We were silent for a moment as I tried to process the new information. I had never felt so frustrated to not have been educated; why hadn't my mother told me about this? Was it because she thought I was human? There had to be a reasonable explanation.

"Can't I like, skip a month? Like the pill?"

He frowned, "I am afraid not. Birth pills do not work on werewolves."

My eyes were unfocused as my heart stuttered in my chest. "I've been on birth control since I had my first bleed."

He cocked his head. "Why? Did a doctor prescribe you medication for that?"

"They thought I was human I guess, and my monthly's were always so heavy and intense. I was told I was too frail because I often passed out." I shrugged.

"That's the malnutrition, Nova..." He gave me a timid smile." Since being in my pack, have you taken these pills?"

I frowned, realising he was right, but then I also remembered. I hadn't.

"Not since I was taken," I muttered, shifting awkwardly.

I wasn't expecting to have this kind of conversation with him, but I guess it was happening. He didn't seem to be bothered by the nature of it, which settled my anxiety slightly.

He let out a breath of air. "Okay. Well, they don't actually prevent pregnancy since they were given to you when you were a human. Our wolf immune system burns through human medication too quickly and proves it ineffective. We'll have to talk to Kate and see what she can do. She doesn't have any of your records from that pack, which is no surprise since they used you for a blood bag...but we can figure something out."

"Okay, Doctor Phoenix." I giggled at his serious expression

His eyes brightened from the serious tone his voice held. "You do tease me, mate."

The conversation had fallen to a finish after that, and I soon took the moment of silence to use the bathroom. I washed my face under the tap, trying to cool down the awkward anxiety I could still feel in my gut. I looked around the bathroom after I finished, admiring the gold accents on the tub and the handles. I sighed, pushing myself away from the vanity sink.

I glanced at myself, taking in the closed-over wounds on my neck. They were small half-circles now, Steven's claws leaving a reminder of what had happened. I swallowed and took a long blink when bile rose at the reminder. So much pain and anxiety, so much adrenaline and fear.

I let out a shaky breath, pulling at the stitches around my now closed-over knife wound. I had a feeling Phoenix would want to take these stitches out later tonight when it was better healed. Normal werewolves would have healed this within a couple of hours, a human would take a couple of weeks or more, so I was glad it was only going to take me a few days.

I pulled the hairbrush from my toiletries bag and tamed the mess of my hair, choosing to keep it down today as the weather wasn't too windy or misfortunate. I smoothed down my hands down my sides, preparing myself to go back into the room.

I unlocked the door and made my way back into the room, Phoenix sitting on the bed, his hand fisted in his hair as he stared down at his phone. His head snapped up at my entrance and he gave me a small smile. He stood from the bed, stepping toward me with a smile.

"Everything okay?" I wondered.

He nodded, "Just Charlie texting me on pack updates."

"Oh," I licked my lips. "Everything okay?"

His smile widened and he placed a kiss on my forehead, his hand brushing my waist. "Of course. I've had a dress brought to the room since you have nothing to wear. Unfortunately, you have to dress well for when in the Kingdom, given your status."

I frowned at the idea of what dress could've been brought to my room but he just laughed at my expression before excusing himself to the bathroom. I dropped my gaze to the bed where I saw a dress bag. I just got out of a battle and I was already being made to wear a dress.

I winced as I unzipped it, wondering if the maid who had chosen this was going to give me something too girly.

Once again, I was pleasantly surprised. The dark blue fabric fell out of the bag and I hummed as I pulled it from the hanger. It was a long maxi dress, the fabric light and airy for the summer weather. It had one solid shoulder strap and tightened along the chest and wrapped into the waist before it flowed down to the floor. Besides the bag was a pair of flat ballet shoes and I was glad I didn't have to wear heels again.

I went round to my bag and pulled out some fresh underwear, knowing I'd have no bra I pulled them on before slipping into the dress. It hung tightly around my waist but the freedom of the fabric on my legs was comforting. Perhaps I didn't mind this dress or dresses like this after all. The two dresses I have worn were rather comfortable.

I slipped the shoes on before making my way over to the huge mirror on the far wall. I stood before it, actually enjoying the view of myself dressed nicely. It wasn't a lot but I actually felt...nice. The dress hung from me well, the one strap left my mating mark exposed and I smiled as I traced the moon-shaped marks left behind. They had healed already, now a dark cream against my skin.

I wasn't too bothered by the old burn scarring, nothing but a faint reminder of what I had gone through. I felt proud, as I stood there. I had overcome so much without really noticing, and I had discovered so much about myself that I had been so naively unaware of. And now I bared a mate mark, a wolf matched for mine forever. We had overcome so much, learnt so much and were learning more every day.

I smiled to myself, just as the bathroom door opened. My eyes fell to see Phoenix exiting, his eyes scanning the room until he found me by the mirror. His mouth widened to a grin as he walked over to me, adjusting the buttons at his neck. He was wearing a dark blue short sleeve shirt to match my dress and black trousers with shoes. He had left the top two buttons revealing his rich tan skin beneath. His muscles bulged through the fabric and I swallowed as he came to a stop behind me.

"You look wonderful." He smiled, scanning me in the mirror.

I smiled and took a step to the side to admire his attire. "You look nice as well, as always."

He chuckled and adjusted the shirt on his shoulders before smoothing the curling mess on his head. "Thank you, my love. Although I need a haircut."

I eyed the strands on his head as he fiddled with them. Before his hair was short and in almost even lengths, often styled to one side. But since then it had grown longer and more unruly. Today he had smoothed it backwards, small curls appearing around his ears and nape of his neck. I rather liked it, it suited him.

"I like it." I smiled, reaching up to run my fingers down the back of his neck.

His eyes snapped to mine in surprise and I blushed when I realised I initiated contact. He grinned, spinning around to pull me into a hug. My cheek rested on his chest as a deep rumble came from his chest.

He pulled away and peppered two kisses on my head before his arms dropped back to his sides. "Come, they're expecting us already."

I nodded with a faint smile and followed him out of the room, he held the door for me as a passed through and once it shut behind us I looked around nervously.

"Where are the others?" I wondered.

"Sean and your brothers are with the women in the gardens. They are taking it slow, adjusting to not being contained. We shall go see them after this meeting." He smiled, taking my hand in his.

I dug my teeth into my cheek as he leads me down the halls and grand staircases. "What is this meeting about?"

He sighed, glancing down at me. "They want to meet you, or so they say. I have marked you without initiating the Alpha rules."

"The challenger fights?" I wondered.

"Yeah. I am meant to announce it before we mark and mate, it's a load of crap." He chuckled.

I flushed at the thoughts. This meeting was going to be more difficult than I had imagined; for once I had no idea how it would go. Would I be forced to endure my heat alone? Or made to fight people already?

We came to a stop at some large wooden doors. Two men stood, the blonde man nodding his head in greeting. The other opened the door with a small creak, as the blonde stepped inside first.

"Your Majesties, Lord Alpha Phoenix Titan and his mate Nova James." He announced, bowing low.

Lord? I wondered.

He chuckled but said nothing as he leads me through the double doors. Here goes nothing.

•••

Hello!

This was a short one I'm sorry

But in return, I will post later tonight!

What was your best moment of August?

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