“Yes, my queen. The King and Cody should be here soon. Stay put. Don’t wander off.” I nodded my understanding before watching Connor weave through the pack, checking on everyone. I slowly turned my head, looking around at everyone, when I heard a faint noise in the darkness of the woods. My ears perked as I strained to listen more carefully. The slight whine came once more. Cautiously, I stepped towards the sound, curiosity taking over every nerve in my body. I didn’t realize how far I had strayed from the pack when a sudden force barreled into my side, and I was knocked off my paws. A vast, muscular wolf loomed over me, his red eyes bloodthirsty. I scrambled to my paws quickly and launched myself at him. Something clicked inside of me, some ancient instinct. It was like some part of me knew that I had a pack, no, I had packs, wolves to protect. I had wolves that needed a queen to rely on to protect them. And I was going to be that queen. I latched my teeth to his scruff and used my
“You’ll never be able to stop us, little queen.” The Hunter snarled quietly. “You can pretend all you want, but the Malikah belongs to the Hunters.” His weight vanished as Conri called out for me once more, and in the next instant, he was a wolf again, racing off into the darkness. I scrambled to my feet and struggled to get a breath. My lungs felt like I couldn’t get enough oxygen in my body. Branches cracked and snapped as my mate barreled through the undergrowth, skidding to a stop beside me, breathing heavily. His blue eyes were wild and crazed as he looked me up and down for any signs of injury. “I’m fine,” I said hoarsely, my throat feeling raw. I grabbed a handful of Conri’s neck fur, and he raised his head to help me stand. After realizing that I was lying and indeed all right, Conri snarled angrily at me, his iced eyes now blazing. “What were you thinking, Rieka?” Conri snapped at me as I leaned against him. “You could have been killed.” I laid my head against his neck, c
I scrambled to the nearest tree, attempting to get off the ground to cover my tracks. My hands were cut and bleeding from falling down a rocky shore moments before, but I kept pushing forward. Each breath was like swallowing glass as I was pretty sure that the Hunters broke most of my ribs on my left side, but I kept going.I had been running for over ten years; I wouldn’t stop now. Gathering the last of my energy, I ran down the branch just as something crashed through the brush nearby, snarling viciously. It was just one Hunter.As I slowly turned around to see glowing red eyes low to the ground. The silhouette of the eyes slowly came out of the bush, revealing a wolf. The grayish wolf gave a slight lunge towards me with a loud snarl. The wolf stalked towards me as I growled once more. More rustling sounded all around, and more wolves emerged into the clearing. All with blood-red eyes and all with their teeth bared. The first wolf had been a distraction so that they could surround
“Please, Alpha King,” I tried to plead to the King, but he stared at me sternly. I was trembling so hard that my aching bones and muscles throbbed with agony. “You may turn your back to me if that will make you more comfortable,” the King growled quietly. More comfortable? Nothing about this situation made me comfortable, but I quickly nodded and turned my back to him before he could see the burning tears forming in my eyes. My lips trembled as I pressed them firmly to keep myself from sobbing. This position that I was forced to be in was embarrassing. I was better off with the Hunters. Slowly, each movement an effort, I slid my arms through my tattered t-shirt. I gritted my teeth to keep myself from crying out as my right side protested from me moving my arm above my shoulder to slide the shirt over my head. I let the ragged piece of fabric fall to the ground, my arms shaking as I felt the King’s stern gaze on my back. I could only imagine what he was seeing. Scars and claw marks fr
After two days of working, I decided that I could not do this. At least three times a day, I climbed up and down four flights of stairs, driving my feet crazy. They were swelling to the point where my shoes were fitting tightly, and the blisters had opened, causing the new skin to become infected. Every time I had to bend over for something, I felt the gash on my back reopen and the cold sensation of blood trickling out. Whenever I had to reach for something above my head, it felt like someone was stabbing me between each rib. At this point, I was sure swallowing shards of glass would have felt better. Despite my injuries, I did not falter with my tasks. Or at least I tried my best not to stutter. Annika had caught me limping on my feet, gasping for air, or grimacing in pain on more than one occasion. She kept harassing me about seeing the pack’s doctor, but I kept ignoring her and returning to my task. I ensured that the King had his meals on time and that his study was cleaned and
There was a gentle push in the air, a quiet but firm command that forced me to lay down on the couch, wincing as I stretched my left side to get into a comfortable position. “Easy. Don’t strain yourself.” Once I had stilled on the couch, he draped the comforter over my tiny form, the weight of it cocooning around me like a safety net. That familiar spring scent flooded my senses, and I inhaled deeply, burying my nose in the blanket and losing all sense of where I was for a second. Blinking, my cheeks burned with embarrassment as I slowly lifted my eyes to the King, who stood there watching me with his brows raised and amusement dancing in his eyes. “Sleep, Rieka.” And like a light, I was out before I could inhale his scent again.******Sunlight pouring in from the open curtains awoke me the next day. My eyelids fluttered open, and I went to stretch my sleeping muscles but quickly regretted it as I felt my left side pull. I groaned as I became entirely lucid with my surroundings once
“Can you show me where you’re from?” My cheeks heated with embarrassment, and he narrowed his eyes at me. “What’s wrong? Can you not read a map?” “I can’t read in general, my lord. I never had the opportunity to learn.” He gave me a sad smile that made my heart clench. “What about the packs? Have you learned about them?” I shook my head. “Come.” He gently grasped my hand to pull me closer to the desk, and I instinctively tensed up at his touch. “Don’t be afraid, Rieka. I won’t hurt you.” His words calmed me, and I allowed myself to step towards the desk beside him and gazed upon the map again. He pointed to the berry in the top left corner. “This the Nightshade pack. They get their name because their forests are filled with the poisonous berries. It is how they choose to kill their enemies and traitors. They’re also known for their Indigo eyes.” He indicated to the red full moon. “The Blood Moon Pack is our religious pack. Most of our Guardians come from here because they understand
A gigantic black wolf stood in the middle of the room, eyes bright blue and teeth bared. His claws dug into the floor as he snarled at the intruder entering his domain. He was huge, more prominent than Connor. A menacing growl vibrated his chest as he snapped his jaws at me. I glanced towards the window where the full moon's light had entered. The full moon—I returned my focus to Conri. This beast standing before me was not the same one I had grown to know over the past few days. My heart drummed like a beat to the beginning of a war. I was frozen in my spot, not wanting to make any sudden moves to set him off. His canines were unusually long that protruded past his lower jaw. In his wolf form, he had to be at least two feet taller than Connor. I only came up to his chest. He panted harshly for air as he watched me cautiously as if he was still deciding whether or not I was his prey. His fur was so black and dark that some of the strands looked like they had hues of blue and violet.