Chapter 31

I find myself in my mother’s arms, her soft sobs echoing in my ear as she holds me tight.

I glance around, taking in the bunker-like surroundings. Massive shelves line the walls, stocked with food and water. At the back, three beds with plain white covers sit neatly arranged. An old couch and a coffee table occupy the center of the room.

“Her mate rejected her,” my father’s voice breaks the silence. My mother tries to pull me into another hug, but I raise my hand to stop her.

“What happened? She looks so broken!” I pull away from her and glance at the panel behind me. It’s filled with tiny screens, each showing different views of the outside world. One of them seems to be focused on a small cabin.

“I want you to train me,” I tell my father. He studies me for a moment before giving a slight nod. I turn to my mother next.

“I want you to train me too, in magic.” She looks at my father before slowly nodding.

“What are we training for, sweetheart?” Her voice is soft, like she’s talking to a child. I wrinkle my nose at her tone.

“Self-defense.”

My voice is steady, even though I’m not being entirely truthful. I can defend myself pretty well.

Especially now that they’ve seen my power, they’ll think twice before attacking again. And I doubt their little witch will be of much help to them.

No, my goal is to get Roman back. Whatever it takes.

If he thinks he can just reject me like that, he clearly doesn’t know me at all.

I grab a bottle of water from one of the shelves and turn back to my father.

“We start now.” His eyes are guarded, as if he’s trying to hide his emotions from me. But it’s pointless. The air is thick with their concern.

I wrinkle my nose again in disgust. My dad quickly nods, seeing my expression.

He rises and walks over to one of the boxes on the shelves. He pulls out a dozen butter knives and hands me half.

Silently, I follow him to a massive iron door. He types something into a panel next to it and the door clicks open.

We ascend a creaky staircase, leading to another iron door. Once we pass through it, we find ourselves in the cabin I saw on the screen.

What I hadn’t noticed before are the pots filled with strongly scented flowers and wolfsbane. The scent is so overpowering it masks our own.

Clever, father. Very clever.

We step outside, surrounded by nothing but trees. Looking up, I see the trees are so dense, the cabin is invisible from above.

“When did you build this?” He shrugs but doesn’t answer.

“I asked, when did you build this?” He remains silent, pointing at one of the trees.

Before he can blink, I throw one of the knives. It whizzes past his head, ruffling his hair, before embedding itself in the tree. Dead center.

“I didn’t just leave my mate for you and mom. I betrayed my king, gave up my position as queen, and left behind the family that raised me. You will answer my question, because you owe me that much.”

I throw another knife. It hits the one already in the tree, sending them both clattering to the ground.

“Two years ago. We finished it on your sixteenth birthday. We wanted to come for you the night before, but the party had already started. There were too many people.”

I nod, throwing another knife. This one misses the tree I was aiming for and hits the one behind it.

“I don’t owe you anything. Neither does your mother. We’re still your parents and we’re grateful you saved me from being beheaded, but that’s what family does. Without holding it over each other’s heads.”

A hollow laugh escapes my lips, startling birds into flight.

“You’re not family. Family doesn’t leave.” Before he can respond, I shift into my wolf form, my clothes tearing in the process.

I growl at my father before taking off into the woods.

After about an hour of running, the weight of everything that’s happened hits me. Exhaustion washes over me and I stop.

The forest is silent. I lift my head to the sky and let out a mournful howl, filled with pain and grief.

Grief for the mate who rejected me, pain for losing the only parents I’ve ever known.

Pain for losing my best friend, for all the battles I’ve had to fight. Pain for losing myself, because that’s the harsh truth.

Suddenly, I’m knocked off my feet, the breath knocked out of me as I hit the ground.

A white wolf stands over me, its sharp teeth bared. If I wasn’t in immediate danger, I’d admire its beauty.

The wolf growls, trying to assert dominance. If I could grin in my wolf form, I would.

This is exactly what I need. I whimper and turn my head to the side, pretending to submit.

When the wolf moves to bite my neck, I quickly turn and grab its face.

I shift my weight and suddenly, I’m the one on top.

I back away from the she-wolf and shift back into my human form. My hands are already ablaze before they’ve fully transformed.

“Who are you?!” The she-wolf growls in frustration before shifting back as well.

Her long, blond hair is beautiful, her green eyes filled with amusement. Her plump lips bite into her bottom lip, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. She looks like a Disney princess.

“Hey there, princess. Don’t you think that’s the wrong question to ask someone who’s just trespassed on your turf?” She doesn’t seem bothered in the least, even though I’ve just swiftly taken control of the situation.

“Isn’t that a bit of an overreaction for someone who was just out for a run? Now, who are you? Don’t make me ruin that pretty face of yours.” The Disney princess look-alike laughs, a sound as beautiful as it is unexpected.

“I’m Penelope. And you, princess? If I’m not mistaken, you’re Katelynn, right? The same Katelynn who nearly turned the king into a pile of ashes.”

There’s a snap of a twig to my left. I lift my nose slightly, taking in a mix of unfamiliar scents. Penelope… Why does that name ring a bell?

“A little birdie told me your ashes aren’t far behind.” I pick up on five distinct scents, Penelope’s included. I’m surrounded, but considering how easily I managed to pin Penelope to the ground, I’m not too worried about their training.

“Easy, princess. I’m not here to harm you. My pack and I just want to pledge our loyalty to the future queen. That is, if you still want to be the future queen.”

Suddenly, it clicks.

Penelope, the Alpha of the Bloodmoon pack. The only female Alpha in the nation.

She survived the death of her mate and has since defeated every wolf that has challenged her position.

The woman standing before me doesn’t match the one from the stories.

“You can’t be Penelope. Knocking you down was easier than taking candy from a baby.” Her laughter rings out again, echoing through the woods.

She slowly turns around. Her back is a maze of scars, seemingly from a whip. Long, ragged lines intersect with shorter ones. Penelope’s mate was known for whipping her into submission.

“A little keepsake from my mate before he died. Aren’t they lovely? Have a chat with your father. He knows me. It’s high time a woman ruled these lands, not a man. It was a pleasure to meet you, my queen. We’ll see each other again soon.”

She gives a slight bow before turning to leave. To say I’m shocked would be an understatement. I’ve just met the most powerful she-wolf in existence! Holy shit, what is happening to my life?!