Chapter 3 Past :III : yours

Nova stood in front of the soft bed provided for her in her huge chambers. It had multiple rooms that she hasn't explored yet, choosing to retire for the day. She was too tired and upset to move forward with any of the plans for exploration. She carelessly slid the veil off her body, dropping it on the floor as he stepped towards the bed. She had dismissed the attendants out of her chambers as she had entered, so there was no one except her in the room.

She did not want her misery to be noticed by them; she was sure there were no allies, and they would scavenge at her weakness like vultures and spread it around. She'll become a laughing stock for the concubines. This was one of the things she wasn't looking forward to being under the same roof as those with whom she didn't see eye to eye. She knows they haven't given a reason to be hostile toward them, but she can't vary. She is, after all, aware of their jealousy. Her mate hadn't even looked her in the eye before leaving; she had hoped that things would change once they met, but that seemed like a faraway thought at the moment. River had removed her gold earrings to place them on her bed when she saw Silas enter the room. Her shoulders relaxed on his return, finally feeling that some of her questions would be answered. "Why did you leave?" Nova exhaled in relief; she didn't like being alone here, away from his familiar spaces. -"I had to discuss some matters with his majesty," he smiled "I'm back now," he said as he moved to help River get ready for bed. Nova turned her back towards Silas as he sat behind the omega. He began to unhook the multiple necklaces one by one. They were very heavy "What did you talk about?" Nova picked at the gold embroidery of the robe. She was curious about her mate; very much so, she had barely met him and both of the meetings were quite fruitless. 'Weren't mates supposed to get to know each other? Does his majesty not want her anymore?' A lump got stuck in her throat when she was reminded of the concubines the King had for the second time that day. I asked him why he arranged for your marriage to happen so soon, and he wanted to know how you were doing." Sailas said, wiggling his brow after realizing her gloom. Nova felt a bit better knowing His Highness thought of her well-being, but the gloom didn't subside from her features. "Why did he?" Nova asked, changing the topic; she didn't want to talk about it today. "War is near," he answered in a grim tone. The southern borders of the empire are under tension. He wants to hold the ceremony before the the situation gets worse. " He began combing Nova's hair with a jade comb. the sliver hair, a stark contrast against thethe green of the jade was mesmerizing to look at. Nova hummed with understanding; his majesty was dutiful to the empire he had built, and he was glad that it was so. But she wished that now that she was here, she would get some of his mate's attention. "Sailas, can you ask one of the maids to get hot water ready for my bath?" She asked; she wanted to bathe away the stressful and depressing thoughts and then fall asleep. She really didn't want to feel like this anymore. "Sure. " he smiled, leaving her as the omega began to get ready for the bath. It took a while to let her hair dry, but she was finally in bed. The long bath made her feel lightheaded but better .it was every bit soothing on warm summer nights. Her eyelids felt heavy, so she let them rest. Sleep was clouding her mind, and she was slowly slipping away into its haze. "Nova," a voice echoed in her ears-a voice she hadn't heard before today, one she was longing to hear. Her heart began beating erratically,after a few deep breaths. She curled and turned to her side, clutching a pillow She had made a resolution not to talk to His Highness until he had apologized to her properly, but he saw it all crumble the moment she heard his voice. "Beloved", are you asleep?" The voice called again, and this time the Omega answered. "Your Highness," Nova replied, breathless. The smooth voice rang in her mind like sweet honey; it felt as if one of the missing pieces finally fit into her. "Would you rather sleep?" His Highness asked with gentleness in his tone, as if he felt he would scare her away if he were any louder. Gone was the confidence, from his voice that was present when he had uttered that one sentence to Nova when the omega had arrived-I won't hurt you this time.' ] His words were slippery as if he were intoxicated. No, I'd rather listen to Your Highness than fall asleep," Nova uttered with a smile, disbelief in her senses. She feared she was dreaming that his Highness had finally reached out to her. She adjusted her head on the pillow, as if that would help her listen to the conversation happening in his head properly. " Call me Zane," he said. "Call me by name, my beloved." Nova's breathing hitched, She felt it was hard to even utter a word. No one knew of the ruler's true name except his mother the moon goddess; werewolves called him the first King, and they addressed him as the progenitor, but no one had ever had the privilege to even know, no less utter, the ruler's true name. Zane gave him his name. River felt overwhelmed, but wasn't this how It was supposed to be? She was glad that they were finally communicating, but it hurt that the other was drunk. She wondered if the king would remember that they talked when the morning came and if he would still allow her to call him by his name. Zane, too, was in his lonely bed. The right side of the bed was left empty for his one and only companion. He's never allowed anyone to sleep there, and he never would. His official robes were still on him, his long raven hair messily splayed out on the bed, but he couldn't care less. -"...Zane" Nova finally whispered, even if it's just for this moment, she would bask in it. Zane, on the other hand, felt emotions so great. For the first time in his existence in the mortal realm, someone called him 'Zane. His mate had called his name in devotion, even after everything that happened. Even when he had ignored her for years, shut her out, and hurt her When she was young, he was scared he would hurt her more. He didn't deserve his beloved, he thought "Did you drink?" she then asked. When Zane was too lost to respond, a worry that Zane had shut her out again crept into her. "Is there anything you want as a wedding gift?" Zane asked instead, evading her question. He did drink; he couldn't stand the pain that was stemming from the guilt that rooted years ago. He had gone to the concubine chambers to make himself forget. He did for a few hours, but it came back as soon as he returned to his own. He couldn't escape it forever; the alcohol he had consumed earlier pushed him to finally face it. Yes," Nova hesitated, snatching Zane from his thoughts, "Would it be too much to want you next to me?" The omega whimpered, and Zane felt himself slip, wanting to get to Nova, but he put a barrier on it; he didn't deserve the comfort that would come with his mate's company. I'll try," Zane said after a long pause. "Sleep well," he uttered before shutting her out again. Nova felt disappointment , but she did not utter a word. She would not rush this, she thought. Zane had finally talked to her; this was enough for now. They'll be meeting on the day of the marriage soon; he could wait till then. Nova spent the next two days exploring her her wing in the palace to distract her from the nerves that were charging at her. Her wing had two floors: the entrance, a sitting area, a personal library full of scrolls and books, and the garden entrance were all on the ground floor. Stairs from the library led up to her bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. There was a beautiful balcony outside her bedroom filled with plants,she could see the expanse of the garden, which was grown exclusively for her. She could see the cherry trees in full bloom, filling the air with their fragrance The gazebo in the garden looked beautiful, but Nova still hadn't the courage to step out of her wing, nor had she entered the gardens to enjoy air and sunshine. But her favorite was the underground spring. It was a surprise to find that the same stairs that went up also went down. It almost looked identical to the cave back in her hometown. It was a hot spring constructed for her leisure. She was very happy with everything that Zane had made possible, but she was still very upset about what happened the night before. Zane hadn't reached out again after the night of her arrival, making Nova wonder if he even remembered talking to her. Nova had been awake since dawn. she was getting married today. She took a bath as Sailas washed her hair. Nova still rejected all the attendants only trusting Sailas with everything. She wiped herself and walked towards Sailas, who was waiting outside. There was a dress hanging from a mannequin, and a necklace and shoulder piece studded with diamonds and pearls a veil with gold embroidery was laid on bed. Nova took a deep breath before she stepped in; it would be long before it was done.