As days passed, the layers of ice surrounding Nate began to slowly break.
My relationship with him improved; he became less cold and more present, breathing some warmth into the corridors of this cold palace.
I was moving between the hallways heading toward the kitchen in search of some peace, or perhaps a cup of coffee to calm my nerves.
Before I could step over the kitchen threshold, faint whispers pierced the wall of silence.
I stopped, frozen in my place, unintentionally listening. One of the maids was speaking in a confident and provocative tone:
"I believe she is just a temporary 'Luna,' nothing more..."
Her colleague interrupted her immediately, in a trembling tone filled with panic:
"Shhh! Shut up, you fool! If the 'Alpha King' hears you, he will rip your head from its roots!"
But the warning was of no use. The first maid, who seemed to fear nothing or perhaps was ignorant of fear, continued with bitter mockery:
"Look at him! He hasn't even announced her as a queen or an official 'Luna' in front of everyone, and that is the greatest proof! Just a temporary doll.."
Her words were like a cold slap to my face.
I couldn't control my anger, but I decided not to grant her the honor of seeing my reaction.
I stepped forward slowly, leaning my shoulder against the cold wall, and crossed my arms over my chest, watching the scene from a hidden angle, ready for a confrontation I didn't desire.
Her words were the straw that broke the back of my patience. I could no longer endure more speculation and whispering behind closed doors.
I pushed myself away from the cold wall and stepped a few paces toward them.
The bold maid was about to add something else, had her eyes not fallen on me.
She froze in her place instantly, and her features shifted from disdain to silent horror. I was staring at her sharply, my eyes flashing with suppressed sparks of anger.
I advanced toward her very slowly and deliberately, step by step. The sound of my heels on the marble floor was like the beats of war drums.
Her confusion and terror were obvious; she began to tremble like a leaf in the wind.
I stood directly in front of her, looked into her widened eyes, and said in a tone as cold as ice, void of any warmth:
"I think your companion was right..."
I paused for a moment, letting my words settle in her mind, then continued with a terrifying coldness:
"Why must you stick your nose into matters that do not concern you?"
I raised my hand slowly and moved it behind her hair, brushing its strands away from her exposed neck.
My touch had the effect of an electric shock on her. I followed with an underlying threat, every word coming out like a heavy stone:
"...Or do you want this beautiful head of yours to fly far away from your body?"
As soon as I finished speaking, her eyes widened in absolute terror.
Tears burst from her eyes, and her muffled sobs began to rise in the kitchen.
At that moment, the head of the maids rushed toward me, fawning and apologizing in a tone filled with fear:
"I am very sorry, Luna! I promise you this will not happen again! I will punish her with the severest punishment!"
I turned my back on them coldly, ignoring the pleas of the head maid and the tears of the maid. I said sternly as I walked toward the kitchen counter:
"There is no need for punishment. She has received enough terror as she deserves."
I picked up the coffee pot and began preparing it, adding a final warning:
"But, if this happens again... I will carry out my words with my own hand next time."
I made my coffee quickly and headed for the exit. I was seething with internal rage.
My anger wasn't directed at that foolish maid only, but at the harsh truth I finally admitted to myself: her words were completely correct—I am just a temporary Luna.
The maid's words were like glowing embers in my mind, refusing to be extinguished.
"He hasn't even announced her as a queen or a Luna yet."
The truth stung me more than any insult.
He hasn't announced that he found his mate!
He prevents me from leaving the palace except rarely, under the flimsy pretext of "protection."
What kind of protection is this that requires hiding me from the world?
And what does announcing me as Luna have to do with protection?
My anger was escalating with every memory of her toxic words.
I was stomping the floor with angry, heavy steps, heading toward the West Wing. Rage was blinding my vision; I wanted a confrontation, I wanted a scream to calm the fires in my chest.
I spotted them from afar, "Arin" and "Klaus," standing in the main lobby talking about routine guarding matters.
I headed directly toward them with fast, decisive steps. They raised their eyes to me, welcoming me with a slight smile that quickly melted before my grim features.
I ignored their greeting and uttered the words that were boiling on my lips:
"Where is that bastard?"
They looked at me in surprise for a moment, then tried hard to suppress a laugh that was about to break out.
I saw their lips trembling in silence; if they had laughed, I would have killed them instantly—the rage was running through my veins like poison.
Arin wiped his smile quickly and answered with mock seriousness:
"He just went to his office, Luna."
I only nodded to him, signaling that I heard him. I didn't wait for another reply; instead, I turned quickly and left the place, heading for his office, ready for the inevitable confrontation.
I didn't knock on the door; I pushed it with a primitive force that almost tore it from its hinges.
Nate turned toward me with his usual coldness, but in his eyes reflected a deep questioning and clear astonishment at my reckless act.
I advanced toward him with quick steps and placed the coffee cup on his desk violently, then sat in front of him with rampant anger, staring at him sharply as if I wanted to prey on him with my gaze:
"What is it, Mr. Nate? Have I disturbed you?"
He looked at me, trying to grasp the source of my overwhelming rage, and said in a calm and reserved tone:
"What is wrong with you? Why all this anger?"
I answered with biting sarcasm, trying to hide the pain behind the harsh tone:
"Ooh, Mr. Nate! Don't you know that you are the reason?"
He was about to utter another word, but I interrupted him immediately, sparks literally flying from my eyes:
"Are you amusing yourself with me or what? Am I just a doll? Or a temporary mate filling the void of your palace?"
His features wrinkled with a fierce anger I hadn't seen before, and he said warningly:
"What are you talking about, Sera?"
I replied quickly and angrily:
"I'm sorry that telling the truth disturbed you! For God's sake, Nate! I've been here for a month and a half, and you haven't announced me in any official capacity! You haven't even announced that you found your mate in the first place!"
I finished my words with a scream, breathing fast and hard, blood boiling in my veins:
"Listen, I don't want justifications. If you really don't want me, I'm leaving here right now!"
I moved to leave, pushed the chair behind me forcefully, and stood up to cross the room toward the door. But I didn't reach it.
I suddenly collided with his hard chest.
He had moved with a speed I didn't notice, and he was now standing between me and the exit, his eyes burning with a rage equal to mine, his crushing presence filling the room.
I laughed with bitter sarcasm while trapped between him and the door, his hot breath fanning my face.
"What? Will you stop me now?"
I added sharply, my eyes staring directly into his:
"If you don't get out of my way, I will burn you alive!"
But he didn't move; instead, he remained standing like a mountain, blocking the light and the exit from me.
I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest in defiance, looking at him challengingly.
"Who said I am amusing myself with you? And who said you are a temporary Luna?"
He said it with fierce anger, his tone deep and heavy, shaking the corners of the room.
I replied impatiently, exhaling forcefully:
"Then what is your explanation for all this silence? Haaah? Oh, don't tell me you mean 'protection'? This isn't protection, this is a prison and a concealment!"
Nate let out a deep, long sigh; inside him was a weariness I hadn't known from him.
Suddenly, and with a swift movement, he grabbed me by my waist with his strong hands.
I didn't have time to object before he brought his lips close to my ear and whispered in a faint tone, completely different from the anger he was in:
"If you are angry about your announcement, do not worry. I have been planning this for days, and I am preparing everything..."
My breath caught as I listened to his words. He completed his whisper, his voice melting all my anger:
"...If you are this excited for it, then it is only three days away."
Immediately after finishing his words, he pulled away slightly and kissed my cheek with unexpected gentleness.
I felt an intense heat coloring my cheeks a deep red. Damn! I shouldn't have rushed.
"Darn it!"
I muttered inside me with vexation.
"Now he will think I'm dying of longing for it!"
Nate moved slightly away from me, leaving
me space to breathe, but his mocking glares did not leave me.
I looked at him with a slight frown, trying to maintain what remained of my pride, while my face had turned a crimson color from shame and embarrassment.
I saw him smile that hidden smile that rarely appears, then he reached out and pinched my cheek with a playful gentleness.
I had completely lost control of the situation
. I pushed his hand away with mock annoyance and said:
"Nate! Stop this!"
It only brought a light laugh from him, resonant and full of satisfaction.
He retreated back behind his desk slowly and sat on his luxurious leather chair.
With total calmness and coldness, he reached out and picked up the coffee cup I had placed angrily moments ago and began to sip from it slowly, as if nothing had happened.
I stared at him with one last quick look, a mixture of vexation, admiration, and shame, before I turned my back and hurried out of the office quickly, escaping the intensity of my embarrassment which had reached its peak.
I was drowning in a sea of overwhelming boredom.
Nothing breaks this stagnation, even Julia and Lauren aren't here.
While I was wandering aimlessly, my feet led me toward the balcony overlooking the palace gate.
There, I spotted Nate standing and talking to Arin.
Suddenly, a reckless idea occurred to me:
"Why don't I try telepathy?"
Well, I focused all my attention on Nate.
I cleared my mind of all other thoughts and conjured his mental image clearly.
I whispered in my mind with focus:
"Nate... Nate..."
He showed no reaction. I repeated the attempt:
"Nate... Nate..."
but to no avail.
My patience ran out completely, and I screamed in my subconscious, in words I wouldn't have uttered aloud:
"Nate, you damn foolish idiot!"
At that very moment, Nate suddenly stopped talking.
His eyes widened excessively, as if he had just heard my scream.
A double feeling of amazement and immediate regret possessed me.
"Crap! Why did it have to work? And why did it only work when I insulted him?!"
As soon as Nate's eyes widened, indicating he heard my insults, I felt something strange, like a cold, sharp current piercing my mind and consciousness.
It was his voice—his real voice in my head—whispering with sharpness and anger:
"You damn idiot... so?"
Shock and terror possessed me.
"Damn me!",
I muttered in my mind, and tried to ease the situation with extreme confusion:
"Hello..."
His reply was brief and surprised in my mind as well:
"Hello... Haaah?"
Nate suddenly cut off the telepathy and looked directly at me across the distance separating the balcony and the gate.
His glares were sharp as blades, full of promise and silent rage.
I smiled at him with total stupidity, trying to feign innocence.
I raised my hand slowly in the air, signaling a fake friendly "hello," and at the same moment, I pulled myself away quickly and retreated my feet.
I rushed away as fast as possible before he could catch me or kill me with his piercing glares.
While running, I couldn't stop thinking:
"Why didn't the attempt work from the beginning when I was polite? And why did it have to work only when I insulted him? What bad luck!"
While I was blaming my luck and about to flee, another voice pierced my mind, the voice of "Seran," my dormant wolf within me:
"Sera! I want to go out! I want to run in the forest!"
I suddenly realized that a very long time had passed since "Seran" went out for a run and shifted.
I had been so busy with the drama, the palace, and Nate that I had neglected her.
I felt a sting of guilt.
"I'm sorry Seran..."
I told her through telepathy, trying to calm her.
"Fine, I will tell him."
She replied quickly and with excitement:
"And I want to see Dark too!"
I cut off communication with her suddenly. "Crap!" Now I have another problem.
Nate is angry with me because of my insult, and my wolf wants to go out and see his wolf! How will I tell him now? Surely he will use this situation against me.
I stopped jogging and took a deep breath.
I had to go back and face him again.
There was no escape.
I gathered my courage and headed back toward him.
He was still standing with Arin near the gate. Nate noticed me approaching with a confused face and signaled to Arin with a brief hand gesture meaning "go,"
so Arin left immediately.
Nate turned to face me, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at me with an icy coldness that made me shiver despite the warmth of the weather.
My tension and confusion increased, and I began to rub my hands and fingers nervously, a habit I do when I am stressed.
I said in a faint, broken voice:
"I want to tell you something..."
He remained silent, letting out a muffled hum as a cold answer, which increased my tension.
I swallowed with difficulty and tried to be as clear as possible:
"Ummm... Seran wants to go out for a run... ummm... and, and... she wants 'Dark' to... to accompany her..."
I finally stopped; the words came out with extreme difficulty. I looked at him expectantly.
Oh my God, he looked very annoyed and angry, perhaps because of my previous insults, or perhaps because of my request.
He said nothing for seconds.
Then, without introduction, he said while heading toward the gate:
"Let's go."
I blinked several times in shock; I couldn't believe what I heard.
"Really?! You'll let us go out?!"
He didn't answer me; instead, he continued walking toward the forest.
I walked beside him quickly, trying to keep up with his long strides.
I felt overwhelming happiness and intense excitement sweeping over me, not just because I was going out for a run, but because Nate agreed so easily.
"Did you hear, Seran? We are going!"
I whispered to myself, and my wolf cheered with joy inside my mind.
We reached a thick and slightly dark forest, an ideal place to shift away from eyes.
Nate pointed to a vacant space, and each of us went to a different place behind a massive tree to take off our clothes as quickly as possible.
"Come on Seran, take control!"
I said to her internally with excitement.
She answered me with a loud
"Yes,"
and the painful and dazzling shifting process began at once.
My body began to tremble and its features changed.
All that was heard in the silent forest was the sound of my bones cracking as they changed and shaped, and the sound of my spine arching and stretching unnaturally.
In seconds, I landed on four limbs.
I turned into a massive wolf. My wolf "Seran's"
fur was coal-black, interspersed with fiery red strands, as if flames were burning across her body.
And in a strange and beautiful way, red roses were wrapped around her head like a royal crown, adding a strange and enchanting touch to her savage appearance.
I was ready to take off, free at last.
I was advancing with confident steps in the form of my wolf
"Seran," looking for Nate in the surroundings. It wasn't long until my eyes fell on a majestic sight: a huge wolf, with pitch-black fur and crimson eyes.
As soon as he spotted us, the black wolf froze in his place, staring at us with widened eyes full of amazement.
I chuckled inside me and said to Seran playfully:
"Seran, I think he is completely impressed by your majestic appearance."
Seran answered me with a faint laugh and began to walk around him slowly and gracefully, while he continued to track her with his curious and cautious glares, without daring to move.
Seran stopped directly in front of him. She began to sniff him with curiosity, then made a gentle and unexpected move: she buried her head in his thick fur, enjoying its extreme softness, in a clear sign of acceptance and familiarity.
It seemed that "Dark" liked it very much. After a moment of hesitation, he returned the greeting and bowed slightly to lick Seran's head gently.
It was a sign of mutual acceptance and immediate comfort between them.
At that moment, Nate's amazed and muffled voice came to me, piercing the atmosphere:
"Damn, Sera! Your wolf is amazing!"
I laughed happily and answered:
"She was exactly like your wolf at first, but because of the power I gained, a slight change occurred in her shape. By the way, your wolf is really wonderful!"
As soon as I finished my words, the two suddenly took off together in a fit of play and fun.
Seran was running at a super-fast and graceful speed through the trees, while Dark, from the intensity of his excitement and joy, wasn't just simply running; he kept jumping from one place to another with amazing agility, chasing his mate in rampant joy.
After a long and crazy round of running that unleashed our energy, we slowed down and headed toward a quiet river flowing between the trees.
The place was perfect for a rest. "Dark" sat beside the river, while "Seran" leaned on him, purring with enjoyment and deep satisfaction from the proximity of her mate "Dark." "Dark" himself was clearly happy with her closeness, feeling the long-awaited serenity.
We spent moments contemplating the quiet of the river and the silence of the forest. After a while, "Dark" signaled to me with his head, a sign I understood immediately.
He stood up and left the place quietly, leaving me the necessary space.
Nate's voice came into my mind again, this time in a calm and directed tone:
"Shift back."
I stood up and went behind a massive tree, where I untied my clothes that I had tightly bound to my leg before shifting.
I turned back into my human form and dressed quickly.
I returned to the place the two wolves had left and found Nate sitting now in his human form by the riverbank.
I went and sat beside him in silence, feeling quiet and satisfaction after this enjoyable run and stolen moments of serenity.
I knew very well what was on his mind: the concern about revealing my matter to the outside world.
So, I took the initiative to speak before he uttered a word:
"I must not shift much outside, so as not to draw attention, and so that my matter isn't revealed... right, Nate? That's what you are thinking, isn't it?"
He turned to me slowly, with a calm and agreeing smile on his face.
"It is good that you understood this on your own."
I sighed with relief, but soon my memory returned to "Seran's" internal words. I added, in a less tense and more serious tone:
"But 'Seran' told me something else... she said that I will change exactly like her."
Nate stared at me in shock; the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a look of deep concern.
He said in a serious and measured tone:
"If her words are true, then we are in real trouble."
I laughed lightly at his extreme seriousness, trying to ease the tension:
"Thanks for the valuable information!"
Nate smiled slightly again, going along with my sarcasm:
"You are welcome."
The pace of my laughter increased, and I felt that we had become closer than ever.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
In another place:
In another spot, far from the noise of the first palace, darkness and blackness dominated the scene.
Another palace, surrounded by an aura of evil and mystery.
One of the servants advanced with fast and cautious steps toward his master, carrying in his pocket news he considered extremely important.
"Master... I have great news!"
The servant said in an excited voice, filled with wicked optimism.
The master raised his gaze slowly, his eyes as black as the darkness of the night, and exactly like the clothes he wore.
He signaled with a silent hand gesture, ordering him to speak without delay.
The servant smiled a wicked smile and savored releasing the bombshell news:
"He found his mate... 'Alpha Nate' has found his mate at last!"
Immediately, a similar smile of evil was etched on the other master's face, and he began to laugh maniacally, hysterical laughs that shook the corners of the dark room.
He was clapping his hands like a triumphant boaster, as if this news served his evil plots.
"He finally found her!"
He said it in a gloating tone, then suddenly stopped laughing to say with cunning:
"I must congratulate him then... but in my own very special way."
The servant completed his words with clear conspiracy:
"He is also preparing for something, I think a huge ceremony for the ritual of her inauguration as an official 'Luna.'"
The other master's eyes widened from excess happiness and euphoria. This news was better than he expected. He added in a tone full of malice and mockery:
"You must find out the specific day for this inauguration as soon as possible. You know... it's not polite not to bring him a gift on this happy occasion!"
The servant answered with blind obedience and a deep bow:
"Your command, master."
And he moved to leave to execute the orders immediately.
The master remained alone in the darkness, the wicked smile not leaving his lips.
He looked into the void before him and said in a faint voice carrying an underlying threat and a promise of revenge:
"Wait for me, Nate Winter... the gift will be something you will never forget."