Chapter 8

Xenon followed Rayena as they made their way back to the harem, his hands clasped behind his back, strides slow so she could catch up. As they walked, she talked, not caring if he responded to her or not.

She went from complimenting the layout of the gardens they had encountered to complaining about not meeting the king of the realm ever since she arrived. From her tone, she seemed quite displeased about it since he was the reason why she was here in the first place.

You're walking with him... he thought to himself as he listened to her ramble but never admitted it out loud.

"If you wanted to see him so badly..." he began slowly, his voice low and even, "why didn't you follow the rest of the women when they applied to serve the king? I'm sure you would have caught a glimpse of him then." He muttered, glancing at her.

"Well..." She started and cut herself short. Taking a deep breath, she continued more heatedly. "Well, that's because I'm still healing. I didn't think I was compatible for what he wanted to use us for."

He looked down at her, watching her movements. She seemed fine to him. He wondered if she was lying.

Then she folded her hands, blowing out a breath. "Anyway, why didn't he call on me when I first arrived? I was fine then!" she argued. Xenon pursed his lips, sighing.

Huffing, she rushed forward. "That doesn't matter again. I don't think I want to see him anymore."

Xenon was taken aback, but she wasn't done talking. "I'll just keep my head down and try not to attract trouble now that I'm here. It seems to be the best course of action."

Xenon rolled his eyes, swallowing down a scoff. Keeping her head down indeed.

"We're here," he announced suddenly, pausing his steps.

"Hmm?" Rayena asked, looking up at him. He gestured forward. She turned her head. "Oh, there's the harem!" Hitting his arm playfully, she chuckled. "You did know the way back! Thank you for helping me out! See you around, Lylall!"

Without waiting for an answer, she raced forward, only to turn around and wave at him, a huge smile on her face. He watched the wind blow her hair around, the setting sun’s rays shining against her face, giving her a resplendent shine. She turned back around, sprinting towards the harem.

He scoffed, turned back, and made his way to the main palace. Then froze as realization settled. He wasn't disgusted in her presence. On the contrary, he enjoyed it.

He glanced at the hand she shook, then slowly brought it to his nose, sniffing it. Her scent was there... and it was pleasant too.

That was strange. Baffling even.

Xenon noticed a figure rushing towards him, and when he looked, he saw it was Morvan

"Your Majesty!" he called out, his voice breathless. "I've been looking all over for you. Where did you go and why are you dressed this way?"

Xenon let his hair down, running his hand through it to try and smooth it. "I was feeling suffocated, so I pulled off my clothes and went on a walk."

When Morvan narrowed his eyes at him, he added, "I didn't lose control, so don't worry."

Morvan checked for confirmation before nodding. "Well, I heard you haven't been pleased with the women we introduced to you. Well, there are still more waiting for you to check out, so we should go back—"

"There's more!?" Xenon looked horrified.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"How many women are in the harem?!"

"A lot more than you realize. Please, come. It's getting late and we still haven't found one you're compatible with. And if there aren't in this batch, we'll move on to the next."

I think I've already found her, Xenon thought as he looked back. Rayena was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she was inside already.

"Is anything the matter, Your Majesty?" Morvan asked. Xenon stared ahead and glanced at his right hand, his brows furrowed. Balling it into a fist, he glanced at Morvan and shook his head.

"Let's go..." he groaned, moving forward. Mavron stared at the king as he walked before following behind him.

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It was late at night when the women who had gone to see the king returned to the palace, their expressions filled with disappointment. The king had been dissatisfied with all of them, and eventually, nobody was picked to spend the night with him. Soraya, who was part of the crowd, left to go and see Rayena, who had come out of her room to watch the returning crowd.

"What happened?" she asked when Soraya was close enough to hear her.

"Oh, nothing. The king wasn't pleased with any of us, so we were dismissed."

Rayena grew troubled. "It was that serious?"

"Yes. That doesn't matter to me, though. I didn't apply for that reason."

"I thought you said you wanted to see your crush. Was that not the king you were talking about?"

Soraya immediately shook her head. "Oh no, it's not. I was talking about his second commander, General Morvan—or what do they call him again? The one who carried you in the night you were attacked by the wolf? That one."

Rayena's eyes widened as she remembered, her lips parting in shock. Soraya misread her reaction and beamed. "He's a rather dashing young man, don't you think? He's so dreamy... I could spend hours just looking at him."

"That one?" Rayena squeaked. "He's terrifying. He was too mean to me when he came to take me from my parents. Even after I was saved from that beast, you should have seen the way he yelled at me!"

Soraya dismissed her with a wave of her hands. "He just acts that way in the beginning. He's really sweet. Our meet-cutes were always so endearing." Soraya's eyes turned glossy as she remembered their private accidental moments in the past. Rayena looked at her in shock. They couldn't possibly be talking about the same person.

"Anyway, enough about me. How have you been? Did you enjoy the silence?"

"Oh, I grew bored of it quickly, so I went out on a walk," Rayena said as they started their way to Soraya's room.

"Really? I thought you said you weren't stepping out of the harem anymore?"

"Well, I couldn't stand the silence. And I've been cramped in that room for days now. It was needed. Unlike everyone else, I've not gotten used to this lifestyle yet," she complained, and Soraya clicked her tongue, giggling afterward.

"Also, I met someone too," Rayena muttered quietly, but Soraya heard and froze, looking back at her.

"Um, who did you meet?"

"A male. His name was Lylall. He helped me back to the harem when I got lost," Rayena explained. Soraya mulled it over. The name sounded strangely familiar, yet she didn't know anyone by it.

"Well, I'm happy you had someone to help you return to the harem. If a guard had caught you wandering that far, there would have been consequences."

"I was glad too." With a wistful sigh, she added, "I hope to see him again sometime soon."

It was Soraya's turn to grow shocked, seeing the expression on Rayena's face. She chuckled afterward, shaking her head.

Well, she was happy for her friend.

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Days passed, but no matter how many times Rayena tried, she didn't see Lylall again. She even tried asking around for him, but strangely, nobody knew anyone with that name. Even the guards. That had her baffled.

Sometimes, she tried sneaking back to the place where she first met him but didn't have the bravery to go that far, not wanting to be caught by soldiers who were on patrol. What was even stranger was how he consumed her thoughts. They only met once—why was she so affected by it? Giving up on the urge, she tried to lead her mundane life when Soraya came with news.

They were in her room, having dinner together when she spoke up. "Rayena?" Soraya called out, popping a plum into her mouth.

"Hmm?" the latter answered, food in her mouth.

"I won't be around tomorrow."

Rayena stiffened, swallowing the food in her mouth. "Why?"

"Well, the full moon is tomorrow night, and being a female werewolf, the night will trigger my heat. I and other female werewolves need to be out and with a male to scale through the night and take my heat."

Rayena seemed confused. "Heat? What's that?"

At her question, Soraya began to explain the mechanics of heat sex to her. "On the day of the full moon, our wolf side becomes stronger, its instincts overpowering us. It's usually when I crave sex the most and go into heat, so it helps if I have a male by my side to help me through it."

"Oh..." Rayena muttered in understanding. "But how do you get the male? I'm guessing it's not just anyone, right?"

"Well," Soraya clasped her hands in front of her, clearing her throat. "I already have one who helps me in moments like this, but it would require me to leave the harem as well as other female werewolves."

At her explanation, Rayena felt sorry for her while also simultaneously being glad she didn't have to deal with that. She couldn't imagine how troubling it would be. The life of shifters seemed more arduous than she originally thought. "Aren't there any other alternatives?" she blurted out.

"The best one would be me finding my destined mate, but those are incredibly rare. Others include placing myself on suppressants or getting bonded with a male that is compatible with me. Unfortunately, the other options are impossible because, like you, I'm promised to the king, and we're not allowed to be on suppressants. So this is the provision the king has given us to take care of ourselves."

"If... you weren't promised, who would you like to be bonded with?"

"General Morvan, my crush!" Soraya said without missing a beat. "I've liked him for the longest time, but even that is impossible too."

"Again, why?!" Rayena had grown exasperated. Soraya gave a sad smile.

"Unions between werewolves and weretigers are forbidden. General Morvan is a—"

"Weretiger," Rayena finished for her. Soraya nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"The king too," Soraya added, popping another fruit in her mouth.

"Oh, so they don't get affected by the full moons?"

"No, weretigers aren't governed by the moon. As far as I know, the males don't go into ruts, and their females follow a different heat cycle, which is different from ours."

"I'm sorry..." Rayena mumbled, smiling softly at her.

"It's okay, I've made peace with it a long time ago," Soraya said, picking up her fork, but the food in front of her didn't seem too appetizing anymore. And her gaze was swimming too. She wondered why as she blinked back tears.

"So, you won't be around tomorrow?" Rayena asked, and she nodded. "I'll miss you," she confessed.

"I'll miss you too. But you'll be fine. It's just for one night. I should be back the day after."

"What happens to the rest of us who aren't going into heats or ruts?"

"I am aware they share scent suppressants during nights like this. It's so that horny male werewolves stuck in a rut don't catch your scent and come around. Security is heightened too. But rest assured, you'll be provided for during the period so you don't have to worry."

"That's reassuring." Rayena perked up. "Can I spend the night with you tonight since you won't be around tomorrow?"

"Of course! I need the company!" Soraya said with a giggle. Rayena joined in. They finished with their dinner and retired to bed together, snuggling close to each other. Rayena noticed Soraya was being extra touchy tonight but quickly concluded it must be the effects of the full moon already underway. She picked up the novel she brought into the room with her and began reading with the help of the small candle she had lighted beside her.

"You're reading a book?" Soraya asked, and Rayena glanced at her.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorite things to do before I go to bed. Do you like reading too?"

"Nah, not really. A run in the woods in my wolf form sounds more ideal."

Rayena chuckled at that. "That doesn't sound too bad. But this story is really good, and I want to know what happens in the end."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"Okay..." Rayena said, adjusting herself on the bed. "The story goes like this..." She began to speak, recounting the story from the beginning. By the time she'd reached halfway, Soraya had fallen asleep, her breathing soft.

Rayena smiled, pushing back Soraya's hair from her face. "Get the rest you need. Tomorrow seems like a long day for you," she whispered into the darkness. Scooting closer to the bedside drawer, she blew out the candle, placed the book on the table, and tucked herself in. Letting out a soft breath, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her away.

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The next day, Soraya and a group of other women got ready to leave the harem in preparation for the full moon, and after they departed, it grew silent. The ones left behind immediately retreated to their rooms, and once the time came, food was brought to them as well as a vial of scent suppressants, just like Soraya had explained.

"Two pills are sufficient to last the entire day. It should only be used if you have to go out while the full moon is in effect. Otherwise, you're best advised to stay indoors on this day so the male werewolves don't detect you and try to mate with you," the maid explained.

Rayena nodded her head in understanding, and the maid left after giving her instructions. Rayena used the scent suppressants and ate her food. She tried to pass the time by reading books and doing some embroidery, but her thoughts soon grew consumed by Lylall.

She wondered if he was a werewolf. If he was, would he be busy with a woman on a night like this? For some reason, the thought made her uncomfortable, and she immediately shut her mind to it. Even if he was, wasn't it normal for their kind? Why was she bothered about it?

Still, she hoped he was a weretiger. Then, he wouldn't be affected on a night like this, and she could breathe easily. The day crawled by, and eventually, it was night. The full moon stood in all its glory at the center of the sky, spreading its silver rays on everything it could touch. Howls of all kinds filled the air, occasionally punctuated by growls.

Amidst the ruckus were other sounds she didn't want to name. Rayena was sure if she strained her ears hard enough, she could pick up sounds of them mating. The howls just kept coming.

So. Much. Howling. Would it be like this every full moon!?

"Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into?" she mumbled in frustration, trying to cover her ears. Her thoughts drifted to Lylall once more. There was that inexplicable desire to see him again. Maybe she should try.

On a night like this? Is she crazy? Hasn't the last wolf attack on her taught her any lesson?

I won't meet any crazy wolves. I just want to see Lylall. If I don't find him, I'll return back to the harem.

Rayena eventually slipped out of the bed, got dressed, and snuck out of her room, taking the path she had once followed when she first found him.

With the full moon brighter than usual, her steps were quicker, and she even felt lighter on her feet. She reached a spot and stopped, looking back at how far she'd gone. Any further and she was bound to get lost. She didn't want that.

So she waited. And waited. And waited.

Searching for him, hoping he would come out. Praying he would come her way again. Time passed, and it started to seem like it wouldn't happen. Rayena's hope deflated. Right as she was about to give up, a male figure walked out in the distance, moving forward. She recognized it.