LUNA: Alpha’s Soulmate from Another World

One Week Later

Luna groaned and slammed the dressing table before her to vent her anger. She was so frustrated and upset, not to mention her body ached and was sore due to the actions of that psychopathic Emperor. Since the incident in the library, Alkrevas had locked her in the chamber and did everything to her. He didn’t let her go, continuously satisfying his desires without end.

Luna could only rest when Alkrevas had to perform his duties as Emperor during meals and baths. Alkrevas didn’t miss the opportunity to touch her, which went on for a whole week.

Her forehead furrowed deeply. She suddenly remembered some information she had read in a book. Was Alkrevas experiencing a phase called a rut? The man had said that everything he was going through was part of her punishment, but from what she knew, all the signs Alkrevas showed pointed to that phase.

Alkrevas was more protective of her and growled at anyone who came near her. He was alert and didn’t let others interact with her, not even the servants, which was why Alkrevas himself served Luna amidst his busy schedule. He always came with food during meal times, ate together, bathed her, helped her dress, and accompanied her while working on documents from within the Emperor’s residence.

Of all these signs, the clearest ones were his sexual desires and protective behaviour. If it was confirmed that Alkrevas was experiencing a rut, what triggered him to go through it? From what she read, a rut is triggered by stress or a heat period. She wasn’t a female wolf, meaning she didn’t experience a heat period. If it was stress, what caused it? Was it her? Or something else?

On the bright side, Luna didn’t have to wear the cumbersome and annoying clothes, just simple and comfortable dresses. But the downside was she couldn’t move from the bed at times. Besides her sore and aching muscles, Alkrevas placed a transparent barrier magic on all doors, windows, and even the balcony, preventing her from escaping or doing anything reckless.

At first, Luna was furious and lashed out, knowing her movements and social interactions were limited. But slowly, she chose to restrain herself and said nothing. She would serve the man; after all, she still had to process the fact he asserted in the library about the mate bond between them, that she was his soulmate. Only now could she finally get out of bed, though with difficulty.

Luna didn’t want to accept it, even though the reality was right before her because she wasn’t from this world. However, interacting only with Alkrevas made her reconsider all the evidence Alkrevas showed her. He never missed reminding her that they were soulmates, engraving that fact in her head, even when they made love. Although she currently regarded Alkrevas as just her bedmate and nothing more, as a form of her stubbornness, her heart couldn’t lie. Her heart and soul were tempted to accept that Alkrevas implanted in her mind.

So, after a long enough time, Luna started accepting that fact, and here she was. Sitting in front of the dressing table, angry at herself for readily accepting such an irrational fact. Her eyes turned to the night sky, which was so clear after being shrouded in rain for the first time in a week.

Judging by the Moon’s position, it would soon be dinner time, and Alkrevas would come, pushing the dinner trolley for the two of them with a beaming face. The man seemed happy to have her confined. Luna snorted while looking around. She felt like a bird trapped in a luxurious golden cage.

Luna stood up and walked to the balcony. She wanted to stand in the middle of the balcony and look at the sky but couldn’t. Luna reached out to the balcony door and opened it. Still, when she tried to step out, the transparent barrier immediately activated, preventing her from stepping outside.

Luna had tried various ways to break through the barrier, but it didn’t work. So now she could only curse and hurl insults at the psychopathic Emperor who had confined her.

Luna slumped into the ottoman chair and buried her face in her hands. At this point, she had become nothing more than a toy to satisfy the Emperor’s lust and trapped in the damned Emperor’s bedroom to keep the secret from getting out. Her frustration and boredom could be alleviated if she were in her world, with the internet, streaming services, and her phone to ease her boredom. But here? She could only sit on the bed sofa, roll on the floor, or look out the window.

Luna snapped out of her reverie when she heard a knock on the door. Her eyes blinked in confusion, but she didn’t hesitate to permit whoever it was to enter. Luna felt her tension melt away when she saw Judith enter with two of her servants, smiling.

Luna needed human contact, and Alkrevas did not count. “Good evening, Luna. How are you?” Judith greeted warmly.

“I’m fine.” Luna glanced at the door and muttered uneasily.

“Sorry if I’m intrusive, but why are you here? Why not His Majesty?”

Because usually, that bastard comes. Their routine was quite simple.

Alkrevas would bring dinner, receive Luna’s insults and curses, force her to eat, clean himself, make love until dawn, rest, and have breakfast, and then Alkrevas would face Luna’s venting anger. He’d leave the room to get ready, return at lunchtime, do his work in the chamber under the guise of being Luna’s friend, go out to train, come back for tea, try to get close to Luna, then leave again for his duties as Emperor and Alpha, and return to the room with dinner. This had been happening for the past week, so she was surprised to see a change in this routine.

“Oh, it’s alright, Luna. I understand. You just finished experiencing your heat, so I understand if you prefer the Emperor’s presence.” What? Heat? Since when? What lies had that man told to justify imprisoning her?

Luna blinked and then realized the servants looked at her with envy, happiness, and joy. What the hell! Luna screamed in her mind.

She clenched her fists to control her anger and walked towards Judith. She wouldn’t correct the psychopathic Emperor’s lie, as trying to clarify the misunderstanding would be pointless when her body was covered in marks from their continuous lovemaking.

Luna forced a smile. “His Majesty is in a meeting with the domestic affairs staff responsible for organizing the festival.”

“Festival…?” Luna blinked momentarily before remembering Ghea’s words that the moonflower festival would be held soon. “Do you mean the moonflower festival?”

Judith nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, tonight is the final night of preparations. Tomorrow, the festival will begin.”

Luna stood up and ran to one of the windows facing Capital Mylonas. She mumbled as she saw the beautiful glittering lights beyond the palace walls.

“Preparations are complete, and tomorrow will be the beginning of a week full of happiness in Vasilos, Luna.” Luna smiled wryly. If she remained imprisoned in this chamber, she promised to find a way to kill that damned Emperor again.

“Do people perform any special traditions during the festival?”

“Usually, the day before the festival, merchants start setting up their stalls, and at night-like now-many residents gather in the halls, dancing together to welcome the festival.”

Luna widened her eyes in surprise, not believing that the day before the festival, Mylonas was already bustling with residents joyfully welcoming it. She imagined what was happening in the city centre now. Under beautifully decorated festival lights beneath a starry night sky illuminated by the Moon, everyone danced with joyous laughter. It must be enjoyable.

Suddenly, Luna wanted to experience being in that atmosphere, but what could she do when she was the personal prisoner of the psychopathic Emperor? She nodded to dispel the desire and asked Judith, “Why is it called the moonflower festival?”

Judith smiled slightly as she prepared dinner, helped by another servant. “In the past, the Vasilos Empire went through a dark time. A deadly plague spread. Werewolves couldn’t heal from the plague, and one by one, they died. Werewolves and other races, like fairies and vampires, were also affected. One day, an oracle residing in the temple received a message from the Moon Goddess that the plague could be cured by consuming the petals of the moonflower.”

“And then…?”

“The Emperor at that time, who was His Majesty’s great-great-grandfather, launched a major expedition, with many other kingdoms participating to find the flower.”

“So the flower was found?” Luna asked, confused.

Judith nodded. Luna saw that the servants had finished setting the table for dinner. She walked over and sat in the chair, her eyes watching Judith curiously as the woman’s story defied logic. Still, she had to remember that she was now in a supernatural world filled with magic and mythical creatures.

“Yes. The moonflower was found on Mount Pratha, located on a small island south of Rhodes, known for its dangers. Besides being inhabited by dark creatures like monsters, the path to the summit was deadly. The flower was the only one found. It took great effort for the expedition team to bring it down the mountain alive and undamaged.”

“Were there any conflicts over it? After all, it wasn’t just werewolves affected by the plague.”

“No. The flower was immediately taken to the Selena Temple and cultivated there because the temple stood on sacred ground and had crystal fragments from the Moon that were sacred.”

“And after that, the plague ended, and the moment was turned into a celebration,” Luna said softly. “Is the moonflower also a symbol of lovers?”

“Ah, about that… it’s just a tradition. Some say that the moonflower was a gift from the Moon Goddess to her cursed lover, and when the flower was in her lover’s hands, the curse was lifted, and the Moon Goddess lived happily with her lover. Others say that the moonflower was a gift from the God of Love to the Moon Goddess as an expression of his love for her.”

Judith helped Luna wash her hands while saying, “That’s why many soulmates or lovers place replicas of the moonflower into the river from the Mylonas bridge or the banks of the Fritz River.”

“What about during the festival?”

“It’s similar to other festivals, like celebrating the Vasilos Empire’s anniversary. However, everyone will pray to the Selena Temple on the last day and thank the Moon Goddess for her help.” Luna nodded and looked out the window. She longed to see the night preparations for the festival, but it seemed that wouldn’t come true.

“Thank you, Judith, for explaining it to me,” Judith responded with a smile and a nod, bowing respectfully. At that moment, she heard from the guard at the door that Alkrevas had returned and was on his way to the room.

All the servants immediately withdrew, leaving Luna alone. Shortly after, the door opened. Alkrevas appeared elegant and luxurious, embodying the most powerful man in Rhodes, the Emperor of a strong and prosperous superpower.

Alkrevas approached Luna, kissing the mark of his claim on her neck before kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly. A pleased rumble emanated from his chest, and Luna bit her lip to refrain from making a sarcastic comment. “How was your dinner? I’m sorry I was so busy I couldn’t join you.” Luna didn’t say anything.

“Norris said he misses you too,” Luna responded with a calm hum. “Don’t you want to greet your soulmate with a smile, little mate?”

“Why should I? I don’t need to be sweet to you.”

“Really? I planned to lift my magic from around the chamber, allowing you to explore the festival tomorrow. Still, you prefer staying in the room and serving me.”

Luna’s eye twitched with annoyance, but Alkrevas’ words were tempting. So she immediately forced a sweet smile at Alkrevas and murmured, “Welcome, Your Majesty. How was your work?”

“Oh? My Luna looks so beautiful when she smiles at me.” Luna rolled her eyes internally at Alkrevas’ murmur.

“Don’t you want to curse at me? Or hit me? Or try to drive me away this time?” Luna could detect the mocking tone in Alkrevas’ voice, as these were things she had been doing for the past week because he imprisoned her for unreasonable reasons.

Alkrevas walked to the sofa and sat in the middle. One hand rested on the sofa’s armrest while the other extended towards Luna. “Come here, my Luna. If you want to greet me, you must do so wholeheartedly. I am your soulmate; shouldn’t you welcome me with joy and love?”

I must restrain myself. I must hold back my emotions and anger towards that damned man, or he will take back his words, and I’ll be confined to the chamber during the festival. Luna thought to herself. I can vent my anger later. So Luna, be patient… be patient… I have to play smart this time. Please don’t show my anger in front of that psychopathic Emperor. Remember what you’re thinking? Now use him… use him, and then discard him. Isn’t that a good revenge? Luna thinned her lips.

Still thinking all these thoughts to calm her emotional turmoil, she began to learn from the past that attacking and resisting was futile. Especially after a week of interacting with Alkrevas, she realized he enjoyed seeing her rebellious attitude and wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Conquer me and make me submit? Hah! Who is that man? Not even her lover!

Luna pondered all this, unaware that Alkrevas was watching her with a sinister and mysterious smile.

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