-Willow-
“Wow, how do you always end up looking so good?”
I chuckled as I folded a white shirt to put in my little suitcase. My friend Eva was sitting with her feet up on my coffee table, her black boots dirty and soiling my desk, while she read the latest gossip magazine for supernatural creatures. You wouldn’t think two different-looking people—one dark and gothic, the other light and fluffy—could be such good friends, but I would bury a dead body with her if she asked, which I fear one day she might.
“I don’t look that good. It’s the right lighting, photoshopped,” I reminded her, then grabbed the remote on my table and poked her dirty boots, but Eva didn’t take the hint. She kept looking at the magazine with me and Carter plastered on two huge pages, looking so good in our ceremonial attire. The ceremony for our union was getting closer, and I couldn’t be more excited, yet that didn’t mean I wanted dirty boots on my coffee table.
“Sure, sure, the beautiful always say that.”
“Say what?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m not as pretty as you think. I’m just, you know, such an ugly duckling and... and not confident at all. It’s all fake,” Eva mocked in a light voice to empathize how ridiculous those pick-me she-wolves could be.
“I don’t sound like that!” I exclaimed, then grabbed a pillow from my couch, throwing it at Eva. It landed right in her face, as she was distracted by the magazine and was not prepared for the incoming attack. The pillow slid to her stomach, and she lowered the now-bent magazine.
“Uncalled for,” she scolded me.
“I think it was very called for, and now get your dirty boots down from my coffee table. Do you have any idea how expensive it is?” I asked her.
“Oh, and you don’t sound at all like an upper-class luna right now,” she chuckled.
“As if you aren’t either.”
“Yes, but I don’t conform to societal norms. I mean, look at me,” she said, gesturing to her all-black attire with the leather jacket and fake iron spikes on her shoulders.
“Black is in this year,” I teased her, making her smile.
“Yes, but I’m also gay. You think my parents approve of me shoving my tongue in my girlfriend’s pussy?” Eva chuckled as she went back to reading.
“I don’t think I need to hear that, and I approve of you,” I pointed out.
“You’re just such a virgin.”
“What would you know about that?” I exclaimed.
I grabbed another pillow and threw it at her, and Eva exclaimed, annoyed, as it ruined the magazine once again.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did you become a sex goddess over night?”
“No, I asked you what you knew about me being a virgin or not,” I pointed out, placing my hands on my hips. “What would you know about it?”
“Well, we have been best friends since we were two. I know you would tell me if Carter had ventured into the cave below.”
I shivered, my face contracting in disgust. “Do you have to make it sound so unappealing?” I asked.
Eva held up her hands, throwing the magazine to the table and finally getting her dirty boots off my table.
“Sorry, okay, have you done it yet?” she asked me, trying to appear more serious.
I went back to folding some more clothes, ignoring her question, yet I could feel her eyes on me.
“Well?” she pressed.
“No…” I murmured.
“Well, you’re getting married soon, so it will happen,” she stated.
“I know, but you also know the pressure there is on me!”
“No, I know the old tradition of the princess staying a virgin, but you and Carter have been together forever. You love him like I have never seen you love anyone. Why not sneak a little intimacy in there? The Goddess knows you need it.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, offended.
Eva sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Willow, I love you, but you aren’t exactly… down to earth.”
“I can be down to earth!” I defended.
“Okay, then don’t clean that spot I just made with my boots. Leave it be,” she told me, pointing at the dirty spot on my very expensive mahogany table that I had custom-made.
I looked at it, feeling my hands itch, and when I glanced at Eva, I saw her challenge me by arching an eyebrow. My finger nails dug into the palms of my skin while an obsessive voice kept telling me to get the cleaning supplies.
“Ah, shit, I can’t!” I exclaimed before I stormed to my bathroom, got a towel wet, and went back to quickly scrub it off. As I got on my knees to wipe the table clean, I turned my head, seeing Eva leaning forward while resting her arms on the chair’s armrests. The look in her eyes said it all: I told you so.
“Fine,” I sighed. “I might not be as down to earth as I want to be.”
I placed the towel down, then crossed my arms as I slumped down.
“But that’s not a bad thing, and you have a wolf prince who loves you. So what if you can’t leave a small spot alone? That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person,” Eva pointed out.
“No, but do you think I will be as uptight when we actually… are together?” I asked.
“Everyone is their first time. It’s not something new.”
“No?”
“Hey, you’re only 22, but you also have a lot of pressure on you. How long haven’t you been trained to be the next princess?” Eva asked. “It’s not a wonder you have ended up a little uptight.”
“We haven’t been together that long,” I reminded her.
“You have been almost secretively engaged since you were kids. Your families have always wanted you to be together. They just wanted the law to agree too, and when you were 18, the match-making began,” Eva pointed out.
“Yes, but that’s not forever. We only really began dating seriously when we were 19.”
“Three years without sex? Wow, Carter’s balls must be killing him.”
“Funny!” I snarled, throwing the dirty towel at her, making Eva laugh before she grabbed the magazine and leaned back.
“The Goddess is seriously unfair sometimes,” she sighed.
“What do you mean?”
“Look at you!” Eva said, then turned the magazine, showing me and Carter plastered on two whole pages with some writing on the side. We were dressed in all white with red lines around our clothes. We looked incredibly good, as if we were made for each other, and I began smiling as I reached out and took the magazine, feeling my heart beating faster in my chest.
Aw man, I can’t believe he will be ours soon, my wolf sighed like a love-sick fool in my head. I could barely believe it myself, but there we were, right on the pages, showing off how good we looked.
“Oh, don’t look like that!” Eva exclaimed.
“Like what?”
“Like you can’t imagine not spending every second for the rest of your life with your fiancé,” she told me.
“Well, I am marrying him, so I am expecting to spend all my time with him,” I said.
“Yeah, but I don’t need to see it.”
She pointed to her eyes, then snatched the magazine from me.
“Got time for a run before you leave?” she asked, but before I could answer, there was a knock on my bedroom door and a servant called out from the other side.
“Luna, there is a car for you here.”
I heard Eva sigh, looking defeated as she heard it. While I knew we would still see each other, being the next princess and queen was going to make it very hard for us to spend the same amount of time together as we had. As I stepped into that car and went to live in the royal family’s palace, there would be new expectations for me, and I wouldn’t be able to do the same thing with Eva.
“Great, a new life awaits,” she groaned.
“Hey, you will always be my best friend,” I told her.
“Yeah, yeah…”
“And I will make time for you,” I said.
“Hmm…”
I could see my words weren’t having the desired effect, so I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her as I placed myself on her lap. In an instant, she wrapped her arms around me too, holding onto me tightly as we stayed connected.
“Best friends, never forget,” I whispered.
“Just don’t become like those truly snobby upper-class wolves. I have enough of those at home!” she mumbled into my hair.
“No, I promise. Or else I know you will remind me to be myself.”
We pulled away and smiled at each other before I stood up, and Eva offered to help me with my bags, but I didn’t have much. I knew a whole wardrobe had already been prepared for me. There would be more than enough clothes for me.
As I stood by the car, my parents met me outside, and after saying goodbye to them, I went back to Eva, who stood with her hands in the pockets of her jacket. We smiled at each other, and I could see she wanted to tell me not to go, but I had to. As the next princess, it was expected that I would live with Carter now.
“Steal me something,” she joked.
I chuckled, shaking my head. I couldn’t deny Eva loved pissing off the other upper-class wolves by taking trinkets from their houses and displaying them in her own room just for sheer pettiness or giving them to homeless people. It all depended on how much she wanted to piss them off.
“Sure, I will steal from myself to give to you.”
“I knew I could count on you,” she chuckled before we hugged again and I finally got in the dark car.
It began driving away, and I looked through the back window, seeing both my parents, my home, and my best friend disappear in the distance. I was gripped with a powerful sadness, but I knew this wasn’t a goodbye. I was just moving to a new place. Still, it was hard not to feel a little down. It was never easy leaving your home.
-Willow- The moment I came into the giant palace with the gigantic staircase leading to the next floor, I saw someone coming toward me. A huge smile spread across my lips, and I sprinted forward. Carter caught me as I leaped into his arms. He kissed me hard as I wrapped my legs around him and my arms around his neck. My long blond hair covered us like a curtain, giving us the illusion of privacy, but then I heard someone clear their throat behind us, and I quickly pulled back to see Carter’s father, the king, looking at us with raised eyebrows. I pushed away from Carter, who allowed me to get back on my feet, and we chuckled nervously. “Well, welcome, Willow,” the king teased me. “Sorry, Your Majesty, I might have gotten a little excited," I nervously apologize. "There is no need to apologize. At least I’m glad to know my son will always have love in his union as well,” the king told me, making me smile. Carter wrapped an arm around my waist, bringing me to him, and he kissed my t
-Cain- With the bag swung over my shoulder, I walked over the gravel leading to the backdoor of the grand house. Lighting burst through the sky behind me, making me turn my head and see how fast the weather had changed. I was glad I managed to catch that last flight before I was sure that all the planes were grounded. I grabbed the handle, allowing myself into my old home. I walked through the little relaxation room with the glass roof and walls that gave a wonderful view of the garden and into the warm palace. It was strange being back, but when the king called, you listened. As I walked through the house, I came to the entrance, catching Carter coming down the stairs all dressed up and smelling far away from his usual powerful cologne. I was unsure how he wasn’t drowning in the scent. We were alphas, and our heightened senses made sure nothing slipped by us. It almost choked me as I caught a whiff of it. I let out a little sound, and it made Carter turn his head as he took the la
-Willow- “Tea, my Lady,” a servant said as she placed a tray filled with a teapot, cup, and all sorts of flavors on the coffee table further away. I had just come out of the bathroom, wrapped in a small, dark purple robe as she placed it down. “Thank you,” I said before she bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her. I walked over to the many assortments, studying them, wondering what I should choose. I eventually went with a strawberry-flavored tea before I poured the warm water onto it and let the flavors stream into the water. I waited a little, finding a book, before I went back and removed the teabag from the warm water. I began reading as I sipped my tea slowly. I wasn’t very tired, and while I had told Carter to go have fun, it didn’t mean I didn’t still miss him or wish he would be here. I had been to the palace before, but it was different now that it was my home. I even found it hard to focus on my book and began rolling my head around. My body felt strangely te
-Willow- I had the most heavenly dream. While I had had some dirty dreams before, this was like nothing I had ever tried. I was pretty sure I had even come from the dream while some massive alpha had taken me on my bed. I had never seen an alpha so big, maybe except for the king. He turned me and got me on all fours as he kept slamming into me over and over, growling how I was his and how good I was for letting him knot me. I knew only alphas did that to their true mates in hopes of impregnating them, but despite the pain from being sealed shut like that, it felt incredible when the pain was replaced with pleasure. I came every time he did it, and I began even craving him to knot me over and over. The dream was truly like nothing I had ever tried before. Even as I slowly woke up, my body felt as if it had been used. I groaned, shifting slightly, only to feel a sharp pain between my legs. I opened my eyes, sitting up a little. My room seemed like it was yesterday, but then I noticed
-Cain- I wasn’t sure what I expected to happen next. I couldn’t even say if I had a plan. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be the disappointing person my father had always seen me as. It was unfair that he was so quick to think I had reverted back to my old self, the one who would gladly have fucked his brother’s fiancé before his ceremony, when I had only been back for a few hours. While I feared staying here myself and falling into temptation, a few hours shouldn’t have been enough, and it stung that he could look at me like that. But honestly, the more I took in Willow’s frightened expression, the way she was on the verge of tears constantly, made me think none of my old tricks would even have worked on her. She was in love with my brother, and she had worked hard to get where she was today. I was unsure if, without the poison, she would even have let me into her room. No, there was something about Willow that screamed determination, despite even being so small right now and
-Willow- I sat in the window overseeing the garden, feeling like my heart might explode from the pain that was swirling inside it. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I couldn’t believe how I was trapped in this predicament, and I had nowhere to run. I thought about calling Eva, but I couldn’t face anyone right now. I felt so humiliated that I didn't even dare talk to my best friend. I feared what even she would think of me when she learned what had happened. Was I just a whore now? I understood that the mate connection had power, but I also knew how she-wolves who threw themselves at the males were looked at in my world, and now it seemed like I might be deemed as loose. What is happening? Suddenly, my wolf began stirring, sounding disoriented. “Finally!” I exclaimed. “You there?” Willow? What’s going on? “Where have you been?” Um… “Willow?” A dark voice called into my room, and I turned my head. The moment I put my eyes on Cain, my heart began hammering, and my wolf began
-Cain- “Well, don’t you know how to stir up trouble?” I turned to see my old friend Reese standing in the doorway to the living room, where I was trying my best not to lean into the temptation of pouring myself a drink. However, the sight of him made me feel much better. He laughed when he saw the smile on my lips, and he came over. We slapped our hands together before he placed himself beside me. I stood by the window, gazing out at the light drizzle outside. “How did you know I was back?” I asked him. “You really think you could come back without me hearing about it? I mean, you always made sure people knew what you were up to. Fucking your brother’s fiancé. Wow, I knew you loved chaos, I just didn’t know you loved it that much,” he chuckled before he went and grabbed something to drink for himself at a small bar further away. “Goddess… people already know?” I groaned, rubbing my eyes. “It’s everywhere. Did you really expect this to stay a secret?” he asked. “It’s only noon,”
-Willow- My mother walked around me, going over how I looked in my ceremonial dress. It was the one I had planned to wear to mine and Carter’s ceremony, and instead I was wearing it for someone completely else. It made me feel dirty and wrong, as if I had actually cheated. I had, but as my wolf kept reminding me, Cain was also my mate, so I couldn’t forget we were also destined to be together. But did that mean I had cheated on Cain for being with Carter? It was all very confusing, and I couldn’t wait until this day was over. I believed my parents felt the same way because they had barely spoken to me since arriving, and as I got ready, had my hair and makeup done, and got in my dress, my mother gave me a look I had never seen before. She had never been disappointed in me before, but that was the only way I could interpret the look in her eyes—she was disappointed. My mother reached out and suddenly tugged on the side of the dress, pulling a little hard so it felt like I was being p