• • • • •

Black flags with the crown of Licinius Godfrey adorned the windows and doors of every building in the City of Therion. The castle had black and white velvet curtains; every single one of its streamers was replaced by the black motif. A week- long commemoration of the late king's alleged ascendance with the moon goddess in the heavens was afoot. Currently on its fifth day, the royal family had been planning the course of actions for the coming end, inviting all alphas of the Kingdom to gather and assist the Queen and her son.

Four nights had gone since the fire in the King's Chamber, and Apollo, as always, had his way in speeding up the restoration of the space. Today he would be moving back to that room, and for some reasons I found myself observing the staff bringing new furniture and equipment for the duke.

What am I here for? I asked myself, shaking my head scattily. I wouldn't lie that I'd been here for almost an hour, just pacing back and forth, peeping at the door ajar when no one was looking as if tasked to stalk.

I could blame my beast but it was me who got inquisitive when I learned about the chamber's hurried refurbishment. When I woke up in the morning, I heard the maid's talking nineteen to the dozen about the direct and suspicious order that within the day it must be ready for His Grace to use.

"Mother, I have given the copy of that to the calligraphers... Of course..."

Footsteps from the other end of the hall resounded, inclined with it was the voice of the Duke. Clammy hands and knees stumped me, and as panic- stricken as I was, I hastily looked for a corner to hide but there was none. Gathering my skirts, I moved to the nearest room unbolted. To the left I ran and nervously locked the door behind before anyone else discovered me prying.

"Apollo, you need not return here... Are you not..." The Queen's voice was soft that I couldn't hear the rest of her speech.

"Take a look at it... Mother... you have to see this..." Apollo's sentence drifted away with his voice as the sound of a closing door relieved me.

Back still against the heavy wooden door, I sighed and closed my eyes. "Freya, what are you doing? Are you insane? Why are you hiding from them?" I babbled to myself, pressing a sweaty palm on my temple. Of course, I had no reason to be found getting nosy. It would be a shame and the duke would find me intrusive of his whereabouts.

Since the time we went horseback-riding with Galax, my days had been most difficult and awkward. Morn, day, and night, I had to endure the Duke's presence during meals. The Queen's absence at times deluded me, daring my insecure self to survive the duke's silence each time we were alone. I couldn't help but think he was avoiding me as much as I was trying to elude his attention the same.

Giving me more trouble was the beast inside me, pushing herself forward each time I was with her mate, making herself known. She wanted him to regard her like before when he was frail. But I knew that could only happen once in a blue moon, and sad to break it to my beast, but the possibility of ever feeling his benevolence again could be dead. It could be a one-time thing. In the stables he was merely being mischievous that he even insulted her capability of mothering a child.

Peeling my eyes open, I stared up at the ceiling, relaxing myself. I should probably go out, I thought. But the view of a naked maiden covered by clouds surprised me. Painted on the ceiling was a beautiful woman with a flawless body.

I blinked a few times to makes sure I wasn't fantasizing. It was crystal clear; there was a woman right there. Had I been wrong in assuming that Sidus entirely wiped up the old traditions? I thought conservatism was their main edict.

The conversation with Lord Gregory before was recalled. 'To your right is the Nidus... and to your left is the Mistress' Chamber.'

He did say each of those were next to the King's Chamber... Goddess. This was the Mistress' Chamber, wasn't it? How could I have been so reckless to enter such forbidden lair?

The nerves reverted, holding me ransom in their rattling state. The Mistress' Chamber was meant for the future bride of the duke, and I shouldn't be anywhere near here. But that recollection was too late, I was trapped inside, not knowing when Apollo and the Queen would leave the room next to this. I placed an ear near the door and tried to listen to their voices outside but I heard none. I knew I had to wait; maybe a few more minutes would be enough to silently step out.

Without a choice, I walked through the room and discovered it had no antechamber unlike the bedrooms I'd seen. Right ahead of me was a large bed, veiled with a misty white drapery, giving off a view enough to make out figures and shadows. I stopped pacing at the edge and pulled the slits of the fabric to see it better. Therewith, I saw pillows covered in red velvet and gold. A red silk sheet was splayed on the mattress, personifying the colour of blood, and I gulped, thinking of its seduction.

I could say that I paled but I was sure my whole body was inflamed by the mere thoughts I had about one thing. I turned my back against the sinful bed to purify my views. Not even I had inkling about what happens in coupling. At least the lack of experience saved me from fostering the thought.

Only Apollo had ever touched me intimately, and in those first days with him, it was insufferable. Besides, with his attitude towards me in the recent days, he seemed to have no thoughts of ever touching me again. I should be pleased.

"Your Grace... We will... Aye, milord..." The sound from outside was coming from the familiar voice of the servant's headmaster, Lord Gilford.

"We shall head to Villagio Lupus... Inform Miss Garrison about..." Apollo said. I moved closer to the door and eavesdropped to hear things clearly.

"Keep the Mistress' Chamber and Nidus locked. I hope not to see them emblazed the same. Order the sentries to guard them carefully." Apollo commanded.

"Aye, milord." The monotonous chorus was the servants' response, hence light footsteps drifted to nothing.

I turned the knob like a ghost, wary not to be heard as I peeked from the slight opening. Blast! There was someone holding the bolt from the other side.

"Wait!" I pleaded. Having no choice but to speak, I pulled the knob and opened the panel wide. Lord Gilford was there with a shocked face. He was holding a set of keys, and I was right to interrupt him for I was about to be locked inside the chamber.

"What are you doing here, milady?" He asked, steeping aside before bowing briefly.

"I- I was looking for... Apollo... Right- I was looking for the duke." I answered, giving off a smile as I placed my hands behind my back.

"Oh you missed him, Lady White. He was here a few moments earlier but you can still follow him. He is to travel to Villagio Lupus he said. I was about to inform Catherine that he wishes for you to come along." Lord Gilford explained, pulling the door closed and turning the lock.

I nodded and pulled my chin up like the lady I should be, giving the Mistress' chamber a last glance.

"Alright. Thank you, Sir Gilford." I turned away with ease, breathing deeply as I walked downstairs to my room.

He wanted me to come along with him to the village, eh? After three straight days of not uttering a word to me, there he was again, goading my interest.




"It's too tight, Catherine!" I muttered as I walked out of the castle to meet His Grace and Her Majesty, probably waiting in the carriage. I knew I was late but I had to sneak out after putting my sweet little Galax to sleep. Everyone in the castle knew how the child would react when he awakens to find me nowhere near him.

"It will be fine, milady. It looks good on you." Catherine mumbled back with a playful smile on her face.

"I don't need to look good. You must know that I can't breathe properly in this." I argued, feeling my breasts tucked in the tight bodice.

Catherine only giggled quietly, leading me out. "But he asked you out, milady. The Duke of Therion is always well- dressed." She said, muffling her giggles.

"Come on, Catherine, nobody asked anyone out. We will go there with the Queen, and I don't dress to impress." I heaved, frowning as the sight of the carriage came into view.

I wanted to tear my bodice and release the caged mounds, but that would make me a harlot in Sidus. I blenched at the thought. I'd rather not give my beast a reason to shift.

Shivers ran down my spine as the carriage door opened. There was no one inside yet, but I knew he was right behind for his aura touched my skin. I tried to ignore the tension and stepped up, getting inside on my own. The pointed shoes I was wearing made it hard to raise myself.

My hands sweated profusely, and I was praying not to slip. Unexpectedly, hands crept to my sides, holding me up with a sudden squeeze. The bond quaked when his touch reached my body. Giving me a light push, I was able to step inside with ease.

Abruptly, I sat restfully, brushing my skirts a little where they wrinkled. And when I lifted my eyes in front, the duke was there, fixing his cravat with a sapphire buttoned in the middle. Glancing at him briefly, I looked to my side as the door was curtly closed.

"Shall we go, milord?" The horseman asked, his voice coming from the front.

"Aye. Hurry up." The duke replied, buttoning his sleeves under his waistcoat.

In the middle of the ride, I had noticed Apollo's silence and his avoidance to look me in the eye. He brought a book out and started reading. Without saying a single word or regard, he managed to build a wall between us in the confines of the carriage. He was only one meter away, but his mind seemed enclosed in every page that he was reading.

To my surprise, my beast cared not about his evasion of us. On the other hand, I did. I was confused and a bit downcast. I loathed myself for thinking that way but he was truthfully aggravating. He invited me to come with him to what? To ignore me all the way? I clenched my fists, grasping tightly the kerchief I brought, and let my eyes consume not his figure but the scenery of autumn in Therion.

Upon getting to Villagio Lupus, the carriage halted in front of roughly concrete- finished titanic hall with the insignia of Therion on its highest pointed spire. It was the fan- like crown of Fenrir, similar to that of the sceptre Queen Robin showed me. The duke stepped out first and offered me a hand which I half-heartedly accepted.

With both of my feet on the pavement, he placed my hand on the crook of his arm without a word, urging me to follow his lead. This odd man, I thought. Hadn't he discovered the wordless dilemma I was encumbered with, since the day he gave back my father's mementos up to his blatant disregard of my presence?

The bipolar wolf, I gritted mentally. He was playing his game very well, using the bond to fire chaos in my head. He was succeeding. What a damned fool I was, swaying along with his stormy wind, like a ship without an anchor.

I attached my sight on the opened doors with a hefty soul. And then he came out with a slow, sonorous applause; invisibly guiding my lips to arch in convex; filling my heart with unmistakable whelm. His lustre came through, incomparable as always, satisfying my sight with his opaque bright yellow aura. It was Lord Dilmond Hitler Langley, demonstrating his pleasant return after the punishment he seemed allayed of.

"There goes the Lady who put me through hell in the frigid lands of Crux." Lord Dilmond uttered with a roguish smile. "Come to think of it, I did miss my student." He mused, placing a soft kiss on the back of my hand.

I missed him too, so much more than he'd ever know. It manifested when I pulled my hand away from Apollo, and deliberately I hugged my friend.

"I am so sorry, milord. I will never put you through penalties again." I told him, and in response he tapped my back lightly.

"It is my fault, not yours. I was not honest about the duke's orders." Dilly whispered back. "Now pull away and follow the duke, he has left." He dismissed.

Gently releasing the earl, I found Apollo heading inside all by himself. I felt aghast by his continuously mystifying actions. There was somehow a switch and I immediately trailed him, glancing back at Dilly who gave me a nod.

Struggling with my uncomfortable shoes, I quickened my strides, following the duke like a lost shadow. I wanted to shout at him as he continued to pass through the Corinthian colonnaded hall without slowing down. A little more of this hideous act and I'd confront him, I promised. I would never allow myself to be his pawn and his source of amusement.

"Slow down." I whispered under my breath. And as if he heard me, he stopped in the middle of the long hall, underneath a large crystal chandelier. He brought the scent of rosewater and ale, hitting my senses.

"Hasten your pace." Apollo uttered without looking back.

How long would this be furthered? I was getting sick and tired of being complacent, when I knew very well he was playing with me. Would he constantly be both fire and ice?

I stopped dead on my tracks, releasing my skirts from the tight grasp. What did he really want? Almost every single time, I found myself asking this question. What changed after the fire? What changed after his kindness?

"I said hurry up, Freya." He ordered, deepening his tone with a still yet imposing quality.

To submit or to avenge- two things I could do after his words. To submit was out of the question but to comply was another thing. I closed my eyes, keeping my fangs from extending. The beast was active, hurling deep inside. In the darkness she was pushing one paw forward; her cage unlocked. At the back of her was the blue fire from before, flaming statically, unmoving.

"Freya, do I have to repeat myself?" Apollo breached the silence.

In my mind the beast was getting attracted by his fury, wanting to challenge him. Alpha to Alpha. Beast to beast.

The blue ball of fire grew larger, and before I knew it, my eyes had snapped open from the vision. I was staring at the sapphire on Apollo's cravat as if I had seen them a long, long time ago.

"Freya stop it." Apollo walked closer to me, my eyes stuck staring at the lure of his sapphire gem. What was it?
Apollo placed his hands on my shoulders, steadying my body as I felt my eyes turn gold.

"Do not even think of shifting." He whispered, creating a fiery trail on my shoulder up into my neck with his calloused hand.

Straight in his eyes, I stared at the golden hue that reflected mine. "She wants to fight you." I told him, wanting him to know the once wordless dilemma I could not figure out.

"What triggers her to do so?" He asked, rubbing a thumb over the strong pulse on my neck.

"Your actions. My ire. The scent of rosewater and ale..." I simply realized. "There is a blue ball of fire in my head that appears each time the beast wants to shift. Tell me what is it, Apollo?" I had been keeping it to myself.

"Is this what holds you back from accepting my offer?" The duke asked almost too collectively. His touch was proving to be a soothing cure to my anger.

His offer? The marriage and the title of Queen, was it that? He once said I had to fight my beast before she owns me. Had he known about this all along?

"It's not her sole decision. Her reasons are supported by mine. The beast and I can still be one. You said I have to save myself from my own beast before and that's what I am trying to do. Rejecting your offer would lead me to that. She does not want your offer. She's selfish." I stated, passing the lump on my throat as I felt a burn in my heart.

"And the fire?" Apollo probed, seemingly unaffected by my rejection. "What does it want?"

I had been thinking of the same thing. I thought he had the answers but he seemed confused by it as well. "I don't know. But she's becoming a part of me. I feel it Apollo, she and the beast are trying to consume me." I uttered breathlessly.

"She?" Apollo frowned, looking distracted by the word.

"She spoke to me before. You were right, Apollo." I uttered. "Beasts only howl. The one I thought was my wolf was the fire all along." I heaved. No amount of coaxing could relieve me of the idea.

A long pause exuded as we both stood still, muddled by our every thought. The answers I was seeking were not with Apollo opposed to what I once believed. How did it all end to this? How could I ever save myself if the one whom I thought knew the effects of my resurrection and existence in Sidus was as clueless as I?

Apollo pulled away, leaving me frail yet tranquil before him. I shed no tear, not a single drop, but they were endlessly flowing deep inside, drowning me in confusion.

"Why did you save my father's mementos, Apollo?" I finally had the courage to ask. "You could have left them burning but you saved them. What do you want in return?" I boldly asked.

"Your trust." He directly replied, his eyes shifting from gold to blue.

Trust. He wanted the only thing I couldn't give him. I had given my trust to his friend, to a servant, to the Queen somehow, and to Galax. I had given away that one word, that one gift I had. They were all strangers, yet here I was, looking at my fated, but I couldn't think of ever giving him my trust.

"After all you've done. How can I ever trust you?" I said, preventing myself from tearing up. Did he think I could give him my trust just because he gave back my most important possessions?

"You will get there, Freya." He uttered, turning his back.

I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists in vehemence. "You say you want my trust but you ignored me in the last couple of days. You fuelled my ire- you chose to be the trigger of my beast's desire to shift. How will I ever get there? To trusting you, when all you've ever done is to hurt her..." I spat. "To hurt me." I had to add.

I could see his fists balling at his sides, veins popping out and his claws were appearing. His aura dipped in smears of black and blue. Darkness and taciturnity. He was the big bad wolf in fairytales.

"If I ever come near you again and lose myself, I would never be raised to the King's throne." He said, his voice almost nearing a deep growl.

Fear pacified, I stepped back. His hands opened and stretching out were his elongated claws in full view. "All beasts are selfish. And mine is solipsistic compared to yours." He claimed.

"If you choose to refuse the beast's offer of mating and ascending with him in his rightful throne..." A horrendous revelation ensued from Apollo.

"You and I will be consumed, Freya." He dropped. "It is the curse of the moon."

Time ostensibly stopped, drenching me in fear, gauging me and my past decision. My heart clenched, knowing I couldn't hold back from the fight for the invitation was done and over.

"I- I challenged the Alpha of Crux." I did not repress the truth.

Closing my eyes, I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Clutching my neck was one rough clawed hand. He made no sound as he stalked instantly; colliding with my body was his own.

"I warned you." He whispered right beside my ear. His teeth sunk into the flesh of my neck, brutally forcing his claim.

• • • • •

Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun.
What the hell just happened?
At least now we see more of Apollo's identity. And the fight, dear lord... Freya cannot turn back.
I hope you're still enjoying this. I'm already dropping the hints. Pick 'em up and share your thoughts of what you think is happening to Apollo and Freya's beast. :) Do vote and share!
See yah!
- Lady Therese
P.S.
The picture above looks like Therion inside my head.