor. The stone floor bit into her skin. Her body was burning….need clawing at her from the inside.
A low growl echoed behind her.
She turned slowly.
A huge wolf loomed in front of her, its girth heavy, twitching, thick with need. Her breath caught in her throat. She scrambled backward, shaking.
The wolf lowered its head, snarling.
Then….
Its eyes locked with hers.
She froze.
She knew those eyes.
It was him.
The Alpha King.