CHAPTER TWO

I lifted him up and helped him sit against a tree.

*If only I had just slept by the river instead of looking for a soft place.*

His head flung back against the tree, his teeth clenched tight. He let out a pained groan.

I couldn’t see clearly. Nerrissa didn’t let me touch the torches in the house, not even a lamp. I could only use candles, and they were back at home.

I quickly reached for his shirt and unbuttoned it. The wound on his body was a claw mark. It seemed he had been in a fight with a werewolf.

I looked behind me, squinting to see if I could find the herbs I used on myself when I got hurt. There was no way I could get my hands on real medicine. I couldn’t afford it when I had never had money of my own.

My eyes soon adjusted to the darkness and now I could see better. I tried to stand, but his hand grabbed mine again. I looked back at him, watching as he struggled to breathe.

“Please… don’t leave me,” he begged.

I shook my head. “I’m going to get herbs.” I pushed his hand away from mine and rushed to pluck them.

Soon I returned, twisting them in my hands to force the liquid out. I pressed it against his wound. A loud cry escaped his lips. He grabbed my dress for support, growling like he was about to transform into a beast.

I removed the scarf around my neck and wrapped it around the bleeding area. By the time I was done, he was unconscious.

I didn’t panic since I could still hear him breathing.

My eyes scanned him, wondering where he had come from and why he was all alone in the woods.

I stood up and moved to sit against another tree. My whole body had weakened at this point. I didn’t realize when I had fallen asleep, but the harsh sun against my face that morning woke me up.

I blinked as I woke up. The loud sound of birds chirping in the sky filled the place. I looked to my left and saw the man still unconscious. I quickly moved to him to make sure he was still breathing. Thankfully, he was.

Under the morning sun, I could finally see him clearly. His hair was black with waves in it. It was messy but still sat on his forehead.

His lips were red, and his chest heaved gently as he breathed. Did I just save a life?

I looked at my bloody body. There was no way I would be able to explain this back home. I stood and walked to the river. Even though it was cold, I got in and washed the blood off me.

I hung my old clothes on the bark of a tree and dressed up in one of the clothes I had washed. As I finished, I stepped out from behind the large tree I had changed in and walked to grab my basket.

I looked to the side. The man was still unconscious. Should I wake him up?

No. What if he was a dangerous person and tried to hurt me?

My head reeled with thoughts as I watched him. Finally, I decided to leave without informing him. After trekking a long distance, I finally arrived home. I went straight to work and started folding the clothes into the wardrobes.

“Good, you are back,” Nerrissa said as I folded hers into the wardrobe.

I turned to face her. She had changed into clean clothes and her brown hair now hung down the sides of her face, her hands clasped before her.

“When you finish, come to me. I have been asked by your father to teach you the proper way to be a Luna,” she said.

She didn’t even bother to ask how I was or where I slept last night?

I finished folding the clothes, my feet making gentle thuds as I walked through the hallway, i went downstairs. I found Nerrissa in the dining area. She gestured to a seat beside her and I sat down.

“As our future Luna, you understand that it is your duty to bear an heir for the throne.”

I blinked. I hadn’t thought of that, but I still nodded. “Yes.”

She grabbed a few pages of paper from the table and handed them to me. I took them and my heart dropped as I gazed at the contents. There were drawings of a man and a woman in very intimate positions.

“You will be wed to him in three days. This will happen on your wedding night, so you have to be prepared. You will have to part your legs like that and… well, let him into your special place.”

“In?” I looked up at her.

“There’s a little hole between your legs—the one you bleed from when you are on your period. He will insert his… you know… into you and that’s sex,” she explained.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“For your first time it will hurt terribly. I even bled on mine, but you should enjoy it as it goes on,” she said. “No one wants a still woman in bed. Study those pictures and know what to do on your wedding night.”

I nodded.

“Not right now. Go and make breakfast and make your face look presentable. Later you have to go wash more clothes,” she said and stood.

I looked over at the kitchen. All those dishes were waiting for me. I stood up and put the pictures in the little pouch on my dress.

After more than an hour, I finished the house chores. As I dished out the food, I suddenly thought about the man in the woods. He had no food or water. Would he starve to death?

But he wasn’t any of my business, right?

Still… What if he died?

I set aside food and water for him, making sure Nerrissa didn’t find it. I would have to explain otherwise.

Later that night,

I carried a basket and walked to the river. When I looked at the place where the man had lain, he wasn’t there. “He left?” I mumbled.

It was strange, but I felt a sudden wave of disappointment. Maybe I was a little eager to see him.

“You came back,” I heard a strained voice behind me.

I looked back and saw him seated against a different tree. I quickly walked to him and knelt. “I have to wash some clothes, and also…” I brought out the food and placed it before him. “I brought food.”

The blood on his body had disappeared. He seemed to have washed himself in the river. It was the first time I had seen him awake. His eyes were green. How beautiful.

He looked at the food. “Thank you,” he said and grabbed the plate. I watched him eat, wondering if I should ask any questions.

He finished the food so fast I didn’t think I had brought enough. “Are you still hungry?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Thank you.”

“Where are you from?” I finally asked.

His eyes moved up to mine. “You don’t have to know.”

“It’s a secret?”

“Something like that,” he answered.

“I swear I won’t tell anybody,” I insisted.

He looked into my eyes. “I owe you a favor when I get back home. That’s my thank you for saving my life. I don’t owe you anything else.”

Owed me a favor?

Was he from a wealthy home? Were his family influential? “Promise?” I asked.

He nodded.

I smiled, but the smile soon fell as my eyes landed on his bare chest. His body was so fit it looked exactly like the drawings in the pictures Nerrissa had given me.

I felt my stomach skip a bit. My lips parted as I watched him. What was this feeling? My whole body felt warm in ways I had never experienced.

“Well,” I cleared my throat, “I should go now. I need to wash the clothes.” I pointed at the basket.

“Are you a servant?” he asked.

I shook my head. “My father is a very important man. He sent me here because he doesn’t love me. He thinks I’m a curse,” I said, already regretting that I was talking too much.

“Curse?” he asked.

“Mother died when I was born,” I said.

“The people who raise you, they treat you badly?” he inquired.

I pressed my lips together. “I take what I get, I guess,” I said and stood from the ground. It took me hours to finish the laundry.

I sat by the river and waited for it to dry. I looked back at the man and caught him staring at me. A smile suddenly curled at my lips, but I quickly looked away. What was that feeling in my chest when we looked at each other?

Soon the moon rose. Thankfully the clothes were dry. I put them all in my basket and walked to him. “It’s late. I should head back.”

He grunted as he stood from the ground. “Thank you for saving me. I’ll find you and return the favor.”

He was leaving?

I parted my lips to speak but his cold hand covered mine. “Don’t tell anybody of our encounter.”

I wasn’t going to, but why was he so secretive?

Was he a bad man?

Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder rumbled through the air. It was going to rain.

“You can’t sleep out here. You should come back to my place. You can hide in my room.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to cause any trouble. You have helped enough. I will find my way home now.”

I looked around. It was too dark and unsafe for him. “You should stay. You can leave in the morning,” I insisted. “Besides, you need a change of clothes.”

He seemed to think about it for a second before he agreed.

We walked in silence back to my home. By now Aunt Nerrissa in the house had gone to sleep. I snuck him upstairs into my bedroom, the room at the very end.

I sighed in relief as we walked in. Thankfully we weren’t caught.

I placed the basket in the corner of the room and turned to face him. He stood in the middle of the room, looking around.

I knew I would get in trouble if he was found, but there was something about him that made me feel comfortable and curious. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t tell me anything about himself.

I walked to my closet and searched for a T-shirt. Most of my clothes were dresses, but luckily I found one—a black T-shirt. “Here,” I said to him. “You should put this on.”

“Thank you.” He accepted it from me and slid it on.

I moved to a drawer and brought out candles. I placed three on different corners of the room and lit them. Soon a bright yellow light filled the place.

“You can take the bed.” I turned to face him. My eyes widened as I saw him gazing at a white page, two more in his hand.

I recognized them immediately. They were the pages Nerrissa had given to me.

“That’s personal!” I rushed to him and grabbed them, hiding them behind me. My cheeks turned red.