LUNA: Alpha’s Soulmate from Another World

“Help me go home? What do you mean, Ghea?” Luna asked, her face clearly showing confusion. Her forehead furrowed deeply as she looked at Ghea, who was gazing at her with a pitiful expression. Luna’s eyes widened as the roots coiled around her hands and feet tightened.

“Ghea?” Luna repeated in disbelief as if what she had just heard was a hallucination.

“I really don’t understand. I’ve already told you that I-” Luna gasped as Ghea approached, grabbing her chin firmly and pulling her face closer. Luna held her breath as she saw the flash of anger in Ghea’s green eyes before it quickly disappeared, replaced by a sorrowful gaze. “Ghea-”

“I truly feel sorry for you,” Ghea said softly, abruptly cutting off Luna’s words. Luna blinked and winced as she felt Ghea’s nails dig into the skin of her cheek. “What has that Emperor done to you to make you this afraid? I know you chose to stay here because that dreadful man threatened you, didn’t he?”

“No, I-”

“Shh…” Ghea smiled and touched a strand of Luna’s soft, beautiful hair, cared for by the palace servants.

“Don’t worry, Luna, I will help you. Tonight. I will take you back to the portal, and you can return to your world. I only hope you will never forget my efforts and sacrifices.” Then Ghea pulled her face away from Luna’s, removing her fingers from Luna’s chin before stepping back. Her green eyes carefully observed the Emperor’s bedroom, where Luna had been resting, before she smiled cynically.

“Don’t you realize that you’re being kept in a luxurious cage right now?” Ghea asked as she walked to a small table with a beautiful flower vase. She raised her hand to touch a closed bud, and the flower slowly bloomed with her power.

“Everything he said was just an excuse to keep you here and prevent you from leaving, and before the month ends, he’ll find a way to bind you here forever.”

Luna’s heart raced. Ghea’s words were partially correct, but it was part of her agreement with Alkrevas. He would try to make her stay here, to choose this world over the one she came from.

Luna had considered everything, but this choice carried the least risk compared to further involving Ghea, especially after hearing that Ghea had become a target of the empire for collaborating with black magic users, something Luna had not known until she spoke with Alkrevas.

She swallowed hard, looked down at the roots coiled around her ankles, and exhaled deeply before raising her head again and deciding to ask, “What do you really want?” Somehow, her lips released that question among the many swirling in her mind.

“What do you mean, Luna? I’m your friend. I’ve come to save you. You’ve been brainwashed by that damn Emperor!” Ghea moved closer and squeezed Luna’s shoulders tightly.

“Look. You need to see what I see right now. You’re looking at me with suspicion. That Emperor must have planted something in your mind.” Ghea bowed her head, letting tears fall. “He’s using you, Luna. He’s… just using you for his own gain.”

“Ghea, you’re talking nonsense. The decision I made, the one I told you about, was purely my choice. That man had nothing to do with it.”

Well, maybe he had a little influence, Luna thought, mentally correcting her words, but Ghea didn’t need to know that.

“I’m not trying to defend him. You know that… Ghea? What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this? Is something bothering you…?”

Ghea chuckled softly. “You’re so naive.” Ghea suddenly lifted her head and stared sharply at Luna.

“He’s a tyrant, Luna! He’s a monster! Have you forgotten that he killed my brother?”

“Ghea, I…”

“He brutally murdered my brother! And if it weren’t for you, I would have been dead at his hands too! And you think he’s sincere with you? Even if you’re his soulmate, I’m certain there’s nothing pure that he wants from you! Do you really think he’ll make you his Empress? Is that what you think?”

“Ghea… calm down and release me… let’s talk this through…”

Ghea shook her head quickly and stepped back, “You know what I’ve done, and what my brother did for you, so you owe us.”

“What?”

“Leave this place. Leave this world. If it weren’t for you…” Ghea thinned her lips and turned her face away. Both of her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

A tense silence settled between them, but Ghea murmured, “You have no idea what I’ve risked to come here and save you. To help you escape from this luxurious cage. All of this… it’s just an illusion, Luna,” Ghea said as she waved her hand around the room, emphasizing that the luxury Luna felt and experienced was an illusion. When the time came, it would all turn into chains that suffocate. “You can’t trust him at all.”

“I’m sorry, Ghea, but this time I…”

“You don’t agree with me, do you?” Ghea scoffed and then laughed bitterly.

“Of course, the mate bond that ties you to him has blinded you,” Ghea whispered foreign words that Luna didn’t understand, and slowly, a small box appeared in a green light that emerged in Ghea’s palm.

“I’ll make you understand.” Instantly, a strong sense of foreboding hit Luna. For some reason, she saw something different in Ghea, which made her uncomfortable. For the first time, she doubted her own decision to trust Ghea. If Ghea were her friend, she would support her decision like Maya or Nicole. Luna’s eyes widened as a sudden thought crossed her mind. Ghea’s words echoed in her head like a broken record. Then, a memory of her conversation with Judith, which took place during her early days at the palace, flashed through her mind, replacing Ghea’s words.

…

“Judith, I want to ask you something.”

Judith, pouring herbal tea into Luna’s cup at the time, immediately paused and turned to look at Luna with a questioning gaze. “What is it, Luna?”

Luna sighed profoundly and gazed at the evening sky, which was so beautiful and awe-inspiring. Unlike in New York, the sky she saw now was so clear, without any pollution to mar it, making the view she saw resemble a painting in an art gallery. “How important is a soulmate in the eyes of a werewolf? I’ve read the theories in books, but I want to hear the direct perspective of a werewolf.”

Judith nodded understanding and placed the teapot on the table before answering, “To us, a soulmate is like life itself. Our souls are born incomplete, and with the presence of a soulmate, we feel whole.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Judith smiled and gently took Luna’s hand, patting it like a mother comforting her daughter. “A soulmate is incredibly important to a werewolf’s life. The one thing we desire in this world is a soulmate.”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s how valuable a soulmate is to us. So, if we lose our one reason for living, what’s the point of living in this world? Following our soulmate to the Goddess’s side isn’t a difficult decision.”

“So you’re willing to die if your soulmate dies?” Luna asked in disbelief. Judith nodded. “That means if I’m the Emperor’s soulmate…”

“Yes, Luna,” Judith whispered.

“All this time, His Majesty had no weaknesses. He feared nothing, and built his reputation as a tyrant because he wasn’t afraid of his enemies. But now, everything has changed since your arrival. He fears nothing, but he fears you-more specifically, losing you.” Luna lowered her head, unable to respond to Judith’s words.

“You. His soulmate. The one thing he has been waiting for, for so long. You are his weakness. Now, His Majesty’s enemies no longer target him, but you. His greatest weakness. If you die, I dare say that His Majesty wouldn’t hesitate to follow you.”

Luna gasped.

“But, Luna. You need not worry. Besides being his weakness, you will also become his greatest strength, because of his instinct to protect you.”

…