Episode 2

≈NAOMI≈

"How do you feel, dear?" my godfather asked me as he drove down the driveway, giving my hand a squeeze.

"I'm fine," I replied with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Good," he said, focusing on the road again. I looked at him briefly as he drove, feeling grateful to have him by my side. After Dad passed away, Jose immediately traveled to Patagonia to bury him, take care of me, and bring me to his house. Remembering how he fulfilled the promise he made to Dad when I was just a girl filled me with nostalgia. That promise they both made was simple: in case something happened to Albert, he would never leave me alone. His friendship and unconditional love filled my heart, because without him, I would be lost now...

We are only a few minutes away from reaching his territory, and I am already on edge. Why? Well, it's as simple as: What am I, a human, doing in the middle of a pack of wolves? It was simpler when I didn't know he was one. Was his family like him too? His wife, a wolf? And his children? I knew he had a family; I had heard him talk about them dozens of times, but he never came to visit me with them.

Upon arriving at the Lupinville Villa, I was surprised.

Although it was night, you could see from the road the scent of wet earth, the murmur of the Olivia River that crossed the villa, the tall, leafy trees like the old houses, which, judging by their facades, seemed to tell stories of times gone by. But what impressed me the most were the luxurious mansions that were paradoxically around it.

A few minutes later, upon arriving at my godfather's residence, I was speechless. It was a huge mansion, resembling a castle, surrounded by dense vegetation and, of course, guarded by many men. Or wolves, I suppose...

"Welcome, dear," said Lesly, his wife. "It's good to have you back home."

"Hello, darling. How have things been here?" he said, getting out of the car.

"Everything is in order," she replied, turning towards me. "Hello, Naomi! Welcome home. I'm Lesly, Jose's wife," she expressed affectionately, giving me two kisses on my cheeks.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am. Thank you for having me," was all I could say.

"Oh! She's so beautiful, Jose!" she said, closing her eyes and taking my hands. "You have a beautiful aura," she expressed, turning sideways. "Mariel, come and greet Naomi."

"Hello, Naomi! It's so nice to finally have you here!" she said enthusiastically, giving me a big hug, as if we had known each other all our lives. "You don't know how many things I've planned for us to do together, we'll be great friends, I promise," Astonished by her welcome, I could only respond with a smile.

"Mariel, dear, could you show Naomi her room?" my godfather said.

"Of course, Dad! Follow me, Naomi," she said, gesturing for me to follow her. "How was the trip?" she asked, opening the front door, inviting me inside.

"It was quite peaceful, but it felt endless," I admitted, following her through a large room until we came to a huge staircase. "This place is impressive," I murmured, going up, admiring from above the architecture, the works of art, the hermit lamps that hung on the ceiling, and the carvings of the moon phases on the handrail.

"I don't want to sound conceited, but it's not a big deal to me. I've lived here all my life, so I've gotten used to it. But yes, it's pretty," she said, smiling.

"Who are all those portraits of?" I asked from the top step, noticing a long row of them.

"They are the hierarchy of all the Alpha wolves in our pack. There are many, aren't there?"

"Yes, there are," I admitted.

"Look, these with gold frames are the current Alphas, and these with wrought iron represent the lineage of the oldest Alphas."

"What happened to this one?" I asked, stopping at one where the face was practically erased from the canvas.

"Oh, that portrait is the oldest of all. I think the painting didn't hold up over time." "Of course, I understand," I said, running my fingers over the painting, strangely feeling a connection that I couldn't explain.

"Okay, let's go. I'll show you your room," she said, taking my hand, leading me down the hall.

Finally, after a few meters, we stopped at what would be my room. "Wow!" I blurted out upon entering. My bedroom turned out to be as luxurious as the rest of the house. It was spacious and elegant, with an antique Victorian-style bed that looked like it was taken out of a fairy tale. The bed had a canopy of such a clear fabric that my hand was transparent through it. I was amazed, this was worthy of a princess, without exaggeration. Mariel looked at me and left my luggage on it.

"Great, right?"

"Yes, it definitely is."

"You know, believe it or not, this bed belonged to a human moon." I don't know what face I made, but my expression did not go unnoticed by Mariel, who noticed that I didn't understand what she meant. "In our pack," she began to explain, "a Moon not only represents the Alpha's mate, but also a higher authority. A female leader, in other words."

"So... you mean a human led them?"

"Yes, at least within the pack there is a precedent where a human slave, subdued by an ancient King, managed to become Moon after her mate managed to save her."

"When you refer to mate, do you mean..."

"A wolf," she replied without hesitation. "While wolves usually pair with other wolves, there are exceptional cases, such as that union between that wolf and the human."

"And... how did he manage to save her?"

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