The Lost Queens Revenge

Chapter 6

I woke to birds chirping whimsically in the early morning sunlight that was shining brightly through my window. I glanced at the clock, 9:00am. I slept later than I had intended, but that was okay. My body must have needed the extra rest. I zigzagged my way into the bathroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair. I surveyed my appearance in the mirror. I never tired of seeing my mother’s face reflecting back at me. I gave myself one more look over before I took a deep breath and headed out the door. Over the last eight years, I had done nothing but study, strength train, and run. Initially, I did it out of necessity. It was required as part of my curriculum. Now, it was one of my favorite past times. I had taken both kick boxing and mixed martial arts simply for fun. I didn't think I'd ever need them, but I enjoyed the workout. I quietly went down the stairs and out the back door. I popped in my earbuds and took off down the driveway to start my routine run through the town.

My feet fell intime to the beat of the music as I ran through the little podunk town. Shop owners were beginning to open their stores and the tantalizing scent of fresh coffee and warm biscuits wafted through the air, causing my empty stomach to rumble. I had never paid any attention to the town when I lived here, but now coming back I couldn’t help but admire the charm it held. I could understand why so many people moved here to retire. It held a kind of peacefulness that wasn’t found just anywhere. It was quiet and the people, for the most part, were nice and welcoming. They waved at me as I ran passed them down the street.

It wasn't until I was halfway home that I heard it. It was a low, threatening growl that stopped me in my tracks. I spun around and took a deep sniff of the air. It was definitely a wolf and a pack wolf by the smell of him, but I couldn’t see the wolf responsible. I scanned the tree line one last time and found a pair of green eyes staring back at me. My heart leaped into my throat as I watched the wolf step out of the shadows.

"What do you want?" I said quietly. The soft snapping of bones told me he was shifting back into his human self. When he came into the light, I could see he was a tall mountain of a man. His muscles were flexing as they shined in the morning sun. He was familiar in a way, but I couldn’t place where I knew him from. His beard was peppered with white and his face was rugged and worn. There was no mistaking his aura for anything other than an alpha, and a powerful one at that.

"What are you doing here rogue?" He growled.

"This is human land. I can be here if I want." I said firmly as I held his gaze. A cold smile began to play on his lips.

"Not anymore. This is my land and you're trespassing." He continued to stalk toward me, but I stood my ground. I was not going to be intimidated by this jackass.

"Like hell it is. I'm doing nothing wrong. So, f**k off, will ya. I'm trying to finish my daily run." I said as I stared the man down. He stilled for a second in shock.

"You've got a dirty mouth for such a pretty thing." He said as he quickened his pace toward me, causing my heart to beat erratically in my chest.

"River... this man is dangerous. Run!" Blue warned. When in danger, my instincts were always to run. But I was tired of running.

"Listen, dickhead, don't even think about it. I’m not doing anything wrong. Now, leave me alone, or you might find yourself regretting it." I warned him. The man let out a sinister laugh.

"Naw, I don't think I will." He said thoughtfully before he charged towards me. Out of pure instinct, I dodged, causing him to hit the pavement head on. I didn’t give him a second glance. I spun on my heels and took off at a breakneck pace in the direction of home.

"That's ok darlin. I like it when they put up a fight." My stomach dropped as the man’s voice echoed behind me.

"Dammit River! I said to run, and what did you do? You taunted the alpha!" Blue spat angrily as my feet left the burning asphalt and on to the dead leaves of the forest. I begged my legs to move faster as I leaped over dead logs and weaved between trees. I could practically feel the man’s breath on the back of my neck as I ran.

The man had obviously shifted because I could feel his wolf getting closer and closer.

"We should shift." Blue stated.

"We don't have time. We need to just keep moving!" I told her as I willed myself to move faster.

"f**k this!" Blue shoved me to the side and pushed forward, forcing the shift and shredding my favorite pair of leggings. The moment her paws hit the ground, however, our speed increased tenfold. In no time, we were pulling away from the wolf.

The second Momma Beth's house came into view, relief flooded me and I gained a newfound energy that propelled me forward. But the wolf never stopped, never turned back. He just continued to follow us. On instinct, I let out an ear-piercing howl, hoping and praying that someone would hear the desperation in my voice and come to my aid. The door to the little house flew open and Zachariah bounded off the porch. I had never been more relieved to see him. He looked at me, then swiftly at the wolf following me. A strange sort of rage began to build in his sea-blue eyes. Just as I was reaching the house, he jumped over me, shifting in midair. He was spectacularly beautiful. He was the biggest midnight black wolf I had ever seen, and his sharp blue eyes added to his terrifying aura. He released an earth-shattering roar that shook the ground around him. I whimpered as I lay myself flat on the ground with my ears back in submission. I watched as the other wolf came to a sudden halt and c****d his head at the furious alpha. He knew Zachariah, and he also knew he was no match for him. Zachariah was more than double his size and his growl alone was enough to make anyone drop to their knees in surrender. I could feel the power radiating off of Zachariah in waves, and it was torturously heavy as it held me in my place on the ground. The other wolf bared his teeth at my mate and let out a deep growl in defiance. Zachariah shifted back to human form and I gazed up at him in awe. He was nearly as hairy in his human form as he was in his wolf form. He was covered from head to toe in a soft pelt of dark black hair, but his muscles were well sculpted and defined. My eyes trailed down to the monster between his legs and my mouth watered in excitement. His peppery cedar scent was overpoweringly strong, but it soothed the anxiety that had built up in my chest.

"Shift now." Zachariah commanded. The wolf fought with everything he had, but in the end he whimpered in defeat and shifted.

"Kevin?" Zachariah said, staring blankly at the man before him.

"Zach." The man gritted out.

"Why are you chasing my mate, Kevin?" Zachariah growled out. The man's eyebrows shot up as he glanced back at me, then at Zachariah.

"Your mate? But she's not marked nor does she carry your scent." Zachariah released a deep warning growl.

"Does that even matter? So, if she wasn’t my mate it would have been okay for you to chase her and force yourself on her?” Zachariah snapped. The man, Kevin, gave Zachariah a sinister grin that reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on who.

“Well, Zach, when a female goes out looking like she was, she’s just asking for it.” Kevin said, licking his lips as he raked his eyes over my naked body.

“I was wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt you disgusting prick. Because I WAS GOING FOR A RUN!” I growled. The man just laughed.

“Sure you were sweetheart.” Kevin said as he rolled his eyes.

“What does it matter what she was wearing? You don’t have the right to assault her!” Zachariah’s deep voice was rising in anger as he glared at the other alpha. A movement from the tree line drew my attention away from the standoff. Four men on either side of the forest stepped out into the yard. Two flanked Zachariah and the others stood beside Kevin.

“Maybe you should keep your rogue on a tighter leash, Zachariah.” Kevin said tauntingly. Fury flowed through me and I shoved hard at the ground and stood tall before stalking towards the menacing alpha. Kevin eye f****d me as I neared him, but I didn’t care. My fist shot out, and I landed a solid punch to his smug face.

“I am no one’s property, you self-righteous prick! If I want to go for a run, I will. If I want to run naked through the God damn streets, I will. And you know what? There still won’t be anything justifying your actions. Now, this isn’t your property. So get the f**k off my land!” I raged. The surrounding men looked to their alphas for guidance, but he wasn't paying them any attention. His attention was solely stuck on me.

“You’re a brave little cunt, aren’t you?” Kevin sneered as he looked down his nose at me. A fresh wave of fury raced through me and I brought my knee up quickly. Landing a devastating blow to his genitals, causing him to crumble to the ground holding his balls in his hand. I knelt down beside him and whispered in his ear.

“I said, get the f**k off my land. So take you and your merry band of mangey dogs and get the f**k off my property.” With that, I stood to my feet and headed into the house.

I could hear Kevin bellowing profanities at Zachariah. Demanding that I be handed over to him to dole out any punishment he saw fit for my actions. I rolled my eyes and was about to head upstairs to get dressed, but instead was met by Momma Beth. Her eyes were glittering with amusement as she held out a pair of sweatpants and a Dragonball-Z t-shirt.

“Wolfie girl, you are my hero.” She said happily as I pulled my shirt over my head.

“Why? What did I do?” I asked quizzically.

“You did somethin’ I’ve been dying to do for years. You punched that arrogant Mr. Black right in his stupid face.” She said as she stared lovingly up at me. My mouth dropped open as I stared at her.

“Mr. Black? As in Alpha Black?” I asked tentatively.

“The one and only. I hate that arrogant fool.” Momma Beth said as she glared out the window at the still arguing men outside. Well, f**k. I gathered what courage I had left and turned on my heels to go face the terrifying alpha with Momma Beth at my heels.

“You’re still here? Are you deaf? I said to leave.” I barked as I walked forward with fake confidence.

“I’ll go wherever I please you fuckin’ b***h!” Alpha Black snapped.

“The girl said to go. You need to go and now.” Momma Beth called out from the porch, her eyes shining brightly with her magic as smoke billowed from her hands. Alpha Black barked out a laugh.

“You’re shackin’ up with witches now, Zach? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” Alpha Black cackled.

“Well, they aren’t just any witches. They’re Bennett witches, but you wouldn’t know anything about them. Now would you?” Zachariah said smugly. Alpha Black’s face blanched as he took a step back.

“This ain’t over, girl. Not by a long shot. Men, move out!” he ordered. One by one, the wolves disappeared into the trees.