The Alpha God's Luna

3. East

Astrea was in agony, and it was worse than anything she’d ever experienced before. An invisible needle from hell itself pierced her skin, sending excruciating pain rippling down her body. Her wolf, Nova, was howling inside, and that was heart-breaking considering she hadn’t recovered from their previous torture yet.

It was taking forever, and after a while, it started to feel like it would never end. She could barely keep standing, now leaning her head against her hand on the cold glass.

Soon, even the ability to scream left her. She wasn’t sure what was going on anymore, concentrating on trying to keep holding her dress in place as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. This was like nothing she had ever gone through before.

Joran did not stop and did not give her a break, although she clearly needed one to come to her senses. This was a new form of punishment from him.

He enjoyed it.

The only thing she wanted now was to withstand it. Preferably with some dignity left to her, but as the darkness started to close in on her making the area she could see smaller and smaller until there was just a tiny dot left, Astrea knew she was failing miserably.

“Almost there, Dragonfly,” Joran’s voice rasped in her ear as he continued his torment, now touching her collarbone, and it felt like he was piercing her neck with knives. “You are doing well. As always. My brave little dragonfly…”

She tried to breathe, but it felt like some kind of force was strangling her now and that tiny dot of vision disappeared as the darkness took over, the last of her strength leaving her.

***

Astrea stretched in the bed, the soft silk caressing her body like a cool breeze. She turned to hug the pillow the way she always did, and only then did the memories of the previous day flood her brain and make her open her eyes.

The light from a glass wall blinded her, but despite that, she knew exactly where she was. Her Teacher’s bedroom. The black sheets, the golden pillows, the leather headboard, and the mirror wall next to the bed... this place was easy to recognise. She had been here just a few times when the Teacher called her late at night to give her a new task or praise her when he was in the mood for it. She felt really out of place each time, trying to leave as soon as possible. They never had the kind of relationship that would require her to stay here longer than their conversations would last.

Today was different because she was actually in his bed with no idea how much time she had spent here and what had happened. A quick check showed that her dress from yesterday was still on, though the diamond necklace was still unclasped, causing the fabric to fall down to her waist when she tried to sit up. This was the wrong time to remember that the trainees from yesterday failed to bring her any kind of underwear.

Astrea hissed as the movement brought back the pain to her neck. Her skin felt scorched and unbearable to touch.

She still wanted to get up because she had to see what he had done to her.

“Easy there,” Joran strolled in, wearing nothing but a pair of loose, black silk pyjama pants, every muscle on his body carved to perfection. “You are going to need some rest after that.”

She wanted to stand up, but somehow, he was 4 right next to her faster than she anticipated and gently pushed her back to the bed.

“What did I tell you?” he asked in a reproachful tone, lacing his fingers through her hair to comb it out of his way. “Rest. You are not going anywhere today.”

Astrea did not like the sound of that.

“I– I can’t stay here!” she protested, and his jaw tightened.

“I am afraid you will have to,” he informed her matter-of-factly. “Your new tattoo has to be looked over by me to ensure it takes on well and doesn’t hurt you.”

“It’s fine!” She tried to brush the whole situation off, but pain subdued her whole body the moment she dared to move again.

“Do you have to be so stubborn?” he sighed and traced his fingers over her neck. She was ready to shudder from the pain, but his touch brought her soft, cooling sensations, eliciting a whimper of relief from her. This made her mentor smile. “See?” he taunted. “I am only doing what is best for you.”

After he hurt her first. She still had no idea what it was on her neck.

“Thank you, Teacher.” Her voice sounded so lifeless and dull, but she knew this was exactly what he wanted to hear. They’d learned each other well during the years they spent together.

“No,” he shook his head, and his hand moved to caress her shoulder, making her whole body tremble, chest rising and falling at a sharp rhythm.

“No?” Astrea arched her brow, and this time, he trailed his thumb over her chin, although she could tell there was nothing there to check.

“You’ve disobeyed me far too many times now to call me your Teacher,” he said, their gazes locking. “Use my name from now on.”

“I– can’t,” she confessed, clutching her dress to her chest. That felt so weird. Unnatural even.

“I am afraid you will have to. It pains me to hear you call me Teacher when I know you don’t mean it.”

“I will try to mean it… better,” she replied awkwardly, knowing that it sounded silly and he wasn’t buying it.

“Astrea, just when did our relationship get this way?” he laced his fingers through her hair, playing with her long locks and clearly enjoying it.

“Somewhere between you ordering the other Firstborn to hunt and kill me and throwing me to the silver pit for months,” she admitted, finally managing to sit back up, “accidentally” obstructing him from entertaining himself with her hair.

“If I issued the order to kill you, you would be dead. You know this,” Joran retorted and sighed. “As for the silver pit… what choice did I have exactly? You had to die for your crime, and I… I wanted to protect you instead.”

She did not respond to that. It didn’t feel like protection to her, but she knew better than to say that out loud. She wanted out, and to do it… she had to play the game.

However, he wouldn’t believe her if she wasn’t smart about it. She had to be in her character still.

“Did it have to be so long?” she asked, turning away, and he caught her cheek into his palm, making her look at him again.

“It had to. I had the other Dragonflies petitioning me daily to kill you as I was supposed to. After all, you did kill Amber.” Joran looked her straight in the eye, and she knew that at least that part was true. Amber was the other spy sent together with her to the Northern Kingdom, another Dragonfly who hated her with passion, and the moment she realised Astrea’s plan to escape, her life was over. Leaving her alive wasn’t an option.

“I didn’t murder her in cold blood.” Astrea swallowed uncomfortably. “We fought, and it was an honest fight.”

“You know she had no chance against you, though,” he sneered at her.

“I knew, but she didn’t think so,” the assassin met her mentor’s gaze. “If there was a choice, I would never–”

“See, now you know how I feel about not being able to protect you better,” Joran caressed her cheek again, and she sighed.

“Thanks.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her, and his lips curled into a smirk.

“That’s much better.” Joran stood up from the bed and offered her his hand. “Now, come and see my new gift to you.”

She followed him, now trying to keep the dress on with just one hand as he led her to the closest mirror wall. Joran loved mirrors.

Her hair was covering her neck, and once again, her Teacher gently brushed his fingers through it, pulling it back.

“Like liquid stars,” he murmured, but she did not listen. Her gaze was glued to what was on her neck now.

Frozen in shock, Astrea couldn’t form a single word as she watched at an intricate curling snake tattoo around her neck. It looked like a fashionable necklace pattern inked on her skin, where the head was barely touching the tail, however, that thing seemed to be alive. The stunned girl tried to touch it, and it wriggled away as if it didn’t wish to be disturbed.

“Do you like it?” Joran wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest from the back while his hand caressed the serpent on her skin. And this was the touch the snake did not mind. In fact, it loved it so much that Astrea almost moaned as the two connected, throwing her head back.

“What the–” she tried to catch her breath.

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled softly. “It’s still sore and needs to get used to you, but soon you will be inseparable.”

And that was exactly the problem.

“You said you would let me go,” she reminded him, and he paused.

“I did, didn’t I?” His lips curved slightly. He knew exactly what she was thinking. “Astrea, this is for your protection. While it’s on you, I will be calm that you are safe. If you are in trouble, I will come for you. I wish I had created such a connection between us earlier. Maybe then you would have known that I wouldn’t have hurt you if you simply came to me and told me the truth. I feel like– we have misunderstood each other lately.”

“Will you know everything I do?” she found herself asking, voice almost broken. This was simply another type of collar, and she had just gotten rid of the one she’d worn for months.

“Would that be a problem?” he caught her gaze in the mirror and sneered at her, still playing with the little snake. “I thought you decided to be a good girl from now on.”

“Good girls love some privacy too,” she almost snapped at him, but at the last moment, offered a taunting smile to cover up her frustration.

“It’s for protection only,” Joran assured. “It will keep you safe and on the right path. I will be able to connect with you wherever you are and feel if you are in danger.”

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know more now.

“All that being said,” he leaned lower, and it looked like the little snake sought him because it followed his every move, “even Serpents need to sleep. You will have enough privacy, but I am never losing you again. Not like the last time.”

She felt his lips pressing against the wriggling tattoo and this touch made all the pain go away, the ink shining brightly until the little snake settled into its original position and froze. Astrea really preferred it that way.

“But my freedom–”

“It will be yours,” Joran sighed and distanced himself away immediately as if he wanted to avoid that conversation. “All you need to do is complete your mission and return to me to claim it. Then, as I have promised, if you still want freedom, I will give it to you.”

She felt like there was a catch, but it wasn’t the time to annoy him any more. She was already dangerously close to his limit.

“Would you like some breakfast?” Joran asked as if they were an old married couple. Although in the past, they’d often have their meals together. She was his favourite Dragonfly, after all.

Now it felt awkward and out of place.

“I am a bit nauseous after the dinner we had.” She quirked her brow up at him, pointing at her neck. “It will be a while until I can eat. So, I’d prefer to prepare for my mission instead.”

He did not look pleased with her response but contemplated it nonetheless.

“I wanted you to rest for tonight,” his eyes travelled back to the enormous black bed, and Astrea shuddered. He had never invited her to his bed or offered her anything more than guidance before, and she wished for that same treatment again. Purely a Teacher and his Dragonfly warrior.

“You just cured me,” she pointed at the tattoo with a forced grin. “No need to waste time. And I haven’t been training for a while. I feel a little rusty.”

“No training today,” he prohibited her at once. “You may study the research I prepared for you, you may meet with Alisha in your old room and prepare your wardrobe and any gadgets you may need. But that’s it until I say so. You do not leave this house, you do not meet any Firstborns who are not invited here, you eat, you sleep, you take care of yourself. And you dine with me every evening. This is an order. Are we clear?”

It was hard to hide her disappointment, but she nodded. “Of course, Teacher.”

“Joran,” he reminded her how he preferred to be called now and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Jor– an.” The words tasted bitter on her tongue.

“One more time,” the Serpent, however, was enjoying this.

“Joran,” Astrea repeated, confident this time as their eyes locked. She was a professional, after all.

“See, it wasn’t as hard, was it?” the Dragon God let out a laugh, not taking his eyes off her. “This is the evolution of our relationship, Astrea. So many great things are ahead.”

Gods, she really hoped it wasn’t the case.

***

He allowed her to return to her old room, and the moment she was there, she felt like she needed to do something. All the while knowing that, at the same time, she couldn’t do much.

She looked at herself in the mirror, panting and seeing the snake collar on her neck. Astrea hated collars, and now she was a proud owner of a permanent one. Or… was she the one being owned?

Her gaze fell on her long white silver locks, and Joran’s words echoed in her mind, “Like liquid stars.”

He sure loved playing with her hair, and right now, it was the only thing she could deprive him of.

So, Astrea took the scissors and cut the first strand of hair off before she could change her mind. The snake on her neck curled angrily, and the sensation made her continue. Snip. The pain returned, but it only fuelled her anger. Snip. She could hear the sounds of footsteps. Snip. The last locks pooled at her feet, and the door burst open.

“What the hell is this?” Joran gritted his teeth as his gaze fell on the shining silver on the floor.

A vicious smile reached her lips. At least she took that bit of control back.

***

The day Astrea had to leave for the East approached quickly. Not that she minded that. She couldn’t wait to escape this place.

Joran met her at the helicopter, which also reminded her of the past. He always used to send her off when she left and greet her when she returned. The privilege he only extended to her. The only time he didn’t do it was when they dragged her to that pit…

“Do it quick and come back home,” he said, hands in the pockets of his trousers.

“I will come back for my freedom,” she reminded him of the main reason she would be returning, and his jaw twitched. At the same time, the snake on her neck wriggled slightly. She was never getting used to that.

“A deal is a deal,” the Serpent smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “As long as the mission is done and you come back safely, I am happy. I have a surprise for you, by the way.”

The last words made Astrea tense, but then she saw Niki walking out of the nearest building in her black battle training uniform, and her lips parted.

“I knew you would like it.” Joran leaned down to her and whispered, lips almost brushing over her earlobe. “You have one minute. Her Ascension is today, and she is kind of in a hurry.”

Niki ran into her arms, and finally, Astrea could hug her ward, air whipping their hair as they allowed themselves a moment of weakness. However, she also had to be aware of time. So many things had to be said, but they had to be extra careful not to create new troubles.

“I am so glad you are alright!” Niki mumbled through tears, knowing they couldn’t speak louder. “And your hair is shorter! Looks so cool!”

“Listen to me very carefully,” Astrea whispered. “You need to survive the Ascension, and when you do that, wait for me to come back. When I do, we are both going to leave this wretched place. I promise.”

She could feel Niki’s body go stiff in her arms and noticed her eyes widening slightly.

“Stay safe and trust no one,” she added, and it was exactly the time when Joran cleared his throat, which meant that they had to part again.

“Good luck on your mission,” Niki offered a weak smile. It was probably the worst time to mess with her head, but there were no better options.

The helicopter’s blades started spinning. It was officially time to go.

“We will wait for you right here,” Joran placed a hand on Niki’s shoulder, and it made Astrea’s stomach churn. He knew exactly what he was doing - ensuring she did come back.

However, there was nothing she could do about it now. Her mission was waiting, and with that came the risks to her own life.

“Mission first,” Nova reminded her via their mind link, her voice was soothing and reassuring. “We deal with one problem at a time.”

“As always,” Astrea took her seat in the helicopter and put her headphones on as she prepared for a long flight. There were ways to make her work in the East short and successful, and she was mentally going through them on her way there. Nova had finally recovered from everything now and could advise her properly again.

“We are almost there!” the pilot told her dryly through headphones, and she recognised one of the werebears who had captured her during her escape attempt. This wasn’t a good sign, but she tried not to show her displeasure.

Yes, she probably killed his friends during her runaway attempt. However, that could probably be said about many others, too. Other than Niki, she had no friends there.

To distract herself, she decided to look down and saw the Eastern border that was easily recognisable by the forest she once fought in and the desert that kissed it softly with its golden sands, a mix hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Astrea remembered how she saw a magnificent black creature somewhere around here. Now it was hard to know for sure if it wasn’t just the product of her imagination or something that really existed. Just the memory of it made her heart beat faster.

The scenery changed again, and the first thing that drew Astrea’s attention were the abandoned towns. There were so many of them… Life and happiness left this kingdom a while ago. This was something that made it so attractive to the rogues now – there were no packs here, no Alphas to serve or fear.

No one wanted these lands, and the rogues were the ones to claim them.

Soon they reached another city, but this one had signs of life in it. Not too impressive, not like the buzzing polished cities of the Republic. Not like the comfortable West or cosy old-fashioned North. Astrea noticed people on the streets, shops were open, and old cars travelled the worn roads.

Gods, was this what she had to work with? The Republic would laugh at them when they saw them.

They landed next to a very spacious long mansion that was nestled in the middle of a dry mountain, the building probably serving as some kind of a fortress for protection. From here, you could see the city below and would know in advance if it was attacked.

Whoever lived here tried to preserve it the best they could, but it clearly had seen some life and needed a lot of work. The light columns and arches looked slightly shabby, which, in Astrea’s opinion, only gave them more charm.

A small delegation of four people was waiting for her at the designated landing spot. The rogues were eager to meet the Southern Lycan Republic representative, and Astrea straightened her silk midi dress, preparing to make the first impression. She knew very well that those counted the most. It would be especially crucial with rogues as they would have to test her since they clearly had assumptions about her.

When the blades stopped spinning, a massive man with long black hair in dreads and a large scar crossing the brown skin on his cheek opened the door, eyes widening when he saw her.

“A girl?” he didn’t even try to hide his lack of excitement and the disappointment in his bright blue eyes. “The Republic has sent us a girl?”

“As an adult, I am referred to as a woman,” Astrea tilted her head, giving him a small but friendly smile. “You were in desperate need of an advisor and PR professional, and…well, here I am. You will not find anyone better.”

“He won’t be happy about this,” the guy muttered, but she ignored it and got out on her own since it didn’t look like he was going to offer her his hand.

“Who is he?” she asked bluntly as the guy scratched the back of his neck, watching her intently.

“The King,” he responded unenthusiastically and still didn’t introduce himself. But she could find his name out later.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” she beamed. The King would just have to deal with her presence.

Astrea went in the direction of the other people waiting and tried to figure out which one of them was the king. If any.

There were two more men and a woman with light brown hair, which was limiting her options. However, none of them was giving her any royal vibes. Rogues did not like to listen to anyone, so their leader had to possess at least some kind of Alpha aura. One of the men was wearing a bright red suit, his long hair tied in a man-bun at the back of his head. He was the only one who eyed her curiously, but it was very unlikely that rogues would obey him.

“A girl?” the other woman raised her brow as she assessed Astrea, offering her a look of disdain in the end.

“Aren’t you, as well?” the Southerner taunted, reciprocating the facial expression she received and a younger guy with dark blonde hair snorted at that.

This wasn’t going exactly how she expected. The rogues were the ones who needed the Republic more. Not the other way around. Yet they behaved as if she was an eyesore.

“I beg to differ!” the other woman rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest.

“Well, we’ve got what we’ve got,” the youngest man stated plainly. “Let’s go!”

None of them said another word to her as all of them simply turned on their heels and started walking. Astrea tried to keep up with their large, powerful steps in her high heels, but not too much. The weaker they thought she was, the better. They wouldn’t take her as seriously as they should, and that could, potentially, give her more freedom to lurk around in the future.

“Excuse me, where are we going?” she asked after a while. This palace was long, and the inner square seemed never to end! Were they giving her a tour?

“To meet Fenrir,” the man with the scar and dreads answered as if it had to mean something to her.

“Fenrir?” she chuckled. “As in the ancient wolf god?”

“As in the King of the East!” the woman snapped. Something told Astrea that she didn’t like her much. Her hair was braided in a warrior style that looked intricate and overly complicated but also… was probably there untouched for days.

“I see,” Astrea forced an excited smile anyway. “That’s wonderful! The sooner we meet, the sooner we can start working together!”

And there was much work to be done if they had to look presentable for the snobs of the Republic to sign the alliance. These four were typical rogues. Okay, three of them were. She wasn’t sure about the Red Suit yet. All that taken into consideration, they still definitely did not have the look Joran wanted them to have at their next meeting.

Their group arrived at the bottom of a long set of stairs leading to what looked like a closed high tower.

No one said another word to Astrea and she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to start small talk now.

Don’t, Nova chuckled in her head. They clearly prefer actions to words and they will be time for that.

Astrea realised that they all were talking via their mind link, and she probably knew the topic anyway. Now she had to wait for the King, who was hopefully about to make an appearance. The wait, however, turned out to be a bit too long, and she was getting frustrated, although nothing on her face showed it.

The doors at the top of the stairs slammed open without warning, and she saw the most gorgeous man she had ever laid her eyes on freeze as their gazes locked. Astrea did not expect him to be this way, feel this way… waves and waves of raw power rippling from him, filling everything around them.

His eyes were a strange mix of blue and red. As if flames of fire were burning in the centre of an iceberg. His dark brown hair was reaching his shoulders, and a carefully trimmed beard framed his masculine face with strong perfect features. The man was exceptionally tall, even for a shifter, with muscles bulging through his black unbuttoned shirt, which also gave a glimpse of his chiselled abs. The Rogue King, and she had no doubt that it was him, was made to sin, and even Astrea swallowed, realising where her thoughts went.

Damn, that wolf looked good.

Moreover, he stared at her as if she was a drop of rain in the middle of the incandescent desert, eyes travelling up and down her small frame, throat bobbing with some emotion he could not express. There was desire and longing, and it all felt oddly familiar, throwing her off her game.

He reminded her of someone, but at the moment, her brain couldn’t fathom if they had met before. She didn’t think so because… she would have definitely remembered him.

“Fenri–” One of the men started speaking and then coughed, “I mean, my King. This is the representative from the Southern Lycan Republic. Erm–”

She was tempted not to fill the awkward pause. After all, none of them bothered to ask her name. And it was fun to watch them suffer for it now.

However, she was on a mission here. The mission that required her to be friendly.

“Astrea Sade,” she gave the King her brightest and sweetest smile. “It’s my pleasure to work with you. I am sure we–”

“No!” he cut her off, eyes not leaving her for a second. “Consider the request cancelled and go back.”

Her lips parted, already dry in this insanely hot climate, and she had to lick them before she spoke, making the King growl in response.

“Excuse me, your majesty,” she said as politely as possible. “I came here to assist you and your– country with the new alliance.”

“Tell them to send someone else then!” he cut her off and, turning away, left where he came from.