The Werewolf Order (Erotica)

Men and women do not touch each other casually, outside of sharing a dance. We do not fight or brawl, nor are we quick to anger; all disagreements are talked through honestly and on the rare occasion a compromise cannot be made, it is taken to the King and Queen. Most of our citizens harvest wood or do a craft with it, though there are plenty others that farm or work with other trades. We mostly operate on a barter system.” He thinks on it a bit more, before he glances to the men at the table, “We respect our women whole heartedly and treat them as equals.” His eyes flicker at Mora before he turns back to the men and narrows them, “I am sure you have seen the Queen fight-all of our women are just as capable so don’t do anything stupid.”

Mora hides her laughter by taking a sip from her wine; Eric, on the other hand, shifts uncomfortably, “We all saw what your women could do on a battle field; I don’t think their ability is anything anyone would question.”

After they finish dinner, they gather in the small library across the hall; Jackson excuses himself, ready to spend time with his family. Franklin, on the other hand, takes the opportunity to talk with Sari. Lucas and Rick are discussing something, leaving Mora standing next to Eric on the far side of the room.

“I’d like to ask you something and have you be honest with me,” Mora says.

“I’ve always been honest with you, Mora,” Eric replies, “I’m sorry, I mean Queen Namora.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“When it is just us, or within this group, I am perfectly all right with you calling me Mora,” she says, looking up at the man. His soft smile hits her with a pang of guilt; glancing away, she asks her question, “Why are you here, Eric?”

“I’m sorry?” He questions, confused.

“Why are you here? Did you come of your own choosing or did Queen Sheynne ask you to?”

“She wanted Rick to arrive in Derven with some guards. It took a lot of convincing for her to allow Sari and Lucas but she insisted on a Warden attending as well.”

Mora huffs, “Afraid for his safety, is she? Or perhaps she wishes you to spy for her and Kelvin.”

“She does,” Eric says; when Mora turns to him, he adds, “for both. She worries about Rick around you. She is threatened by you; I can see it, even if no one else does. And yes, she asked me to spy for her and Kelvin. I am to let them know all that you do within the next week. Dell is set to meet me where the burwood tree fell, each night at midnight so that I can relay information to her.”

Keeping her face blank, she continues looking at him, “You’re not a very good spy, Eric. You realize, you are supposed to keep that kind of information a secret.”

His bright green eyes remain locked on hers, “I am of Sceadu, through and through-in fact, this is the first time I have ever left my country. I am a creature of darkness, a Warden of the borders and yesterday I fought alongside my kinsmen against a tyrant, because it was a just cause.” He takes a deep breath, drinking from the wine glass in his hand before he continues, “I want you to know that I am loyal to all that is Sceadu.”

“I never doubted for a moment that you weren’t,” Mora says, glancing away from him.

“For a long time I have disagreed with the way Queen Sheynne ran our land; I understand the need for border security but killing innocent men, selling women into slavery? It is not right. She secludes us from the other countries, keeps them out and us in. With no one other than her to run things, there wasn’t much for us to look forward to, no way to voice our malcontent. I am loyal to Sceadu,” he motions towards Rick, “and now that you have spurred him into his birthright, you have given my country something to hope for. Your strength, your intelligence, your compassion did not go unnoticed by anyone at the Meadow; knowing that you two will unite, that our Prince will become your King and that someday, you will become our Queen has caused Sheynne and Kelvin a lot of discomfort.”

Turning back to him, she sees the truth in his eyes, “Assure me you are not spying for her, Warden.”

His gaze never waivers, “I am loyal to the future rulers of Sceadu; I will meet Dell but I will pass him no valuable information.”

Nodding, she sighs, “From the moment I met her, Sheynne has had a manipulating hand in this; she intentionally placed me with her son, she set us up. She insisted my marriage to Irron be called off, she held me prisoner in her lands, she was the entire reason why war couldn’t be avoided-yet all this seems to fall on me. I do not understand what her end game is.”

Eric shakes his head, “She wants control of Alumenia.”

Their conversation is cut short when Rick joins them; his eyes glance between the two, obviously curious about the pair, though he leaves his gaze on Mora and smiles warmly, “Franklin offered to take us to a tavern tonight.”

Mora glances at Franklin, then back to Rick, her face slightly concerned, “Rick-here a tavern is just a tavern. There is absolutely no fighting-”

His laugh stops her, “We know; Lucas is eager to try some Derven ale.”

Relieved, she smiles, “I am turning in for the night but please, have a good time.”

Eric, taking the hint, bows his head slightly and follows the others out of the room. Rick drifts alongside Mora; by the time they reach the hallway, the others are already at the other end of it. He looks at her, his gaze lingering on her hand again, “I think I will turn in as well.”

She catches the sparkle in his dark blue eyes; with a nod, she parts ways, leaving Rick as he heads towards her old bedroom. It doesn’t take her long to reach the royal chambers; having bid Eunice goodnight earlier, she is alone in her room. Removing the crown, it is set on top of a bright red pillow on her vanity; it takes some effort to get the laces of her gown loosened but she manages to pull it off over her head and carefully drape it over the paneled divider before slipping on a deep red robe. Though it takes her a moment to recall where the entrance is, she finds the wooden panel that pops open when the hidden latch is depressed. Quickly, she weaves her way in and out of the dark passages, ending up just outside of the familiar one leading to her old bedroom. She presses her ear to the panel, listening for a moment before quietly easing it open; she is surprised that she beat Rick there. Securing the panel shut behind her, she waits silently behind the small dressing screen in the corner of the room.

A few moments later, the door opens and shuts. She hears him sit on the small chair and take his boots off; quietly, she drifts out from behind the screen. When he sees her, he immediately rises and crosses the room. Rick pulls her close, his lips finding hers in a fierce kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth. His arms constrict when his embrace tightens; Mora sucks in a gasp and winces. Rick instantly pulls away, his brows crinkled with concern. Eyes lingering on her face, he slowly unties the belt of her robe, pushing the dark fabric free of her shoulders. His hands carefully pulls her underdress up, sliding it over her arms and head before letting it drift down to the floor. A frown mars his face when he sees her bruised skin. Gently, he takes her uninjured hand and leads her to the bed.

Mora sits on the edge, watching him dig through the black wooden chest he brought with him. Rick pulls out a jar of salve and kneels before her; though she is naked, his eyes are focused on her damaged body as he carefully rubs the cream into her wounds. She watches his face darken slightly.

“Thank you,” she offers as he unwraps her hand and takes it into his, massaging the salve into her broken fingers. Her entire body feels cool, the scent of lavender filling the air of the room, the pain finally melting away.

“You shouldn’t thank me,” his voice is angry but soft. “I did this to you.”

“You had no control over yourself, Rick,” she reminds him. “Besides, I know that I left plenty of bruises on you too.”

“No, not like this. I was trying to kill you-you were trying not to kill me.”

“I did kill you,” she says. Cupping his cheek with her hand, she leans down and kisses him softly.

He sets the jar of salve down, his large hands resting on her bare thighs when he presses his lips back into hers. Mora slowly pulls away from him, shifting her body back further on the bed, her eyes watching his every movement. Rick rises to his feet, undressing before her; he slides his coat off, quickly unbuttoning his vest, letting it fall to the ground. Pulling off his shirt before tossing it aside, he unlaces his pants and pushes them down to the floor, standing naked before her.

Her gaze wanders over his wide muscled chest, noting the dark bruises on his tanned skin and the round scar over his heart. He steps forward, placing one knee upon the bed, followed by the other before stalking over her body. Rick hovers above her, leaning down, his lips gently brushing her cheek. His kisses tease her neck and collar bone, coming up her throat before meeting hers once again. Mora runs her fingers through his hair, holding him firmly against her mouth.

Rick’s hand slides down the front of her body, his fingertips gliding over her pale mounds and across her stomach before vanishing from her skin; she feels him guiding himself to her, the pressure of his manhood against her wetness. He pulls free of her lips, his bright, almost glowing blue eyes staring deep into hers; slowly, he pushes forward. Mora gasps at the pain of her maidenhood giving way. When Rick stops to let her adjust, she tilts her head up, brushing her nose against his cheek before sucking his bottom lip into her mouth.

His breathing is quick, a soft moan escapes his lips. He trembles with restraint, carefully pressing his body into hers, going slow to give her time to accommodate his claim on her flesh. When she has taken it all, he eases the entire length all the way out before gliding back forward into their intimate embrace.