Chapter 1
Txälina
My brother held out the dress for me. "This will fit you. Go on. Feel it."
The gown was made of long royal blue silk. When I touched it, it slipped through my fingers, feeling soft. The shoulders were off-shoulder, made with gold thread and tiny rhinestones. I couldn't recall wearing anything so exquisite. But upon remembering what day it is, I pulled my hand back.
"It's beautiful," my brother, Kaluen said. He was in a good mood today. I smiled back at him.
"The color will suit your rich brown skin. The maids will adorn you with a beautiful wreath, something fitting for a true bride."
A true bride, I thought.
I said nothing to ruin his mood.
Kaluen smiled, handing the gown to the servant woman who stood behind him.
He turned to the maids. "Be sure to make her look clean and adorable for the Beta." Then he turned to me, a small frown forming on his face.
"Stand straight." I stood tall.
"Smile." I smiled.
He smiled back at me.
"Good. You are beautiful, Txälina," he said. "I want Beta Mätxin to see your beauty. He spent enough on you. If you fail me, you'll wake the beast in me, and you don't want to do that, do you?"
He grabbed my neck when I didn't respond. "Do you?"
"No." I shook my head.
"Good." He turned around and walked out of the room.
When he was gone, I sat down on the bed quietly. I could hear the sound of men marching for training. I wished the women of Säli pack (Moon pack) were treated kindly. But I knew they would never be treated the same as they were many years ago.
They say women in those days were fierce warriors. They fought battles, ruled Säli pack and controlled immense powers, all thank to the moon goddess, Säli, blessing us.
But soon, the men grew jealous. They couldn't stand that the women surpassed them in everything. So they rose and with the help of other packs, they defeated us, turning us into slaves. Because of the power Säli women held, our beasts were dangerous during the full moon.
We turned into wild creatures. To stop that, they fed us with wolfsbane, and force us into dark ritual at a very young age, one that ripped the wolves out of us.
Women were not allowed to fight, or rule, or do anything. We were forced into slavery, turned into breeding mates. If we ever gave birth to a male child, the babe would be ripped from us at birth. Male cubs were taken to war camp and trained to become powerful warriors. The men feared that if young male cubs grew up with their mothers, they would form strong bonds, and one day rise to free the women from slavery.
They fed them hate, and as they grew, they turned their backs on us. My brother was taken from my mother at an early age, and now, he looks at me with nothing but hate.
When I thought back to what happened four years ago, I shook my head. My son, too, was taken from me. They told me he was dead, but I knew better. He was in that camp, fed lies, awaiting the age to begin training. My eyes burned with tears at the thought of him, one day, looking at me the way my brother does. I named him Mälitu, hoping that one day we'd be reunited and flee from this place. But escaping was nearly impossible.
"The bath is ready," the maids said.
I stood up from the bed and turned around for them to help me out of my dress. The tub was filled with hot water, lathered with fragrance.
They scrubbed and waxed the hair from my skin. I didn't flinch. I liked the pain. It helped me not think about my marriage to the commander. It helped me not think about Mälitu, lost in the camp, with no memory of who his mother is.
The maid washed my long curly hair with soap and rubbed scented oils on it.
"Put on a smile, girl," one of the maids, an older woman with pale skin, said. "You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?"
I frowned.
"I'd walk through fire just to be near Beta Mätxin."
"They say he's very good in bed."
The maids laughed.
I gritted my teeth. "Good at raping women, you mean?"
Their smiles fell.
"If you're that desperate to be near him, then you are foolish."
I'd heard stories about Beta Mätxin, and they were all horrific. Stories of how he turned women into his breeding mates, forced his seed on them, relished in making them drink wolfsbane, and tortured them. He was the brother of the Alpha of Säli pack.
After the women finished applying perfume on my hair and skin, they dressed me in the royal blue gown.
"You look beautiful," the older woman said.
The doors flung open and Kaluen walked in, followed by his breeding mate. The young girl had been no more than fifteen when she was taken by my brother. She was beautiful, with brown-golden skin and golden eyes, like all Säli women had.
"Säli nuxi na," she greeted, bowing her head. (May the goddess bless you."
The once-skinny girl was now heavy with at least three cubs inside her. Having confirmed that all three were boys, Kaluen was overjoyed.
"You look skinny, Txälina," he said. "You'll wake the beast inside me if Mätxin ends up not liking you because you're too skinny to carry his offspring."
"All Säli women are built like this," a voice spoke, striding inside. My brother's close friend.
He smirked. "Would you rather she be built like a giant and end up killing Beta Mätxin in his sleep?"
Kaluen chuckled. "You're right. She is twenty years old, old enough to carry Mätxin's cubs."
When Kaluen grabbed my neck, turning me sideways, he frowned.
"Have some powder cover these bruises. It's her mating ceremony!"
…..
Inside the hall, Mätxin's name was announced as he walked in with his warriors. The men were tall with long black hair, some with blond and red.
Kaluen stood near me with his mate and friend, smiling.
"Isn't he beautiful? Once he claims you as his mate, you'll be under the protection of those two warriors, Wyänika and Txäkun. Two of the best Werewolf warriors in Säli pack."
I searched the room for Mälitu, but I couldn't find him. I turned to my brother.
"What about Mälitu? You promised me he'd be here during the ceremony. I can't find him."
Kaluen frowned deeply. "Are you testing me, little sister?"
"No, brother," I said, shaking my head. "I'm sorry."
I wanted to run back to my room. But I knew if I displeased Kaluen, I would never see my son again. The Beta was no less than forty years old. His skin was pale, and he had short blond hair.
"You also don't want to displease him. He has your son, you know that, and he can kill him."
"Yes," I said, tears stinging my eyes.
"Oh, here he comes. Now put a smile on your face and act like the obedient little mate you've been groomed to be."
I forced a smile as Mätxin approached.