CHAPTER FIVE

I sat in the back seat of a black car, my eyes fixed on the road as the car sped by.

The car smelled of flowers, ironic because there weren't any in here. My bags were in the trunk, and I was dressed in a blue dress, my blonde hair braided into pigtails.

I looked away from the road, and my eyes met the rearview mirror. My eyes were red with tears, and underneath them were eye bags.

It was afternoon. The sun was unfriendly, the trees waved as we drove past, and angry drivers honked at each other.

But all I could think of was the mystery man.

I shut my eyes and pictured him, his hair, his eyes, his nose. They were all magnificent.

His body, oh God, he was fit. He must work out.

My mind reeled to the time he kissed me. I could still feel his lips on my neck, his fingers on my body. I sucked in a deep breath. His fingers touching me down there seemed to change something within me.

I had never thought of a man like that before.

Nor had I ever craved one.

Even when I was given photos of people in an intimate position, it did nothing, but him...

Would my husband be that gentle with me?

Some part of me wished the man back at the attic would find me before the marriage and take me away.

But was I just hoping for something I could never have?

Sigh.

Soon, the car pulled up into a large compound. It was almost as tall as the sky. You could not see the beginning or the end. It was a large white compound with hundreds of maids walking in different directions.

In the middle was a large fountain. Water splashed out of it.

The driver parked the car amongst other cars in the garage, and I stepped down from it. As I walked out, three maids walked to us, their heads bowed. They were dressed in black dresses, and the hems of the dresses were white. Their hair was tied with white scarves.

"Welcome," they all greeted in unison, each bowing simultaneously.

Are they bowing for me?

It was something I never expected to experience. How would life be once I became Luna?

Some men moved to us and packed my bags out of the car. I looked to the driver as he walked to me, adjusting his grey suit. A smile formed on his wrinkled face.

"Welcome, ma'am. These maids will take you to your side of the mansion," he said.

I nodded.

The maids gestured for me to follow them, and I immediately obeyed. Soon, we walked through a door. It led to a large hall. Maids walked in different directions, some carrying trays in their hands, others carrying baskets.

We walked upstairs, our legs making gentle thuds on the wooden floor until we reached a large bedroom. There was a maid fixing the bed. She looked up when she saw us and instantly smiled at me, almost as if we had met before. The smile looked familiar.

"This is Selene," one of the maids who led me in finally said. "She will be your personal maid. If you need more maids, you can send for us, but Selene will be here at all times," she explained.

I turned to face the maids. "Thank you."

They all bowed and turned away to leave. They shut the door behind them. I sucked in a deep breath and turned back to face Selene.

"Hi."

She adjusted her dress and walked to me, her brown eyes fixed on me in wonder.

"So you are the Luna," her voice was soft.

"Well, not yet, until we get married tonight," I said. My eyes scanned the place. The bedroom looked like three of the one I had before, unless now it's one. The room smelled of wood and something else I couldn't quite place.

"Still amazing," she smiled.

I looked at her. "Have you met the King?"

She nodded, her hands clasped before her.

"What is he like?" I asked. My curiosity was evident in my voice.

"Oh, it depends on his mood. He is brave, wise. He is harsh when he needs to be and calm as well when he needs to be," she said.

I nodded, but I needed more information. Wasn't everyone like that?

"And...?" I asked. "Tell me more."

Her eyes moved. "That's it."

I sighed and moved to sit on the bed. I had never had a bed so soft in my entire life. It felt unreal.

Selene moved to a chair and picked up a red dress. She held it up, and I opened my mouth in awe. It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It had golden threads embroidered all over it.

It was a royal wedding dress.

"You should try it on before tonight so that I can let the seamstress know that it fits," she said.

I nodded and moved to grab the dress. It was heavy because of the layers upon layers of fabric underneath it. Selene turned around and waited for me to put it on. I took off my clothes and placed them on the bed.

Then I slid on the wedding dress.

"Can you help me zip it up?" I asked her.

She turned around and walked to me, her hands on the back of my dress. She zipped it up. I sucked in a deep breath as the dress hugged me tightly. I walked to stand in front of a mirror in the room. The dress was even more magnificent on me, and it fit perfectly.

I ran my hands across my curves.

"Wow," I said.

"You look amazing, ma'am," she said.

I looked at her. "You can call me Lyra."

She quickly shook her head.

"It's forbidden for a maid to call the Luna or any member of the royal family by their first name. I could get punished," she explained.

"Oh, then you can do that when we are alone," I insisted. In a large house where nobody was my friend, the only person who would be around me all the time ought to at least not see me as a queen, but as me.

She nodded.

"Yes... Lyra."

I touched my hair. The pigtails had hair sticking out of them. They obviously needed to be rebraided. As my mouth opened to speak, the door suddenly flung open with a loud bang.

I gasped and spun around. A girl dressed in a black dress walked in. Her brown hair was up in a neat bun. It had jewelry arranged around it.

My eyes scanned her. Her eyes were brown and daring. The little smirk on the corner of her mouth as she gave me a condescending look made me take a step back.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She scoffed.

"Who am I?" She lifted her chin with pride before she continued, "The Alpha King's...."

Her words froze on her tongue.

Why did she stop?

What is she?

I looked to Selene, who had her head bowed to the lady. I could see her fingers trembling slightly

Was she scared of this lady in the black dress?