For the love of the moon: The lycan's destined wife

Lately Aram hated the visit of his uncle, in fact, he hated any visit that came to interrupt his successful and satisfactory ordeal of pain and self-pity. Yasmina had left for life beyond life and he deserved all that suffering for he had not protected her. The Moon Goddess had blessed him when she placed her in his destiny and he was not worthy of that grace, sometimes choosing to stay alive was much harder than dying.

Now he would have to live the rest of his days under the weight of having been indirectly responsible for her death and the pain of no longer having his Luna destined. To live his ordeal, he only needed to be alone, which was very difficult, since he was still the Alpha of that clan, despite coming for months neglecting his duties. He did not care to hear the many laments of his uncle, who came to bring news from the council of elders. The man told Aram that the elders were about to give up on him and they were already looking for a way out of that situation.

- Aram, you need to react, the future of the clan is not a game. I understand you've been through a very bad situation, but you need to take back the command. You haven't been interested in anything in months other than a bottle of booze, everyone is commenting that the Alpha has succumbed to alcohol and tries to kill himself slowly. The people have many problems, they need guidance. Soon the winter will come and we will all starve. You know well what measures need to be taken to ensure that everyone has a way to stay in the colder months.

Aram listened to his uncle quietly, he kept satting at the kitchen table with a glass of cheap whiskey in his hands. The beard was grown and his hygiene was not the best, he was the opposite of the Alpha that one day was. He spent most of the day drunk, unable to advise anyone, even less to settle the strife of his guardians. He would need help from the Moon Goddess if he had to engage in some melee combat or become

a beast cause, since he wiped out almost the entire damn Boram clan, he had never transmuted or fought.

- They don't need me, uncle, they need another Alpha. One who can protect them, one who can protect his wife.

He spoke with a voice full of bitterness.

- You're their Alpha by blood's right, everyone respects that. It's been a long time and no one wanted to challenge you for leadership, but the situation is becoming untenable, you need to react my son. There are already rumors of people wanting to leave, whole families. Is that what you want? Women and children traveling during the winter, with few supplies and at the mercy of attacks on the roads? Can you handle that guilt behind your back?

The truth is, Aram couldn't. Despite everything he still felt responsible for those people, he couldn't lose anyone else. Especially after his revenge on the pack, in which all the werewolves in the region were just waiting for an opportunity to attack a Lycan, or an entire village of them. When the winter was over he would decide what to do, but until then the uncle was right, he needed to react.

- I have something else to tell you. - Said the elder approaching him more, and putting a hand on his shoulder. - You know you must support the clan to deal with the harsh winter to regain your morale with them. I know a way for you to achieve that. A female member of the pack you're chasing was found wandering in the woods a few days ago, she said she was the only one left. A group of werewolves are in her possession, they would like to give her to you in exchange for a truce between the clans.

I advise you to take her as your wife, you need an heir, and a hybrid would eventually become a very powerful Alpha. The council approves this decision and thinks it is the best to do, your revenge was bloody Aram, If something does not end it, much innocent blood will be shed.

For the first time he lifted his eyes from the glass and stared at the older man with a contained fury in his eyes.

- Uncle, how can you even mention such a thing? I want this female, yes, but to destroy her as I did with the rest of the pack. I could never marry her.

- Don't be naive, she's just a girl. Just recently turned eighteen, she has nothing to do with the wolves who did that horrible thing. They made sure she's harmless, just unlucky to be born into the wrong family.

- Eighteen? But she's little more than a child, I'm already thirty-two!

Aram didn't want another wife, even less one who was little more than a girl. His promised one had died, there was nothing left for him in life. And the idea of marrying a werewolf, even more someone who belonged to the Boram clan, caused him nausea. He couldn't live with himself if he did that, he couldn't look in the mirror and respect himself.

However, the uncle was emphatic that he needed to retake his place and his power, he owed it to the people, the elders were already considering inciting a dispute for a new Alpha. Deaths would happen, at best many would leave the place for a very dangerous journey. He could no longer carry blood on his back.

He reflected that, at the moment, it would be best to accept the offer and make her his companion. He needed to remember that he was the mirror of the clan and everything depended on him. That union would add power to them, and he could subdue a she-wolf, showing that the Lycans were definitely more powerful, making her pay in several ways for what her pack had taken from him. He drank the rest of the drink that was in the glass in just one sip and poured more, which he also ingested from a single sip.

- All right, I'll do it. But I don't know if the pack's gonna like it, I think this girl's gonna have a hard time around here. I don't have much patience with children.

The uncle smiled, relieved that he accepted the offer, that was the first step to retake control of everything.

- We're counting on it, the idea is that she finds out fast why she's here. I count on you to let her know every day, how superior we Lycans are at everything and hope she learns fast that her situation here is subservience. You can be sure, it's just her walking down the street that people won't let her forget. You made the right decision Aram, you can finish your revenge and we'll have our trophy. But please go take a shower and change, just as you look more like a beggar than the great Alpha I know you to be.

The elderly man finished speaking and withdrew, leaving him again alone with his much appreciated silence. Apparently those moments were about to end, very soon he would be a married man again, but this time not with the love of his life, but with a youthful she-wolf. The girl couldn't have picked a worse time to show up, soon she'd figure it out on her own.

The girl arrived in the village one week after the agreement between Lycan and werewolves was signed. Aram sent his betas who had better training in combat to go get her, he was still not sure that the agreement was not some trap.

She was handed over to them halfway that connected the villages, right in the middle of the forest. Szafir was Aram's beta of trust, they had fought several battles and built together a stability for the clan. The friend was a wolf of honor, whom he could trust. If it was really a trap, he was the right person to identify and neutralize the attack.

However, everything went smoothly. When the group of Betas arrived at the indicated place to pick up the girl, their leader, Szafir, was very impressed with the aspect of the female that would be the new Luna of the pack. She really looked pretty young and scared, it was obvious she wasn't a welcome guest in that werewolf pack. She had her hands and feet tied and her mouth gagged.That seemed a little exaggerated, given the fragile constitution of the female. She went from one group to the other without contesting, just kept her head down. The werewolf leader warned them by handing her over:

- Good luck to you. I suggest you don't untie her, she'll try to escape at the first opportunity.

Szafir thought it best not to answer, doing business or making deals with four-legged wolves was never beneficial, just nodded to the other group and started their way back to their village. They had gone by car to the forest entrance point, and then followed the trail on foot. The female walked with difficulty with her legs tied, he realized that it was already causing wounds in her ankles for some blood dripping from them. Without warning, he bent down and cut the ties of her feet which frightened her by the abruptness of his movement.

- We'll go faster if you don't have it, but don't even dream of trying to escape. I wouldn't need two steps to reach you, or two seconds to shoot you.

She didn't raise her head at any time to face him, only silently agreed and continued to follow the path indicated to her.

Aram waited, a little impatiently, for the group to arrive, those would be his last moments of peace. The week before, he asked to make preparations for the wedding ceremony, it was painful to do all that again after having already married the female who wanted to share life. He tried to get involved as little as possible, let the priestess and women do whatever they wanted and gave himself up to the drinking for a few more days.

When Szafir got the girl out of the car, Aram thought so, the situation could always get worse. She was very different from anything he had imagined, looked very young, but they had guaranteed that she had already turned eighteen. She had pale skin and a fragile constitution. Her hair was impressive when first seen, of a grayish tone, as if reflecting the moonlight. Her name was Lucine, his uncle had mentioned.

After the hair, the second thing Aram noticed was that she had her hands tied, barefoot and gagged. She looked confused and frightened, looked around quickly and lowered her head again, as she was guided to the front of his house. She was very dirty and her clothes were in tatters.

He walked to the group that brought her and went directly to Szafir.

- What does this mean? Why is she tied up and in these conditions?

He said indicating Lucine.

- They handed her over to us like this, advised us not to untie so I think it's best to keep your eyes on her. Well, the package is delivered. - He gave her a slight push toward his Alpha and was moving away - See you tonight at the wedding, if you need anything call me, and good luck my friend.

Szafir and the other Betas withdrew and Aram approached the female leading her into the house to get her out of prying eyes. The

clothes that the women prepared for the wedding were already ready, she'd need a long bath to get all those layers of dirt out.

When he entered, he closed the door behind him, she was standing motionless in the middle of the small hut room. He needed a moment to control his nerves, the whole situation was suffocating.

- They told me your name is Lucine, do you know who I am?

Lucine nodded and kept quiet with her gaze nailed to the ground.

- So you know your clan owes me a debt of blood. Apart from the fact that I made a deal for you to be handed to me, according to the ancient laws I have the right to claim a female from your pack, due to the offense that was made to me.

She kept still silent with her gaze low.

Ela seguia em silêncio com o olhar baixo.

- As you were the only one left, things ended up taking that turn.I want you to know that I don't want this union, I even abhor it. But being the Alpha of the pack I more than anyone need to follow the ancient traditions. If they took away a wife from me, I must claim another. The way you got here I must understand that you came against your will, but I must warn you, trying to escape will not help. I got eyes and ears everywhere, this is more than a village, it's a fortress. While you're under my protection, you don't have to worry about being hurt or mistreated as long as you act properly. If this marriage doesn't happen, among other things, I'm going to have to kill you and I don't want the death of a child behind my back.

She raised her eyes, which were amber color, for the first time, Aram saw in them a mixture of pain, fear and fury.

- And I can bet I won't want to know what happens if I don't behave right! - She said in a weak but challenging tone.

He walked to one of the couches, sat down and rubbed his head impatiently.

- Look, girl, I assure you, I don't want this situation as much as you do. But here we are, the two with no way out. If I don't marry you my clan will be threatened in many ways, and your future, well, I don't believe it lasts more than a week beyond our borders.

- You might be surprised. - she said enigmatically.

He ignored her comment and kept talking.

- What I suggest is that we just go with the whole circus, and let things calm down. You need to cooperate and keep as discreet as possible, because the people around here are not very fan of four-legged wolves. Honestly, it is better for you not to create problems, here you will have a roof and food. You can recover yourself and create some flesh on your bones. And rest assured, I have no intention of this marriage being real. I wouldn't force you to do anything, you can sleep on the couch quietly without waiting for me to attack you. But I need confirmation from you that things will work this way, that you won't create problems and turn my life into an even bigger hell than it already is!

The girl pondered for a while what he had said, as if weighing the pros and cons, which was ridiculous, given the options he had given her. In fact, at the time she had no other alternative, it was better to stay calm and focused. Even if she succeeded in trying to escape, that male was right when he said she wouldn't get far. She was weak, tired and poorly fed, she needed to regain her strength and study the place to think of an escape strategy. Given that, she had no choice but to agree.

- I'm not going to cause any trouble, you need to untie me, after all I'm going to get ready for a wedding.

He evaluated her for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to trust her, but he had no other option, after all he could not leave her tied up forever. He let her go and indicated the bathroom in the room for her to wash, and warned her that the clothes were on the bed.

Lucine was a wolf of the Boram pack, the almost extinct Boram pack, a bunch of rogue and cruel rascals, including her parents. She would never forget the day they cornered that female, what they did to her was cruel, and all that just because she was from the Lycans clan.

Their leader had hunted them down and finished off almost everyone, only two gammas, Lionel and Ralf had managed to escape taking Lucine with them. She had lived only as a burden to the pack, for she did not share their ambitions. Her parents only thought of the damn war, about acquiring power, money and applying blows.

The night the Alpha Lycan killed them all, the Gammas took her and could do with her what they always wanted, they took revenge the way they were treated by the Alphas and Betas of the pack.They put her to do all kinds of work at the hideout, in the months they held her captive, until Lionel decided he needed a female, and that he was good enough to have an alpha.

Ralf at first was reticent, doubting whether it would bring them any more trouble. But the days passed and no one went looking for them, soon began to feel comfortable to do what they wanted with Lucine. Her parents had kept her virginity as a bargaining chip, for some bargaining in the future. This only made the whole experience more terrible, the months she was at their disposal.

She lived as a prisoner, they kept her almost always tied up and at the mercy of their abuses. Until one day she managed to free herself while they slept, she was lucky enough to take a knife and kill them without them waking up. As her parents were the Alpha and Luna of the pack, when she killed Lionel and Ralf, something happened to her. Lucine felt a great wave of power go through her body, an energy that she couldn't contain and transformed herself, even though it was not a full moon night.

Lucine was a gray wolf, her fur was a tone similar to that of her hair, everyone said. When she transmuted back to human form she remembered the ancient legends, she had murdered the last two members of her clan, and with that, had become a supreme Alpha wolf.

The supremes were the most powerful Alphas of all, possessed incomparable strength, agility and speed, even without being transformed into a wolf. When well trained, it was said that they could transform even without the full moon. In animal form, they maintained human consciousness, and were able to articulate rational actions and attitudes.

She wasn't yet at this stage, had managed to transform herself only once and had been involuntary. She believed that time and practice would bring her dominion over this power, that's why she needed to stay calm, and stay alive, to be able to evolve and to dominate the power of the supreme Alpha.

She went in the direction of the room that the male had indicated and saw on the bed the robes she was supposed to wear at the wedding ceremony. She looked in the mirror when entering the bathroom, her appearance as she had imagined was deplorable. She didn't remember how many days had passed since she had bathed and changed clothes for the last time. The gamma brothers were not big fans of personal hygiene, needed to beg them to release her to take a shower.

Undressed and opened the shower, the hot water fell as a blessing on the aching and tired body. The whole body was covered in injuries, the ankles were worse, there were wounds over scars, due to the time he spent on the restraints. When she ran from their hiding place, wandered aimlessly seeking salvation, until she was found by those werewolves. While she was in their domain, they kept her locked up in a basement all week.

She had to wait for them to decide what they would do with her until that morning when they took her up and warned her that they had given her as a gift to the Alpha who was hunting her pack. Lucine was sure she was going to certain death, that idea of marriage had been quite a surprise. Not that this was really better than death, due to the experience she had with males, she would rather die than be with some.

However, something in the tone of that Alpha's voice made her believe that he didn't really want her as a female. In his eyes, she saw sadness and genuine disgust when he looked at her. In fact, for a few moments she thought he almost looked as victim as herself.

She tried to push that idea away, needed to focus on his goal and stay firm. She washed her hair and body well, but no matter how much she was rubbing herself, she could not get rid of the dirt she had been exposed to. What the damn gammas had done to her was something she could never get rid of. Not all the soap and water in the world would make her clean again.

When she thought it was enough, she got dressed and detangled her hair with a comb she found in the bathroom.

Aram was waiting for her in the living room, had left her clothes in the kitchen, and had changed his clothes quickly.

Among the Lycans the union can be combined between the families or spontaneous between the couple, as long as there are no moral impediments. They usually marry between the Alfas, Betas and Ômega castes. The ceremony is blessed by the Goddess Moon, the greater divinity of wolves, and ruled by a priestess of the religion.

Marriages could also be held in retribution. If someone offends someone, that person has the right to acquire a woman as payment of the debt of honor. As well, if someone saved the life of one member of your clan, or another, could claim a female of this family.

Marriages were for life and the male had a duty to maintain and protect his wife, build a home and treat her with honor. The partners should be faithful to each other, cases of adultery were taken to the council and the Alpha, who would decide the punishment. This could be some punishment, banishment and, in ancient customs, even death.

When love arose between two wolves spontaneously and genuinely, they were said to be companions destined by the Goddess Moon, since before their birth.

First the wedding should be agreed, then the ritual of coffee was performed, in which the groom should drink a whole cup of coffee, seasoned with salt by the bride, in front of as many people as possible, as proof of his real interest and that he was willing to do anything for that female.

Aram led Lucine to the front of the house, and there was already a small crowd. A woman handed him the cup of coffee, and the salt to Lucine, who was instructed to season the drink. She had heard of this ancient custom, but had never seen it. She was surprised how the groom managed to drink the coffee so quickly, given the amount of salt she had put in it.

Then a great banquet was prepared, each member of the clan donated what was available for the party, which was always grand. The priestess gathered the bride and groom, right in the center of the circle of tables, where the food and guests were, made them stand right in front of her and started the ceremony. As usual, she blessed them with reverence and prayers to the Goddess Moon and other of her ancestral goddesses, the Goddess of love and the Goddess of fertility.

For Lucine, that was a very exaggerated spectacle, it was strange how the Lycans had stopped in time, following traditions and customs that the Werewolves had long since abandoned. That whole village seemed to belong to another time, the way people treated each other was different from everything she had ever known. She remained silent the whole time, just watching everything around her.

It came to be funny how each of the guests seemed not to want to be there, they performed everything mechanically, there was no joy or excitement that a party asked for. The groom himself, she noticed, appeared to be in a funeral ritual. She also noticed several looks of contempt and disapproval in her direction, apparently her husband Aram, as they called him, had spoken very seriously about her being hated by everyone.

At the end of the celebration they received the greetings of all and withdrew to the second most important part of the ceremony, the consummation of the union.