“What’s wrong, Yer Majesty?” Liam asked as everyone stopped, on high alert and scanning the surrounding area.
I closed my eyes and zeroed in on my hearing, allowing all the sounds in the forest—from the birds to the leaves, the breathing of the guards around me and the horses’ muffled snorts, until I heard a singular heartbeat fifty feet to my left.
“Someone’s here.” I opened my eyes.
“Surround the Queen!” Liam ordered. Without hesitation, the guards encircled me as we waited for whomever was hiding in the forest, watching us.
I pointed my finger in the direction of the heartbeat and crooked it toward me, motioning for them to come out.
The bushes wobbled and rustled before I heard the light footsteps of someone approaching. They definitely weren’t trying to stay silent now. Stealth was no longer their game, even though I knew they were capable of it.
“Stay back, Yer Majesty.” Liam positioned himself in front of me, but I could still see around him as a blonde woman emerged from the tree line.
Cloaked in golden armor, her long, gleaming yellow hair fell in a silken curtain all the way down to her bottom. A sword was strapped to her back and daggers were clipped to her thighs. She reminded me of Xena the Warrior Princess.
“State yer name and business,” Liam commanded the woman.
She held her hands up in surrender, but her eyes were focused on me. “My name is Hildr. I come to speak with your leader.”
Shadow whined and paced the confining space in which we stood. I stroked his side and cooed softly to calm him down. He didn’t do well with strangers.
“What is it that you want?” I asked, keeping still in my saddle. “It’s bold of you to come here alone.”
She grinned. “I’m a skilled fighter. I have a message from Hrefna.”
“From who?” I furrowed my brows in confusion. And here I thought Ranulf had a strange name.
“Pardon, I mean Raven,” she corrected. “She wants you to meet her at the edge of the village at midnight.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Why?”
“You’ll have to come to find out.”
I shook my head. “Nope, that’s not how this works. I’m not commanded to go anywhere. If she really wanted to speak to me, she would have come here today. That must mean she has an ambush planned for tonight.”
“Are you always this paranoid?” Hildr asked with a teasing tone.
“When it comes to psychotic flying bitches, yes I am.” I smirked. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Tell me what you want.”
“Href—Raven wants to strike a deal with you,” Hildr said.
“How can she strike a deal for Fenrir? He’s the one after the throne.” I didn’t understand this train of thought at all.
Her gaze traveled around the forest. “Let’s just say Raven has her ways.” Hildr’s gaze met mine. “Meet with her. You won’t regret it.”
I paused for a moment and then my eyes roamed the surrounding area. I closed my eyes and opened my hearing, but all I heard was silence. It was too quiet. Something didn’t feel right. No matter how strong a fighter Hildr was, there was no way they would send her there alone.
I stretched my hearing even further and focused on each and every sound more intensely. What caught my attention again was the strange whistling in the trees … It wasn’t whistling, but more like flapping—flapping of wings.
My eyes sprang open and I peered up at the sky. Unfortunately, the sky was covered by trees, but in that moment I knew we were covered by a hoard of Valkyries.
We were not alone.
I lowered my head and stared at Hildr, who gave me a knowing look. She knew what I’d just realized.
“No,” I answered firmly. “Tell her to come down. Now.”
Hildr chuckled. “As you wish.” With her pointer finger and thumb, she placed them to her lips and whistled loudly, the sound echoing in the vastness.
My guards looked around them, not expecting anyone to come from above. That was their first mistake.
Raven dropped from the sky like a fallen angel with her golden wings spread in a wide arc behind her. With a loud thud, she landed on her feet in a crouch and folded her wings instinctively.
“I don’t like playing games,” I snapped as I stared into her clear brown eyes.
“I needed to know if you were worth saving,” she replied nonchalantly. “If you were dumb enough to meet me in the middle of the night and not notice I was above you this whole time, then did you really deserve to be Queen?”
“And who made you the authority?” I fired back, feeling insulted about my worthiness being tested just now.
“I’m not, but if we’re going to strike a bargain, it better be worth it.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Wearing a black tank top with ripped jeans and combat boots that had seen better days, she definitely looked like a scrappy fighter.
“And who said I want to make a deal with you?” I raised a brow.
“If you want to get out of this alive, you’re going to want to hear me out,” she answered matter-of-factly. “Fenrir wants his people, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to get them. So instead of working against each other, why don’t you work together?”
I snorted in disbelief. “Excuse me? You want me to work with that psychopath? He wants to be the ruler of my people! No. It’s not happening.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “He is the first wolf. He is your true alpha. There’s no denying that—”
“Oh, yeah? Then where has he been all this time?” I asked fervently. “Why isn’t he in our history books? Why hasn’t anyone heard of him before now? He might be the first wolf, but he’s no Lycan. I won’t step aside to be someone’s beta just to accommodate their ego. Especially a man’s.”
Raven laughed and shook her head. “Ah, so you’re one of those …”
“One of what?”
“A man-hating feminist—”
I shook my head and chuckled. “No, you’re way off base. I’m surrounded by men more than half the time and I literally only have one female friend. Trust me, I don’t hate men, but I won’t tolerate their stupidity, either. I fight for what’s right, whether it’s for men or women. It just so happens that in my current predicament, it’s a man trying to bring me down. And why? Because he feels entitled? I need a better reason than that, Raven. Even you have to see how absurd this all is. The Lycan won’t follow him and he knows it.”
She ran a hand through her short hair and sighed. “None of this matters—”
“They’ll fight,” I insisted stubbornly. I knew the Lycan, and they wouldn’t accept Fenrir. “If he tries to take over, there will be a revolt. The Lycan will go extinct before they allow Fenrir to lead them. Mark my words.”
Raven raised a brow and chuckled. “You’re that confident in your people?”
I nodded. “He’s not the only one after my crown,” I offered that little tidbit. My guards shifted on their feet uncomfortably and looked over at me with concern. Hmm. I guess they didn’t know about the Summits’ plans, or whoever this new leader was that Ophelia saw in her vision.
“If you don’t comply, I will be forced to make you.” Raven shrugged as if she didn’t care either way, spreading her wings behind her.
I laughed. “One thing you should know about me is that I don’t respond well to threats. For another thing – what’s that saying Americans have?” I pretended to ponder as I tapped my chin. “Oh, right! I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” I added dryly.
Raven chuckled. “You’re a real riot. No wonder Fenrir couldn’t kill you. But don’t worry, Mackenzie, if he can’t … I will.”
I winked. “Looking forward to it.”
A slow grin crept over Raven’s face. “Hildr!” she called out to her friend, who stood like a statue behind her. “Let’s give the Lycan Queen a preview of what to expect if she doesn’t submit.”
“My pleasure,” Hildr said as she brandished the sword from her back
in one fell swoop and charged toward one of my guards.
They were ready for her attack, jumping from their horses and moving into a half shift in one smooth motion, blocking her sword with their claws. When the others jumped in to assist, Hildr released her razor-sharp wings and sliced the guards sneaking up behind her. They stumbled back and fell to the ground.
Liam was steadfast by my side, blocking my view from Raven as the others took on Hildr. It said a lot about her fighting prowess that she could hold down five Lycan all on her own.
Raven’s wings retreated into her back, disappearing from view as she reached down and pulled two daggers from her boots. When she started walking slowly toward me, Liam jumped off his horse and growled as he morphed into a half shift.
I felt sick to my stomach. The last thing I wanted was for something to happen to my guards all because Raven wanted to prove a point. I moved to get off Shadow and put a stop to all this when my body tensed and my vision blurred. My hands tightened on the reins just as a milky whiteness covered my eyes and blinded me, freezing me in place.
I felt like I was spinning in place for an indeterminate amount of time when suddenly I was no longer in Caledonian Forest. I was standing in a darkened room, but I wasn’t alone. Fenrir and Raven were there, standing in front of each other and holding each other quite intimately. Were they a thing?
“Do you really need them, Fen?” Raven asked, slightly annoyed. “You have the hellhounds and you know the Valkyries will always support you in anything you need. Why do you need more?”
“They were promised to me,” Fenrir responded heatedly. “They should have always been mine, but of course my father likes to rewrite history.”
“Who cares?” Raven frowned. “Haven’t our parents screwed with us enough? Leave the wolves be and let’s move on.”
Fenrir’s face darkened. “You know what’s coming. They’re unprotected. The little wolf won’t know what to do.”
Raven shrugged. “That’s their problem. What do you care? I thought you didn’t care about the human world?” She smirked. “That’s my department. We’ll go to Asgard and wait it out there.”
Fenrir tilted his head consideringly. “You’re not worried about the humans?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t affect the humans. They’re safe. It only affects the supernaturals, and they’re not my problem. They can handle their own stuff.”
Fenrir released her hand and walked toward the open window, giving her his back. “You can go to Asgard or Valhalla, but I’m staying. I don’t mind being the bad guy.”
Raven sighed. “You know I won’t leave you. If you really want to help them, then I’ve got your back,” she relented. “You just have to get rid of their queen.”
He grunted. “Little wolf …” he murmured. “To kill or not kill her … that is the question.”
Their voices faded into murmurs until I could no longer hear what they were saying. My vision swirled and the world spun as my eyes turned milky white. Suddenly I was back on my horse, in the middle of Caledonian Forest where my guards were fighting two Valkyries, Raven and Hildr.
I had a vision. From the past, it seemed. Why now?
I would have to think about the reasons why later. Right now, I had to end this reckless fighting. Taking a deep breath, I released a loud, thunderous growl that traveled through the forest, bristling the leaves and trees, making the birds fly away screeching from their canopies. Afterward, I exhaled in a gasp, having released too much energy and already feeling lightheaded. I still didn’t have my strength back, but I couldn’t allow them to see how weak I was. I blinked a few times to cover my dizziness and held the reins tighter to steady myself, trying to focus on one spot until everything snapped into focus.
Everyone froze as they felt the unmistakable power of an alpha and were nearly paralyzed. Once I was steady, I dismounted from Shadow and approached Raven, who was facing off with Liam. I stood between them even as Liam tried to keep me behind him. I brushed his hand away gently.
“What is coming?” I asked Raven. I could tell the question startled her.
Her honey brown eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “What?” she muttered.
I motioned for my guards to retreat and stand by me. They did as they were told, and I took another step toward Raven. “You and Fenrir are here because something or someone is coming for us. What is it?”
Her shocked expression didn’t last long before she schooled her features and closed herself off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I grinned knowingly. “Sure you don’t.” I stepped closer until we were separated by scant inches, then leaned in and whispered in her ear, “To kill or not kill her … that is the question.”
She gasped and stumbled back in shock, pushing me away from her. “What are you?”
“I’m a Lycan. What are you?” I asked innocently, even though I already knew what they were.
“What’s wrong, Hrefna?” Hildr asked, but Raven ignored her.
Raven narrowed her eyes menacingly. “Whatever you are, I’m going to find out.”
I waved at her. “Have fun with that.”
She and Hildr spread their wings and took to the skies, leaving us in a cloud of dust.
11
“What were ye thinking?” Alexander yelled from across my desk. He was pacing the floor and pulling his hair out of sheer frustration with me. “And where were ye?” he asked Ranulf pointedly.
Ranulf huffed, “I was organizing the guards. William came by and I had to get him settled in.” He gave me the evil eye and I knew he was upset with me.
“I was perfectly safe,” I reassured them. “I had my guards with me, and I’m no spring chicken, either.”
“That’s beside the point, Mackenzie!” Alexander shouted. “These are unknown enemies! Yer nae safe outside the castle until they are defeated.”
“And how’s that coming along?” I deadpanned.
“Well, it would be a lot better if ye had nae fired yer whole Council!” Ranulf accused.
Yeah, I guess that part was my fault. But I couldn’t deal with those old bastards any longer. They had to go.
“Has Ailios given a progress report on the movements within Caledonian Forest?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
Ranulf shook his head. “The Highlanders have been quiet.”
I frowned. “That’s unlike Ailios to not report back … I want to make a trip to the forest tomorrow and pay her a visit.”
“Are ye daft?” Alexander exclaimed. “Did ye nae hear what I just said?”
I nodded. “I did, but I’m not hiding in the castle, Alexander. I also need to see Ophelia because … I had a vision.”
“Ye what?” Alexander deflated and plopped down on one of the club chairs in front of my desk.
“It was a vision of a conversation between Fenrir and Raven,” I mused. “And after seeing it, well, something doesn’t sit right with me. There seems to be more to this story. There’s a reason Fenrir is after the Lycan, and I’m not sure it’s for entirely selfish reasons.”
“Don fall for anything he says, Yer Majesty,” Ranulf grunted. “That man only wants to be praised.”
“Something’s coming,” I muttered. “Something we don’t know about and they do. Something that will affect all supernaturals. We have to find out what it is.”
“Ye cannae always rely on these visions, darling. They’re nae reliable,” Alexander chided.
I bit my lip and nodded. “I know, but something about this vision rings true. I felt like I was intruding in a private moment between the two of them.”
Ranulf sighed and scrubbed a hand down his grizzled face. “I’ll send a message to Ophelia and ask if she can see us tomorrow.” He typed a reminder into his phone. Ophelia didn’t have a cellphone, but he would dispatch a messenger to the temple. Hopefully we would get a response today.
“Whatever is coming our way, we need to be prepared.” I zoned out for a minute, replaying
the vision in my mind. Fenrir didn’t think I was capable of leading the Lycan through whatever troubles lay ahead … and maybe he was right.
After being escorted back to the royal wing, I stumbled into the Queen’s chamber on leaden feet to see Bash already in bed waiting for me. He was propped against the headboard, the lamp turned on beside him, with a stack of papers on his lap. He looked very studious. All that was missing was a pair of bifocals perched low on his nose to drive the image home.
“Well someone’s working hard.” I grinned as I kicked off my flats and shuffled to the closet to put on my pajamas.
“Trying to stay busy since someone likes to torture me by putting themselves in constant danger,” he mumbled, not looking up from the papers he was shuffling through.
“My bad. And what are you up to?” I quickly changed the subject as I slipped into a pair of yoga pants and one of his t-shirts, then walked out of the closet and crawled into bed and under the covers.
“I’m trying to find some Council members for you.”
My interest piqued, I looked over to see what he was reading. It looked similar to a resume, or more like a profile. It had someone’s picture and a laundry list of personal information. A full background check.
“Whoa.” I reached for the stack and pulled it toward me, shuffling through the names. “Who are these people?”
“They’re some of the most influential Lycans currently alive.” Bash pointed to the luna on the page I was looking at. “That’s Maria Fernanda Sandoval from Spain. She led a rebel group of lunas during the Freedom War and took down half her pack. She still belongs to the Barcelona Pack, but from what my intel has gathered, things haven’t been the best for her since the war. Her pack has held a grudge.”
I frowned. “What are they doing?” I read over her profile, but nothing really stood out to me.
“She’s not being forced into anything, if that’s what you’re wondering, but she’s not Ms. Popularity, either. She hasn’t had much opportunity for growth, but I think she has potential,” Bash observed.
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