His Luna

CHAPTER 4

RANDA'S POV

I shiver as the chapel bells chime, signalling midnight. I had woken up to a fully lit room. The moonlight stood over the roof of the room and its beam filtered through the glass ceilings. Minutes ago, I had not realised that there was a glass ceiling above my head. Waking up to a lit room, I had begun to think that the entire encounter had been a terrible nightmare, but the tingling pain in my dematerialised those thoughts.

I pull my gown, tightly securing my corset. I lift the collar of the dress, hoping it will hide the bite from unwantedattention. I ponder, whether to come clean about the things that have happened in the last minutes or I should hide them, in the hopes that Wolver can possibly tilt my neck to the right side for his bite. I decide on the latter, accepting it as the easier and best thing to do.

Before I can climb out of the bed, the door is thrown open and Deliah strolls in. "It's midnight", she announces. I nod, faking a smile.

"Your eyes look plumpy. Have you been crying?", she asks, walking closer to me. I lean sideways, making sure to expose the free skin to her. "I'm just really excited", I lie. She peers into my face, squinting her eyes hard.

"Lets go", I don't want the entire village to come looking for me. And then a question pops up in my head, " did anybody tell you that I was here?". She is clearly taken aback by question. Not that it isn't the most stupid question. I mean, Recila would tell her, right? Only that the resting room for a bride is never disclosed to anybody, even her best friend.

She bites her lip before answering, "I just looked for you". I am not convinced, but I do not know what else to think. "Are you okay?", she questions, her eyes searching my face for any hint that might lead to the truth, "...you're acting rather...weird, right now"

I am rescued from telling another lie when Recila bursts into the room. "It is time. Your husband is waiting", she announces, stepping back so I can walk through. Deliah walks through, leaving Recila and I standing in the room. "That tea you sent. It got me feeling nauseous and tired", I say.

"What tea?", Recila asks. My ears c**k in alarm. I remember receiving tea from the handmaid that was sent. "It was right there", I say, turning around to point at the table where I had dropped the cup.

"There's nothing there", Recila points. And true to her words, there is no cup on the table. "But, I left it there", I say, defending my claims. The look Recila gives me makes me think I am insane and I quickly look down in embarrassment. "Randa dear, I didn't send a cup of tea to you. It must have been a complimentary tea from the maid, I guess", Recila says, gently

"But she left and I dropped it there", I say, looking back at the empty table that had once accomodated the cup of tea.

"Here, I do not know about your claims. I did not send you a cup of tea. I would tell you if I knew who did. Like you said, you fell asleep. What makes you think the maid didn't come back to get it?" I ponder on the question. It must be true. Definitely, the maid must have come to get it. But how did the man find me, and why had he come after I drank from the cup?

"I will like to see this handmaid once more. To tell her thank you, of course", I say. Recila nods.

"Now, let us go. The village is waiting", she says as she takes my arm and leads me out.

My heart pounds painfully as Recila leads me back to the initiation chamber. I'm tempted to break free from her hold and run away, but I would have no where else to go and no pack would consider taking in a runaway bride. Recila turns occasionally to smile at me and I muster a fake smile to offer her in return.

At the door of the chamber, I can feel sweat run down my thighs, or maybe that is my pee. Recila turns to look at me before leading me in. In the room are lit candles, placed carefully on table stands that weren't there earlier. The fur skins of past Lunas are still hung up on the walls, and shame bites me hard as I stare at each of them.

At the tub where I will sit, Wolver stands, his hands folded to the back. The hairs on his neck, face, hands and legs are grown and fully erect. As he smiles at me, his pointy teeth shine, and I am shaken at the possibility of having his claws dig into me when he finds out.

Deliah bends over a long table in a corner of the room, where she is arranging and litting more candles. A few chapel officials are present and seated in furry chairs, in another side of the room, their chairs directly faced to the tub.

Recila lets go of my arm, nudging me to walk to the bath where Wolver waits. My legs tremble as I slowly walk to the tub. More sweat, or pee, trickle down my thighs. The Chapel officials are on their feet as I make my way to tub.

Wolver offers his hand to me, aiding me get into the tub and making sure I am comfortably seated.

Recila walks to the middle of the room and the room is scaringly silent, asides the heavy pounding of my heart, that threatens to burst out of its cage.

"Dearest members of Tafa. Today we are gathered to witness the union of our royal head, Wolver and the woman he has chosen to be luna. Together, they have carried out her initiation rites, but one, and that is what brings us here. In this room, today, before the full moon and before our dear past lunas, and before ourselves, of course, Wolver will mark his Luna and will forever be sealed to her. This is the last commandment binding all Tafanans of royal blood and lycanthrope of the human side. Now, Wolver, claim your wife"

Now, my body quakes as Wolver lowers his face coming close to my skin, his hairs grow more erect as he drops to his hinds and limbs morphophing into his full werewolf self. The rest of the people in the room drop to their hinds and limbs as they morphoph, except Recila, who is hybrid.

I pray for Wolver to tilt my neck to the right, and as his hairy hand grabs my neck, it tilts my neck to the left, and more liquid run down my thighs, surely urine.

I shut my eyes, bracing myself for the worst. Wolver leans closer and as his tongue lightly brushes my neck, he feels the mark.

"What!", he exclaims, his voice going ten times deeper in bass, to the surprise of the rest of the people in the room.

"What is wrong, sir?", Recila asks, racing to the tub. My eyes are open in time to catch Wolver scan the bite on my neck.

"Who did this to you?", he demands, his grip on my neck tightening. I begin to choke as air is restricted from my windpipe.

"Who bit you first?", he thunders, violently shaking my neck. My life begins to flash before my eyes and reuniting with my dead parents no longer seems like a bad idea. Gasps fill the room as the realisation of Wolver's word soaks in on every one.

"I knew something was off about her", I hear Deliah mutter. Recila takes hold of Wolver's hand as he continues to squeeze life out of my body. For the first time, I witness her strength. She maneuvers Wolver's hands and frees my neck out of his grip. In the tub, I hold my neck, choking and gasping for air. Wolver shapeshifts back to human and rises to his feet, towering over me. Recila and the other chapel officials, you have raced down to the tub, hold him back from taking drastic measures.

"What happened?", Recila asks, gently and tears fill my eyes. "I was r***d", I answer, as I look down shamefully at my nails.

"And marked?... think up another lie", Wolver scoffs.

"I swear, I was r***d"

"Okay. Do you know who did this?", Recila asks. And as tears stream down my face, I shake my head.

"Now, that's a bigger lie", Wolver thunders furiously, trying to push past the people who hold him back.

"Are you sure, Randa?", Recila asks.

"I was asleep and woke up to a man who forced himself on me and bit me"

"How dare you lie before the past Lunas?", Wolver says, his voice lowering by a few notches.

"I speak the truth"

"But you came here whole. We rode together, even", Deliah says, looking down at the bite mark that has been exposed for all to see, since Wolver had pushed my collars down.

"Exactly", Wolver agrees.

"I drank this tea I was handed and it just made me feel weak", I reply, now crying with my shoulders quaking. The two chapel officials are dumbfounded as they hold wolver in place. Truly, it has never been heard of, that a bride was marked on her wedding day, by another man.

"You whored on your wedding day. Have you no shame?", Wolver accuses.

"NO", I reply, and immediately feeling stupid for saying that.

"I didn't intentionally sleep with another man", I add.

"This is what I get from loving you", Wolver says as he slumps to the ground, and begins to weep. "My wedding is over. I cannot be alpha." My heart breaks as the man I have loved for years sits like a mess, bawling his eyes out on a day that should be his happiest, because of me.

"It can be fixed, if you marry me", Deliah says, and my heart breaks even more.