The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness

- KATALEYA ~

"A concept that was inspired by your armour, Sky, and Enrique's hand, something that we can wear and shift in, countless times." I breathe in awe before looking at Leo. "How did you complete it?"

"Your notes were pretty detailed. There were only a few concepts that needed work. There's room for improvement, but I think we've made a good start. And I think it's the breakthrough needed going forward, but it's only fair the first suit is created for you," Leo replies. "Oh hot damn," Azura says. "Now some of your questions make sense. My sexy man is amazing."

Leo wraps his hand around her throat, kissing her. I smile at them before looking at my suit.

"I'm going to go try it on," I say, unable to suppress my excitement, taking the full box with me to the bathroom.

I press the centre of the belt, and white lines run through it. It's not so easy as that. There's programming that only the one integrated into the system can activate the suit and its perks.

I remove my clothes, taking off my lingerie and shoes before I wrap the belt around my waist. I clasp it shut, twisting the centre as white lines merge across the belt before they disappear.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

"Alright... suit up," I murmur. I feel the belt tighten slightly before it begins expanding, the white fabric materialising and tightening around me. The support in the chest was an integral part for me, and so far it seems to work.

The design itself is like a bodysuit, with a tiny skirt to make it a little modest. I feel like a warrior princess! It's more revealing than I'd have liked, but it's incredible!

I put on the rest of the pieces as they sync together.

Metal armour covers my shoulders and the centre of my chest. Gold boots wrap around my feet, wrapping over my calves and stopping below my knees. They're comfortable and sturdy. There are also arm guards that I put on. I press myself against the wall, watching the fabric change colour and blend in.

I whistle. Oh, Leo, you genius!

"Ok, let's try this." I feel nervous as I force myself to shift. I'm almost prepared to hear the breaking of metal, but when I look down, all I see are the gold cuffs around my wolf's neck and legs.

I smile in excitement as I shift back. There's no delay in the suit appearing, and I can't help but let out a squeal as I rush back into the bedroom.

"Oh it works! Leo, it works!"

"Wow, you look like a superhero!" Skyla says. "And a gorgeous one at that," Delsanra adds.

"Damn girl," Raihana says as Azura whistles.

"It's incredible." Mama agrees as I shift mid-run and then spin around in a circle looking at the smiling women. All who look impressed. I shift back, once again a little nervous it wouldn't work, but one glance down tells me it worked, and I jump in front of the camera where Leo is smoking away.

"You are amazing! It works!"

"As I said, there are some things that need improving, but I think this is probably a project we need to start. Tonight will give us a good test run of how durable the suit is. The head guard wasn't ready and I'm not sure if it would work due to your crown. I'll be working on the mask and earpiece and some other things. But once things settle, let's take this project further."

I smile. "Yes, for the war to come." I agree softly.

He nods. "Yeah."

"Thank you, Leo."

"And I had to change the design a little." He motions to my thighs, making me feel self-conscious again. "When you use your powers, the power that emits from the royal mark is intense. I'm not sure how it would impact the mechanics of the suit, so I wanted to avoid that."

How smart...

"Ah, that makes sense." I hum, I didn't have my mark when I began on this concept.

"But I told him to add that little tutu!" Azura adds.

"What tutu? It's just a frill. It barely covers her booty." Skyla snickers. 2

"My poor booty cheeks." I pout. "But no, I like it. Thank you. I'll give you a full report on how the suit goes."

Because no matter what, I have to survive.

Leo nods.

"I wish you guys were here," I murmur.

"I would have wanted to be there, but apparently someone had to hold down the fort here," Azura grumbles, wrinkling her nose. "Being a king's queen sucks."

"It does come with weighted responsibility." Skyla agrees.

"Well, let's do our best, so we are the queens whose names will go down in history," I say softly.

"Yeah, even when we're gone, let's leave a memory behind."

"And that's why the next generation are the ones who will win this war," Delsanra whispers.

"Don't count us out yet," Raihana adds, making us all laugh.

"And you ain't feeling old, right, Kia?" Azura teases her.

"Not at all, just so proud of you girls," Mama says, hugging Skyla and me. "I miss you too, Zu."

We bid Azura and Leo goodbye before I begin to braid my hair. The others all leave, no doubt to finish getting ready or to spend a few moments with their partners.

Some time has passed, we've all had dinner and we're once again going through our positions and strategies, discussing last-minute plans in case things don't go as planned, because that's how it is when it comes to a battle, nothing ever goes as planned. "We can think of a thousand scenarios, but something always goes wrong," Rayhan is saying in Spanish. He knows many languages, not that I'm surprised. Mama Mari and Papa Rafael cut no corners when it came to their children's education.

Enrique is with a smaller group of his warriors, preparing them for the battle to come, and soon it will be his time to have a word with everyone. I wished I could have seen him, but I haven't had a chance, although we exchanged a few words through the mind-link. Having him not know the full plan also made it harder to see him as he was avoiding these areas. And although we haven't voiced it, the Blood Moon weighs upon both of us.

"Kataleya, can I have a word?" I look up to see none other than Dante standing there. I stand up and he gives me a small smile.

"I came to apologise for earlier. Sometimes not knowing something gets to me, because I'm so used to knowing things." He tries to explain himself, but he is an alpha and he is prideful. I know this is hard for him, but I can tell he means it. "I don't want to make the same mistake I made once before, so... I'm sorry."

I nod. "But it's not me who you owe an apology to. It's Enrique."

"That bastard said enough," he says arrogantly.

I raise an eyebrow. "You started it."

"Since when did you get so feisty?" he asks me teasingly.

I pout, "When it comes to my Kiké."

"Yeah, I can tell. So.... will you go see him? The Blood Moon has almost risen," he murmurs, gazing up at the sky. I nod, looking up into the clear sky. The moon has almost fully risen, and my nerves are a terrifying mess.

"What if you are not? How will you feel knowing that?" he asks me softly.

I look at him and smile, knowing that he's looking at me from behind those sunglasses. "I was made for him. Even if there's no fated bond, I am his. I've always been his."