All Chapters of PAWN OR QUEEN: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Again,” Morrigan grits out. Though the sun has begun its descent, it’s the warmest time of the day, meaning the perfect time to train. Traces of wet snow cover the ground, drenching Morrigan’s clothing; a plain t-shirt and leggings. She had just had the wind knocked out of her, but she forced herself to her feet. She clenches a small ball of soppy snow in her hands as she stands before it drips out. A few feet in front of her is Idris, her uncle and Gamma of The Summit Keepers. He watches silently as Morrigan raises her fists into a ready position before she gives an almost imperceptible nod. He repeats the same move he had before, one that Morrigan had seen in advanced training but had never had done to her. She responds differently this time and easily dodges the attack, even setting herself up for a counterattack.“Alright,” Idris calls before putting his hands down. He knows from past experience that if he doesn’t call his niece off, she’ll keep going until one of them is on the

After their first shift, every pup in the pack is required to learn basic defensive skills, though they all learn at their own pace. Once they pass basic training, the Elders decide if they are to continue further training or if they are better suited for another role in the pack. Morrigan shifted at the age of eight, only a few days after her brother, a sign of great strength for her age, but Oskar had brushed it off. She completed her basic training at the age of eleven, another feat, but Oskar had tried to dissuade the Elders from allowing her to continue training. It was only with the help of one Elder, a man named Barrett who had been a close friend of her father, that the Elders allowed her to train to become a warrior. In addition to group training, Morrigan had private sessions with Barrett, Idris, and Jasira. Morrigan turned eighteen a few months prior, officially becoming a warrior of the pack, though her dream is to join the Royal Guard. Since her mate isn’t in the pack, t

In the entrance of the tent sit two members of the Royal Guard–a man and a woman. The man is the main focus, telling stories about the capital, as that’s where he was born and raised. He has olive colored skin and cropped dark hair. It’s almost too short to tell, but looking closely one can see that it has a curly texture. He has a large smile and bright white teeth, his eyes twinkling in the sunlight as he talks animatedly. Beside him, also sitting, is a woman with amber skin and dark hair cut at her chin. She stays quiet unless asked a direct question, though she’s obviously engaged in the conversation as her eyes dart around and a smile tugs at her lips. Around dinner time, elders begin bringing food to the Guard and ushering the youngers away to give them privacy as they eat. Morrigan hadn’t even realized hours had passed as she forced herself to her feet. As she makes her way home, she reflects on everything the man had said.The capital sounds like a beautiful place, where the

Just as Amira begins to follow her cousin's lead, Takota holds up a hand to stop her.“When we aren’t training, please just call me Takota,” she says. “You can sit.”Morrigan slowly moves back into a seated position. She looks between Takota and Amira, still in shock. Amira raises an eyebrow at her cousin, which makes Morrigan realize her mouth is still open, so she closes it. “Nice to meet you, Takota. My name is Amira,” Amira greets. She motions to the person next to her. “This is Morrigan.”“It’s nice to meet you too, Amira and Morrigan,” Takota greets, a small smile on her face as she looks between the two girls. They don’t notice it, but her keen eyes are taking in every little detail. She takes a subtle inhale. “You are both ranked members?”“Yes,” Amira answers, not thinking Morrigan can answer in her current state. “My parents are the Gamma’s, Idris and Jasira, and my cousin here is the daughter of our former Beta.”“Beta and Gamma blood?” Takota questions.Morrigan swallows

In less than two minutes, Morrigan stands tall, breathing heavily, while Kaya lays on her back on the ground, a look of confusion on her face. Morrigan enters her vision, holding her hand out for the older warrior. Kaya takes it, letting herself be pulled to her feet, and she looks down at the young woman in front of her with newfound respect. Morrigan looks around to see the crowd is silent, clearly not having expected her victory.They knew that she was a warrior and had Beta blood, but no one outside the Gamma family saw her train. Oskar has spent her entire life telling lies that she’s weak and unfit in little ways that slowly crept into people's subconscious perceptions of her. Today, she shattered that idea of her.Takota is the first to break the silence, clapping as she walks towards Morrigan. Hesitantly, the other warriors start clapping as well, and they’re quickly spurred on by the Gamma family. Morrigan searches for yellow eyes in the crowd, but she can’t find any. Even as