《The Luna's Sacrifice》 PROLOGUE Zana was her father''s greatest pride. She was the first and only daughter among six children. A year after Zana''s birth, the quadruplets arrived. Another year later, the youngest of the Alpha''s family descendants was born. Being born as alphas, from a young age they were educated to be the best in everything, and so it was. All the descendants of the Alpha couple, despite their young age, excelled in hunting arts, knowledge of culture, and the laws of the pack, without neglecting the arts of war. Even though her mother was never in favor of her only daughter being involved with men, fighting, and rolling in the dirt during training, she could not say no to Zana. Zana was a strong, agile, and intelligent warrior. At the same time, she was delicate, polite, and modest, never speaking too much or out of turn. During debates between the wise men of the pack, she had the talent to listen and the wisdom to give her opinions. Her mother could see a fire inside her that she only let out when she was training or dancing. At 15 years old, Zana had the complete trust of the warriors of the pack, which is why her father was so proud of her. ¡°Zana is unique. Her beauty is unparalleled, her intelligence is unmatched, and her strength and compassion are virtues never seen in a leader since the beginning of time. Zana is the future of the pack, and the generations that come from her will be graced by the gods,¡± said her father, while the shamans and wise men of the pack nodded to the statements of their alpha. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The quadruplets would be in charge of the cities of the four poles: Centz in the northern cities, Zonhu in the southern ones, Itzah in the east, and Wuace in the west. Each one of them would have their own lands, ensuring the security of the Emporium, and forming packs on their own. This would create a great civilization where everyone would protect and support each other. The quadruplets adored their older sister; despite being her ¡®little¡¯ brothers, they always protected her. They were always seen together as if they were quintuplets. Although, being men, they were always bigger than Zana in size and strength. Zana demanded that they treat her the same as the others during training, but they never did. When the ¡®four hundred biznagas¡¯ (the quadruplets), as the entire kingdom referred to them because of their strength, agility, speed, and endurance in battle, reached puberty, they had already greatly surpassed their older sister in height and strength. On the other hand, Huitz, the baby brother, preferred to do things his own way, at his own pace and form. Among the six siblings, he was always the most avid in the arts of war. Despite being the youngest, he was the tallest and strongest of the alpha¡¯s offspring. His intelligence and strength were always inclined to the battlefield. He grew in knowledge of strategy and, at his young age, was already part of his father''s council. His father awarded him his own retinue of warriors once Huitz discovered that one of the Alpha''s allies was planning a mutiny against him. Therefore, Huitz would be in charge of the armies, the wise leader of the pack¡¯s council. He would have lands and power just like his brothers. The only one above him would be Zana when the time came. The pack enjoyed good fortune, and, thanks to its children, the pack not only ensured the continuity of the lineage, but everything seemed to be moving towards a great future. Everything seemed to be calm. Just like the calmness before the storm. Chapter 1 ¡°Daddy, please, listen to me, have mercy, you have to listen to me!" I cried, my voice breaking with desperation. Tears blurred my vision as I gasped for air. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain, and before I knew it, I was lying on the cold floor. For a moment, I struggled to focus my vision again and felt dizzy, everything was spinning around me, then, immense pain on my face, my head, my whole body was aching; my dad, my beloved father, had raised his hand against me, and with a movement of his arm, had thrown me to the other side of the room, after nearly choking me to death; to me? His only daughter, whom he proudly called the light of his life. Everything happened so fast, I could barely process it. One moment, I was pleading with him; the next, I was on the floor, pain coursing through my body. And then, his words cut through the air, shattering my heart into a thousand pieces. "Get out of here, ungrateful murderer! Take her away, I don''t want to see her. If I see her again, I''ll kill her! Take them all away, or I''ll cut off your heads and feed the beasts with your hearts!" "Run, Zana! Come on, run before the King changes his mind!" said Malina amidst sobs, just then I saw her approaching me from the other side of the fortress, at the same time my brothers protected us by silently surrounding us. I can''t believe they are the ones who must protect me from dad, and now because of that, they are doomed to the same fate. It''s all my fault... Zana''s POV I jolted awake, heart pounding. Just a nightmare, I reminded myself, the same one that haunts me every night for nearly five years. Every night, I relive that awful moment, and every night, it feels as fresh as the first time. I glanced at the clock. It''s almost time... Day after day, I continue with the same routine, ¡°get up Zana, practice Zana, study Zana, kitchen Zana¡­¡± It''s almost as if mom was still here; oh, I would give anything to hear her just one more time. I don''t know why Lina insists so much on continuing to treat me like someone I no longer am, I''m no longer daddy''s princess. I leave my bed like every night before midnight and the only thing I have left is the hope that one day I can discover the truth. ¡°Enough Zana, concentrate!¡± I say to myself to get me out of my thoughts. It''s almost time. Without wasting any more time, I take my ¡®coyoles¡¯ (anklets with bells), I hug them to my chest to silence the sound that emanates from them and without letting another second pass, I head towards the window of my room, taking care not to make any noise so as not wake up my nana, who is probably already sleeping in her room next to mine. Under the cover of the night, I jump out the window towards the big tree, my best ally, my nightly accomplice. Moving cautiously to avoid alerting the guards or anyone else who might report to my father, I crept through the branches. I reached the garden wall and, after a quick scan to ensure the coast was clear, leapt over it in one swift motion. I ran silently towards my favorite place, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. No matter what, I needed to do this, even if it was just one more time. ¡°It''s almost time, it won''t be long now, I tell myself and continue walking through the shadows.¡± Since she left, life has been very difficult, what used to be love, laughter and a united and happy family has now become insults, abuse, a look full of hate and a broken, divided family. It doesn''t matter that I am the alpha''s daughter; after all, he was the first to despise me, if only he had wanted to listen to me. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I wipe away a tear that I didn''t know had managed to escape, I quicken my pace, thank the goddess that all that training with my brothers keeps me in shape (not wanting to admit the fact that this is the same path I walk every night, I''m sure that even with my eyes closed, I could reach my destination). ¡°Finally!¡±, after walking along the path of the road of the dead, I find myself at the foot of the pyramid, ¡°just a few more steps!¡± I tell to myself encouraging, ignoring the hundreds of steps waiting for me to climb. Xol''s POV The trip was longer than I imagined. It''s been a couple of centuries since the last time I crossed a dimensional bridge. I hope that my Beta, Coy, has had enough time to make the necessary arrangements before my arrival. I had forgotten the beauty of this place: the fresh aroma of the forest at nightfall, the stars adorning the black mantle of the night, and the beauty of the moonlight bathing the pyramid. It is good to be home; I think I will take advantage of the time to go for a run, take a bath, and rest. After all, tomorrow I have a long day full of royal duties. ¡°Coyotl, send Pili to my room to prepare the tub for when I get back. I''m going to stretch my legs.¡± I tell my Beta through the mind link. ¡°Count on it, my LORD.¡± He says stretching those words. ¡°I''ll send Pili to have everything in order.¡± Agh, I hate being called like that! Although I must admit that it was my fault for calling him by his full name. In our culture, it is very common for royalty to name their offspring with the names of our ancestors, the gods of creation. We carry them with honor and pride and thus provide status. But in these modern times, and with only a few surviving clans, the names of yesteryear never go unnoticed, especially after a couple of centuries without stepping on this side of our reality. I go out on the terrace, take off my clothes, and let them fall to the side. In the blink of an eye, my bones have rearranged, my body is covered with a thick layer of fur, and without thinking twice, I start to run. The moon shines above; it is a couple of days until the full moon, a couple of days until the celebration in the temple. It took me only a couple of minutes to reach the base of the pyramid, and something made me stop in my tracks. From the top of the pyramid, the rhythmic sound of rattles escapes, and without realizing it, I begin to climb the steps, slowly, following the sound and reaching the esplanade. And there, in the dark, I saw her (one of the infinite benefits of being a Lycan, my senses are significantly heightened compared to mortals); a silhouette dancing in the dark, the waves of her long hair moving freely in the wind along with her movements. Her body was partially covered by a thin dress of fine fabric, which in the moonlight revealed the pronounced curves of a voluptuous body. I wanted to get closer to see every detail of her, but I didn''t want to exalt her; after all, I am in my true form. I admired her for a couple of minutes in silence, as if hypnotized by the sound of the rattles tied to her ankles, while she danced with wild passion, as if she wanted to leave her soul with each movement. She suddenly stopped, and I could clearly see the profile of her face: perfect eyes, big and luminous; a small nose; full, luscious lips; rosy cheeks like small apples from the intensity of the dance. There she was, with her eyes lifted to the sky, breathing deeply. But something was odd; was she crying? Suddenly, I felt my blood begin to boil, my beast was enraged, it was as if it wanted to annihilate whatever it was that had hurt her, and without thinking, a low growl rumbled in my chest... too late to silence it. She, startled, turned her body towards me; for a second, she seemed intrigued, but then her body tensed. I couldn''t help but sniff the air that flowed against her, dragging towards me the most delightful fragrance I had ever smelled: a scent of gardenias and pineapple mixed with the aroma of the soil of the fields after a summer rain; sweet, fresh, mouthwatering. But I could also smell fresh blood; it was so intoxicating and overwhelming that I began to salivate. Without giving me a chance to do anything, she started running away. I wanted to run after her, but she was probably scared to death, and in my human form, running naked after a woman wouldn''t seem appropriate. I walked to the place where she had been dancing with so much passion and noticed that, in the speed of her flight, she had left something behind: a "coyolli" with bells that adorned one of her legs and that had hypnotized me with its rattle. I took it and went back the way I had come, giving her time to leave without feeling persecuted. Who is she? And what was she doing here? Why was she crying? Chapter 2 Zana¡¯s POV Upon reaching the esplanade, the Moon is at its highest point. If it weren''t for it, I would be wrapped in total darkness in the valley. Without losing another second, I tie my coyoles and let the lub-dub sound of my heart mark my steps as if it were the rhythm of the drums. I begin to move my feet, my hips, my waist until my body finds itself dancing in a fervent prayer to the Moon goddess; the same as every night, the same that has been for years. ¡°Please Moon goddess, allow me to be listened by my father, let my voice cross the barrier of his heart and allow me to explain to him that it was not me, that I only tried to defend her. Please mother Luna, listen to my prayer and this sacrifice.¡± I continue dancing; I no longer feel the pain on my bare feet. After so long, the rattling of the coyoles echoes, resounding in the silence of the night, and I can feel the breeze of the wind refreshing my body, which seems to be on fire. The sweat that runs through my body due to the intensity of the dance falls to the floor like raindrops and mixes with the reddish stains of the blood that has begun to emanate from my feet. But I don''t care; this sacrifice is for her and for me. But, after so many nights, today something doesn''t feel the same. I feel restless and I feel like I''m being watched, as if I weren''t alone. I decide to ignore that feeling and continue dancing until my body is about to fall exhausted. With a last prayer, I stop, looking at the sky and feeling the light of my mother Moon illuminating my face. I can''t help the tears that escape from my eyes. "Moon goddess, open my father''s eyes, make him see how much I miss him and how much I need my daddy back.¡± As I raise a last prayer in silence, at that moment I hear a low and terrifying growl that comes from the darkness. My skin reacts to the fear that it has caused me. I try to focus my gaze towards the place where that fierce growl was heard, and then I saw it. Almost as black as the darkest night, a huge beast with black fur that seemed to glow blue under the moonlight, eyes so black that they looked like empty sockets. Even from the distance I was from the beast, I could tell that it was easily more than 3 meters tall. There it was, staring at me. And then, I saw it raising its snout, sniffing the air, like a beast stalking its prey. I could see how it began to salivate, closing those black orbs that had not stopped watching me. And as if my body had a consciousness of its own, I ran as fast as I could to get away from whoever that was. Everything had happened so quickly, but those moments had seemed eternal. I had never been so terrified; I still am. If that beast catches me, this will be the last night my eyes will see the light of the moon. I run as fast as I can, until I feel sure that it is not following me. If it did, there would be no chance for me to escape from such a beast. I have never seen a Lycan so big and, above everything, so intimidating. Not even my father has caused me so much fear. Just thinking about those deep black orbs following my every move, it was like it could see every single hair on my skin prickling with fear. But for some reason, there was something else that I can''t figure out. And it''s that for a moment all I could think about was running my hands over the top of his head, burying my face in his neck, and feeling the softness of his fur tickling my face. I''m sure of something: that Lycan is not part of my pack, and for some reason, he didn''t give off that unpleasant smell of rotten meat and swampy water that Lina describes as the stench of rogues, beasts without a pack, without a clan, soulless beasts, thirsty for blood and death. But this Lycan is different; he exuded authority, and the scent emanating from him so overpowering, almost intoxicating, like dark chocolate, fresh mint and the fresh scent of the forest morning dew. My heart flutters as I remember those seconds standing in front of him. Who was he, what was he doing there, and why didn¡¯t he attack me? With that scare, the rush, and my mind wandering, without realizing it, I am already standing in front of my bedroom window. But something is not right; no, something is definitely very wrong. A light coming from my room tells me that once inside, serious problems await me. I knew that this could happen sooner or later, so, without further delay, I decided to enter through the window. My feet haven¡¯t touched the floor when an indescribable pain runs from my neck to the top of my head. My father''s hand lifts me up in the air, taking me by my hair so he could see my face, and while he shakes me in the air hitting me hard against the wall, he starts flogging me with fresh branches of acacia tree; I can feel the thorns ripping my skin open and I can smell my own blood staining my clothes. as I lye on the floor covering my face with my arms, he yells at me. ¡°Where the hell were you?¡± ¡°Dad, I- I w-went to practice, you know, for, for the ceremony!¡± Fear had consumed me and I was not able to put together a complete word. The fear in my voice became more and more evident along with the whimpers that scaped my mouth with every lash that my father was delivering to my already bloodied broken body and the contempt of my father towards me. ¡°Liar, you were surely wallowing with every man you found in your path. You are nothing more than a creeping snake. You are not worthy of being in my presence. I am going to send you to hell with my own hands!¡± My father''s words felt like daggers stabbing into my chest. No matter how many times he expressed his hatred and repulsion towards me, it has never stopped hurting. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Please my Alpha, clear your anger!¡± I heard the voice of Lina, my lady in waiting, imploring to my father not to continue tormenting me. ¡°It was my idea, I was the one who suggested that she should practice the ritual for the day of the banquet, my Alpha. Please forgive my audacity.¡± Malina was lying for me, risking her life in it. ¡°Please daddy, forgive me, I swear that I will never set foot outside again, you will never hear a single sound come out of my mouth if you don''t want it. I will be like a bad memory from the past, you won''t even know that I exist. But please don''t take me away from here, I''m begging you, daddy, please.¡± Tears overflowed my cheeks while crying threatened to drown out my words. ¡°Silence; guards! Put up barricades in the windows. I don''t want you to go out for any reason. If I find out that you are left unsupervised for a single moment, I will paint the walls with your blood.¡± My father could be too intimidating, and he never threatened in vain. He turned around and left my bedroom. Malina watched in silence until my father was out of sight in the hallway. She closed the door, and with a serious voice she said to me ¡°This time, I don''t think I can do much for you. Your birthday is coming up, and you know what that means.¡± Malina retired to the bathroom to prepare the tub for me to take a bath. I wasn''t cold, but I couldn''t stop shivering. Lina¡¯s words made my blood run cold. Once inside the tub, I couldn''t believe that I had forgotten that, in a couple of days, the very day of the banquet was my birthday and that meant that it would be the day I would finally meet my nagual (lycan) for the first time. Lycan women do not transform until the age of 21, unlike men who can transform around 15, with the exception of Alphas offspring, who have been able to do it since they were 13. All my brothers have been able to do it for several years now, and despite being the oldest, it has not happened for me yet. Lina says that it is not normal, that there is surely a spell conjured by a shaman or witch doctor at the request of my father. The legends of the Pack say that it was a way of the mother moon to protect women. 6 months after the first encounter with our lycan, we go into heat, and if the partner destined for us by the mother moon has not been found, the woman becomes vulnerable, especially every full moon after the first heat. Xali¡¯s POV ¡°My Alpha, Zana is causing you nothing but problems. Why don¡¯t you marry her to one of the heads of the packs who will attend the banquet? I don¡¯t know, maybe Alpha Eecat is willing to take her as his second wife; I have learned that he lost her Luna in a battle and has no heirs. I have heard that commissioners from the most important packs are expected to come to the banquet celebration. Why not take advantage of that traitor daughter of yours and thus remove that thorn that is stuck in your heart? After all, you will never see her again, and in exchange, you could receive a very good dowry for getting rid of her.¡± Xali¡¯s malicious words whispered into the ear of a man corroded by hatred and the pain of having lost his mate, the great and only love of his life, echoed in the Alpha¡¯s head. Zana¡¯s POV ¡°Zana, Zana, come out now! I''ve heard something terrible!¡± Malina whispered from the other side of the door while I washed out the blood from my feet and carefully scrubbed my sore body after the beating that Dad gave me. ¡°What''s wrong, Lina? What could be worse than what I''m already used to?¡± ¡°The worst thing you could imagine, Zana. I accidentally overheard that bitch Xali trying to convince the Alpha to sell you to one of the alphas that will come to the banquet in a couple of days! That bitch continues to poison the Alpha''s blood against you; it''s as if she had him under a spell. Oh, how I would enjoy sinking my fangs into that bony neck. If it weren''t for the fact that it would put your life at risk, I would have done it a long time ago.¡± ¡°What? No, no, no; ?no! Oh, Mother Moon, it can''t be true! Lina, if they take me away from the pack, I will never be able to discover who is truly responsible for Mom''s death! Why? Why on the same day as the banquet between the packs? No, no matter what happens, I can''t leave. I prefer death!¡± I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. In a few days, I will finally be able to meet my nagual, my Lycan, and that would bring me closer to discovering who is responsible for Mom''s death. And once and for all, I will be able to settle accounts, and Dad will finally be able to see that I am innocent. But, although I have never expressed it out loud, listening to Lina talk about how much she wishes to find her mate given by the Moon goddess, her destined mate, and about the incorruptible bond of love and loyalty, I prefer to die before giving myself to someone who is not the one the goddess has destined for me. Xol¡¯s POV I returned to this side of reality; How good it feels to get back to my old ways, to feel free to run in my original form after being tied to the shadows. If it weren''t so tiring to cross dimensional bridges, I would do it all the time. I jump onto the castle terrace, my bones rearranging before hitting the ground. I take my boxers to cover my nakedness before entering. Walking down the hallway to get to my room, I run into Pili, who looks at me up and down and with a smile I already know, she let me know that the tub is ready and suggestively ask me if I need anything else. (Pili is good at what she does, but she can''t accept that what happened between us was a mistake and will never happen again.) I thank her and send her off to her room, after all, it''s past midnight¡­ I enter my bedroom, lie down on the bed, and automatically raise my arm to carefully observe the bells anklet. They are finely carved and woven between the leather and the fabric that keeps them in place. It is not difficult to see that it¡¯s definitely a fine piece and could be considered jewelry. The more details I try to observe, I find myself bringing it closer to my face and inhaling the aroma of its owner that strongly emanates from it, and immediately my member becomes as hard as a rock, my Lycan goes crazy inside my conscience and urges me to let him come back to the surface. He wants to go look for the owner of the bells. I manage to control him, although he leaves my consciousness not willingly. What the hell is wrong with me? Getting out of bed I go to the tub. The water has cooled a little, but being a Lycan, the temperature is not something that bothers me at all. I close my eyes to try to relax, but when I close them, my mind rewards me with the sweet figure of the midnight dancer. I can see how her breasts sway up and down and the firmness of her erect nipples outlined by the thinness of her clothes rubbing against her delicate skin. The firmness and roundness of her butt and the perfect curves of her strong, silky, scantily covered legs, the smallness of her feet and the grace with which her movements give life to the bells, her hair waving in the wind with each movement as if they had a life of their own, the voluptuousness of her full and naturally reddish lips. My erection has become painful, the tip of my member is red and swollen and asking for relief that I cannot deny. No one has ever made me feel this way. I have to see her again. Chapter 3 Xol¡¯s POV I slept like I haven''t done it for a long time, the sweet fragrance of the bells anklet that lies on the nightstand lulled me to sleep like a baby. through mind link I tell Coy to get ready in my office to discuss the duties that we have before making an appearance at the banquet. After a quick shower, I head to the office, Coy is waiting for me along with a couple of our undercover agents. Before I could say anything, I heard Coy through the mind link. ¡°Good morning ''sleeping beauty'', looks like someone got their sheets stuck this morning!¡± "Don''t ''Fluff'' with me Coy! It''s the first time in hundreds of years that I''ve managed to sleep like this, give me a break!¡± ¡°Ok, ok, it must have been a long walk to have managed to get you so tired, or is it because you had some horizontal workout with Pils so you were recharging batteries!¡± ¡°Neither, and I''m not jumping from bed to bed like you do ''Mr. Casanova''. One of these days you are going to catch something, and you''re going to lose that thing that makes you so proud!¡± ¡°No, no, no, no! Anything but that! I prefer death to a life without tasting the sweet nectar of love. Besides, it''s not my fault; they want it, so I let them!¡± ¡°Good morning, gentlemen. Sorry for the delay; I had an unforeseen event this morning. We have various issues to discuss, and it is imperative that, using the excuse of the banquet, we can come up with concrete answers as to what is really happening with all the disappearances; I want names, I want witnesses, and most of all, I want to find the truth. Tlax, Mic, you are traveling today. I want you to prepare everything for our arrival, but I do not want anyone to find out that we will be there. I do not want to give the packs an opportunity to act according to our presence. We are going to see what they are up to and let the heads fall.¡± The meeting lasts for a couple of hours, fine-tuning details, agendas, and strategies. A couple of centuries have passed since someone from the family has made an appearance in Metztili, and more and more rumors that the alphas are becoming more violent, blood thirsty, and there is no one who does not miss an opportunity to expand their territory. It is time to put a stop to them. Tlax and Mic say goodbye and go to work without wasting time. Before they could close the door, Pili announced her presence, carrying a tray of food for Coy and me, of course. She wiggles her hips in that tight suit that outlines all the curves of her body. She leans in front of me, placing the tray in the dining area, letting me see a deeper view of her cleavage. ¡°I brought you food, and maybe dessert too.¡± She snaps out of her mouth with a flirtatious smile. Pili is pretty, tall with light skin and short black hair, big eyes and thin lips, long legs and curves where she has to have them. I can''t deny that she is a pleasure to look at, but over the years she has become more and more insistent with me. She has become a pain in my ass. I regret the night I let her in my bed; that only made her aspirations grow. The only good thing is that I don''t spend much time here, so I don¡¯t have to put up with her. ¡°Woo-hoo! What did you bring us today, ''Pils''?¡± Coy intervenes without giving much importance to Pili''s intention, uncovering the tray placed in front of us. On the tray, neatly arranged, lie a pair of T-bone steaks, perfectly seared and pink in the center, two large pieces of bone marrow to spread on them. Just protein, as she knows I like it. Being what we are, we are still very much rooted to our natural instincts, so I gladly skip the salads; being in this modern reality dealing with mortals, we must behave appropriately, but in my territory, things are governed in a different way. I thank her and send her back to work, without paying much attention. Coy and I sink our fangs into the food, and after that, we relax a bit on the armchairs in the office before going back to work. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Hey, Xolo, you''ve been acting really weird all day, what''s wrong? Is everything okay?¡± ¡°Hmm, me, What are you talking about? Everything''s fine.¡± I lied. ¡°Haven''t you really noticed? Bro, You are distant, pensive; it is as if your mind were elsewhere.¡± ¡°You are imagining things Coy. everything os ok; I just want to find the real reason behind all the disappearances.¡± ¡°Ok, if you say so¡­ just remember that you can count on me for anything. You know that.¡± Coy ends it. ¡°I know. Well, enough with the sentimentality, and let''s get back to work; there are still a lot of details to iron out before we leave tomorrow morning.¡± I need to shake this off my head. I¡¯m so stupid; I have let my mind wander thinking about her, and I have been distracted. I cannot allow myself to fail. I have to find out whatever is happening; there have already been many reports and complaints. We have to put an end to it as soon as possible. I can¡¯t let a girl distract me from something that is my priority. After all, whoever has dared to disturb the peace in the territories under my eyes cannot pay with anything less than their soul. Unknown POV Ah, this woman knows what she¡¯s doing, who would think she was pure until tonight"... ¡°Do you like it, my Lord?¡± asks the woman, stopping eating my manhood. ¡°Shut up and keep going, I didn¡¯t bring you here to talk!¡± It¡¯s always the same, none of them can stay quiet, all of them always want to talk and want to hear a promise of love. They¡¯re just women in search of status and are willing to do everything to get it; they think that emptying my balls is enough... I remove my engorged member to put her on all fours, grabbing her ass with both hands to have a perfect view of her swollen pusy, all wet, ready to fully receive me in. In a single thrust, I sink my cock to the end. Her screams of pain turns me on. She tries to escape from my grip, but I have her pinned to the waist. This woman does not leave until I shoot the last drop of my milk. Thinking about what¡¯s coming has me more excited than ever; in two days everything will be over, and the beginning of a new era will be under my feet. The echo of my dick tearing this bitch''s purity can be heard all over the room, coupled with moans and screams of whatever her name is (as if I cared). Ahh yes! I feel it close; I can feel my release building up, and finally, I will be able to sleep a little. When I feel that I¡¯m about to release my cum, someone knocks on my fucking door. ¡°Agh, what do you want? I¡¯m busy!¡± ¡°Um, it¡¯s me, Nix, my lord. May I come in?¡± ¡°What the hell, come in!¡± I pulled out completely soaked with her juices and standing at the foot of the bed, without asking, I put it in her mouth, ¡°Do your thing¡±, and she begins to fuck me with her mouth, as if her life depends on it, although she wants to pretend modesty, knowing that we are no longer alone in the room. Dragging her from her ass, I adjust her position so that she is totally exposed, and without warning, two of my fingers are intruding in her crack while she devours my dick; all this in front of my visitor. ¡°I hope you have a good excuse for interrupting me. Is everything ready? I don¡¯t want any mistakes; did you hear me? everything must be perfect, or your blood will drain on the altar!¡± ¡°Y-yes, my lord, everything is perfectly arranged. I assure you that everything will go as planned, and in two nights all this waiting will have been worth it!¡± ¡°You better; all that has been done until now is just waiting for this moment, and I will not lose what is mine for nothing, or anyone else! Especially in the hands of such an insignificant one. It would be a shame for the pack. I can¡¯t wait to see the Alpha¡¯s face when he realizes that everything is lost, and all because of him!¡± ¡°Excuse me, my Lord, and what about the four hundred biznagas?¡± ¡°What about them? They are nothing but the shadow of their beloved sister; without her, they will be nothing but some puppies at the mercy of a Beast. Now get out and put a guard at the entrance. I don¡¯t want more interruptions.¡± The woman has stopped moving, possibly shocked by what she¡¯s hearing. Inserting a third finger in her slit, I make her jump, and my thumb goes straight to her tightest knot, pulling out a whimper of pain. ¡°Who told you that you could stop? Nothing ends in here until I say so!¡± That¡¯s enough for her to continue giving me head between moans and guttural sounds. Meanwhile, I invade her slit with my fingers, getting faster, making her squirt to the floor. I pull away, and I make her stand, opening her ass completely in front of my cock. I push myself in hard, opening her slit with the stiffness of my engorged manhood, making her bend her knees with a mix of pain and pleasure. Guiding her by the waist with a hand, marking the movements of her hips, I enter two fingers in her tight back knot. I can''t deny it; this woman is delicious, nice firm breasts like 2 big oranges, a tiny waist, a big, tight ass, and tanned soft skin. I feel like I¡¯m going to burst soon; the good news are always exciting, especially when it means I¡¯ll be lord and master of everything! Pulling out of the woman¡¯s crack, I spin her, and the burst that was accumulating in my sack explodes on her face. She grabs my still erect member between her two hands and licks it, making sure not to waste a drop. Ah, this woman surely knows what she¡¯s doing; it¡¯s a pity that this is her last night. I lie on the bed to catch my breath, and the woman tries to curl up next to me, why she has to be this stupid, they are all delusional. ¡°Guard!¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Take um... take her to clean up and lead her to her new... chambers.¡± ¡°But, my lord! I wish I could keep you company.¡± She says. Fucking bitches, why they can''t be quiet? ¡°Take her away!¡± ¡°As you order, my lord! Move, woman!¡± Ah, luckily this one didn¡¯t get so emotional, now I can go to sleep... soon will be the last day living this lie. Chapter 4 Zana''s POV I open my eyes, and the first rays of sun have not yet appeared through the window. A few seconds later, the pain on my body reminds me of the beating that Father gave me last night, and I suppress a moan of pain in my throat. If only I had already gained my Lycan, I could heal faster, and my suffering would be just a bad memory. But, until that happens, I have to endure and cry in silence. Many times, I''ve felt surrendered to the pain while Lina tended to my wounds; she is the only good thing I have left. The quadruplets have been sent away with the excuse of taking care of their territories, and Huitz, well; he is almost never here, Father has taken it upon himself to always keep him busy, away from home, ''away from the traitor.'' I couldn''t sleep thinking about Dad wanting to get rid of me; only the thought of being away from the valley makes my stomach knot. I can''t, I don''t want to! I can¡¯t go. I have to catch whoever was behind Mom''s death, and I''ll never be able to do that if they kick me out of here. ¡°Think, Zana, think!¡± I said to myself, trying to find a solution. Huitz! Yes! Surely, he has already arrived to be prepared for the pack¡¯s banquet! Maybe he can talk to Dad and convince him not to send me away from here. But, how do I get to meet him, how do I get to his side of the castle? Dad has forbidden me from leaving here. ¡°I got it!¡±, leaving my bed I almost drag myself out of bed to take a bath with salts and herbs to heal my wounds and finish putting together what could be my last chance to remain in my pack. ¡°Lina, I need your help. It''s very risky, but I need to see my brother, I need to see him, I have to talk to him,¡± I tell Lina with pleading eyes. ¡°But Zana, your father has forbidden you...¡± ¡°Technically, he forbade me from going out, but he never said that no one could come in, and he hasn''t forbidden you either.¡± ¡°Zana, I don''t think that logic applies to Alpha Yowalli, and if someone discovers it, not only us will be in danger, Huitz also could put his future at risk.¡± My heart plummets to the floor, ¡°You''re right, I don''t know what I was thinking,¡± I respond to Lina with a feeling of defeat, frustration, and absolute sadness. ¡°Okay, I''ll do it, but I don''t know what can change. You know that when your father makes a decision, there is no one who can make him change his mind.¡± ¡°Yes, I know, only Mom had that power. Since she''s gone, a part of Dad died with her,¡± I say between quiet tears, without realizing I was already crying. Lina leaves the room with her body covered with a shawl. As she crosses the door, the guard posted at the entrance immediately begins to question her: ¡°Who are you, identify yourself!¡± ¡°It''s me, Lina,¡± she answers, adjusting her shawl a little to show her face. ¡°Where are you going, woman?¡± ¡°I need to go to the healer. The princess needs more ointments to treat her wounds.¡± ¡°Hurry up, it is forbidden for you to wander around freely.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Lina walks away, and I let out the air I didn''t know I was holding in my chest. Now, I wait. While I''m waiting, hoping for good news, I decide to continue practicing for the banquet. If I still have the chance to make Dad proud of me, even if it''s just a facade for the visitors, this might be the only time I can be treated like that again, like the daughter of the respected and feared Alpha of the Nahual pack. This will be the first time that leaders of other packs will set foot on our lands since Mama''s funeral rituals. After that day, it is an open secret that Dad hates anyone who does not belong to the pack and maintains all relations with foreign packs to the slightest. Bartering and business between merchants have decreased, and that has greatly affected our pack, but Dad refuses to listen to anyone other than Xali... that witch has him under a spell. I look for my wooden chest, where I assume my anklets are, but for some reason, there is only one of them. I frantically search through the room without finding it; I wonder if it has fallen somewhere in the garden. Carefully, I peek my face through a crack between the barricades that have been placed on the windows. It''s useless; I can''t see practically anything around here; I''ll have to send Lina to look for it when she returns. How long has passed? It feels like an eternity since she left the room. Why is it taking so long? She should have returned by now. The nerves are overwhelming me. Feeling useless, I pin myself to a corner, curling down and hugging my knees, trying to contain my trembling body. I don''t know how much time has passed, but suddenly I start hearing noises from the other side of the door, and after a few brief moments, I see Lina, and behind her, my brother. My brother! Here! As I quickly get up from the floor and throw myself into his arms, my words drown in my crying, unable to come to the surface. Huitz hugs me and gently caresses my hair, trying to comfort me. ¡°Shh, shh, calm down, don''t cry; tell me what happened? Why are you locked up, again?¡± "It''s Dad and Xali. They want to send me away, to get rid of me," I say through tears. "I need your help, please. I know I have no right to ask you for anything, but I''m begging you. I don''t want to leave. I need to stay here. I need to find out who is behind Mom''s murder, and I would prefer to die before leaving home as a traitor." My words resonate louder than I intended, but my desperation pushes them out from my mouth almost defiantly. "Zana, are you still dwelling on that? It''s been five years; nothing you can do will bring her back to us. Not even I could find the damned murderer. You were the only one present, yet, you could never provide an explanation about what happened. And me? Well, even though I was there too, I was the first target. Even now, I can¡¯t recall how it happened. I just remember you being by my side¡­¡± ¡°Huitz, I swear by my blood, I didn¡¯t do it. I swear by all my ancestors. Why does everyone refuse to believe me?¡± I cry out in despair. Without any shame, I fall to my baby brother¡¯s feet, and in my desperation, I kneel at his feet, asking for mercy and compassion. He, surprised, tries to pull me back to my feet; however, I refuse his hands; I hug myself to his feet with my forehead pressed to the floor. ¡°What are you doing? Did you lose your mind? Get up! You are the first daughter of the Alpha; you should not kneel before anyone other than him.¡± ¡°I don''t care; nothing matters anymore; you will be the heir, you, my brother, the youngest, will be the new leader, so I am not ashamed. Please help me, and I swear by the Moon Goddess that I will always be grateful to you, help me so that Father does not give me away to another pack just to keep me away from here.¡± ¡°You know that he is never going to change his mind, right? It doesn''t matter if the entire pack asks him to; if it''s already decided, there will be nothing I can do. But I will try; I will go to speak with him, on your behalf. After all, you are my only sister.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you!¡± I repeat incessantly. Suddenly, I feel a little dazed and dizzy, my sight getting darker, voices sounding far, as if I was entering a deep tunnel. I can feel Huitz taking me in his arms and placing me on my bed. I hear him speak briefly with Lina before leaving. When we are left alone, Lina is crying silently while she tries to make me react, but I feel that my mind is falling further and further away from reality, and I am plunged into darkness. Huitz¡¯s POV I ordered Xali to leave us as I approached my father, who sat slumped in front of a half-eaten tray of food; a view that I have seen so many times in the past few years. Xali remained silent, merely turning to meet my father''s gaze, seeking his response to my request. To my surprise, without a word, he waves her away with a dismissive flick of his hand. ¡°Father, I''ve come to speak about Zana,¡± I say quickly, cutting off any chance to forbid me to speak, fully aware that he already knows the reason of my visit to his chambers. I brace myself for whatever''s coming next. His face flushes. His expression transforms into something almost demonic. His eyes flash black for an instant before returning to their original brown. With a growl, he slams his fist onto the wooden table, leaving a visible dent beneath his knuckles. I bend to my knees in a sign of respect; after all, he is still the rightful alpha of the pack, despite naming me his successor. ¡°Please, Father, just listen to what I want to say.¡± My father interrupts me. His head is still bowed, but he slowly lifts his eyes to meet mine, raising a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. For a fraction of a second, I could swear I see a small grin. Then he speaks, The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything about that filthy snake. I have forbidden you and everyone to mention her name in my presence!¡± ¡°I know, but I didn¡¯t come to speak about forgiving her. Just hear me out.¡± My father snarls dismissively and gets close to me, watching me from my kneeling position in front of him. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know you visited her last night? That she begged you to plead on her behalf?¡± ¡°I know, Father. But I didn¡¯t promise to fulfill her request. I have a plan to ease your anger and restore your health. If you let this hatred consume you, the Moon Goddess may take you from us forever.¡± ¡°You fool boy, if only the Moon Goddess could do that; She would be doing me a favor,¡± he says. ¡°Father, you cannot kill Zana. If you kill her, the gods will punish the entire pack, and we will be cursed for eternity. That is against our pack¡¯s sacred oath.¡± ¡°She broke it. She ended innocent lives. She killed your mother. She almost killed you too!¡± My father¡¯s outburst is almost painful to my ears. ¡°I know! I know. It was my fault. I should have stopped her, but¡ª¡± ¡°Enough! You were her first victim. She knew you were the only one who could thwart her plan, and she played her cards perfectly, never expecting me to return to my Mate.¡± ¡°Father, please. Dwelling on these memories will only make you sicker. I was thinking, Zana might find her mate at the banquet tomorrow night. She¡¯s of age now. All the unmated alphas and betas will be there. Even if she doesn¡¯t find her destined mate, one might take her as their chosen mate.¡± ¡°Damn it, Xali was saying the same thing last night. But why should I allow her that privilege?¡± ¡°She is still a princess. She is still your daughter, the only daughter of the Alpha of the biggest pack of our era.¡± ¡°SHE MURDERED MY MATE, YOUR MOTHER. SHE WILL NEVER BE WORTHY OF ANYTHING!¡± My father¡¯s roars are so loud I can see the glass of the windows shaking, threatening to burst into a million pieces. ¡°I KNOW! I know, but still, our laws are very clear. She cannot die by your hand, but you can send her away. Far, far away. You can cut her ties to these lands, make her a rogue to us once she leaves our territory. The shamans can cast the spell.¡± ¡°Get out. I¡¯m tired. Go to your place. I don¡¯t want to discuss this anymore. I need to think. Tell Xali to bring my medicines. Leave, and child, I forbid you to see her or speak to her ever again. That is an order. If you disobey me one more time, I will lock you in the dungeons until you learn your lesson.¡± I exit my father¡¯s room, hoping that I could have persuaded him. I meet with Xali halfway to the kitchens; she already has my father¡¯s medicines. ¡°The alpha is waiting for his medicines; make sure to take care of him. He¡¯s getting older and sicker each passing day. Make sure he is strong enough to be present for the ceremony tomorrow night.¡± She bows at me, bearing her neck as a sign of respect. I planted a seed in his head that I hope grows big and fast. Now everything depends on the gods. It''s not what Zana wanted, but it is the only way, I tell myself on the way to my place. Xali¡¯s POV Entering in complete silence to the room, I feel the dense and heavy air of the old Lycan Emperor''s angered aura. ¡°Here, my Alpha, please drink your medicine while it is still hot,¡± I say, placing the concoction on the side table. He sits in a defeated position, with both hands holding his tired face. ¡°Do you believe she can be innocent? Is there any evidence that could say she didn''t kill Kini, her mother? Is it not a nightmare that the once apple of my eye was willing to betray me, her own father, her own blood, her own Alpha?¡± asks the old wolf, taking a glance at the moon appearing through the clouds. ¡°Shh, shh, my Alpha, listen to your son¡¯s advice. He is wise and fair. Exiling her will show everyone that you are not only merciful but magnanimous and just. All the people opposing you because of her will fall to your feet once more.¡± ¡°Damn it, hundred times damn it; I will kill her with my own hands if she dares to share a seat at the same table with me. I cannot stand it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be like that, my alpha!¡± ¡°Then how the hell do you think all the pack¡¯s visitors are going to see her, eh? Walk them to the dungeons to show her to them like a freak show?¡± Yowalli snarls, his annoyance growing. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let her lead the ceremonial part of the banquet? That way, all eyes will be on her while she is far enough from you. After all, she is the best dancer in the pack.¡± ¡°Fine, call the wise man and the chief shaman to meet me in my office,¡± he ends our conversation. ¡°Yes, my alpha.¡± I descend the stairs, mind-linking the council to meet in Yowalli¡¯s office. If all goes according to plan, tomorrow that wretched girl will no longer be a problem. I will finally be pulling that thorn from my feet, and I¡¯ll be closer to fulfilling my revenge. Alpha Yowalli¡¯s POV I can feel how my lycan is abandoning me; for years, it has been angry at me for punishing the murderer of my beloved Kini, my only true love, my Luna, my empress. With that, I almost died of pain and sorrow. My lycan wanted to kill everyone and destroy everything when we felt the mate bond breaking. The warriors started hitting the drums, alerting everyone to wake up; an attack was taking place in the middle of the night. Turning to my side, I see my little mate awakening, her long black mane falling like rain over her shoulders, covering her bosom, and reaching her exposed belly button. Her beautiful doe eyes and her glowy skin absorb the moonlight coming through the window. She was afraid, worried, thinking of our pups; even though all of them were sharp warriors, to her, they would always be her babies. I mind-linked Zana and Huitz; I asked them to take all the kids and non-warrior women to the castle fortress and to take care of their mother. Zana wanted to fight with me; as always, she didn¡¯t want to leave my side, so I had to remind her that her responsibility was to take care of the weak and to protect her mother. Running to the castle¡¯s gates, in a matter of seconds, my lycan was taking control of our body. I took the ¡®Soul''s Hunter¡¯, my loyal friend, the greatest sword. It has passed from generation to generation of Aztlan¡¯s Alphas until reaching my hands. Everyone that meets the Soul''s Hunter won¡¯t live to see another day. Only handled by Alpha lycans by blood, its beauty and strength have been unmatched by any other weapon. Carved in the strongest wood and filled with sharp obsidian blades, the Soul''s Hunter has been the last thing thousands of lycans have met. I met with my Beta, Yao, and the four hundred Biznagas, my four poles. They were already waiting for me at the entrance of the castle. ¡°Alpha, they are coming through the west gate. It¡¯s a group of rogues, maybe 30 of them,¡± reports Yao. ¡°Who the hell is stupid enough to dare try an invasion with a poor excuse of an army!¡± Wace says with a sarcastic, surprised tone. ¡°Do they know who they are encountering?¡± adds Zonhu. ¡°I want them all dead. No, wait! I want to know who is leading them. Bring them to me, kill the rest,¡± I end the conversation. ¡°Yes, Alpha.¡± I decided to go to find my Luna and the rest of the people. Thirty rogues are not even a reason for me to join the battle; Yao will handle it with the warriors in turn. It is so weird that thirty rogues feel brave enough to fight a pack of 500 defense warriors. Something is not right... I walked through the tunnel that goes to the fortress; I can¡¯t mind-link anyone, as it is protected with thick rock walls inlaid with silver. It was constructed this way on purpose, so that no one can use their strength to break in. Only the people that know the password can open it from the outside. As I got closer, my Lycan sterted to feel uneasy and urging me to go faster. I walked quicker, and a few meters from the gate to the fortress, I felt a sharp pain, a pain that I have never felt before. It was as if my body was set on fire from the inside out, an excruciating pain that made me fall to my knees while my Lycan whimpered and howled in pain. Then I knew it, something awful had happened. I stood up, trying to combat the pain, and I ran to the fortress. I recite the password, and the locks opened. I scrutinized the place with my eyes until I saw an image that I couldn¡¯t fathom. My dear mate, the mother of my pups, the Luna of our empire, laying on the floor, her delicate white nightgown covered in blood; and standing right next to her, my only daughter, my firstborn, holding a bloodied dagger. She was the only one standing; that scene was a carnage. At least twenty lifeless bodies were covering the floor piling on a reddish slimy pool of fresh blood. I ran to rescue my mate, without understanding what happened. I took her delicate body in my arms, and I tried to wake her up. I shook her warm body carefully, I posed my hand on her cheek and I gave her soft claps trying to make her open her beautiful hazel eyes, but I knew it, it was too late. A horrific howl left my body, in a mix of pain and anger. I saw red, and I turned to Zana. ¡°What happened? What the hell happened?¡± ¡°I, I, I don¡¯t know!¡± said Zana. Carefully, I left my beloved Luna on the floor, and grabbing Zana by the neck, I lifted her as high as my arm allowed me. I was possessed by rage, hatred and pain; I wanted to kill and die. ¡°Tell me what the hell happened, or I will kill you with my own hands.¡± I yelled at her, but she didn¡¯t answer. She was looking at me with big surprised eyes, and then she droped the bloodied dagger to the floor, with metallic sound of the sharp blade hitting the rocks. I am applying such force on my grip that Zana¡¯s eyes are becoming red, and her face swollen and purple. I am going to kill this traitor right there, right then. ¡°Fa- father,¡± I hear the voice of my youngest. the sound of his voice took me out from my stupor, I dropped the motionless body I was holding in my hand; she fell to the floor like a ragdoll. Running to my child, to check his wounds, he had a deep cut between the neck and the shoulder, but he was alive. Thank to the Moon, he was alive! Warriors ran into the fortress after hearing my lament. One by one, they froze in their steps after seeing the gory scene in front of them. ¡°Take the prince to his chambers; bring shamans and witch doctors to tend to his injuries. Take this filthy snake to the dungeons; do not let anyone near her. I want the most powerful witches and shamans at the moon¡¯s altar. Now.¡± Taking my little mate in my arms, and shifting midair into my Lycan, I ran to the moon¡¯s altar faster than I ever had. I ordered the shamans and sorcerers to do whatever they needed to do to bring her back to me. ¡°Your Highness, there is nothing we can do; the Luna has parted to the kingdom of death.¡± A voice filled with fear and sadness dared to fill the silence that invaded the night. Turning to look at the terrified head shaman, and with an almost demonic voice, I slowly told him, ¡°DO IT!¡± It takes me my whole strength to control my Lycan, and everyone there is in fear for their lives. I don¡¯t know how much time passes, but the Moon starts disappearing on the horizon, giving way to the sun. She is gone. ¡°I have called you because I might have found a solution to get rid of the traitor,¡± I say to a room filled with wise men, shamans, and high-ranked warriors. I see them shifting uncomfortably on their chairs because of the bitterness of my words. Half of them want her gone; the other half still fights against the idea of her being the culprit. After exposing the idea of her being mated to another Alpha or Beta, they seem to calm down, and feeling more ok with the idea. But then questions arise about who will inherit the throne if that snake is not going to. They fear a foreigner coming to take possession of it. ¡°No one will dare to attack Aztlan while I¡¯m still sitting on the throne and Huitz is in charge of the gates'' safety. As you know, my successor will be announced once I die, and I¡¯m still far from it.¡± I have kept that snake alive only because our rules forbid alphas from killing their offspring, but now that she is of age, I can give her away. ¡°If her mate is not among the guests at the ceremony, I will offer her to the highest bidder as a chosen mate. After that, I want you to cast a law that forbids her to step foot on these lands for eternity. If any of you refuses, I will make sure that your heads are part of the decorations at tomorrow''s banquet.¡± After a few seconds, one by one, they agree. Finally, the day to rid myself of that filthy snake has come. Finally, I will be able to rest. Chapter 5 Zana¡¯s POV It¡¯s been almost 8 hours since my brother left my room, I am trembling with anxiety to the unknown, was he able to convince Father about not sending me away? Oh; Mother Luna, why is taking so long? What if Father got angry at him and punished him too, oh Goddess no! Please, the last thing I want is to put him in trouble. ¡°Calm down¡±, A soft velvety voice whispers. Startled, I jump from my chair and move closer to the door. "Who''s there?" My voice trembles, echoing my fear. No one replies. The voice giggles, light and teasing, as if I¡¯ve told a funny joke. "Who is it?" I demand, trying to mask my fear with forced confidence. ¡°Please return to bed, princess. No one is allowed to talk to you,¡± a guard¡¯s voice replied from outside the door. Relief washed over me, but confusion lingered. Was I really losing my mind? I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and changed into my night clothes. Exhaustion tugged at me after a day spent practicing for a ceremony I might not even attend. Lina had failed to find my anklet in the garden, so I had asked her to send a couple of guards to search for it, she offered them as a small bribe some of the headbands I had embroidered, everyone knew how precious my handwork was, as I am the only female royal by blood still alive, ¡®traitor or not¡¯. That anklet was one of the little few things I had left of my mother. How could I have been so careless? I pray the moon they can find it. As I lay in bed, voices grew louder outside my door. I recognized Xali¡¯s voice, accompanied by Lina¡¯s. Panic seized me. What were they doing here at this hour? The door creaked open, and I quickly pretended to be asleep. ¡°Zan... mmhhm; Princess, please wake up,¡± Lina whispered, shaking my shoulder gently. ¡°Mmhmm, what happened, Lina? Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, princess. I was sent to deliver a message from the Emperor, your father,¡± Xali announced with a poker face, making it impossible to discern whether the news was good or bad. I despise this witch; I wish I could prove that she is using my father. Standing from my bed with the help of Lina as per protocol, I kneel to listen my father¡¯s word. "Tomorrow, as the eldest of the Emperor¡¯s offspring, and as a representation of the late Luna; Zana of Nahual, princess of Aztlan, shall proceed with the Sacred Ritual Ceremony, as tradition marks." Did I hear correctly? Am I been given back my title and my name? is this a dream? Did Huitz finally convince him? Am I dreaming? If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Mmmh mmh.¡± Lina clears her throat while shaking me a little to take me away from my stupor. "Uh, ummh, I, Zana of Nahual, princess of Aztlan Pack, listen and obey. If I fail to execute my duty, I shall pay with my blood." My words come out in a rush, joy infusing them with life. Xali nods and claps. Three helpers enter, carrying chests filled with clothes, ornaments, jewelry, and makeup. Everything a princess should have and wear with pride. It¡¯s hard to balance pride without boasting, but Mother taught me well. She was the epitome of grace, elegance, and mercy. She wasn¡¯t just the Luna of our pack, but a motherly figure everyone loved and respected. I¡¯ve always dreamed of becoming half of what she was. Oh, how I miss her. I stare blankly at the ornate chest until Lina gently shakes my shoulder. I manage a gracious smile, bowing slightly to thank them, my rusty royal manners evident in my awkward curtsy. Thank the moon Lina always kicked my but to keep studding and practicing, in hopes that one day I could become the Luna Alpha of the pack. Xali and the others bow and leave. I stand frozen, staring at the closed door, my mouth agape. The reality of my restored title sinks in. Lina hugs me, jumping and crying with joy. "Lina, am I awake? Is this real? Did I die?" "It is! It is, Princess. You are alive, and you are being returned your name and title by none other than your father!" A warm sensation spreads through my chest, lifting the weight of my worries. And then I cry, sobbing and whipping, scaring Lina in the process. This time, the tears are of happiness. Tears of hope. Lina kneels beside me, hugging me sisterly until I calm down. She tucks me back into bed, saying goodnight. ¡°Lina¡± I called her before she exited the room. ¡°Yes, Princess?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me like that, for you I¡¯m always Zana, I asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t train you all these years for nothing, you have your duties, and I have mine, so, now, sleep princess, is past midnight and we have a very long day ahead¡±. ¡°Goodnight. Lina. Thank you.¡± She turns off the lights and close the door behind her. And, with that, I fell asleep. ¡°Zana, wake up!¡± I snapped my eyes open, That voice again! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is ok, and no, you are not losing your mind.¡± ¡°Who are you? Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m, well, I¡¯m you!¡± Huh? Did I say that or I think it? ¡°You said it. But I don¡¯t have much time, I came to warn you¡­¡± ¡°What? Warn me? About what? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t say much; but whatever it happens tomorrow, everything will be ok, just trust in yourself, I¡¯ll be there with you.¡± ¡°Huh? What the hell? I don¡¯t understand anything I finally gain back my father¡¯s trust and not an invisible voice is telling that something is going to happen? I¡¯m really losing it!¡± ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t have much time, you just need to let me cross, don¡¯t be afraid of anything else, and Zana; I¡¯m so happy I finally meet you, good night.¡± ¡°Wait, to cross from where, what¡¯s your name?¡± Gone, the voice left as it came, and it took with it my good sleep, I get up and I walk to the window, still barricaded, but the moonlight finds its way in through the wood gaps. Slowly, I advance to it, and I can see how gradually the light ascends from my feet to my legs and thighs as I get closer to the window, stopping just as the silvery light reaches my chest; and then it hit me! My Lycan! It was her! It was er voice! How stupid am I that I didn¡¯t recognize her! Oh goddess, I hope I didn¡¯t hurt her feelings, I didn¡¯t mean to be that dumb, I have been dreaming for this moment for so long and now that finally happened, my dumb stupid self didn¡¯t even realize it was happening. Idiot! After pacing the room and muttering under my breath, I clenched my fists and slammed them onto the bed. I buried my face in my hands, feeling the heat of shame creep up my neck. With a heavy sigh, I flopped onto the mattress, my frustration simmering as I stared at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t recognize you,¡± I whispered, my voice trembling as I hugged myself tightly. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you for so long. I love you. Welcome.¡± I closed my eyes, hoping she could feel the sincerity in my words. With a deep breath; and thinking of our little encounter as if it was a fairy tale, I lulled myself back to sleep. Tomorrow will be a great day! I can¡¯t wait! Chapter 6 Unknown¡¯s POV Tomorrow, tomorrow night I am going to take what belongs to me, and finally, everything will be worth it; it was almost ruined once, but now, I can feel it boiling in my blood, all this power will be rightfully bestowed on me, and I will have complete freedom to continue with my little side businesses without anyone interfering with it. We were almost caught a couple of times, but I managed to cover the trace. Those fucking low life lycans think they can mess with me? No one can! That old ¡®wolf¡¯ is history. I¡¯m the future, and I will get to decide who will be part of it. I will drain all of Nahual¡¯s blood until there is no one left. I will erase them from history, and everyone will forget that there ever was a Nahual emperor. That old dog''s future comes to an end. I¡¯m the new beginning, the start of a new era. ¡°How are the preparations going?" I asked through mind link. "I don''t want a single mistake; this is the final step I need to become the new emperor.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, my lord, everything is almost ready. The priests are preparing a little surprise. Once the ceremony begins, there will be no turning back.¡± ¡°Good. Ensure everything goes according to plan. No mistakes. There can''t be any loose ends. This is the last night hidden behind the shadow of a puppet.¡± I step onto my balcony, gazing at the moon partially hidden by clouds. The anticipation of having the entire pack bow before me is intoxicating. I am in such a good mood that just thinking about the entire pack surrendering at my feet under the yoke of my absolute power causes me an almost painful erection. Nothing that I can''t easily fix with a little fresh meat. Through mind link, I ask one of my men to bring me one of the ¡®new acquisitions¡¯. Minutes later, an exquisite new trophy is brought before me. She looks at me with an evident fear shadowing her beautiful eyes. Bound and vulnerable, she trembles. I pull her onto my bed; her scream stifled as she meets my gaze. With big doe eyes, rosy cheeks and Lucious lips; whoever prepared her for me, knows what I like. Dominance is thrilling. Her resistance is futile, and she quickly submits, fear turning to a resigned silence. Her vulnerability excites me, but there is a strange, unfamiliar sensation as well. This new toy¡¯s legs are open, separated by a piece of wood, one meter long tied to her ankles, preventing her from closing access to her most sensitive spot. I reach my face to her pussy, inhaling that sweet, pure, clean scent. How many have passed before me, right before being sent to their new owners? After all, someone has to sample the merchandise. I laugh inwardly before licking this bitch''s pussy. Her sobs and whimpers start echoing, filling my room. They are all the same. No matter how scared they are, as soon as I have them like this, at my mercy, they all turn into sluts. The bitch¡¯s pussy started getting swollen due to my tongue playing with it, it''s like if it were waiting to be broken by my engorged cock, now hard as a rock. I get on my knees and, grabbing her by the spreader bar, with a firm movement I make her turn so that she is lying on her abdomen. Now a pillow muffling her cries. This bitch is exquisite. Her skin is very fair, her nipples large and rosy, her pussy is covered with a fuzzy layer of fine golden hair. She has very pronounced curves, big breasts like two ripe grapefruits, a tiny waist, and firm tight ass. I let my desire of spanking her hard enough to leave a tick imprint of my hand on that chubby ass take place; she yelps in pain, which is just like music to my ears. This is going to be fun. I see the mark of my hand perfectly impressed on the meaty butt cheek, a perfect reddened imprint; it looks so beautiful on her, that inspires me to lick it and kiss it. I hear her cry with her face buried in the pillow, but grabbing her by the hair; that hair that looks as if were made by fine threads of gold, falling in loose waves on her back. I pulled her up, guiding her like a horse on a leash until she gets on all fours, like the bitch she is. Her chubby exposed ass just in front of my throbbing dick, and her large breasts hang like pendulums. I spat on her tight entrance and inserted my thumb. Her screams at the unexpected intrusion quickly turned into low sobs as she adjusted to my thumb inside her, prompting me to deliver another, harder spank. She whimpered in pain, covering her mouth with one hand while using the other to hold herself in the position I wanted. My thumb keeps intruding inside her tight knot while I eat her pussy, and with my other hand, I pinch her clit; she unconsciously starts trembling at me teasing her pussy, and I can taste her juices dripping on my tongue. I can''t deny that I''m enjoying this more than any other whore they''ve brought to me. Without waiting any longer, I separate her butt cheeks with my hands to see in full glory her pink and swollen slit as well as her back entry. As I continue stretching her tight knot with three fingers, I position myself at the entrance of her pussy. With a firm thrust of my hips, I push in until I meet resistance. Her desperate cries echo through the room, a sound that has always excited me and made me harder. But this time, there''s a flicker of something more, something unsettling. Her begging me to stop is distracting, making it hard to concentrate. This unexpected reaction leaves me feeling unsettled. I withdraw my cock from her and remove my fingers from her ass. Positioning my thickened member at the entrance of her tight knot, I apply force to break through her virgin ass. She trembles and squirms in anticipation. Stolen novel; please report. Without further ado, I push the head of my cock into her tight asshole. Damn, it feels delicious. She cries out loudly in pain, scratching at the bed sheets, desperately trying to escape the immensity of my member stretching her to the limit. Her cries echo in my room as she tries to wriggle free from my grip. Eventually, like prey at the mercy of its hunter, she gives up. She stays still, muffling her loud cries into low whimpers and sobs. She has accepted her fate and surrendered to me. Without giving me time to think, she moves her body back against mine, engulfing my dick into her rear entrance. Damn, what the hell?! She stops when she feels my balls bouncing against her pussy. I didn''t expect this, but I start pumping my member inside her asshole. Between sobs and drowned tears, she matches my movements, giving me indescribable pleasure. I hold her tightly by the rope around her waist to ensure that my cock doesn''t slip out despite the fast and violent movements with which I''m fucking her juicy ass. Her buttocks clap against my pelvis, and my balls bounce against her pussy with each thrust. Gradually, her sobs turn into moans of pleasure. I''m losing my mind as her ass swallows my entire cock to the base, and I let myself go until I feel my cum filling her hole. I withdraw my still erect cock from her ass, and I can see my cum dripping from her tight opening. Running two fingers over her ass, spreading my cum toward her pussy, I begin fingering her, moving them back and forth inside her, faster and deeper, until her pussy is wet enough to receive my engorged dick. Positioning my body to accommodate my dick right at the slit of her pussy, this time I take it easy, entering slowly as I hear her moan, but this time it''s not sadness or terror, but pleasure. I push a little harder until my member encounters resistance; she freezes, goes silent, and starts sobbing again. What the actual fuck! why is this so fucking annoying; it was way more exciting when I knew she was enjoying it. I want to punish her to make her stop crying, so I pull her by the rope around her neck, choking her a bit, enough to make her stop crying. Her back sticks to my chest, and her monumental ass hides the enormity of my hard member; I want to squeeze that neck until I hear it snap, but I control my urges and focus on the pleasure I''m feeling with the warmth of her body against mine, so I start nibbling and sucking on her neck, leaving my marks on her soft skin. I can feel her trembling body starting to relax while nibbling on her earlobe, and my hands massaging her breasts and lightly pinching her nipples with my fingers. A couple of minutes later, she has become putty in my hands, following with her hands the movement of mine; oh, this feels much better than before. I move my hands to her hips, lowering them until I feel where her butt ends and her pussy begins, which is completely wet, I can feel her juices dripping through her inner thighs, in preparation to receive the enormity of my cock which is painfully swollen and begging to be buried in this tight new pussy. I can¡¯t hold it anymore, I intrude inside her again, this time without much trouble, sliding into her, thanks to the juices dripping from her sweet pussy; once again, my member encounters resistance with her virginity, but this time her reaction is different; I can feel her pressing her round ass against me, inviting me to continue; why? Why is it that this woman is driving me crazy? She is so fucking sensual. Without further delay, I continue thrusting into her, slowly and steady; I feel her purity yielding to the intrusion of my hardened cock. She instinctively tenses her body so I stopped until she nodes for me to continue. She groans in pain and stays still; being tied up, she can''t do much even if she wanted to. Without thinking, I stop too, giving her time to get used to my member stretching her tight hot pink pussy; when I feel her body relax, I continue pushing slowly; she nods encouragingly, still trembling. I begin to move inside her, with one hand holding her close to me and the other massaging her breasts and pulling her nipple. She instinctively starts moving her hips, matching my movements. Ah, it feels so good! I can feel her pussy contracting around my cock in response to the pleasurable sensation. She bursts into a sea of moans and guttural grunts, exciting me to the fullest. The movement of our bodies has become almost violent; my pelvis banging against her round ass sounding like round of applauses. Lowering my hand, I search for her most sensitive spot; with two fingers, I open her pussy, and with the middle one, I begin to stimulate her clit. She explodes in moans and moves her hips violently against my cock. Ah, I can feel my orgasm building up! I pull out of her pussy, lay her on the bed, and turn her over onto her back. Her face reddened by the activity and the shame she feels being exposed in front of me, make her look more beautiful than she is. Positioning myself between her legs I start teasing her clit with the head of my hardened dick. She reacts by arching her back upwards. I bring my face close to her, taking one of her erect nipples into my mouth, while one of my hands holds hers above her head and the other firmly massages her other breast. Without further ado, my cock finds its way inside her pussy, which receives it without any more resistance. I can feel the walls of her pussy embracing my cock with every movement, and she reacts to the intrusion with moans and groans that sound like siren''s song to my ears. I take her other breast into my mouth and nibble on her nipple. With my hands, I grab her butt to leverage and force myself all the way inside her, leaving nothing out, pumping faster and harder. Her breasts shaking from the force with which her body is receiving the impact of my dick inside her; and for the first time, I hear her speak; "P-please, ah y-yes, like that." Her voice is sweet, soft, and stuttering, a sign that she''s about to release undone. A couple of quick and deep movements on my part, and her orgasm comes in waves of pleasure that make her body shiver. Her head thrown back, her shallow and rapid breaths, her tense and then relaxed body, while I keep plunging into her, her juices dripping out of her pussy and soaking my pelvis and legs. I can feel my climax approaching. I lie on top of her, pressing her completely under me, feeling the softness of her skin pressed against me, and her sweet moans whispered in my ear. Ahhh, I shoot my milk inside her sweet pussy, to the last drop. Panting and feeling strangely different, I try to recover my breath; What the hell was this? It felt so different and yet so much fucking better... One thing is for sure: I''m not going to send her anywhere. She''s mine until I decide otherwise. Removing my happily flaccid cock from her pussy that now belongs to me, I lie beside her for a couple of minutes, not cuddling, just lying trying to recover as If I had been on a long run. Unconsciously, I cover her with a blanket before speaking to one of my men to enter my room. I don''t look at her again, but her body tenses again upon hearing the door opening. ¡°Bring two of the maids. I want them to groom her, dress her appropriately, and settle her in the adjacent room. She''s not allowed to leave, but make sure she lacks nothing and is well taken care of.¡± ¡°But sir, she was already arranged to go with Alpha...¡± ¡°She''s mine, and no one will lay a single eye on her. Understood?¡± ¡°Y-yes, y-yes, sir, but what will happen tomorrow? We can''t leave your guest without what was promised¡­¡± ¡°Last night''s whore, she¡¯s not bad. Prepare her; we can replace her with that one.¡± ¡°Sir, she doesn''t fit the profile. Alpha Yack was very specific about what he wanted.¡± ¡°I don''t fucking care of what he wants, he is going to have to suck it up and take the bitch I say so; he''s not going to have her. Fix the other up to look more refined, do whatever it takes, but the swap will take place. Oh, and one more thing; don¡¯t you fucking dare to contradict me again.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. No sir, sorry sir.¡± "Move, bitch!" says the fucking guard, referring to the woman still lying on my bed, and so, without hesitation, and unknowingly; with a movement of my arm, I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the floor with such force that his head ends up in a strange position. Ugh! Damn it! Now I have to repeat the same thing to someone else. Another guard comes in, upon hearing the noise, and for a second, he remains motionless upon seeing the scene. I repeat the instructions to him, and being smarter, he calls two women to attend to "my new toy." Then he calls two more men to dispose of the body. I take a bath and go to sleep, tomorrow will be a long day. Chapter 7
Zana¡¯s POV The morning arrived faster than I expected. I could barely sleep with excitement. I wanted to run to my father to thank him, but Lina advised me to wait until after the ceremony when he would feel more relaxed. She was right. I felt like I was in a fairy tale. The help came to my room, bringing fresh fruits and more dishes for breakfast. After eating, I took an aromatic bath. They washed my body and hair with special oils and ointments to make my skin glow. I never felt so beautiful, or this healthy before. After they finished steaming my hair, I wrapped myself in a bedrobe. Lina called me to the bedroom to pick up my outfit and my jewelry. I start pulling out dresses, skirts, and all kind of beautiful embroidered fabrics, colorful flowers, and naturally dyed ¡®manta¡¯ fabric. Anyone would feel honored to be able to wear anything like this but for me, it was more a question of a feeling. I was so grateful with my father¡¯s forgiveness but at the same time, none of these outfits were inspiring anything. I was about to lose hope when, at the bottom of the chest I saw it, it was my Mom¡¯s Luna ceremony dress! And it was perfect! ¡°I found it!¡± I said with an excited tone, louder than what I was intending; ¡°mmhhm, I mean, I think this one is perfect for the occasion.¡± I tried to correct my childish behavior in front of the woman assisting me. Of course, Lina was orchestrating everything. She was supervising everything meticulously until the most minimum detail, as she was repeating to herself every ten minutes, ¡°No effort is enough when your skin is on the table¡±. She could be terrifying when it was about protocol and rules matters. ¡®Thank the Moon she was my Lady in waiting and not my enemy¡¯, the thought of that makes me giggle, which earned a cold dead stare from her. Returning my sight to the dress now lying on my neatly made bed, I forgot about everything else, the fabric was of a warm white color, and beautifully adorned by my mother¡¯s unique embroidery handwork; around the neckline, you could appreciate the story of a family, the parents and 5 pups, each of them portraying different color themes; It became a legend how my mom could predict the future so accurately that the Moon goddess awarded her with a last jewel to adorned her crown, which supposed to be my baby brother, Huitz. That was the only adornment of the dress, it was so beautifully simple that it outstanded between all the overly adorned dresses that the other Lunas tend to wear to formal events. My mom¡¯s Luna dress was everything I could ask for and more, Happiness bubbled up within me. My heart fluttered; an unfamiliar sensation that made my hands tremble slightly. Joy warmed my cheeks, yet beneath it, a nervous flutter danced in my stomach, reminding me of the weight of the day ahead. ¡°Lina, pinch me¡± ¡°What, why should I do that? Zana, stop making me lose my time and yours, it¡¯s getting late!¡± ¡°Malina, I¡¯m serious, I need you to pinch me and tell me all of this is real, that it is happening.¡± I could feel my watery eyes threatening with start pouring tears. ¡°Ok, here!¡± Lina said pinching me on both cheeks at the same time. ¡°Auch!¡± hey, it hurt! It hurts? IT HURT! This is real, it is happening! Lina, it is happening!¡± ¡°YES, yes! Of course it is, you have been asking every ten minutes! now we need to get you ready! Jewelry!¡± And just like that, Lina was in supervisor mode again. Lina told me that the guards she sent to look for my anklet were not able to find it. I was so sad and disappointed of myself for being that careless with my most treasured possession. I decided to wear only the one I still had. And leave my other ankle naked. I saw a pair of gold bracelets with incrusted turquoise, they were a bit too much for my taste but Lina insisted that they would match perfectly with my dance gear. I cannot call it a dress as it is much like a skirt and a neckpiece that covers my chest. Thank goddess it is heavy enough to give me the security that my dignity will be secured. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Being Lycans; human nudity is not a big deal, many members of the pack have no issues uncovering their bodies when shapeshifting, but I had promised to Father long time ago, that I would never unveil my body until my mating ceremony. And I¡¯m pretty much planning to keep my promise. While the skirt of my dance gear was made with leather and adorned with dangling gemstones, the neck piece, was covered with gold, turquoise, and onyx, therefore the weight. On my upper arms, two leather armlets showcasing my embroidery work, one with my father¡¯s name, the other one, with my mom¡¯s. The heaviest piece was not my neckpiece but my crown. Made in leather but heavily adorned with gems and hand-picked quetzal feathers by mom and dad when I started dancing; a long time ago. I dreamt so many nights the day I would finally fulfill my duty as the lead dancer for the pack''s ceremonies while my proud parents were following me with happy glares from their throne. I was almost ready, looking at the mirror while Lina was tracing the fine lines of my pack¡¯s traditional makeup, my hair being softly arranged with an aromatic wooden comb. As the protocol mandates, during the first part of the ceremony, I will wear a purely white dress, with my embroidery work also in white. The fabric is thin and flows with the wind. No heavy jewelry and natural white Dahlias crown. As time passes ticking, I started feeling more and more nervous. I know I am prepared, Lina has made sure to keep preparing me for a ¡®just in case¡¯ moment; well, that moment is here, but I¡¯m so nervous of not being as great as I want to be, as not being perfect enough to restore a bit of the love and trust of my father, I want him to feel proud me. To accept me, to love me. My nerves are getting unbearable; Lina asks one of the ladies assisting her, to bring me something to calm my nerves, with strict instructions to not give me anything that may jeopardize my performance. The woman goes as fast as she can. When she returned, on a tray she brought a single cup of what it smelled like lavender tea, she handed it to me with shaky hands. "Stop!" Lina said, making the maid stop in her tracks and shake like a leaf. "Let me smell that". She continued; the maid turned to her with her gaze to the floor and handing it to Lina the cup of tea with both hands. Lina smelled, stopped, and stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, as if analyzing it. "Okay, you can give it to the princess". Goddess, Lina can be scary for sure! the woman looked even a bit pale! I drank it almost in one gulp, not without burning my tongue in the process. "I¡¯m ready." Huitz POV The day is passing faster than I thought, as far as I have been told by my man, everything is ready and the news of Zana being the host of the ceremony has been spread as wildfire, so now I¡¯m sure that all the pack will be present, a big part because of curiosity and another part because of loyalty to her, and hopes to have her back to the place she should have. I need to talk to my father and convince him to let her stay. ¡°Nix, I need to go to talk with my father, keep an eye on the arrangements, everything has to be perfect, I don¡¯t want any mistakes.¡± I told him through mind-link. ¡°Of course, you can count on it, is everything ok?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I just need to see him before the ceremony, just fine-tuning details.¡± ¡°Oh, ok, I see, see you later, then.¡± ¡°Xali, is my father in his room?¡± I asked while she was commanding an army of omegas where to set the name tags on the tables for the banquet after the ceremony. ¡°Oh, yes my Prince, your father is resting, he was feeling a bit tired after yesterday¡¯s meeting.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to see him now, please send some people to tend to him, he needs to be ready for today¡¯s event.¡± She bows her head and shows her neck as a sign of respect. My wing of the castle is opposite my father''s, so it takes a few minutes to reach his chamber. I knock on the door and gently open it, greeted by darkness. The window shades are impeding the light from sneaking in. I can hear my old man¡¯s troubled breaths. Getting closer to the window, I start opening the curtains, just to be yelled by my father to stop. The air in the room felt heavy with unspoken tension, each breath a struggle against the weight of the past. I swallowed hard, steeling myself for what must be said. My jaw tightened, a muscle twitching in my cheek as I fought to keep my voice steady. ¡°Father, you cannot keep living like this, it¡¯s making you sick¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do, child!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore, Father, I¡¯m a man; I¡¯m worried for you.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t, I¡¯m the greatest Alpha of Nahual Pack, there is no one stronger than me.¡± ¡°You are not, not anymore. You haven¡¯t trained a day in five years. You don¡¯t eat, you don¡¯t sleep, you keep drinking those bitter concoctions that Xali makes for you¡­ I¡¯m surprised that you haven¡¯t fallen ill just yet.¡± ''Shit this is going to hurt'', I think right after my outburst. ¡°You ingrate child!¡± I could hear my father¡¯s voice filled with rage. Then as I already knew it, he punched me right into my eye, sending me directly to the other side of the room. He may be getting old and sick but he is still the alpha so he did indeed hold a lot of power. I told you, do not disrespect me, you have once more, disobeyed my words, and now you fool child are going to learn your lesson. ¡°Guards!¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty¡± ¡°Take my son to the dungeons. Lock him in one of the small cells; no one is allowed to see, speak or send any kind of messages to him until I say so. Understand?¡± ¡°But, y-your majesty, the cerem...¡± ¡°Silence, am I not the Alpha?¡± ¡°Mi apologies, Alpha, yes of course, as you say. Prince, please follow us.¡± As my father''s crushing aura was elevating, I couldn¡¯t do more than follow these useless guards. In other circumstances they would not represent any type of challenge for me to subdue them, but this time, I only could lower my gaze and follow them to the cell. And come to think I didn¡¯t even get the chance to speak about Zana...
Chapter 8 Xol¡¯s POV I''ve lost a lot of time in court. It''s incredible that all this is happening right before my eyes and I still haven''t been able to find the culprits. Year after year, I feel like I''m about to sink my claws into the damned sick bastard, the responsible of all this shit, and he always manages to vanish. But soon; I don''t know why, I feel like something big is coming, and I''ll be ready to end this once and for all. Through mind link, I ask Coy to tell Pili to have my things ready for tomorrow. We have to cross the bridge very early to go unnoticed. Before dawn, I want to take an extensive tour of the valley in search of more clues, and maybe I''ll have time to find¡­ ¡°Enough, stop distracting yourself, Xolo. It''s not the time for foolishness. That girl just caught us off guard; stop giving her so much importance!¡± I told myself, to my Lycan side, that keeps bringing the fiery hair beauty from the other night to my mind. I arrive home, head straight to the bar in my office, I grab a bottle of tequila, and pour myself a drink. I down it in one gulp and pour another. I review the files of the case. 74¡­ how the fuck 74 lycan woman have been kidnapped without anyone noticing a thing? Without leaving a single hair of an evidence, not even a scent trace; just those effin seeds. I pour another drink, and another. I''ve lost count of how much I''ve drank until I notice that the bottle is empty. If it weren''t for who I am, I''d already be wasted. I locked away the files, got out and locked my office and head to my bedroom. I prepare to take a shower and rest for a while. I take off my tie my shirt and leave the cufflinks on my nightstand. I remove my belt and let my pants fall to the floor. I head to the bathroom, and before I could turn on the light, small hands embrace me from behind, and I feel a slender body pressed against my back, inhaling the scent of my skin... ¡°Good evening, handsome.¡± ¡°What are you doing here, Pili? Get out before I have you kicked out.¡± ¡°No, please, listen to me. I love you. Let me show you how happy I can make you!¡± ¡°I''ve told you; I don''t love you. You shouldn''t enter my room without permission. Don''t you see that I could¡¯ve killed you if you catched me off guard?¡± ¡°I don''t care. Nothing matters to me anymore. If I have to die, so be it. I''d rather you be the one to send me to the other world, so that way you will think of me forever.¡± ¡°Are you sick, mad, or just plain crazy? Stop saying nonsense. I don''t need you here. You''d better go to the penthouse. I can''t have you here anymore, Pili, this is too much!¡± ¡°No, you can''t do this to me. I gave myself to you, I gave you my virtue, and now you want to get rid of me? Where is your honor?¡± ¡°Enough! My honor? Let me remind you that you were the one who got into my bed that night, you were the one who tore my clothes, and you were the one begging me to take you right away. I was so drunk I didn''t even realize it was you. Now face the consequences of your actions and don''t try to act like I had taken advantage of your innocence because I didn''t. You either go to the penthouse or hit the street. It''s up to you; now, leave me the fudge alone!¡± Pili¡¯s POV Why, why? Damn it! I can''t leave, I don''t want to leave, he has to be mine, mine! ¡°Nana! Where the hell are you!?¡± ¡°Tell me, miss, what''s wrong? Why are you so upset?¡± ¡°You promised me! you swore to me that Xol was mine, that I would be Luna, and that I would have what I always wanted, what my mother couldn''t!¡± ¡°But miss, it will be so, I saw it, in my vision you are surrounded by luxuries, all eyes are on you.¡± ¡°You better be right, old woman! I''ve spent a lifetime listening to you saying the same thing over and over again, so I hope you''re not lying to me!¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Did he drink the tea I gave you?¡± ¡°No! When I entered his bedroom, he was drinking tequila. I thought it was the perfect opportunity, but he kicked me out! Me! How could this be? We have to go to the penthouse or hit the street!¡± ¡°Shh, don''t cry, my girl, we''ll think of something.¡± ¡°Shut up! don''t call me that, I could never be the daughter of scum like you! If I have you with me, it''s because my parents left me under your care, but don''t let anyone hear you call me that, do you understand? I would be the mockery of everyone.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, forgive me, eh, miss, it''s just that you know how much I adore you. Come, I''ve prepared a bath for you, we can think of something there so they don''t kick us out of here.¡± Xol¡¯s POV Ugh, is it already morning? I think I only managed to sleep a couple of hours; my Lycan side can''t be calm, it senses something but I can''t figure out what it is. Well, time to take a bath and get ready to leave. I leave the bed and stretch my body to force myself to wake up completely. And as soon as I start walking to the bathroom; an unmistakable smell catches my attention; blood! It''s fresh blood and something else, it is... I open the bathroom door, and in the tub lies Pili''s naked body, covered by reddened water, her skin paler than usual, but she''s not dead. I enter the tub, lift her in my arms, place her on the bed, and through mind link, I instruct one of the guards to bring the pack''s emergency doctor. What the fuck is she thinking, as if I had time to deal with this shit right now, dammit! I grab her face with my hand trying to make her wake up, what the hell was she thinking when she did this stupidity? Is she really willing to die? What the hell! Damn it, it''s getting late! Where is the doctor? I ask again through mind link. I see Pili¡¯s eyes flinching, probably the light was too bright. She is awakening; but she starts crying immediately, saying that she had failed to die as she had failed to make me happy; I¡¯m so tired of all this shit! The doctor and 2 nurses ran through the open doors and started tending to her, they came well prepared, it as if they were ready to perform surgery, if necessary. They are asking questions, measuring levels attaching stuff to her monitoring numbers on the couple of screens they brought with them, 2 more nurses arrived with a hospital bed to transport her to the clinic on the other wing of the pack house. The doctor¡¯s face and he look a bit puzzled and at the same time relieved. ¡°What is up, Doctor?¡± ¡°Yes, my Alpha, let''s go outside to speak a word with you, if I may.¡± ¡°Of course, please let''s go to the hall.¡± We closed the door behind us to be able to speak without all the movement that was going on in my now super messy bedroom. ¡°Um, excuse me but I would like to ask you what you know to have a better idea of her health¡±. Says a very confused Doctor Soto. I have no frigging idea, I say already annoyed, not by his question but about all this situation. I woke up, I sensed the smell of blood and I found her in my bathtub unconscienced and pale as a ghost. Why, doc, what is exactly going on? I asked him with honest curiosity and urgency to know. ¡°Well, my Alpha, not much really¡­¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Uh, um, she is fine, the wounds on her wrists are shallow and they are already healing on their own. It seems that she wasn¡¯t really trying to hurt herself but just putting on a play.¡± ¡°Are you saying that she was just pretending? What about all the blood? The clamminess of her skin?¡± ¡°Well, I think she drank a small dosage of wolfsbane, small enough to not cause major damage but enough to prevent the wounds from closing right away, therefore the bloody water and the clamminess of her skin, by now all or most of the effects should be gone.¡± I felt how the rush of my anger was boiling my blood; I thank doctor Soto and returned to my bedroom; I didn¡¯t notice the force with which I opened the door until I saw the door crashing in pieces against the wall on the other side of my room. At Lycan speed, I reached my bed, grabbing a still very drowsy Pili from her bony arm and I demanded her to stand up. The four nurses, terrified by my crushing aura, fell to their knees. ¡°Stand up or I swear I will force you.¡± ¡°But, but, I¡¯m too weak.¡± ¡°Stop with the lies, stop with all your fake tricks to try to trap me, I¡¯m done with you!¡± I make her stand pulling her just with enough force to take her out of the bed without hurting her, after all; she is a woman and I refuse to lower myself to such level of indignity. She managed to wrap herself with the bedsheet beforehand so she was perfectly covered when she was on her feet. She started sobbing and whining that she didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, but then she turned to see the doctor standing a couple of meters away from her holding a couple of papers with her results. He got closer and handed them to her. Pili gulped saliva and she pretended to read the papers before turning to look at me and throwing herself to my feet. "Please, please, forgive me, I love you, I just wanted to be with you, please, I¡¯ll be good, I¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± I said using my alpha tone, which makes her tremble and silent her sobs. "You are going to grab your belongings, and you are leaving to the penthouse, later I will deal with you. You are not allowed to remain in the packhouse nor to step one foot in the packhouse ever again, by trying to fool me, you have broken the bond with the pack, if I don¡¯t cast you as a rouge is just because of respect to your late parents, but I will never, listen to me, never going to be with you. Now, obey!¡± Pili burst into a loud cry and ran away from my room; I commanded her using my alpha tone so there is no way she could reply or argue back to stay. I never wanted or planned to do that to her but after this dirty little trick, she gave me no choice. Fuck, is super late now. Chapter 9

Coy¡¯s POV

What the heck is going on with Xolo? He¡¯s never late¡ªwell, not until recently. The man lives by rules, yet suddenly he''s falling asleep and running late for something he''s been planning for months. I hope he has a very good reason to be this late. The report that Mic and Tlax handed me is nothing to be happy about, there are reports that at least two more women have disappeared under the same circumstances. ¡®Young, unmatted, Lycans, close to be of age to shift. That¡¯s all they have in common, the ranges of physical characteristics are so diverse, the locations of the disappearances have not seemingly a connection, non of them knew each other nor had anyone in common. It was like these abductions were unrelated; Except for one single creepy detail. The fucking amaranth seeds that were left behind; like some kind of sick exchange.¡¯ Walking through the streets of the market, trying to blend in is an easier task for me today as many alphas have been arriving since the early morning as my own alpha should have¡­ A festive ambient can be seen; colorful decorations hanging from the trees, columns and through the whole path of the death and reaching the base of the Moon¡¯s pyramid. From there, a tapestry of flowers adorned the steps from the base to where the temple is at the top. The tapestry is impressively beautiful, white flowers as a background and a Nahual in the center, created by thousands and thousands of beautiful yellow flame gazania flowers, which from the distance they resembled like real fire flames adding to the beauty of the tapestry. I was impressed with the skills of the artist that came up with this. I¡¯m sure that it wasn¡¯t an easy task, as the Pyramid has at least a couple of hundred steps leading from the base to the top of the platform. These steps are arranged in several tiers, reflecting the pyramid''s layered construction and ceremonial purpose. Goddess I so missed this place. As I sipped the fermented pineapple cocktail handed to me by a beautiful merchant, a flood of childhood memories surged through my mind. The taste was familiar, a reminder of simpler times, before the weight of the responsibilities had settled on my shoulders before having to follow my destiny, even though when my purpose has been lost. When I was born, the destiny was already written for me, I was to become a beta, the hand of the alpha, but more importantly the protector of the Luna, when the time came. Since the moment of my birth, it was already written and sealed, so, I was been prepared for that. < Flashback > At the young age of three, my parents took me to the royal palace, there was a big event so we needed to attend to pay respect. I was bored but I wasn¡¯t allowed to leave the area. Mom was in a side room along with other women. Father was with a bunch of other men smoking and talking. Shamans were singing and praying while I could hear yelling from where my mom was. I was so scared, I ran to my dad grabbing his finger in search of protection. He looked at me, with a warm smile, lifted me in his arms and said; ¡°There is nothing to be afraid my son; there, a miracle is happening, and with it, the first step of your mission will begin.¡± I didn¡¯t understand my father¡¯s words, but at the same time all the fear creeping inside of me abandoned my body. After what it felt like an eternity, all the noise became silence, a moment later, a baby cried, followed by cheers and happiness on everyone¡¯s faces. Father hugged me and congratulated me as if I had won a prise of some kind. A min after; someone yelled ¡®Ome! Ome!¡¯ and just like that, everyone got silent, the faces were of tension and sadness. The cries of the woman were louder this time, it was obvious that she was suffering. Mi father¡¯s expression was troubled, nervous. He let go of my hand and asked me to stay where he had left me, and walked approaching to the wise men and sorcerers appointed on the other side of the room, his hand patting the shoulder of a big, strong man whose face was darkened by obvious fear plastered on his face. It was hard to believe that a man as huge as him could ever be able to fear to anything or anyone. Just like the first time, a sudden silence, followed by another baby crying, this time louder, stronger than the first one. But this time, there were no cheers, no happiness but stoic faces. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. From the other room I could only hear the voice of the woman demanding to see the babies. Then more crying. then nothing. I was so curious about what had happened, that for the first time, I disobeyed my father¡¯s command, and I sneaked into the room where my mom was. At least 20 women were there, tending to the lady lying on the bed; but I didn¡¯t walk to my mom, who was right there, a couple of meters to my left; instead, I slowly kept walking to a ¡®cloud looking¡¯ large bed covered with fine cotton clothing. I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes following me, the lady that was on the bed asked for help to stand up, she followed me while being helped by 2 women. When I reached the bed, I climbed to it and curled myself on the side of the baby that was peacefully sleeping there. The new mother instantly started crying, smiling ad crying there is. She turned to my mom and hugged her. I was 3 years old but that I will never going to forget. < End of flashback > Our families had been together since then, my family had been blessed with the task to be the hand of the Alpha god, none other but the most feared and the one no one wants to face. We were given very important, yet, very difficult mission, a mission that many times have been ended in loneliness, pain or even death. ¡°Coy¡­ Coy¡­ BETA!¡± I heard a loud voice through mind link, pulling me back from my thoughts. ¡°Yes! Sorry, I¡¯m here¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Where am I? you, are asking me, where am I? I¡¯m where I supposed to be, where the fuck were you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even start with me, I had to fix a big mess at the pack house, so I¡¯m really not in a mood.¡± ¡°What mess? What happened? Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok, Pili lost her fucking mind and¡­ never mind that is not important right now, do the ceremony already started?¡± ¡°Of course already started, I can hear it, the platform is packed with people, it¡¯s sunset already, you know.¡± ¡°Where exactly are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dining at the base of the pyramid, on the market side.¡± ¡°What? Why aren¡¯t you hiding? Are you insane?¡± Xolo¡¯s voice was a mix of shock and anger. ¡°Hey, today is the only day when I can be out and no one would suspect a thing. Remember, all the alphas and betas are here. This place reeks with a powerful aura right now,¡± I explained, trying to calm him. ¡°Ok, stay there I will find you, any news?¡± ¡°Not the ones you want to hear.¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± That Pili is in serious problems if she managed to delayed Xolo that bad¡­ Where is that beautiful merchant? I really need another cocktail. Lifting my cup to call a server¡¯s attention without having to be very visible, I see the beautiful merchant approaching me, holding with both hands a big jar with the fermented beverage. ¡°I have never seen you in here before Sr.¡± She said looking to my eyes while pouring the liquid in my cup. ¡°That is because I have never been here before, my parents were invited to come, they send me instead in hopes that I can find my mate.¡± I lied. ¡°Oh, well it is a shame that you haven¡¯t find it in here, but maybe you will have more chances if you go up to the platform, or inside the temple.¡± ¡°Yeah, I just don¡¯t like big crowds, why there is so many people there anyway?¡± ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know? That is because today, the alpha princess is hosting the ceremony, after 5 years being absent. Many people haven¡¯t seen her before; there were a lot of rumors about her, but one thing is for sure, everyone says that her beauty is beyond parallel and that is why the emperor hid her, because of the fear of someone trying to take her away from the pack.¡± ¡°Really? Do you know her? Is she mated now?¡± ¡°No, I have never seen her, and as far as everyone says, she is still to gain her lycan.¡± ¡°Huh? That is weird, why is she hosting the ceremony being that young? ¡°Well¡­¡± She said getting closer to me whispering. ¡°Our Luna returned to heaven, 5 years ago, there was an attack, many people died, Luna Kini tried to save her people but she got killed protecting her youngest. O-or at least that is what people say. The princess is the only female with royal blood left, so she has to take the role our Luna should have.¡± ¡°I see, well it seems that the princess is like a rare jewel for the pack¡±. ¡°Oh yes my lord, rumor has it that the emperor was going to give the throne to the princess after his death but after the terrible incident with the Luna the emperor fell il and changed his mind, now everyone believes that the Youngest is the one to inherit the throne.¡± ¡°Umm, seems that a lot of things happened in here since the attack. Do they ever find the perpetrators?¡± ¡°Yes and No, the¡­¡± -¡°Hey, you, cut the chitchat and come back to work, the dishes are not to be washing themselves!¡± An old fat man yelled from the back of the dining to the server. Highly likely the owner. ¡°Sorry my lord I have to go back to my duties; enjoy the banquet and I hope you can find your mate¡± She said with an honest smile and returned to the dinner¡¯s kitchen. The sun is almost gone, I can see the reflection of the full moon starting to glow at the back of the pyramid, adding to the exquisite view. The whimsical view, the oranges, purples and reds of the sunset are mesmerizing and the drums and bells marking the ceremony rituals are enticing, I can feel my lycan begging me to come out to the surface, but, if in my human form I¡¯m already compared with a giant, I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to give a heart attack to a good dozen of locals. I don¡¯t know why he feels so agitated to get out, we had a great run this morning. Sniffing the air, I can sense that Xolo is close, oh boy, he is taking his time. Good, I almost never have the chance to enjoy myself. My fingers are drumming on the table at the same rhythm of the drums being played at the temple, I noticed the change in the rhythm to a more fast one, I didn¡¯t pay attention at first until it was too obvious. This wasn¡¯t part of the banquet¡¯s dance ritual, this drumming was not a spiritual connection with the deities and ancestors, this definitely was a life sacrifice offering. What the fuck is going on in here? I practically jumped from my chair, to run to the pyramid¡¯s platform; the drums resounding more and more furious every second. I ran in the pyramid¡¯s direction; when I saw a black shadow passing me, so fast that I could barely see him running in the same direction I was going. Xolo, running on his human form, beating me to it. When did he become that fast? A second later, silence. ¡°Oh, no, this is ¡®no bueno¡¯¡± I thought to myself, I ran too to the pyramid while I let my lycan to come out to the surface, running behind Xolo. Party time! Chapter 10 Zana POV Sitting on one of the chairs inside the temple, with my eyes closed, I am repeating every single detail that is going to happen during the ceremony. First, Father will thank everyone for their attendance, and he is going to lead the head Shaman to bless the feast. Then, the drums will announce the entrance of the priestess¡ªme. I will walk to the center of the temple and lead the prayer part of the ceremony to thank Mother Moon for the blessings and the harvest. I will remove my flower crown and set it at the center of the altar as an offering. ¡°Wow, that tea is working wonders. I don¡¯t feel nervous anymore,¡± an intrusive thought interrupts me from continuing with the steps of the ceremony. Where was I? Ah, yes. The crown. I will put the crown at the center of the altar. Then, while the drums change rhythm, I will change into my dance gear to start the ritual. ¡°Woah, I think I should have eaten more. I feel a little light-headed,¡± I tell myself. ¡°Lina, would you mind bringing me something to eat before the ceremony starts?¡± ¡°Princess, are you okay? You usually don¡¯t like to eat before dancing.¡± ¡°Yes, you are right. It might be the nerves. I feel a bit odd.¡± ¡°Let me bring you some tea instead.¡± ¡°Please, allow me, Your Highness. I will bring it to you.¡± The maid moves in a hurry to fix the tea for me. Lina follows her with her eyes. I know what she is thinking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lina?¡± ¡°Sorry, Princess, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t remember seeing that maid before today.¡± ¡°Lina, I don¡¯t remember seeing all the people that have assisted us since yesterday. Being locked away for five years surely changed a lot for us.¡± ¡°Yes, you might be right, but¡­¡± ¡°Lina, I know you have worked so hard making sure everything goes beyond perfection. Now it is time for you to relax and my turn to work hard.¡± The maid returns with a new cup of steaming hot tea. This time I make sure to take my time drinking it. My tongue and throat are still sore from the tea I drank earlier. I take a deep breath and try to concentrate again on reviewing the ceremony details. ¡°What kind of tea is this? I could swear it has a metallic flavor to it. Ugh, concentrate, Zana,¡± I tell myself once more. ¡°Is it hot? I feel hot. Why is it so hot in here? I better go walk outside a bit to refresh myself before the ceremony starts. Goddess, why can I not concentrate?¡± My mind is playing tricks on me. ¡°Lina, I want to breathe a bit of fresh air before the ceremony. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°No, thank you. It¡¯s okay. I just need a minute of ''peace and quiet'' before starting, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. I guess it¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t go too far; it is almost time.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be right outside. Thank you.¡± Walking to the back door of the temple, I can see the sun setting. I never appreciated the view much, but the sunset is beautiful. The sun dips below the horizon, painting the sky with a symphony of colors. Streaks of crimson, gold, and lavender bleed into one another. The day¡¯s final light bathes the valley in a warm, golden embrace, casting long shadows and highlighting the silhouettes of trees and mountains. The clouds, brushed with hues of pink and orange, float lazily, as if reluctant to let go of the day. As the sun''s last rays kiss the valley goodbye, a gentle twilight settles in, wrapping the world in a tranquil, ethereal glow, promising the quiet beauty of the full moon to come. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Breathing in the autumn breeze, I close my eyes to bathe myself in the beauty of the view. ¡°Zana; Zana!¡± The voice! She¡¯s back! ¡°You¡¯re back! Hi, sorry, I didn¡¯t recognize you before, I¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter right now. Listen to me. I don¡¯t have much time; there was something in the tea¡­¡± ¡°What? Are you sure? What was in it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just listen. I don¡¯t know how much time I have¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean? Are you okay? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not hurt, but I¡¯m being suppressed. I¡¯m not going to be able to help you.¡± ¡°Wait, help me with what? What is going on?¡± ¡°No matter what, don¡¯t go out th¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go out where? Wait! Are you there? Are you okay?¡± What is going on? I tell myself, trying to grasp a little sense of what my Lycan tried to tell me. There was something in the tea? There was something in the tea! I need to tell someone. I need to tell Lina! Oh Goddess, what is going on? Everything around me is spinning! Lina, I need to go to Lina. Walking as straight and slow as possible, I reach the room where Lina is standing, looking at the temple¡¯s platform. ¡°Lina!¡± ¡°There you are! Hurry! The Emperor is almost done with the blessing¡­¡± ¡°Wait, I need to tell you something. The tea¡­¡± The sound of the drums starts resounding. ¡°Go, Princess. It is your turn. This is your last chance!¡± ¡°Wait, Lina! I really need to tell you something. The tea; the tea¡­¡± ¡°Go now! You cannot embarrass the Emperor.¡± Those were the words that sent me to the platform. I couldn¡¯t ruin my last chance to recover my father¡¯s trust. So there I go¡­ Goddess, please help me. With a deep breath I start my walk to the open space at the center of the platform, I can feel everyone¡¯s eyes following my every movement, there is not a single sound except forthe drums resounding loud and ceremonic echoing all around the temple¡¯s walls. Struggling to keep my sight focused on the point where I supposed to raise my prayer, I finally fell to my knees, my face and arms lifted to the sky facing to the Moon, now glowing in perfect harmony with the celebration. ¡°Oh, beautiful mother moon, who illuminates our nights and guides our steps in the darkness, today we raise our hearts in gratitude. You, who watch from the sky with your radiant eyes, have blessed our lands with abundance and life. The fertile soil that sustains the creatures that feed our people, for the nourishing that fill our bodies with strength, and for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us. We offer these sacrifices as a sign of our respect and eternal gratitude. May your light continue to protect and guide us, and may abundance never be lacking in our homes. Oh, mother of the night and guardian of cycles, accept our humble gratitude and hear our prayers. Under your mantle of stars, we feel blessed and protected. Great moon goddess, for your generosity and for the life you give us.¡± I did it! I kept thinking while slowly my hands reached the crown on my head, removing it and carefully placing it on the altar at the center of the platform before standing back on my feet. The silence went broken by a deaffing howl by all the high ranked Lycans that were invited to the ceremony. Followed by the rest of the attendees. ¡°There is no time to enjoy yourself Zana, hurry!¡± I snapped myself out from the glorious moment to give place for the next step of the ceremony. I returned to the Back of the temple trying to remain steady on my walk, feeling more and more dizzy with each passing minute. I reached the place where I should change to my gear, Lina wasn¡¯t there but there was no time to lose, the drums were marking the time in a perfect tune. With extreme care to not being observed by anyone I removed my dress and covered my body with it while trying to wear my chest piece. I¡¯m not going to make it in time! ¡°Princess are you ready?¡± ¡°Lina?¡± ¡°No; Xali, are you ok?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know where Lina is and I cannot dress by myself¡± ¡°Oh, goddess, let me.¡± ¡°Thank you Xali, please hurry!¡± ¡°Ok, done, now, the crown.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Now, now, now; go!¡± I made it! I can¡¯t believe I made it in time, and thanks to Xali! from all people she was the one helping me! Where is Lina? she would never leave in a moment so important for us¡­ Focus Zana, you will have time to ask later¡­ The drums are marking the auspicious moment for the celebration, I feel my body tingling and my sight is blurry but I know, even sleeping I can do this, I just need to make it until the end of the dance ritual then everything will be ok. Come on Zana you can do this, I CAN DO THIS! Slowly, I walked out from the temple approaching the place dedicated to the dance. I can hear everyone¡¯s gasping in awe and murmuring from the distance, but I can barely se anything. I¡¯m moving more by instinct and memory. I reached the highest part of the platform, the floor has been heavely adorned with a tapestry of white Flowers, I didn¡¯t know about this, ¡®dancing on a bed of flowers will definitely be¡­ interesting not at all what I was expecting or what it was accostumed¡¯ I told myself. standing in the center, with my eyes closed, my ears focusing on the drums thunder. NOW! My feet reacted like if they had life on their own. I could feel my blood boiling with the force of a fire menacing to burst my body in flames, I never felt more alive! This is it, this is the moment I was waiting for. Mom, I made it!