Chapter 5 THE MYSTERY

The morning sun shining through the window felt like a burning fire on Chanda's face as she tried to use her hand to somehow block the headache she was waking up to. She knew she needed to get up before her Luna woke up, but the comfort of being wrapped in strong arms was a feeling she was not eager to lose.

Wait? Wrapped in strong arms? Her eyes shot open and she looked beside her.

She was very naked, wrapped in the arms of a very handsome but very asleep man, in a very strange but very beautiful room.

"No, no, no, no." She panicked.

This couldn't be happening, she thought as questions raced through her mind. Just how much did she drink yesterday? And how did she end up there with this man? Where is Mia? Did she just lose her virginity to a stranger?

She moved to get out of the man's embrace when his eyes shot open. He instantly wrapped his hands around her neck, pinning her to the bed.

"Who sent you?" His eyes were fiery red and his grip was hard on her neck.

"No... no... no ... one." She choked out.

"Why are you here?"

"Please. I can't ...breathe." She felt like she was pleading for her life.

The man loosened his grip on her, but still held her to the bed. She sucked in the little air she could.

"Are you an Escort? I don't remember asking for one yesterday." He said.

"My name is Chanda. I am an omega accompanying the Luna of the Montana pack and her daughter." She managed.

"Do Lunas now give their omega as a form of bribery to have their daughters selected?" He hissed. "You must be really bad in bed, because I don't even remember sleeping with you last night." He looked down at her naked body, eyeing her and smirked. "I won't mind a quick reminder though."

The door opened, and a loud noise shrieked from an elderly woman when she looked into the room. The Lycan's mother peered from behind the woman and exclaimed, "Velkan, what have you done?"

Velkan released his hold on her neck and she raced out of the room, fully naked, with no particular destination in mind.

Velkan, she wondered as she ran, that name sounded familiar. Where had she heard it from?

She finally stopped at her Luna's door and got in. Mia sat on the bed, preparing for today's ritual, while Sera was nowhere to be found.

"Where were you? Why are you naked?" Mia got up from her seat when she saw Chanda. "What happened?"

Chanda was confused and didn't know what to say. She just kept staring at Mia, dazed.

"Can't you talk? Where have you been all morning? Mum has been running around the whole pack looking for you." Mia shouted at her.

"Mia! Mia!" Sera's loud voice could be heard screaming, all the way from the hall. "I warned you, Mia. I warned you to not bring that worthless being here. She has ruined everything." She burst into the room.

"You, you, you ungrateful thing." Sera rushed to Chanda and slapped her.

Chanda fell to the floor, crying.

"This was your plan all along. You begged us to bring you here so you could do this. You think you have the perfect plan, right?" Sera continued, hitting her while she was on the ground.

"Mother, what is going on?" Mia rushed to her mother and pulled her back from Chanda. "Stop, you are going to kill her, Mother."

"She went to the Lycan king's room and seduced him into sleeping with her on this morning of all days."

Chanda's body was numb to the pain already. She always received beatings in the Montana pack, but her heart hurt and that was why she cried. The man I woke up to was the Lycan King, she thought.

So, how had she gone from drinking at the party last night, to waking up in the Lycan king's bed?

"Chanda, is that true? Is that where you went to after I left you in the hall? How could you?" Mia sank down on the bed, looking sad.

Chanda rushed to her feet. "Please my lady, I didn't plan anything. I don't remember anything from last night. Please believe me." She pleaded.

"Get your disgusting naked body off my daughter before you soil her." Sera dragged her back to the middle of the room. "I will kill you before they come for you."

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. Three guards walked in, heavily armed.

"My ladies. We are here on behalf of the Elder's clan to summon your omega, Chanda, to their presence." One of the guards said.

Chanda looked up at them.

Something was wrong, she thought, very wrong.

****

It was the morning of the Luna ritual when he was supposed to pick his Luna and wed her, but Velkan, shirtless, stood in front of the Elders clan, fuming.

"You can't possibly be serious." He turned to his mother. "What nonsense is this?"

"Velkan, you might be the Lycan king, but there are traditions to be upheld. You brought this upon yourself." Maga, the chief Elder said. "My Lord." He added when Velkan turned to him, fist clenched.

"What sort of tradition is that?"

"One that helps protect the purity of the Luna's ritual, My Lord. Since she was found naked in your bed during these times, it is seen that you have made your choice and will have to marry her."

"She is nothing but a mere servant."

"I have always told you to pay attention to traditions." His mother, Leia, murmured.

This can't be happening. He had already picked the Alpha's daughter he would marry. He had set all his plans, ready to take action once he married her. And now this.

Velkan turned to look at Chanda who was kneeling, with her head down, before the Elders, wrapped in only a white cloth to cover her nakedness.

"You." He kicked her to the ground and yelled at her. "You must have known. Who sent you to me? Because the gods know I didn't invite you to my bed." He kicked her again, looking for a way to vent his anger.

"Don't hurt her. Please." His mother begged and pulled him back while Chanda just laid on the floor, whimpering.

Maga rose up from his seat.

"It is decided," he said. "Today, in accordance to our customs, Chanda of the Montana pack shall be crowned the new Lycan Luna of all the West region."