The Eve of the Full Moon

“Wolves are scary. You’re scary.”

In the silence, the whining cries echoed cruelly.

“…She, She seems to be very drunk.”

He excused himself, watching the frozen Valta.

“Because she didn’t refuse even the warriors’ cups of the underlings and drank them all…”

“What were you doing, not stopping her?”

“……”

“Are you having it easy these days, Mashak?”

“I’m sorry.”

He lowered his head, feeling like he wanted to be killed.
The hall was chilling under the gaze that seemed like it would freeze and shatter his heart right away.

Mashak trembled and waited for his punishment.

Valta’s nature was cold.
That was also the reason he had many enemies.
He was endlessly harsh even to himself, and he would replace anyone who went against him without a second thought.

Despite that, the reason they pledged their loyalty was because they had all owed him their lives at least once.
Valta, saying that he himself had once lived by begging for his life, always gave the underlings one chance.

Mashak had already used that one chance.

“…Huh? I, I know you!”

As he was just lowering his head and waiting for his punishment, a bright finger-pointing gesture pointed at Valta.

To dare to blame him for her safety, the other party was, of all people, the Valtael.
Her eyes were unfocused, drunk on either alcohol or sleep.

“We’ve met before, right? Hiccup, in prison…”

Just a moment ago, she was whimpering that she was scared to death, and now she was pointing at Valta triumphantly and grinning.

“The greeeat… what was his name, ah, Karvan!”

“I’m so grateful that you recognize me.”

“Hey, Mr. Van! When did you, hiccup, come. Ugh, my head hurts…”

“It hurts because you drank so much.”

“Ugh, I didn’t drink that much.”

He was surprised once that Valta was answering each and every one of her words, and twice that his voice was so gentle.

“Sit down, don’t stagger.”

“Mmm.”

He didn’t enjoy alcohol or cigarettes, so he must have hated drunkards, but he gently pulled the staggering Valtael onto his lap and sat her down.

“It’s cool…. But, why is everyone standing?”

The Valtael, who was rubbing her cheek against his hand and chirping like a baby bird, suddenly looked around.

The underlings standing like they were nailed to the spot must have seemed strange.

“It’s a sign of respect. You are the star of this banquet.”

“Is that so…? That’s right! Right, I’m the star! The fiiirst to clear the fiery hell of a trial forest!”

He couldn’t understand what she was saying at all, but Valta seemed to have understood and chuckled, answering.

“I believe I have a share in that too.”

“Shh! Quiet! Hiccup, you’re so good at nitpicking.”

“…Nitpicking?”

“Yeah! Your shin will break! You son of a canine…”

Mashak is still not sure whether what happened that day was real or not.

He swore he had never seen it before.
The Valta he had served for so many years, laughing so hard.

“Mmm…”

I think I woke up at some point because I felt something like killing intent.

When I first opened my eyes, I was leaning against Karvan, and all the Varg were standing and looking at us.

“Why is everyone standing? Your legs must hurt.”

I muttered according to the stream of consciousness and then the fuse went out again, and this time I was being carried in the man’s arms.
His footsteps didn’t even reach a few times, but the surrounding air changed rapidly.

I blinked my heavy eyes and saw that the surroundings were full of mist.
It seemed he was moving using a skill.

At some point, the air became warm.
Judging by the heavy, comforting scent, it was the bedroom.

The man, who had walked as if gliding, laid me down on the bed.
Half-asleep, I was just breathing quietly as he tucked me in, when a large hand slowly pulled at the collar of my clothes.

I sobered up in an instant.

I was tense, but the man only took off my outer garment and then covered me with the blanket again.

And it became quiet.

I didn’t hear the sound of the door leaving.
Karvan can turn into mist.

I had seen him enter and exit silently a few times, so I didn’t rashly open my eyes and just tossed and turned, pretending to be talking in my sleep.

It was still quiet.

‘…Did he really go?’
I stealthily opened my eyes and looked towards the door.

Golden eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

His posture, leaning against the door with his arms crossed, was crooked, as if to say, ‘Let’s see how long this goes on.’

“You didn’t leave… cough, cough!”

Hic, as I gasped and started coughing, he came over and patted my back.
As I smiled awkwardly at his ‘you’re something else’ gaze, the man looked at me with an expressionless face.

“You said you drank all the cups to get closer to the Varg.”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. That’s right. They said they would recognize me as a brother if I accepted their cups.”

“Get closer for what.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

A voice like a line drawn with an icicle.

I had forgotten for a few days because he had been treating me well.
That this man was a race that hated Awakeners intensely.
That he wouldn’t kill me ‘for the time being’ because I was useful.
I pouted my lips.

“Alright, I won’t do it.”

“……”

“But why did you come? I was going to have a drink, did I disturb you because I was drunk?”

“If that were the case, it would be a hundred times understandable why you were so displeased.”
The man said indifferently.

“I do not drink.”

“Really? Anyway, thanks.”

“I did not do it for you. I just prevented something that would become troublesome beforehand.”

“I know. But thanks anyway.”

“……”

“Why, you don’t want to receive a Destroyer’s gratitude? Should I take it back?”

‘He’s so picky about even receiving a thank you.’
As I was grumbling, he stared at me intently.

“With words alone.”

‘…What?’
The moment I asked back, the man strode over.

He lifted my chin and was about to kiss my cheek, but then he buried his lips in my neck along my jawline and whispered.

“If you’re so grateful, you should show it with your actions.”

I couldn’t tell if it was his languid voice or his lips that were nibbling at my ear.
He rubbed the area around the imprint vein below my ear and kissed it in small pecks.

“Hmph…”

I unconsciously tilted my head and exposed my neck, then flinched.
My body, which took the man’s kisses for granted and didn’t even avoid them, was unfamiliar.

Flustered, I grabbed the forearms that were propped up on either side of me, and he slowly pulled back.
He seemed to have taken it as a sign of rejection.

There was no particular look of disappointment or anger.
An indifferent face, as if he had known it would be like this.

“Rest tomorrow during the day, don’t go for a walk.”

It was strange to say he could continue, so I was just wringing my disheveled clothes when the man spoke.

“The full moon will rise. It would be best to conserve your energy until tomorrow night.”

“Why? Are we, perhaps, going for a walk together at night?”

“……”

“Are we going to see the moon? It’s my dream to see the full moon up close!”

I puffed up my expectations with my own conclusion, combining what I wanted to hear, but Karvan said nothing.

“You will copulate with me. Under the full moon.”

Thinking it might be true, I was looking at him with sparkling eyes, but I was stunned by the answer that was thrown at me.

“I’m telling you in advance.”

He left me frozen solid and went out indifferently.

‘…What is he saying?!’

I screamed a beat late.

I wasn’t surprised by the word ‘copulate.’
It wasn’t like I had had s*x with the man once or twice.

I was just dumbfounded by the way he spat it out like a threat.

‘Is he trying to scare me, or what?’
‘Since when did he say such things and then do them.’

As I was staring at the closed door in bewilderment, the man’s last words got stuck in my throat.

“Will you tell me in advance?”
“Sometimes.”
“Are you kidding me? Tell me always, always!”

My sullen mood melted away.

Because it felt like my words weren’t completely ignored.

‘Anyway, he’s not going to touch me until tomorrow afternoon.’
I fell asleep with a comfortable mind.

The Full Moon Ceremony.
The final rite to become a mate.

The Varg believe that the full moon symbolizes unity.

That’s why they promise to be mates who will be together for life by copulating under the full moon.

Even though the sun was still high in the sky, the moon, which looked about 50 percent transparent, was incredibly large.
I was already looking forward to how beautiful it would be at night.

From lunchtime, I was held by the Sura and scrubbed clean like a wild animal about to be adopted.

I washed my body in scented oil for several hours and had doodles drawn all over my body.
They drew something like cat whiskers on my cheeks with paint made from crushed flower petals, and also scribbled something on my neck.
I don’t know how many times I sneezed because of the pollen.

I wore a white robe with long sleeves that reached my shins, and my hair was neatly braided into one.

It was a good thing Karvan had told them that I was a special case like him.
Otherwise, I would have gone crazy trying to maintain my beast form.

“Since your ears are on the side, it’s a bit empty, so it would be better to use a head ornament instead.”

I don’t know why they’re so obsessed with packaging when we’ll all be the same when we’re stripped naked.
That indifferent man wouldn’t care anyway.

“Valta will like it. Even if he doesn’t show it.”

“He won’t even know I’m dressed up.”

“No way. Oh my, you’re so pretty! This, this, shall we try it just once? It’s the last one!”

Every time I whined, Tegen would make a fuss.

Like a handler who waves a toy or a carrot during an animal photo shoot, he would soothe me by bringing up conversations or delicious things to pique my interest whenever I was about to get tired.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t even show my dislike.

“How can your skin be so clear and beautiful.”

Listening to the Sura who were admiring my skin, saying that I didn’t need makeup, I looked in the mirror.

Dressed up in a robe and with a pattern drawn on my face, I looked like a different person.
If it weren’t for my pink hair, I wouldn’t have even recognized myself.

I thought I just had to wait for the man in the bedroom, all dressed up like that.

And I did.

As expected, Karvan entered the bedroom as the sun was setting.

The man stopped in his tracks when he saw me sitting demurely.