Like, comment, follow

30th June, 2017
Alpha Gabriel's territory

I all but ran when he showed me his predatory white fangs. I'd rather continue on with countless of eyes staring at me when entering a room, the situations that make me so very uncomfortable seem like a sanctuary compared to the automatic sensation I have when around Gabriel. My stomach fluctuated and for a moment I was actually going to smile back, but then reality hit. He is a stranger. A stranger who does impulsive actions when the circumstances aren't in his favour. Fern followed close behind. I'm sure she could sense my inner turmoil because she ended my tour short and began to lead me to my new appointed room. We began to converse again, which I am grateful for as I would welcome any distraction right now.

"Dinner will start in a couple of hours, and if you would like, a bath could be prepared for you," Fern says.

I take my eyes away from the renaissance styled palace and focus back onto Fern.

"A bath would be great, but what does dinner entail?" I ask.

"The pack eats together, there is a large dining hall dedicated to food times. It goes for about two hours, but I promise the food is great," she explains.

"Do I have to attend?" I ask, unsure about the customs here.

"No, of course not. But I think it's better if you slowly integrate yourself within the pack, giving you time to adjust to our way of life," she responds.

I ponder over her plan of action for a moment. The way she said that made the whole situation seem so final... so absolute. The very implication being that I must conform to their societal norms and although that might be beneficial for them, I have never been one to obey that easily. But with her way of thinking, my possibilities are endless. If I gain their trust, then they will slowly give me freedom back and with that my escape. I can use the time prior to create a plan of my own.

"Actually, I think I will go to dinner," I reply.

Fern's face lights up with triumph when I succumb. I'm sure she wasn't expecting me to do what she said, especially so easily. She doesn't respond but her face says it all. 

"You told me that you are a healer, is that a position of power in the pack or simply a profession?" I ask, still very curious about the hierarchy of packs.

"I would say that healers are somewhere in the middle when it comes to authority, but that being said anyone who is blessed with gifts from the Goddess is treated with the utmost respect," Fern then continues, "my other position is very high within the society though as I am the Beta Female."

My eyes widen slightly when I put two and two together. So, the mate she was talking about before was Huxley. He did mention being the beta. I voice my thoughts and Fern snorts loudly. Her eyes widen with embarrassment and she quickly apologies.

"Huxley isn't my mate, he's my brother. As he hasn't found his mate yet, I have had to step into the role. Of course, once he does, she will inherit the position and by the power of the Goddess, I hope it is soon. Don't get me wrong, the opportunity gives me great pride, but I am a healer at heart, not the Luna's beta."

"What's the role of the Beta Female?" I ask.

"It is essentially the same role as the beta, but your superior is the Luna, not the Alpha. Much like a mate, a bond is formed when you meet them, but instead of it being romantic it is a sibling love, I guess. The beta couple is always bonded to the alpha couple and when Huxley meets his mate you will feel very protective over her, a strong sense of trust will fall onto her as well. She will be devoted to you and will always have your best interest at heart. A soul sister if you will," Fern tries to explain to me, but I can tell the feeling is foreign to her.

The idea of a bond has me sceptical, even when I have felt the firsthand repercussions of one.

"We are here," Fern announces as we stop in front of a beautifully designed wooden door.

She opens the door and reveals my new living quarters. It is bigger than my last and still carries the same medieval architecture as the rest of the palace but has noticeable differences. The ceilings are raised higher, making it near impossible to reach the only obvious windows. There is no large glass wall overlooking the forest nor is there a balcony accompanying it. I can only assume they put me in this room on purpose because even with the larger size and beautiful décor it is nothing but an expensive prison cell.

I leave my place at the doorway and walk further through. My eyes immediately zero in on the three women standing submissively with their heads lowered and hands clasped in front of them, standing in a uniformed line with traditional maid outfits on. I look over to Fern for answers.

"Luna Serephina, these women will be your official ladies. Anything you wish you need only ask them. They will be living in the adjoining room to you," Fern tells me and a surreal feeling overwhelms me.

"This is Emelia," Fern introduces as the tallest of the three curtsies.

She has a light complexion and a tall slender build. Her thick dark eyebrows frame her slender face while her brown hair is tied in a tight low bun.

"Kenna," the middle girl curtsies.

Like Emelia, she has light complexion but fiery red hair rests on her head instead of brown. She is the shortest person in the room by far, yet her curvy body makes up for her lack in height.

"And Vanya," the last girl curtsies.

Unlike the others, her skin is a beautiful dark caramel colour, her thick black hair having trouble being bound by the shape of a bun.

They are all gorgeous and I can't help but notice that beauty seems to be a common trait within this species. Even Aunty has a unique beauty of her own.

"It's nice to meet you," I smile.

I don't like the idea of these women being around me constantly, even sleeping in the room over from me. I know their true purpose here, they are here to spy on me, to make sure I don't try and run again. This is an unforeseen problem, how am I supposed to escape when they are trailing behind me.

"Yes Luna," they say in unison, still not meeting my eyes.

"I will leave you to take your bath but if you need anything my living quarters are only down the hall. I will come for you when dinner is near," Fern says before leaving me alone with the women.

"If It pleases you, Luna, your bath is waiting," Emelia says with a soft and subservient voice.

I shift from one foot to the other slightly uncomfortable with their compliant demure.

"Uh, yeah sure," I say.

They uniformly walk to one of the three wooden doors in the room and Vanya opens it revealing a beautiful renaissance, the other two doors remaining a mystery.

I walk in behind them and the smell of different essential oils floods my senses. My nose lingers on the welcoming smell for a moment longer. The bathroom is much like the one before, with a marble sink and bathtub, let's not forget the golden toilet. The marble tub is filled with steaming hot water, beautiful flowers float on the water. This is definitely different from the way they treated me before.

I wait for them to leave but they do no such thing. They stand by the bath in the same submissive way as before, almost waiting for me to get in.

"Uh... do you um, mind leaving?" I ask.

They look up at me for the first time and the colour of their eyes cause mine to widen. All three have glowing violet eyes, the abnormality hitting fear into my heart.

They look at each other with uncertainty.

"Will you allow us to undress you first?" Kenna asks.

My response is my eyes widening even more and my mouth opening. Undress me? They don't mean to be in the same room as me when I'm completely naked.

"No, that's alright, I can do it myself," I say urgently.

"Excuse my rudeness Luna, but will you be able to undo your corset?" Vanya asks this time.

I pause in my urgency to get them to leave when I realise that I can't.

"Okay, you can undo my corset but will then I would like to be alone," I concede.

They all show a small smile and the synchronicity freaking me out slightly. They finish each other's sentences, smile at the same time, walk in the same rhythm in the same line.

They take off the top layer of my dress and untie my corset before curtsying and leaving me to myself. I undress myself until I'm bare and slowly lower into the hot water. My muscles relax and I allow my mind to cease thinking. 

-

The girls dressed me after my bath, much to my disagreement, but I managed to put the first layers of my outfit on before they took over. They dressed me in a black dress with red roses embroidered in the skirt, the opposite colour of the one I wore before. They tied my hair into an intricate updo that took the better part of an hour but looked fitting for a Queen, which these people seem to think me of as theirs.

After they finished, they formed their line and went into their submissive stance once again. I tried to make conversation, but all their replies consisted of were, "yes Luna" "no, Luna" "If it pleases you, Luna". I gave up soon after, finding a spot on the bed where I stared at the wall thinking of Adam longingly.

A knock sounds on the door and I shoot up from my spot, ready to end the silence. Before I can make it to the door Vanya walks forward and opens it. I hear Fern's voice and I can't help but feel relieved. I rush to the door excitedly, ready for human, or half-human, interaction but stop when I see a large burly man, built of solid muscle standing behind a beaming Fern. His height giant, making the large door frame dwarf. I look up to him and am taken back by his bright smile, equally as happy as Ferns. Although his body holds power and dominance his face has laugh lines, showing that he is quick to smile. His arms are wrapped around Fern protectively but relaxed.

"Luna Serephina, I hope your relaxing time was well," Fern greets me as she leans into the man.

I smile but my eyes go back to the dominate figure, still amazed by his size. Fern sees where my eyes travel, and her body perks up.

"Oh right. Luna, this is my mate Alex, the one I was telling you about," Fern introduces me.

Alex's face stretches even more as he looks down at me.

"It is an absolute pleasure to finally see you in person, Alpha Gabriel did not do your beauty justice," Alex compliments me and his low monotone voice shocks me again, his voice being the lowest I have ever heard. I ignore his mentioning about Gabriel.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Alex, Fern has told me good things about you," I reply, the couples smile contagious.

"Are you ready?" Fern asks.

"Yes, I believe so," I answer as I look behind me, jumping slightly when I see the girls standing close to my back.

"Before we leave, I must warn you before, it is a tradition that mates sit together during group events like meals and it would be considered a direct insult to our customs if you do not. I forgot to mention this to you before, but this means that you and Gabriel will be meeting again,"

Hey guys,

I cut the chapter a little shorter than I originally wanted but the next chapter will be drama-packed, promise xx

Love you guys,

Don't forget to follow my Instagram account,

_bookedandbusy_