Chapter 6 The Iron Luna
It burned. A living fire seemed to erupt from my skin. His hands on my body seemed to leave a warm trail wherever they touched. His lips descending to my neck and chest made me sigh too loudly. I never imagined this kind of feeling could exist.
How was it possible that I was so thirsty for someone I had just met?
"Stop now!" A sharp scream echoes through the room, here like the sound of the door being pushed open abruptly.
I jump off the table in fright, and Conrad has to hold me upright. A middle-aged woman, beautiful and eager, watches us with hatred. I stare at Conrad, seeking some kind of explanation, but his attention is entirely on that woman. His gaze was pure rage.
"You've completely lost your mind! But I won't let you throw away all your effort because of a servant!"
The woman's eyes are filled with contempt and disgust. She looked at me the way all the other wolves had looked at me my whole life. But this was different. Without a doubt, this was the queen.
"If you have even a little love and respect for this kingdom, you will break this hateful bond right now!"
Conrad's arms tightened around my body, making me take a deep breath. That contempt was affecting me more than expected. Perhaps because this was my mother-in-law, and seeing her hatred for the bond we received from the goddess was disappointing.
"Get out of this room immediately, you servant! You and any children you may have would never be accepted by this kingdom!" Her words became sharp as she approached me.
Conrad was about to release me and go towards his mother, but there wasn't time. When I realized it, I had already left Conrad's arms myself, and my hand was on the woman's face.
I only understood what I had just done when I heard the loud sound of the slap. The noise echoes throughout the room, making me gasp in shock. The queen is the same way, staring at me with her mouth agape while clutching the side of her face that was struck.
"You wretch! How dare you touch your queen?" Her scream must have echoed throughout the house, and her hatred seemed to have tripled.
I look at my hand, not understanding what I had just done. I knew how to control my instincts; after all, it was common for me to be treated with contempt.
Stay quiet and keep your head down; it's the law in my class.
I look at Conrad, expecting to find disappointment or hurt. But the only thing I see in his eyes is surprise.
"Aren't you going to do anything? That servant just hurt your mother!" The queen screams hysterically again.
The queen seemed lunatic at that moment, screaming like a child who had been reprimanded.
"Well, you deserved it!" Conrad replies, wrapping me in his arms again.
I stare at him in surprise, not believing his words.
"Are you just going to close your eyes to this?" The queen shouts as she tries to compose herself. "She's as violent as an animal!"
I lower my head in shame, after all I was acting like an animal.
"It wasn't her fault." Conrad begins his defense, causing his mother and I to look at him in surprise. "Our wolves are already united. Your she-wolf already recognizes that she is a Luna. And a Luna doesn't accept disrespect from her subjects."
We were both still speechless. Harper was already so deeply bound to her position?
"Subject? I am your mother! I am the Luna of this nation, the queen!" Conrad's mother's words are laden with irony and pride.
"You were, mother. The goddess of the moon who decides who will reign over the kingdoms. You lost your position the moment my bond with Maya's was formed."
The queen looks at Conrad as if a horn has just grown in the middle of his forehead.
"She will never be Luna! This kingdom will not accept a servant who doesn't even possess a wolf. Times are hard, everyone wants Luna as their operative. Exactly like Victoria, your fiancée."
Conrad's mother's last words are full of malice and are entirely directed at me. A fiancée? Conrad was engaged? My disappointed gaze is directed at Conrad this time, making him take a deep breath. I try to pull away, but he holds me tighter in his arms.
"I never agreed to this engagement and I would never marry someone who isn't my Luna."
His hand gently caresses my face as he explains. His voice becomes serene and low. Conrad was truly born to be King of All Kingdoms. He seemed to know how to handle any and every situation.
"So, why does the engagement exist?" The question escapes my lips shortly after Conrad stops speaking.
"I didn't make this arrangement," Conrad explains, then looks at his mother, revealing the true culprit.
The queen's eyes convey self-confidence and a sense of false victory.
"You are a king! You cannot break your word, it's your obligation."
"In truth, I never gave my word, Mother. In fact, I never even looked at any woman other than my Luna. You gave your word, you resolve this. Because I will marry my true Luna as soon as possible!"
Conrad takes my hand and pulls me to leave. We climb the stairs and walk to a door. Conrad enters and releases my hand, turning his attention back to the lock. It's only when I hear the key turn and lock us in there that Conrad comes back to me.
I was facing away, head down. I raise my head and realize we're in his room. Large and spacious. Everything too luxurious. Everything meticulously arranged to please royalty. I've never lain in a bed, never had a good sheet or pillow.
How different were we from each other's worlds? Was it possible that our bond was nothing more than a big mistake?