Chapter 1 Prologue: past : dream

The Were Clans were thriving under the rule of their ruler. Their ruler was fierce and intelligent; he was also the first and only remaining true blood alpha; he is a direct declaration of the moon goddess, born from the son of the moon; and as an alpha wolf, she fell in love with the werewolf progenitor was born from the moon . He had lived a life of solitude for years, leaving the ruling to the clan heads and wandering around, waiting for his mate. He had become their ruler mere months before the birth of his mate, continuously expanding the kingdom since then.

The clan heads before were fair-minded. So, there was no need to bring in many changes to the rules. But he did bring in the law of taxation. After almost 20 years, the kingdom, becoming as big as it has, needed that. Their towns, cities, and even villages kept records of outsiders traveling or visiting. Two years ago, a population count was conducted for the first time. Based on the results, districts were marked—one district for every three hundred thousand—and thus 11 districts were formed. But their ruler is feared as much as he is loved. He made the laws stricter, the punishments harsher, and the imprisonment sentences harsher. Forgiveness was not to be bestowed until reasons valid enough were provided. He had spent six years forming a systematic judiciary and brought it into action two years ago when the sectors were established. He established a court for every sector in his kingdom to provide justice for his subjects—werewolves and humans. He had made special laws for Werewolves and their approach to humans. They were not allowed to reveal their identity to humans, but special cases were taken into consideration. They were not to exercise their supernatural powers on humans unless for defense. And most importantly, discrimination among races was not tolerable. It was a punishable offense if such behavior was observed. And how did Nova know all of this? Because she had learned it all. The King had also made sure to have academies established to help commoners gain basic knowledge, such as reading, in as many villages as possible. River had learned how to read when she was young, and her interest only grew Silas (the Sharman) brought her scroll after scroll to read and gain knowledge about nature, politics, or people. Carriages of gifts sent by the king always seemed to have books too. They all described foreign lands and their traditions. So, naturally, River hoped to travel and see those places himself. River was excited as much as she was nervous. It had already been four months since her eighteenth birthday, and today she was to go to the capital. to meet the king and her mate She was finally going to meet her king again. All her life, she has been told about her fate, about how she was their King's one and only mate, chosen by the moon goddess for her son River was told that she was the king's mate on her 14th birthday. She was supposed to meet her King that day to receive the ring of betrothal but then... the king unintentionally lost control over his wolf and she was marked and mated She unconsciously touched the King's mark—on the juncture of her neck and shoulder—remembering the incident. A slight shiver ran down her spine because of this touch. Yes, it had been very painful, but she would not undo it. What had happened was unfortunate, but he would not ever want to undo it because their bond was not a mistake. It was meant to happen either way However, River was not going to forgive the king that easily. Not until his king apologizes. She knows and feels her mate's guilt. It seeps through to her some, no matter how much her mate tried to shut the bond It is so strong sometimes that it wakes the omega up from his slumber. But they will not move forward from the incident if the king does not express himself and his guilt. It is not pride or any such emotion driving her decision. He wants his mate to forgive himself. The king has also never spoken through their link,even if the door was open. It was as if he was pretending that it was still closed. , 'This is what it would be like if the incident had not happened.' This was the second thing omega was not happy with. She had tried to talk to the King four months ago when they had connected for the first time, but he ignored her And yes, she was expecting an apology for that too. “ Nova?" the gentle voice called. The voice echoed. It felt as if it was being filtered through water. Nova could feel the water's soothing coolness on her skin too. She was contentedly floating in the water; her clothes were gracefully flowing along the soft currents. The wind lazily whispered in his ears and felt like spring on her skin—warm and kind. "Nova," she heard the fond call of his name again. For what felt like an eternity, she finally opened her eyes. The sun, sieving through hanging vines and overlapping trees, warmed his eyes. She was breathing calmly yet deeply,as if the air were newer and fresher. She finally moved her submerged hands and legs, causing soft ripples in the water. As she began to stand up, the water came dripping down her long silver hair in a little streak of her own .long lashes were sticking together as her green eyes perceived the sight before her She was in a small spring of sparkling blue water—a sanctuary hidden among rocks, decorated with trees, climbers, and small seasonal flowers here and there. The omega stood there, half-submerged in water. Her white, wet cotton dress was sticking to her body as she finally came out of her euphoric state. Did you fall asleep?" He asked “Yes, almost," the Nova said, nodding her head with mischief in her smile. "But I did see an odd dream," she said, and the shaman raised his eyebrows in confusion. as she started to move out of the water, creating ripples with every step. "What did you dream of?" "I don't remember it anymore." The pout could be heard even in her voice. She kept looking down as she navigated her way to the shallower edge of the blue spring. "could you please help me up, Silas? " Nova asked the shaman standing at the end of the spring as he was knee-deep in water. "Sure, child," the shaman smiled, extending his hand, and Nova walked out of the water with his help. Here is your change of clothes; be careful. I'll wait for you outside." “You look as ethereal as always, my child," the shaman beamed once he saw the omega coming out of the cave "Now let us go. You need to get ready soon because the carriages will be here in the afternoon," he added. "Okay." Nova nodded and smiled as he followed the shaman holding his hand