Chapter 31: Enemy Territory

Azura’s POV

I stood outside the heavy wooden doors and just stared. My stomach felt like it was full of lead.

The Alpha’s chambers.

I’d walked past this spot a hundred times in my life. I’d scrubbed the floors nearby, carried laundry past it, and always looked away. I never once thought I’d be stepping inside as anything other than a servant. I definitely never wanted to.

I took a slow, shaky breath. My hand rested on the cold iron handle, and for a second, I thought about just running away.

Just open it, Azura. Get it over with.

I pushed the door open.

The room was massive. Stone walls were carved with giant wolf sigils that seemed to watch me as I walked in. Heavy, dark curtains hung from the tall windows, and the moonlight poured through them in long, silver stripes across the floor.

The smell hit me immediately. It smelled like him.

I stepped inside carefully, my eyes darting around. Then, it hit me. No guards. I frowned, feeling a little prickle of unease crawl up my spine.

Every Alpha’s chamber had guards outside. Always. But the hallway had been empty, like a tomb.

I shook the feeling off and shut the door behind me. At least the room was empty. I let out a long breath, finally letting my shoulders drop.

Thank the Moon Goddess.

Maybe tonight would be quiet. Maybe I could just find a corner, sleep on the floor, and pretend this whole "moving in" thing wasn’t happening.

I walked further in. The bed sat in the middle of the room like a throne. It was huge, made of dark wood, and piled high with thick furs and blankets. I reached out and touched the edge of it. It was so soft, too soft. I pulled my hand back fast, as if the fabric had burned me.

This is enemy territory, I reminded myself.

I wandered over to the window, staring out at the moon. I whispered a quiet thank you to the Goddess for the silence.

But then, an annoying sound decided to ruin it. The sound of stone scraping and water dripping.

I froze. My heart skipped a beat as a door on the side of the room swung open. A thick cloud of steam rolled out, smelling like hot water and soap.

And then he stepped out.

He was completely bare-chested, a dark towel around his hips. His skin was still damp and shiny. I’d seen his hair down before, but never like this, wet and loose all the way to his waist, clinging to his broad shoulders

He looked... different. Not just the Alpha, but something more raw. More dangerous. I swallowed hard and looked away quickly, my face heating up, but it was too late. He’d seen me.

The silence between us was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Then, his voice cut through the air, low, cold, and sounding like a warning.

"What are you doing in my chamber?"

I stiffened my back and lifted my chin, trying to look braver than I felt. "Ask your parents," I snapped, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "They said it was custom. I’m just following the rules."

His jaw tightened. "I don’t care what they said." He took a heavy step toward me. "Leave. Now."

I crossed my arms, my stubbornness flaring up. "Not a chance."

His eyes darkened, turning a shade of amber that looked like fire. Then, he smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. It was sharp and icy. "I won’t say it again, Azura."

Anger bubbled up in my chest. "I’m the Luna now," I said, taking a step toward him. "If you don’t like it, you can leave. Go sleep in the stables for all I care."

The air in the room suddenly felt twice as heavy. It was like the walls were closing in on us.

Rhydor didn’t back down. He stepped closer. Slowly. Like a predator cornering its prey.

I backed up instinctively. "Stop right there."

He didn’t stop. My heart was slamming against my ribs so hard it actually hurt. But it wasn’t just fear. There was this weird, electric hum under my skin that I couldn’t explain.

One step. Two steps. I kept backing away until the backs of my legs hit the edge of the bed. I was trapped.

He stopped right in front of me. He was so close I could feel the heat coming off his damp skin. He smelled like rain and power.

"Move," I whispered.

He didn’t move an inch. Instead, he reached out, his hand moving toward my wrist. I reacted without thinking. I swung my hand to slap his away, but my palm didn’t hit his hand. It grazed right across his cheek.

Smack.

The sound was loud and sharp in the quiet room. I froze, my breath hitching in my throat. So did he. His head had turned slightly from the hit, but he didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink.

Slowly, he turned his face back to look at me. His eyes weren’t just dark now; they were burning. I felt my stomach drop into my shoes.

"I... I didn’t mean..."

Before I could finish, he moved. He was a blur of motion. In one swift move, he grabbed me and lifted me off the floor like I weighed nothing. He tossed me onto the bed.

I landed hard, the air wooshing out of my lungs. My silk nightgown twisted around my legs, riding up high. I looked down and saw my own thigh exposed, pale skin catching the moonlight. I looked up fast and caught him staring right at it.

"Pervert!" I snapped, scrambling to yank my gown down.

He didn’t say anything. He just climbed onto the bed, moving over me slowly, deliberately. My heart was going a mile a minute.

"Get off!" I said, my voice shaking more than I wanted it to.

He didn’t budge. He was like a mountain of muscle. I raised my feet and pressed them against his chest, trying to shove him back, but it was like pushing against a stone wall.

Then, his hand moved. He caught my ankle.

His grip was firm, not painful, but I couldn’t move. He pulled, gently but surely. My leg straightened, and my legs parted just enough to make me feel completely vulnerable. Exposed.

I gasped, panic and something else, something hot, flooding through me. I raised my hand to slap him again, but he caught my wrist in mid-air. His grip was tight.

"Don’t you dare," he said. His voice was a low, dark rumble.

I froze, staring up at him. Our eyes locked, and for a long moment, the whole world seemed to stop. I could see the gold flecks in his eyes. I could see the way his chest rose and fell.

Then, he leaned forward. I held my breath, my eyes fluttering shut, waiting for... something.

But he didn’t touch me. He reached right past my head, his arm stretching over my shoulder. He grabbed something behind me, a dark tunic that had been lying on the furs.

He could have walked around. He could have reached it from the other side. But no he chose to crawl over me.

I stared at him, my brain feeling like mush. Why?

He pulled the tunic toward him and let go of my wrist. Then, without saying a single word or giving me another look, he climbed off the bed and walked away.

The door closed behind him with a soft thud.

I just lay there. Frozen.

My heart was racing so fast I thought I might faint. My chest was heaving. I stared up at the dark ceiling, my body feeling... weird.

I was warm. A strange, pulsing heat had gathered between my legs. A tingly, heavy sensation I’d never felt in my life. I pressed my thighs together, tight. But it didn’t go away.

I closed my eyes and took a shaky, ragged breath.

What is wrong with me?

I didn’t understand it. I hated him. I really, truly hated him. But something inside me had shifted, and I hated the fact that I felt it more than I hated him.