Esmira (Enora)
I stood outside the great hall in the full regalia of the Luna Queen, and my hands would not stop shaking.
The gown was heavier than anything I’d ever worn, with layers of ivory and gold silk, embroidered with the sigils of both kingdoms, cinched at the waist with a belt of hammered silver.
A veil covered my face — sheer enough to see through but thick enough to obscure my features from anyone more than a few feet away.
The golden crown sat heavy on my head.
Beside me, Roderic stood in his own ceremonial attire — a dark coat trimmed with gold, the Valdren crest embroidered across his chest, his dark hair swept back from his face.
He looked every inch the Alpha King.
He also looked like he was in an incredibly good mood.
That alone was enough to unsettle me.
In five days of knowing this man, I had seen him furious, cold, drunk, and briefly tender in the dark of his chambers.
I had never seen him smile.
But he was smiling now.
The smile was reaching his eyes, softening the hard lines of his face in a way that made him look younger, almost boyish, and it was disorientating.
The drink Lord Aven had left in my chambers wasn’t helping either.
He’d instructed me to finish it before the ceremony, and I could still feel the dark, bitter tincture coating my tongue and making my stomach bloaty.
Whatever it was, it was making me queasy, and the longer I stood, the more the edges of the hallway seemed to darken.
Roderic turned to me, that unfamiliar warmth still lighting his eyes.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice, then asked quietly, “You seem to be in an unusually good mood, Alpha.”
He sighed, the smile shifting into a satisfaction meant for himself, not for show.
“I was in a difficult position this morning, but as usual, Lysara showed me the perfect way out of it. Things are going better than I planned.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant, but before I could form the words, the great doors swung open.
A wave of voices, movement and the rustle of a thousand bodies turning in their seats hit me first.
Then the light, streaming through the hall’s high windows, catching the gold threads in the tapestries and the polished armour of the guards flanking the aisle.
Roderic reached for my hand.
I flinched at the contact, but his grip was firm and warm, and he tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as though it belonged there.
Together, we stepped through the doors.
The hall was vast and filled to the walls.
Lords and ladies from both kingdoms occupied every seat, their faces turned toward us like flowers toward the sun.
I could feel their gazes — hundreds of eyes, scanning, assessing, cataloguing every detail of the woman they’d been told was their Luna Queen.
But worse than the stares was the scent.
The concentrated pheromones of hundreds of wolves, mostly Bloodright, Crested, and Common, hit me.
The air was thick with it, layered and overwhelming, pressing against my senses until my vision swam and my knees threatened to buckle.
Roderic’s grip tightened on my arm. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Bear it,” he murmured, low enough that only I could hear.
“We’ll be seated soon.”
I fixed my gaze on the far end of the hall and concentrated on walking and allowing Roderic to guide me as I took short steps.
Finally, we reached the raised platform at the front of the hall.
Two ornate chairs were sitting upon it: the king’s throne and the queen’s seat, side by side.
Lord Aven stood to the left, his grey hair gleaming, and his expression blank as usual.
And to the right, Alpha King Eldric towered over everyone, beaming with pride as he watched me approach.
I avoided his gaze and settled in my seat, trying to breathe through my mouth.
After the hall had settled, Beta Harwick, Roderic’s Beta, came forward to address the assembly.
“Lords and ladies of Valdren and Ceranthia, honoured Alphas and representatives of the allied packs, we welcome you to the official induction of Her Majesty, Luna Queen Esmira of House Eldarion of Ceranthia Kingdom, who was joined in sacred union to His Majesty, Alpha King Roderic of House Valdren, of the Valdren Kingdom.” He paused.
“As many of you are aware, the original wedding ceremony was conducted privately due to the Luna Queen’s illness. Today, we formally introduce her to the full court and perform the Bloodright blessing rites and the final rites of mate bonding.”
The hall erupted in applause.
Roderic rose to his feet, and the applause faded into silence.
“Thank you all for being here,” he said, his voice carrying through the hall.
“I apologise for the sudden changes to the original ceremony. The Luna Queen’s health required adjustments, and I’m grateful for your patience and understanding.”
He paused, and then he said something that made my eyes widen behind the veil.
“My marriage to Princess Esmira is not merely a political union to bind the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.” He turned and looked directly at me, his dark eyes holding mine through the sheer fabric.
“It is also born of a deep personal fondness, and I am honoured to call her my Luna.”
I stared at him, stunned.
I couldn’t believe he was lying and convincingly so.
Was he trying to paint a perfect picture of our happiness?
He turned to Eldric and bowed.
“Alpha King Eldric, thank you for entrusting your daughter to me and to this kingdom. I will honour her.”
Eldric’s massive frame swelled with pride, and he inclined his head.
Roderic turned the hall once more.
“Following the blessing rites, the wedding celebration will begin and last for seven days. I urge you all to make merry and enjoy the hospitality of the palace.”
Applause rippled through the hall again as he finally sat.
The High Priestess, judging from her attire, who had been standing at the corner of the platform, came forward.
She bowed to us, then turned as her attendants set up the blessing table.
The sacred items were arranged with care.
On the table was a silver bowl of water drawn from the temple spring, a bundle of dried moonveil flowers, a ceremonial blade no longer than my finger, and a spool of red thread.
When the table was ready, the High Priestess turned to us and extended her hand.
“Alpha King. Luna Queen. Please come forward.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Roderic rose first and offered me his hand.
I took it, my fingers trembling inside his grip, and together we crossed to the blessing table.
“Kneel,” the High Priestess said, “and face each other.”
We knelt on the stone floor, our knees almost touching.
Roderic’s dark eyes held mine, and behind the formal composure, I caught the faintest flicker of amusement.
Did he also think all of this was a joke?
Then the High Priestess began.
The rite was spoken in the old tongue, the language of Bloodright wolves and sacred bonds.
Her voice rose and fell in rhythmic cadences that resonated in my chest like a second heartbeat.
She dipped her fingers in the silver bowl and touched the water to our foreheads, our wrists and the hollow of our throats.
The tincture Lord Aven had given me pulsed warmly in my stomach.
I felt something stir deep inside me, deep enough that it frightened me.
The High Priestess finished the blessing, and we rose to our feet, and the hall rose with us.
Then she lifted the spool of red thread and cut a length of it with the ceremonial blade.
She wound it carefully around my left wrist, then around Roderic’s right, binding us together with a crimson line that gleamed in the light.
“With this thread,” she said, her voice clear and solemn, “I bind your wolves and your bond. You shall become one in spirit, in purpose, in the eyes of the goddess. What the thread joins, no mortal hand may sever.”
The thread tightened against my skin.
Warmth flooded up my arm and spread across my chest.
The High Priestess turned to Roderic.
“Alpha King. The bond requires your mark. Proof of acceptance before the court and the goddess.”
Roderic looked at me.
His expression was unreadable.
Then he smiled.
He turned to face the hall, and his voice carried to every corner, every balcony, and every shadowed alcove.
“I am truly fond of Princess Esmira,” he said.
“And I honour her as my Luna Queen.” He paused.
The smile didn’t waver.
“But my heart beats for another and today, before this court and under the law of the goddess, I invoke the ancient rite of Luna Solace.”
A murmur swept through the hall as everyone turned, exchanging surprised glances.
“Because I do not wish to confuse my wolf,” Roderic continued, “I have decided to give the mate mark to the woman I truly love.”
The great doors at the far end of the hall opened.
And Lysara walked in.