FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Rose didn’t stop until she was back in the house and inside her room. She paced as she took deep breaths to calm herself.
Who was he? Had he gotten a good look at her face? Did he recognise her? What if word went around that she was depraved?
After much worrying, she went into bed and lay awake, staring into the darkness.
There was nothing she could do about it. If she saw him around, she would explain that she had stumbled upon them by mistake. He didn’t know how long she had been standing there watching, so that explanation should suffice.
Having decided what to do if he confronted her, she felt calmer. Her panic gone, her mind refocused on what she had seen.
Her body grew warm and the ache between her legs made a return. She pressed her thighs together, closed her eyes, and did her best to will it away.
That was hard to do when all she could think about was his strong arms around her body, his hands touching her.
They were not thoughts she should have been having as a mated she-wolf. She should have been mortified at herself for desiring another male like that.
But she doubted the rules of mated wolves applied to her. They definitely didn’t apply to her mate.
Besides, all she was doing was entertaining a fantasy of something she would never have. Marcus didn’t bother applying such boundaries.
Rose had been mated to Marcus for six months. In that time, he had lain with her twice. Once after their bonding ceremony. The second time a couple of months later, when he had come from a battle that hadn’t gone too well.
Since then, he had not graced the door of her chambers. She was glad about that. There was no affection between them, and no pull of a mate bond. She supposed he would only come to her again when she was fertile, for the sole purpose of producing an heir for his pack.
One thing was certain, he wasn’t denying his body’s needs by not coming to her. Laying with other females was as much a part of his routine as running, hunting, and fighting.
After the first few months, it no longer shocked her when she came across females leaving his bedchamber in the morning. Or when he had feasts with his warriors and his whores entertained him with everybody watching.
Raised as the Luna Princess, she never would have thought she would be subject to such treatment. That anyone would have the guts to disrespect her like that. Her father was more concerned about having Blood Moon’s support. He could care less how Marcus treated her.
There was no way out. Unless Marcus cut her loose, and she doubted he ever would. Being Blood Moon’s Luna had done nothing good for her, but being the werewolf king’s in-law had elevated him above all others.
The royal family also had the purest, strongest bloodline among werewolves. There was no better female with whom to sire his heir.
Such was the life she was doomed to live. If fantasising about the male in the barn made her feel alive, even for a few minutes, she wasn’t going to deny herself that.
Keeping her eyes tightly closed, she reached beneath her gown and trailed her fingers upwards to her thighs. When her fingers brushed against the warm, damp folds between her legs, she shuddered.
If she couldn’t give herself anything else, she could at least give herself pleasure.
The next day, Rose’s attention was divided between her sister and looking around for that male. She wasn’t sure whether she was hoping to see him or not.
She wished she could ask Penelope about him. She could lie that she had come across him in the back and wondered who he was.
Since he had been in her sister’s barn, she must know of him. He must be a member of the pack. Which meant if she stayed long enough, she would one day run into him.
So she chose not to risk her sister’s suspicion and left things up to chance.
Her resolve to leave things up to chance only lasted until that evening. After supper, she decided to take a walk again before going up to bed.
If she ran into him, well and good. Despite hoping, she doubted she would. She would have to be very lucky to run into him two nights in a row.
She had only taken two steps outside the rear door when a masculine voice came from behind her.
“You shouldn’t walk around these parts alone, Princess. It’s not safe.”
She turned around and scanned the shadows, but saw nothing. “Who is it?”
A man stepped out of the shadows into the dim moonlight. Him. It was the man from the previous night.
He tipped his head towards her. “I’m afraid I couldn’t introduce myself properly last night. I’m Andrew.”
He didn’t bother to hide that he had seen and recognised her the previous night.
Had he been waiting here for her to show up? Did he know she would come looking for him?
She suddenly felt reckless for wanting to run into him again. She had no idea who he was. Whether the female from last night was his mate or just a lover.
How could she desire a male she knew nothing about? Since when had she become so basic as to let her bodily desires determine her actions?
“Have we met?” she asked, adopting the straight, confident posture that came naturally to her as a princess.
He smiled. An indulgent smile that made it clear he knew what she was trying to do.
If he had been a servant at the palace, she could imagine how he would react. Become flustered, say they were mistaken, and apologise for even suggesting such a thing. They definitely wouldn’t have been smiling.
He shrugged. “As you wish, Princess.”
She held his gaze for a few more seconds and then gave a slight nod before turning around and proceeding towards the garden.
Now, she truly needed a walk.
(Author’s Note: This part of the story that goes back 500 years will be in 3rd POV and past tense. It’ll alternate with the present.)