Serena cracked one eye open, vision blurry, the room slowly coming into focus. Her head pounded, her body ached….but she knew this was her chamber. She sat up gingerly, only for pain to slice through her core.
"Ahhhh!" she screamed.
The door flew open. Naya rushed in, worry painted across her face. "What is it? Are you hurt?"
Serena glared at her. "Are you seriously asking me that? After last night with your king?"
Naya pressed her lips into a thin line. "I told you to drink the wine."
Serena scoffed. "And he still shoved moonflower petal into my mouth. It was my first time, Naya. My first time. And I just gave it to an animal."
"That's an offensive way to speak about our Alpha," Naya said sharply.
"Oh, forgive me," Serena drawled, clutching her stomach. "Did I wound your pride? Well, as long as it doesn't hurt as much as my coochie right now, I don't want to hear it. I swear he is never touching me again. Good thing I told him it was once."
Naya's lips twitched, caught between disbelief and amusement. She simply nodded to let the girl believe her own words.
"So you really won't do it again?" Her eyes slid toward the fresh mark on Serena's neck. "With that mark on your neck, I don't think you'll have much choice."
Serena narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? What mark?" Her hand flew to her neck, a faint sting prickling beneath her touch.
"Don't touch it," Naya warned, her voice low. "It's still fresh. It will be beautiful when it heals."
Her jaw tightened, anger rising. "Beautiful? How dare he bite me. That dog…" She spat the words like venom. "I hate your King. Once was enough. Once…until I leave this place."
Naya coughed politely, masking her smirk. "Uhm, I brought you something. I heard you lost your bag in the forest."
She laid out several relics, their strange surfaces glowing faintly, one by one, explaining their uses.
Serena's eyes lit up instantly, her earlier pain momentarily forgotten. She touched them with reverence, her heart fluttering like a child handed a candy.
>"With these… Even without photos, I'll prove these relics are real. I'll take them back to the human world and rise to the top," she thought, clutching them tightly.
"Serena, Serena, Serena!, You drifted off," Naya teased, snapping her back. "You need to get up, Today is a very special day."
Serena groaned. "Whenever you say 'special,' I hope it's not another moondance."
"Oh no, nothing like that, this is even more interesting, " Naya said quickly. "Today is the royal consort cook-off."
Serena froze. "Excuse me? A cook‐off? "I am not a consort," Serena shot back, sitting straighter. "I am the King's mate." she said, hoping it would spare her from being branded as one of the King's whores.
"Did he say that?" Naya asked pointedly.
Serena faltered. "…No."
"Then you're a consort," Naya chirped.
Serena scowled. "So what kind of food are we cooking?"
"First, you will hunt for meat, a deer precisely."
Serena nearly choked. "Excuse me? I am no animal. How can I do that? And I'm still sore!"
"We have weapons prepared for every consort, no one is going wolf form. And I've already made your medicine, the soreness will stop."
"Well they'd still be quicker than me and why can't you hunt for me? You're a wolf. Also…my personal help and it makes more sense!"
"Because it's Royal Consorts, not castle maids." Naya replied smugly.
Serena groaned. "Do I have to do this?"
"The King says you must be strong to carry his pups. Consider it training."
Her eye twitched. "Fine. What happens after I slaughter poor Bambi?"
"You'll cook magical dishes with it," Naya said matter-of-factly.
Serena blinked. "Magical as in flavor, or magical as in actual magic?"
"Yes. Magical as in magic," Naya replied simply.
"I am not a witch!"
Naya laughed softly. "Werewolf magic exists too. Haven't you seen the King use it?"
Serena's mind flashed back—how Kaelen had flung her onto the bed without touching her, the air bending to his will. Her stomach knotted. So that was magic…
"Well, I don't have any ," Serena muttered.
"Of course not. None of the consorts do. Only the King, and his Luna… before she died," Naya said, her voice lowering with a trace of sadness.
"Then how…?"
"You will sprint through the Encholf Forest to retrieve magical cooking ingredients. Then, you will cook."
Serena crossed her arms. "So it's 'special' because it's not everyday food."
"Exactly. Now…drink this." Naya handed her a cup.
Serena gulped it down. Warmth spread through her body, soothing the soreness instantly. Relief washed over her.
"Good. Get ready. I've prepared your clothes."
"Clothes?"
"Yes. One for hunting and sprinting, another for cooking. You must look your very best, very stunning." Naya handed her the familiar spectacles. "And here…your glasses."
Serena slipped them on. "Thanks."
"Not yet. You need to be cleaned." Naya says as she narrows her eyes at Serena's state.
She clapped her hands, summoning two maids who stepped in to bathe Serena gently.
As they worked, Serena asked quietly,
"Will the King be there?"
"He is the one tasting the food," Naya replied, smirking. "And you had better win."
Serena perked up, "Why? Is there a prize?
"Yes. The winner may ask for any wish they desire from the king."
Serena's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. That was all the motivation she needed.
"I know exactly what to wish for," she thought.
****************
(Throne room)
Kaelen sat in his chambers, staring at nothing, his thoughts knotted and restless. Serena haunted him. Her foreign moans, her defiant glares, the way she clung to him in pain and fury. Heat surged through his body, but he forced it down, his jaw tightening. He had only marked and knotted her so she would carry his pups. That was duty. Nothing more. He would never lower himself to use such a filthy thing to sate his urges. The girl was a vessel. Nothing else.
His wolf, silent for so long, suddenly growled…restless, unsatisfied. Kaelen heard it but pushed it down, the same way his wolf had pushed him away.
"Thayne," the Alpha mindlinked.
The Beta entered swiftly, bowing.
"Send word to the council," Kaelen ordered, voice like ice. "Tell them I have marked and knotted the human. I will not waste my time answering their queries. They are not to set foot in my castle."
"Yes, Alpha," Thayne replied, head lowered. "Also, today is the royal cook-off. The consorts are prepared. You must make your presence known."
Kaelen's silver eyes sharpened, but his voice was ice. "Very well. Leave me."
Thayne bowed again and vanished.
**************
(Contest Arena)
The great arena pulsed with life. Wolves from across Selvayra had gathered, filling the air with chatter and anticipation. Floating stone platforms rose into the sky, carrying the spectators to their seats. Shimmering portals opened before them, vast windows of magic that displayed every angle of the coming contest.
Carriages rolled in one by one. The consorts emerged, each draped in fine hunting attire, boots gleaming, hair styled to perfection. Their smiles were sharp, their eyes sharper, each one ready to dazzle, to win, to be noticed. Today, they were not only cooking, they were hunting for Kaelen's favor.
Lirvana descended gracefully, her black hair braided tight down her back, her calm blue eyes sweeping over the others. To her, this day was fate. The cook-off was held once in a century, and she would not fail. She would win and with her wish, she would claim the King's bed as her own. Her lips curled at the thought. That human girl could never rival her.
But her smirk faltered the instant Serena stepped down from her carriage.
Serena's attire was deceptively simple yet radiant, her hair was packed up in a simple ponytail, She carried herself with an ease that stole the crowd's attention instantly. She glowed with something else entirely. The mark on her neck pulsed faintly, undeniable proof of the Alpha's claim.
Gasps rippled through the arena. Jealousy swelled like wildfire. Lirvana's teeth ground together, fury searing her chest.
Serena's stomach flips at the crowd's hostile stares, yet she ignores it anyway. Determination blazes in her eyes.
Lirvana strode toward her, venom dripping from her smile. "What are you doing here, human? I thought you weren't a consort. What was it you said the other day? Oh yes. How dare we treat you like one of us."
Serena glared, then deliberately tilted her head to expose the fresh mark on her neck, letting it gleam in the sun. She said nothing, but the gesture was enough.
Lirvana folded her arms, trembling with rage.
"Already seething?" Serena's voice was sharp, mocking. "Jealous it isn't you? I'll tell you what. Today I'll win, and with my wish I'll leave this cursed place, and you can have your Alpha all to yourself."
Lirvana looked at her in disbelief but chose to keep her hopes alive. That wasn't how the cook-off worked. You could only wish for something within Selvayra. She wasn't about to break it to her. It's better to let the disappointment cut deeper when the truth comes out.
A small part of her wished the rules allowed Serena to wish herself out of this place. Then she would gladly help her win, just to be rid of her.. But that wasn't an option. And letting Serena win now? That meant starving herself of the King's bed, and Lirvana wasn't willing to take that risk.
"You are no wolf," Lirvana sneered. "How do you expect to win?"
"None of your business, head prostitute," Serena spat, striding forward. She shouldered past Lirvana deliberately, brushing against her. Pain flared in her arm….she had forgotten Lirvana was a wolf but she masked it with a smirk and walked away, massaging her shoulder only when she was out of sight.
"Ouch," she hissed under her breath.
Lirvana caught the wince anyway. She smirked. "Pathetic. She won't last."
The ground rumbled. From the center of the arena, a glowing podium rose high, announcing the competition's start.
Wolves chanted, the scent of pine and magic filled the air.
Above them all, Kaelen appeared, seated upon a throne suspended in the skies. His expression was unreadable, his presence commanding. The screens shifted, magnifying his icy gaze as he looked down upon his consorts. But especially lingered on Serena for a beat too long, making the crowd buzz with gossip.
Thayne's voice rang out as host, echoing through the enchanted arena.
"Consorts, gather around. It is time for the first round."
Weapons gleamed as each woman armed herself.
"The hunt," Thayne declared.
A giant hourglass appeared in the sky, its golden sand shimmering with enchantment.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"The rule is simple: by the time the sand in the hourglass empties, you must bring back a deer. The first consort to return wins this round."
The massive hourglass turned, golden sand rushing down.
Thayne raised his arm. "Your time starts…NOW."
Serena's bow felt too heavy in her hands. The forest loomed ahead, dark and waiting. She tightened her grip, and ran straight into it."