Evening...

She sat on a bench in Cander's palace garden, gazing at the moon, which seemed shyly veiled by clouds. The sound of small insects chirping amused her slightly, reminding her of her aunt's condition. However, she recalled that her aunt disapproved of one of Cander’s friends.

Suddenly, Cander took her right hand. She glanced at his collar and smiled. Then she saw him smiling sweetly, offering her a cup of tea and kissing her forehead. Although she was somewhat uncomfortable with Cander’s attentions, perhaps due to unfamiliarity, she found herself liking and feeling comfortable with his gestures.

"Why, dear?" he asked.

"It's okay," she replied softly, sipping the tea.

"What do you think?" Cander asked as he gently pulled her hand, urging her to stand up.

"Where are we going?" she exclaimed as he pulled her hand, prompting her to hurriedly place the glass on the table.

"Let me show you something!" he said.

They walked to a place she did not recognize, but it was clearly ancient, with a very old wooden door. The door, which looked solid, was opened with a key. Cander entered first, and she followed him.

"What are we here for?" she asked curiously.

"To show you something. Come, come with me!" he replied.

"Okay," she agreed, and they continued walking. The room was very dark, and the air in it made her feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, torches lit up in every corner of the room. It turned out to be a very beautiful space with numerous books neatly arranged on large shelves. She smiled when she noticed several musical instruments made of glass. Although she didn’t know their names, she recognized a guitar and a violin.

"These are Fairy instruments. They were given to my mother when she was young. But that was a long time ago," Cander explained, still holding her hand.

"Fairies? So there are fairies?" she asked, surprised.

"Darling, if you ask like that, it's as if you're asking if werewolves exist," Cander joked.

She smiled. "No, I'm just curious. I've seen a werewolf and..." Her intuition stopped her from continuing.

"And what, dear?" Cander asked, now looking at her with suspicion.

"And... and... I saw werewolf girls this morning and yesterday afternoon too!" she replied.

She swallowed nervously as Cander stared intently at her, his breath a mint-cinnamon mix that was both relaxing and stressful at that moment.

"Are you hiding something from me, honey?" he asked.

"N-n-no," she stammered, feeling nervous.

"Did you meet a vampire?" he inquired.

"No, I haven’t met a vampire yet!" she answered, trying to remain calm.

She was afraid that Cander would discover she had met a vampire. She knew that Cander and his kind despised vampires, but the vampires she encountered were very kind. If she told him about them, Cander might immediately track them down and kill them.

"Darling, I will always be by your side. If you see them, don't be afraid. I will eliminate them all immediately, understand?" Cander reassured her.

"Yes," she replied, and somehow, she touched his right cheek.

"I'm just scared if they touch you," Cander said, touching her left cheek.

"I know, don’t worry. You’re always there for me, so they won’t bother me," she muttered, trying to calm him.

"Alright, darling," Cander said, kissing her forehead, making her cheeks flush.

"I’ll explain a little about the traditions in the werewolf clan," he said, returning to their initial purpose for entering the room.

"What traditions?" she asked.

"The tradition of appointing a Luna. Do you know about the Wolf Full Moon?" Cander asked as he walked towards one of the largest bookshelves.

"No," she answered honestly.

"Here, all the traditions about our kind are in this book!" Cander said, showing her a thick book bound in bark.

"So you can explain?" she asked.

"Sure. Inside this book are instructions and rules on how to raise a human and make her a Luna," Cander explained as he placed the thick book on the table and opened it.

"So there are traditions I need to follow?" she asked.

"Yes, that’s right. Come closer, honey," Cander instructed.

She moved closer and looked inside the book. There was a picture of a large full moon and a woman standing on a cliff, wearing a white dress.

"I don’t understand the meaning of this image!" she said, looking at Cander beside her.

Cander smiled sweetly. "This will take place when the big moon arrives. It’s only a few weeks away. We will go to the highest cliff so that the moonlight can shine on you!" he said, turning to the next page.

The next image showed a man and a woman in bed with a blanket covering their naked bodies. The picture seemed too explicit for her. She glanced at Cander, who was also looking at her, and made a questioning face.

"What does this mean?" she asked, surprised.

"After the ritual, we must perform the union. But before that, we need to get married first," he explained as he walked behind her, hugging her small frame.

"Union? Marriage?" Now her mind was full of things she didn’t understand.

"Yes, dear. We will get married in about 3 to 5 days, but we won’t have marital relations until the tradition has been completed," he said, and she smiled with relief.

"What’s with that relieved smile? I’m tormented here!" he protested, and she touched his hands around her belly.

"You need to be patient," she said, feeling him exhale angrily.

"Okay... it’s late. We should sleep," Cander said.

They walked out of the room, but midway, they encountered Cander's two beautiful and kind sisters, though they were chatty and often annoying to Cander. She was surprised, as this was not the way to Cander’s sisters' room.

"Where are we going?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"To sleep, of course, darling!" he answered, glancing briefly at her.

"But... I sleep with your sister, and their room isn’t this way!" she protested.

"No, tonight you will sleep in my room. I don’t want my younger siblings to give you a headache," Cander replied, and suddenly, they were in front of his room.

Entering the masculine room dominated by black and dark blue, they stepped inside, and Cander closed the door. She nervously stepped back as Cander approached her. He continued until she sat on the large, very soft mattress. Cander's gaze was intense and hungry, though she suspected it was an act. Still, she was frightened as he removed his clothes, revealing his muscular body and clear tattoos.

She remained silent as Cander climbed onto the bed and pulled her hand, causing her to fall on top of him. Before she could protest, he was already hugging her, closing his eyes with a smile.

"What are you doing? Why should I sleep here?" she asked with a racing heart.

"Accompany me to sleep. Yesterday, my younger siblings were very talkative and nagging towards you. I’m too lazy to argue with them. Go to sleep; I won’t do anything," he replied, hugging her tightly, making her feel very comfortable.

It was useless to argue with Cander, who was very difficult to refuse or avoid. She slowly fell asleep, feeling his hand stroking her hair.

Morning...

She woke up to someone knocking at the door. Lazily, she covered her ears with a pillow. But the knocking grew louder, making it impossible to stay asleep.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 6 a.m. It seemed odd for someone to visit so early on a holiday. She saw that Scarf was still fast asleep on the sofa, so she put on a long coat over her see-through pajama dress.

"Wait a minute..." she muttered, tying her hair.

When she opened the door, she saw a handsome man with a smile that brightened her morning. It was Lathan, wearing a short-sleeved red checkered shirt with a long white shirt underneath, black jeans, and shoes. She could see the tattoos on his arms, which seemed to be increasing.

"What are you doing here so early?" she asked in astonishment.

“Of course, I’m keeping my promise like I said yesterday!” he replied.

"You’re unbelievable. Come in," she said.

She led the way, noticing Scarf had woken up and was heading toward her room. She felt Lathan follow her. In the kitchen, she told him to sit at the dining table.

"Sit down. I’ll prepare some food," she said.

"No need. We should get going before noon," he answered, looking hurried.

"Hey, calm down. It’s only 6 a.m.," she said, surprised.

"Get ready and dress warmly. I’ll cook for you," he instructed.

"You want to cook for me? Can you even do that?" she asked, slightly mocking.

"Of course I can. Hurry up and dress properly. I can see your black underwear from here," he said. Her cheeks flushed red, and she quickly crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself from his gaze.

"You’re so perverted," she exclaimed, running back to her bedroom.

"You’re so cute," Lathan mumbled, standing up from his seat. He walked to the fridge and began gathering cooking utensils.