"You just came from meeting his majesty, I presume?" The Luna asked sweetly as I tried to maintain my composure.
Oh no. Is this one of those cases I heard so much about? Sometimes, the Luna gets incredibly jealous at the fact that the Dancer has to go to bed with the King every night while they stay here that they try to kill the dancer.
The Dancers have never died because of the protection of the goddess that still flows through them. But they are still left mentally scarred from what happened. Some never leave the rooms, becoming recluses.
I do not know what is done to them, but I can tell that it is not a good thing. I hope that isn't going to be the case with me.
"Yes, your majesty. He called me to his room." I said, looking everywhere but at the person beside me. "His majesty is really kind."
"He is, isn't he?" The Luna asked, smiling kindly at me. "When I first met him too. I was thrown off by how kind he was to me and to the people around me.
"My family takes care of the town to the north of here, so the people are like family to me. When the King came and we made eye contact, I knew, at that moment, that he was my mate."
"It must have been a wonderful feeling," I said as we continued our walk down the path made out of polished rocks, venturing deeper into the garden as it grew thicker.
"It certainly was." He suddenly turned to me, a guilty look in his eyes as if he said something out of turn. "I apologise, Orion. I did not mean to make it sound like I am boasting."
Ah. He must be worried because I am a Beta. Well, he is kind and I have nothing against him. Also, something like this is not going to affect someone like me.
"Please think nothing of it, your majesty," I said, waving my hands in front of him. "As I am not able to experience these types of things, I love hearing about them.
"They make me feel as though I am there myself. So feel free to talk like this to me anytime you wish."
"You certainly are kind." The Luna said, hand over his eyes, wiping a few stray tears that flowed. "Everyone here has truly made me feel at home and I could not ask for anything more."
"I am glad," I said, pulling a handkerchief from my pocket and handing it to him.
"Thank you." He said, elegantly dabbing away at the corner of his eyes. "I thought I would not feel at home here. But it appears that I stand corrected. You are also much nicer than I anticipated you would be."
I could say the same thing about you. I thought but kept it inside. I do not have the power he has as Luna.
We stayed in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, admiring the plants all around us as the Luna quietly stared at them, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Don't do it, Orion. If you do, you will be overstepping your boundaries.
But it involves me. So I have the right to know. Do it!
Don't!
Do it!
Don't!
"Excuse me, Luna." I said, suddenly realizing that I called him 'Luna' instead of his majesty.
Most Lunas are female, though it is possible to have a male Luna, most of the time they prefer not to be called Luna because that name was given to the first Luna, a female.
Most feel like that name should belong only to the female Lunas while they have another name for themselves. Though that has never been finalized.
Looking at this Luna's expression, I could not help wanting to bite off my tongue.
How can I be so disrespectful on my first meeting with someone so important?? Stupid. Stupid.
However, instead of scolding me, the Luna just took my hands in his, making me look at his gentle expression.
"Orion. Why don't you just call me by my name instead?" He asked, glowing so bright I feel like I am about to go blind just from looking at him.
But I must not be swayed. I do not wish to be rude.
"I cannot do that, your majesty. You are the ruler of this place and I am just a-"
"Nonsense." He said, locking our arms together. "I was just an ordinary person until a couple of days back too. It would make me feel wonderful if you called me by my name.
"What do you say, Or-io-n?" He said my name, carefully pronouncing each syllable which sent shivers up my spine.
He is an Alpha as well. I can smell that from him and his pheromones. I have not met so many powerful Alphas all at once. This is a little overwhelming, to be honest.
"Orion?"
"Yes?" I quickly said, making eye contact with the man in front of me, the smile never leaving his face.
If he puts it that way, then I will not be able to say no. Now, will I? I thought, sighing inwardly, noticing our arms are still interlocked.
"I will call you by your name only in private," I said, not having to look at him as I felt the happiness radiating off of him.
"Wonderful." He clapped his hands together. "Now. Say my name."
"W-what?"
"We are alone. Say my name. I am sure the King told you of it." He looked at me, anticipation written all over his face.
I know his name. Wait. What was it again? Eh? Quick, distract him! "Oh my. Look at the pretty flowers blooming around us. I have not seen them this luscious since … forever."
"Truly?" He asked, looking at the flowers around us. "The place that I stay in has a wide variety of flowers. Some I wish I could have brought with me."
"If I am not wrong, you're from the north side of this kingdom, your majesty?"
"Yes. Elara." He said, looking longingly at a tree with bright orange flowers in bloom. "The plants back there would not have survived here. So, I had to leave them behind. Sadly."
"Do you regret coming here?" I asked him, feeling a little bold it would seem.
"No." He said, looking right at me, fiddling with the moon necklace around his neck, a gentle smile coming on his face. "To be the King's mate was not something I could ever dream about. I am happy."
"But a little homesick," I added, nodding at him. "What did you say your favourite plant was again, your highness?"
"Peach Blossoms." He said staring up at the tree again. "They do calm me so. Perhaps I will find some here."
"Yes," I said, already hatching a plan to get some of those plants here. "I know of some plants. Bluebells. They will bloom by early spring and are beautiful to look at
"People have said that lovers that confess when they bloom will stay together forever," I said, not understanding why I said that in the first place.
"Really? I will have to see it with his majesty then." The Luna said, reaching out and plucking a colourful iridescent flower. "This is beautiful."
"Careful that is poisonous," I said, looking at the flower in his hands. "Just don't consume it. If it gets into your body, it will make you suffer a great deal before you die."
"Then it certainly reminds me of someone for sure." He chuckled, looking at the soft, colourful petals. "Yes."
Looking at the flower also reminds me of someone. The wolf from this morning and last night. Suddenly my good mood is off again, the moment I remember him too. How annoying.
What was his name again? It starts with an 'A'.
"Altair."
Yes. That was his name. How annoying.
Sensing eyes on me, I turned to the Luna, seeing a look of surprise and amusement written all over his face.
"You know Altair?" He asked, corners of his mouth turning up.
"I met him … today," I added the last word quickly. They did not need to know that I was out instead of helping or resting.
"Really?" He asked as I saw the gears on his head turning. "Did he show you his human form?"
"He did and got uncomfortably close," I complained, sighing.
"How close? This close?" Aaliyah asked, appearing two inches from my face.
"Yes," I said, jumping away. "Do Alphas like being that close or something? I don't understand."
"Well, no. We don't usually like too close contact unless we are fond of someone." He twirled the flower in his hands, a mischievous glint coming on his eyes as we began to make our way back.
I don't like those eyes. I can tell they are planning something.
"Perhaps he is as smitten by you as we all were." He murmured, seemingly talking to me but not at the same time.
What?