The Luna is a Royal Guardsman

Trauma in the Making

***Trigger Warning — nonconsensual s****l contact and s****l abuse of power***

As I ran back to the Crown Prince’s Office, I mind-linked key members of the Royal Guard. I ordered them to clear the Crown Prince wing of all personnel and non-Royal Guardsmen. I alerted the medical team on standby to get ready to move the injured to the hospital. Ronnie Parsons, his Highness’s personal valet, sat outside the office doors holding a nearly severed arm to his body. His face was pale and looked like he was about to go into shock.

“Hey, Ronnie. Stay with me. The medic should be here soon,” I reassured, looking into his unfocused eyes. I give him some light slaps to his face. Ronnie’s eyes became golden brown, and his breathing became more even after a minute. His face visibly relaxed, and I saw that the arm stopped bleeding. Ronnie’s wolf had come forward to protect his human.

“Thank you, LtCol. Ronnie needs to rest so he can deal with the trauma,” Said his wolf in a gravelly voice.

“Can you tell me what happened? What triggered the Lycan Beast? I need to know before I can deal with it,” I asked.

“We are not sure,” replied the wolf. “Ronnie had just served afternoon tea to the Crown Prince. He noticed that His Royal Highness was acting strange and detached. Ronnie figured that the Crown Prince was just depressed that he got caught so soon and wasn’t able to enjoy himself like he normally does. So Ronnie took it upon himself to cheer up the Crown Prince. Knowing the two things that entertain His Royal Highness were you and any Royal Court gossip, he asked Maj Krause if he knew anything about your match meeting. To which Maj Krause jokingly replied that he hoped that your match was an Alpha, so you would leave your post to become a Luna. He said that would be the only way he would be promoted. That was when the Crown Prince exploded and started rampaging.”

“I think I get the picture. Thank you.” I said. Combat Medic Tanner ran up to me as Ronnie’s wolf receded back into his mind.

“LtCol. Here’s the tranq.” Tanner said as he handed me the large syringe with dark silver liquid in it. It was a cocktail of silver nitrate, wolfsbane, and Xylazine. It wouldn’t be enough to kill a Lycan, but would definitely be able to knock out one. It would be a last-resort item since it can still cause some long-lasting harm. It was a heavily guarded secret and dispensed by the doctor in charge of the Feral suppression team. I slipped it under the sleeve of my dress shirt.

“Thanks, Tanner. Can you please make sure Ronnie gets taken care of and just be on standby for after?”

“Sure thing, LtCol.” The medic nodded.

I took a deep breath and opened the bloody doors of the Crown Prince’s office. I observed that all the furniture in the room was shattered to pieces and claw marks were dug into the walls. Maj Krause, 2nd Lt Brighton, and Cpt Davis were all trying to hold back the 7’5” tall Lycan Beast at the center of the room. I was proud that two other Lycans and an Alpha werewolf in the room resisted the urge to shift to have a better physical advantage.

Unlike werewolves, when Lycans shift, they turn into bipedal half-wolf-like creatures. The kind that is usually portrayed in human horror stories. From what has been documented, when Lycans shift, they are in a constant fight for control over their Beasts. The weakest among them have twice the strength of our strongest Alpha werewolf and have far superior healing abilities than any werewolf. This becomes threefold when the Beast takes over and becomes feral. A Royal Lycan was ten times the strength of a normal Lycan, and a feral one has unlimited strength. I have always wondered if the horror stories the humans tell over campfires were of Lycans that have gone feral.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve dealt with a Feral Beast. I have been dispatched for a fair number of Feral Beasts in my time in the elite guard. In fact, I had dealt with His Royal Highness's Feral Beast before as well. To even my own surprise, I was able to calm His Royal Highness's Beast without violence. All that was required was a calm and soothing voice for the Crown Prince to be able to regain control. It was the primary reason I transferred to the Royal Guard and was made the Crown Prince’s personal guard.

“Bring her to me!” he roared. He swiped at them with his elongated claws. Blood splattered as one of those claws made contact with Cpt Davis’s left forearm.

“Krause, Brighton, Davis, fall back. I got this. Go help evacuate the wing and stand by. Davis, go to the medical bay,” I say as I calmly approached the towering beast. The three men leave the office without hesitation. “Your Royal Highness, are you still in there?”

The beast stalked his way to me while snarling the entire time. I didn’t dare lose eye contact with him. His bright golden eyes shone with a dangerous glow and kept me rooted to my spot. My core instinct knew that this beast was the very apex of the food chain and I couldn’t stand a chance against him if he decided to go all out.

“Finally, you’re here, Addie.” He growled. He quickly closed the gap between us and pulled me into him by my waist. I kept a neutral face since it was essential not to react to a feral. Anything could set them off.

“I am. Now, do you mind settling down so I can talk to His Royal Highness?” I ask the Beast.

“NO! YOU ARE MINE!” The beast roared, “That fool is too weak to hold on to you! No Alpha will take what is mine!”

“I am not leaving. Even if I am mated, I will stay your loyal guard. No Luna duties will keep me away. My loyalties lie with the Crown above all else," I explain calmly, even though everything inside me is screaming to run away.

“Not good enough. You belong to me completely. I will make sure of that.” Said the beast dangerously. He let go of me and stared directly into my eyes. I could not help but feel the anxiety in me rise to the level of pure fear. I knew I could not show any sign of weakness, or I would lose what little control I had of the situation. As if he could read my mind, his face twisted into a menacing smile.

“Strip," he commanded while releasing his Royal Lycan aura on me.

“Please rescind your command, Your Royal Highness.” I pleaded as I resisted the urge to remove my clothes. I felt myself slowly losing my resolve as my hands started unbuttoning my jacket on their own. Resisting Alpha and Lycan Commands is basic training for the Elite Squad and Royal Guards, but resisting a Royal Lycan Command was on another level. I felt as though some invisible strings were controlling my hands and arms.

Becoming impatient at my resistance, the Beast just grabbed my jacket and ripped it open. I suppressed the very palpable fear that was trying to take over my mind. The beast used one of his claws to tear open my shirt and bra, leaving them to hang from my shoulders. I tried to cover up my exposed breasts with my hands, but the beast grabbed my wrists with one hand and pulled my hands above me.

“Very nice.” He murmured as he gave one of my breasts a hard and painful squeeze. I bit my tongue to stop the groan of pain from escaping my mouth.

“Please, Your Highness. I know you’re in there. Please stop this.” I pleaded again as I watched in horror as the beast ripped off my pants as well. I started kicking at him in a panic as my suspicions became realized. The Beast was planning to mate with me. It only seemed to excite the beast even more as he forcefully removed my panties as well, leaving me fully exposed in front of him.

He took a moment to look me up and down. He traced his claw down the right side of my neck to my clavicle. His hand lifted the gold locket that rested there and, with a solid yank, broke the chain that held it there. He tossed the locket away as if it was a piece of trash. The tears that I was holding back started flowing down my cheeks.

The Beast released my hands and grabbed my waist. He inhaled me from the apex of my legs. His humid and musty breath covered my skin. He murmured in approval. He took a lick, and I started to retch. This felt so wrong in many ways. I then felt his disgusting and impossibly large member rub up against me as he crushed my body into him. He grabbed my hair with one of his hands and pulled back my head. I felt his slimy tongue lick from the valley of my breasts, up my chest, and the side of my neck. He yanked my head to the side and started sucking on the crook of my neck. I suddenly realized that he was going to do more than force a mating. He was going to forcibly mark me. I feebly tried pushing him away with my hands, but all I was met with was a wall of solid muscle. I felt his teeth graze my shoulder as he prepared to mark me.

“Viktor, please help me. Stop this!” I cried out the Crown Prince's name in a last-ditch resort to bring him forward in his mind. The Beast stilled for a moment as the two entities fought for control. The color shifting in his eyes indicated that the Crown Prince was fighting viciously for control. This was exactly the distraction I needed. I pulled out the syringe from my sleeve that managed to stay in there the whole time, uncapped the needle, and jabbed it in the side of his neck. I slammed the plunger in, releasing the trans into his body.

The Beast roared and threw me across the room. I groaned as my back slammed against the wall with a force that would’ve killed an average wolf. I stayed seated up against the wall and watched as the Beast started clawing his neck where I injected him. His movements started to slow, and his roars started to quiet. He swayed back and forth as the wolfsbane and Xylazine started to take effect. He slowly shifted back to his human form before he collapsed on the ground. He lifted his head and looked at me. His eyes were back to their normal sky blue hue and were full of remorse.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… Addie,” he drunkenly said before he passed out. I sat there for a moment to collect myself because there was still a lot more to do. I wiped the tears from my face and inhaled a deep breath. I shrugged off the remnants of my dress shirt and bra. I shifted into my wolf and decided not to think about what happened. Not now, later, much later.

‘The room is clear. We need a gurney and some sheets for His Royal Highness.’ I mind-linked my team. I stood in my wolf form and watched as my team entered the room. Tanner went straight for His Royal Highness and checked his vitals. Brighton and Davis set the gurney next to His Royal Highness and lowered it. I stared annoyingly at Davis's bandaged arm. The man doesn't know how to take a break. Krause approached me cautiously and eyeballed me in my wolf form. Nudity is commonplace within our society since we shift in and out of wolf and beast forms all the time. My team and I have seen each other naked more times than we can count and weren’t shy about it. So it was weird that I was choosing to stay in my wolf form.

“The wing is clear, and the path to the hospital has also been cleared. The only one injured so far is Ronnie Tremaine, the valet. No casualties," reported Krause.

‘Good. Stay with His Royal Highness and have Davis and Brighton guard the room. Essential medical personnel and the Royal Family only.’ I responded via mind-link. ‘I need to get dressed and report to His Majesty. I’ll let the Majordomo know that this office needs clean up asap.’

“Aye aye, LtCol," Krause responds and follows the gurney out of the room.

Tanner walks up to me with a sympathetic look in his eye and reaches to pat me. Damn, he knows. I don’t need this now or ever. I snarl and snap at him to back off. He puts his hands up and backs away. He then follows the rest of the team out while giving me a sad smile.

I slowly move from my spot and make my way around the room. I collect the pieces of my clothing and set them in a pile. I spot the locket with the chain still attached in the corner of the room. I gently pick it up and place it on top of my destroyed clothes. I gingerly pick up everything with my mouth and step out of the room. I pad down the familiar halls out of the wing and into the officer’s quarters. Thankfully, all doors are able to unlock and open with microchips embedded in our shoulders. It was implemented so we can navigate the palace without having to shift back and forth to turn doorknobs. I enter my room and nudge the door closed with my paw.

I gently drop the items in my mouth on my bed and shift back. I take another deep breath and walk into the bathroom. I turn on the shower as hot as I can stand. While the water warmed up, I dug through the rags that were formerly my uniform and underwear and found the locket. I inspected its surface and was relieved that the surface was not damaged, and the moonstone was not broken. I dug through the pockets of my jacket and pulled out my smartphone. I sigh at the screen that is shattered beyond repair and the obvious bend in the middle. I tried turning it on, and not even a flicker flashed. I put the rags into a canvas bag so I could take them out later to burn them far from the palace.

I stepped back in the bathroom and into the shower. I scrubbed so hard to remove the scent of the Beast from my skin. I wash off the slime trail that was left behind from where the Beast licked and sucked on me. I couldn't cry right now because there is so much to take care of. I needed to push this feeling of helplessness to the back of my head until I have the time to deal with it. As much as I needed to stay in that shower for hours more, duty called, and I had used up all the time I needed to be presentable. I dried myself off and put on my normal uniform that looks more like a two-piece suit. I made sure the Royal Guard insignia and my rank were pinned to my lapels properly. I looked in the mirror and made sure the fading hickies on my neck were not visible above my collar. I quickly comb out my hair and put it in a tight bun.

I pick up the locket from my bed and put it in my pocket. I will have to get the latch fixed before I can wear it around my neck again. I pull out a drawer from my nightstand and grab the burner phone inside. I dialed Chris’s number and waited for him to pick up.

‘I’m not going to cry; I’m not going to cry.” I chanted in my head as I waited. 'It's no big deal. It's no big deal'

“Hey, Little Sis! Why are you calling me from your burner?” His ever-cheerful voice sounded from the other side.

“Um… my regular phone got damaged during combat training. I can’t talk about it right now,” I told him.

“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, right?” He asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I will be. Hey, the reason I called was that I want you to reach out to Alpha Meyers. Let him know that if he’s serious, I’m willing to go through with the mating alliance. I’m gonna talk to His Majesty and see if I can take some time off for my Luna training,” I blurt.

“Whoa, wait. Something big happened, right? What’s actually going on? You would never voluntarily take time off. You'd rather dress in a pretty pink tutu while frolicking and waving around a magic wand.”

“As I said, I can’t talk about it now. But I will soon. Can you please make the call?”

“Are you sure? Are you not being forced into this, right? I’ll fight it even if it’s a royal command.” I flinched at his words.

“It’s my decision. It needs to be done.”

“Minnie, I want you to be happy with this. Are you positive?”

“Yup. I’m positive. Oh, gotta get off the phone right now. I need to go report to His Majesty.” I said with a practiced calmness that came from my years of training.

“Okay. Love ya,Sis.”

“Love you too, Bro.”

I hung up and steeled myself to report to His Majesty. I needed to be strong, and I needed to report the details without breaking down. I can do this. I must do this.