Chapter One – Yuliana
The billowy robes that they had put Yuliana in did nothing for her figure. But the puke-green, tent-like garment was meant to be a sign of humiliation, and so it made sense that it would be actually humiliating to wear it. Her hands trembled a little as she waited in the opulent room. She was a low-born vampire. Her parents weren't even servants in a noble household. They rented a little plot of land from a human landlord and worked in the human sector of town. In vampire society, one couldn't get any lower than that.
And yet the king himself had called her and her parents to meet with him.
"What do you think he wants?" she asked, brushing her fingers through her chestnut hair yet again.
Her mother caught her hand and pushed it down firmly. Yuliana could feel her slow but steady pulse. "Rumor has it that the king is looking for another maid to expand his household harem. Not many girls stay virgins these days, but you—"
"Mother, please don't say things like that!" Yuliana's pale olive tones flushed red. Vampire didn't care about virginity or sexual prudence, but her mother never accepted that. "The king doesn't want me in his harem."
She caught a glance of herself in one of the highly polished mirrors that were spread around the opulent receiving room that they were in. Despite the fact that she was born from two vampire parents, her skin had never had the ghostly pallor that was prevalent among the nobility. Yuliana suspected it was because her mother was human-born. She had only turned into a vampire after she met Yuliana's father. Yet another reason why the family was on the lower end of society. Human-born vampires were always seen as second-class citizens, the vampires that turned them a step above criminals.
Yuliana's figure, too, was undesirable of vampires. Given their low position, Yuliana and her parents couldn't afford to purchase enough blood to fully sustain themselves and had to supplement with raw meats and iron-rich vegetables. The result was that instead of the slim, almost gaunt silhouette that the elites espoused, Yuliana was full-figured. Round cheeks, round thighs, round stomach. She was even bigger than most of the human women she knew.
It wasn't as though she wasn't pretty. Her eyes and mouth were both well-shaped, her hair thick and shiny, her proportions reminiscent of a thicker Marilyn Monroe. She just wasn't beautiful, and the king only took beautiful women for his harem.
One such beautiful woman, dressed in a gorgeous emerald-green gown that clung to her thin frame, stepped into the receiving room. A tattoo of a crown gleamed from her bared, creamy shoulder. "King Harold will see you now."
The slow pace of Yuliana's heartbeat jumped. She smoothed the green robe as she and her parents fell in step behind the woman. What would King Harold say? What did he want? The letter she had received summoning her had been addressed with her name, and the invitation to bring her parents only came at the end. But what had she done to get this attention? Until the letter, she hadn't even thought that the king would know she existed!
Her breath caught in her chest when she finally saw the king himself. He was in a large room, empty save for a piano in the window and a few couches, loveseats and chairs scattered throughout the space. The king sat at the piano, playing a delicate tune. His face was turned towards the window, but just his profile was enough for Yuliana's throat to go dry.
Skin pale as death, sharp cheekbones, deep, dark eyes. The black suit he wore made him radiate all the more power. Yuliana could hardly make herself move but somehow managed to sink low to the floor in a curtsy as she was meant to.
"Ah, Yuliana." The king's voice was rich and deep as it washed over her. "Welcome."
She ducked her head, blushing. Was she supposed to reply? "It is a great honor."
"The greatest honor is yet to be bestowed. You may rise."
Her heart slammed against her chest as she straightened. Was her mother right?
"You, of course, know of the war that the Shifters have been waging against us."
Yuliana shivered and nodded. Everybody knew about the Shifters. They were a violent, unreasonable people that lived in the dense forests that surrounded the civilized areas controlled by the vampires. Every year they made dozens of raids, killing vampires and stealing food and supplies from wherever they got it.
"What if I told you that you could be our means of ending this conflict?"
"Me?" Yuliana's eyes widened. "But what could I do?"
"The Alpha of our greatest foes is seeking a mate. He's even put ads in human newspapers for women to contact him. I have contacted him to offer a female vampire as his mate, and you are she."
Ice flooded her veins. She had been called here to become the mate of a Shifter? And not just any Shifter, but an Alpha? Out of everything she had considered, this seemed impossible. Even more impossible than being chosen as part of the king's harem. Her stomach churned. King Harold was asking her to leave her family and home to… mate a Shifter?
"M-my king," her father stuttered, clutching Yuliana's hand. "Surely the beast would kill her!"
"Nonsense." The king waved his hand airily. "Shifters are different from us in many ways, but they don't kill their mates. When he accepts you as his mate, dear Yuliana, he is dedicating his life to you. He will give you everything you desire and lay down his life for you. You can't find that among humans, and given your station it's unlikely, that you'll find a vampire mate."
Yuliana flinched at the reminder. Her mother's previous words brushed across her mind. Not many girls stay virgins these days.
Well, it wasn't by choice on her part. She was just over a hundred years old, a young woman who had reached the age where she could take a mate some time ago. But nobody wanted her. Whether because of her appearance, her lowly station, or her crippling shyness, she hadn't had a single suitor.
Skipping dating and the heartbreak and rejection that came with it and just having a mate was an attractive proposition. But a Shifter? What if he took her away, and just gobbled her up like the Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood? The news was full of Shifters stealing away young women to be their mates. Could this Alpha really be capable of dedicating his life to her when his people seemed to not care about whether their mates chose them or not?
"You would be doing a great service for your people," the king urged.
Yuliana swallowed hard. Her people. Yes, they had to come before her own comforts, even if it was terrifying. "I will be his mate."
***
She packed only a backpack with clothing in it. Yuliana hugged her mother tightly, determined that she wasn't going to cry. Her eyes were already red, scratchy and puffy from the previous night. If she kept going on like that, she was going to have to drink a gallon of blood just to replace lost energy.
And where she was going, she didn't know if she was going to have regular access to blood.
"Call us as often as you can," her father said, gripping her shoulder. "I wish I could stop you from doing this… but you're a grown woman, and I'm proud of you. Just take care of yourself."
Yuliana's lip trembled and she threw herself into her father's arms. Her shoulders shook despite her vow to remain strong.
There was a knock on the door. Her mother wiped her cheeks as she moved towards it. Yuliana's heart seized when she saw the man waiting for her. He was big. No, more than big. He was enormous. His shoulders were so broad that he had to turn sideways to enter the house, and even now as he looked in at them, he had to duck. The man was a monster!
And yet…
Yuliana's mouth watered when she caught his scent. Deep and manly, smelling of fresh-tilled earth, chopped wood and summer rain. And his eyes, sharp blue in a weather-browned face, were the most striking she had ever seen. Even as she drew back from him, there was something stirring inside of her core that demanded… something. To be in his arms with her legs around his hips. She shivered, unable to process this confusing mix of terror and desire.
"Yuliana?" He addressed her and she nodded silently. "I am Leon Pierce. You're the girl who wants to be my mate?"
"Yes."
Leon gestured for her. "Then come along. We have a long trip to get to camp."
She hugged her parents one last time before she slipped out of the house to join her new mate. He was even bigger up close, his bare chest gleaming, muscles straining against his skin. He wore shorts made of some sort of stretchy spandex material that left little to the imagination.
"Is this all you have?" he asked, poking her backpack.
"Yes. I know Shifters are nomadic, so I thought it was best to travel light."
Leon nodded with a grunt. "I have procured some blood bags for your use once we reach camp, but after they are empty, you will need to drink directly from me."
Yuliana stifled a gasp. She had never drunk fresh from the vein before and certainly hadn't expected this monster-sized Wolf to offer her his blood… could Shifters even feed vampires? Or would it end up giving her food poisoning?
"We usually have a semi-permanent camp we stay at for most of the year, but as you and I are new mates, we are going to head to a cave up in the mountains where we will solidify our bonds and physically be bound for the first time," Leon continued. "I hope you enjoy the outdoors. Climb on."
Before Yuliana could ask what he meant, he shifted. She jumped back as his form transitioned smoothly into that of a giant Wolf. He stood as tall as she was at the shoulder, his fur a smoky gray that glittered in the sun. Yuliana had to resist the urge to dig her fingers into it.
Well, now she knew what the shorts were for. They stretched, covering Wolf's loins, though his tail looked uncomfortably lumped in there. Leon crouched, his belly scraping the ground. Yuliana climbed onto his back, greedily breathing in his heady scent.
She turned once to wave back at her parents, but otherwise kept her grip on her new mate and faced the future.