Chapter 1

Strong minds discuss ideas, Average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people

- Socrates

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"Luna....Luna When will we be leaving for the Diamond Palace? " Ariana asked her mother.

Luna Andorra flinched away from the tittle as if she had been slapped across the face. She never hated her title, till her own flesh and blood started addressing her with it. It was like a poisonous arrow straight to the heart.

Every night, the Luna prayed to the moon Goddess that her daughter Ariana would call her mother again, but her prayers seemed to have no effect as she watched her daughter struggle under the Alpha command day after day.

"In three days, my child," Luna's tired voice spoke.

"Oh really!" said Ariana, with a fake grin on her face. It was no secret that Ariana had experienced a troublesome childhood with her father punishing her psychologically for every little thing she did wrong and, some times, even physically by starving her for days or by leaving her in the Palace dungeons for weeks at a time .Due to this, the physical and psychological stress caused Ariana to have a weak connection to her wolf, making her every shift feel as if she were being shredded from the inside out.

The Luna and Ariana headed to Andria's chambers to see how her preparations for the trip were going. Upon entering Andria's chambers, the two encountered a dozen maids running around as they packed clothes, accessories, and shoes into travel bags. While Andria and her two close friends, Joan and Bella, sat on a sofa eating grapes and sipping on freshly made orange juice.

"Andria, you're so pretty," Joan complimented Andria, not realising that she was in Luna's presence. "I wish I could be as beautiful as you."

"Well you can't be." Andria buttered out, her voice crude and boastful," but it wouldn't surprise me if I were the king's mate?"

"Well, if you are his mate, you would probably be the luckiest maiden in all the land, because I've heard that he has beauty to rival the great Gods and strength to uphold an army of a thousand wolves," Bella added as she filled her glass to the brim with orange juice, "you wouldn't just have a mate with a title but a mate with beauty and strength."

"Imagine the beauty your pups will hold," Joan happily spluttered on, "the whole world will probably be left in awe."

"Have you heard how the king returned the Queen's crown jewels by slaughtering all seven of the blood dragons." Andria bubbled, spilling the juvenile gossip.

The Luna had stood in silence, waiting for the girls to notice her presence in the chambers, and when she saw that they were too engrossed in their own conversation to notice, she intervened with a small cough that drew all of their attention. With Joan and Bella springing up to perform hefty curtsies, making Joan get caught in her skirts as she fell to the floor in a comical fashion, making both Ariana and Andria laugh out loud.

The Luna sent a single glare towards her two daughters, which caused both of them to shut their mouths simultaneously , " the two of you have no grace. Help the poor wolf up," Luna scolded her children.

The two girls hurriedly helped Joan up as their mother looked at the friendship group with sceptical eyes as she lectured, "Girls, I don't mind you talking about finding your mate, but please do remember that whoever will be the King's mate will be our Queen, Do not disrespect our Queen with your prudent comments oy by saying that you are her."

"What do you mean, mother? I am the fairest she-wolf that there is, so I shall be the King's mate. " Andria spoke with absolute certainty.

"My dear child, the Moon Goddess does not pair mates by looking at one beauty, she does it by looking at how compatible two people are. Remember, you never know who she's going to mate you with, for she will mate you with someone you least expect. " The Luna spoke with her eyes glowing green, showing the girls that the Luna Wolf was sharing her wisdom for guidance.

Then Luna turned and left the room, leaving Ariana trailing behind her. Ariana had never felt as though she belonged, so the idea of having a mate who would make her feel loved and as though she belonged always seemed like a sick joke made by the Moon Goddess. She decided to talk to her mother about her thoughts and feelings about mates, considering that she had no one but herself. "Luna, I don't think I have a mate." Ariana spoke out loud with her head down.

"What do you mean, child?" Luna spoke, not believing what she was hearing.

"Well, I don't think I have one because the Moon Goddess has no regard for me, and even if I did have a mate, I don't see any male wanting someone like me," Ariana sighed, "For I am only a bag of bones. Even Alpha Alec has stated how he expects my mate to reject me, if I ever find one."

The second the words were out of her mouth, Ariana felt Luna Andorra's hands shake her shoulders as if trying to put sense into her as her mother exclaimed, "Hush child, do not speak such dark words, for you will be your mate's and he will be yours, as annulment of the mate bond is the greatest crime a wolf could ever commit. It is not something punishable by the king, but it is punishable by the Moon Goddess. "

Ariana wanted to say something back to her mother till she felt the painful spasms of hunger erupt in her stomach, causing her to bite her lip in an attempt not to whimper out loud. Her father had forced her into eating only a single meal a day because she had used the cellium colex, a plant to heal an elders person's failing heart. The Alpha had been worried that she would prescribe too high of a dosage that could have led to the death of the elder but unfortunately for him the elder had survived. This, however, didn't stop the Alpha from punishing Ariana for making rash decisions without his permission.

Feeling tired, Ariana did a quick curtsy and said goodbye before making her way to her chambers. Upon entering her chambers, she headed to her shelf of books and picked out a book called The Science of Plants. Slumping down on her bed, she began to read. A few moments passed when all she could see were blurs of words as her eyes drooped shut with tiredness as she feel asleep.

Hands. Soft hands moved up her arms slowly as she felt her heart catch on fire. What was happening to her!? she thought to herself.

The hands moved up and down her arms soothingly, making her muscles relax underneath.

The owner of the hands spoke with a dark husky voice that caused her throat to close up with want as the owner of the hands wrapped his arms around her as he lifted her into his embrace.

She felt soft kisses being showered around her collarbone ,then her neck, making her gasp in surprise as the stranger nibbled on the sensitive skin of her neck before kissing his way up to her jaw and then slowly over her lips, making her lose her breath as she felt a burning sensation spread deep in her belly, her insides clenching with need.

She held her breath in longer as she felt the lips descending slowly downwards towards her neck while whispering out "mine" after every kiss.

The lips slowly tentatively moved down from her collarbone to her breast as they sucked in one of her nipples while the person's other hand pinched her other pink bud with affection, causing her body to flood with arousal. The hand cupping her one breast moved down her torso to her thighs where it gently moved up and down on the insides of her thighs before cupping her sex while he continued teasing her breast with his mouth, causing her eyes to open in surprise to a pair of blue moon like eyes that were starring at her.....