Their Warrior Queen

Chapter Six

‎~Zuri

‎The journey to the Lycan King's Palace took several hours. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep twice during the ride, but even sleep couldn't stop me from thinking about my life.

‎I sat in the front seat of the train while the other warriors occupied the seats behind me. I was the only female among them, and the thought made me uncomfortable. None of the warriors tried to speak to me, and I was just as happy to keep to myself.

‎For most of the journey, the train remained quiet. Everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts until we finally came to a stop.

‎"We've arrived," the driver announced.

‎The warriors quickly gathered their belongings and stepped off the train. Within minutes, everyone had left except me.

‎I sighed and reached for my bag, but just as I was about to get down, the driver called me back.

‎"Wait. I was told to give you this."

‎He handed me a folded piece of paper.

‎I collected it and gave him a brief nod before stepping down from the train. As I walked toward the palace with my bag in hand, I unfolded the paper and read the short message inside.

‎Don't mess things up for yourself, Zuri.

‎From your mum.

‎The moment I saw who had sent it, I tore the paper into pieces.

‎How dare she call herself my mother?

‎She had allowed my father to send me away to fight in a war, knowing fully well that I was wolfless and might not survive. Now she wanted to warn me not to mess things up for myself, as though I had willingly chosen to be here.

‎I clenched my jaw and continued walking.

‎When we reached the palace gates, they slowly opened to allow us inside. I stopped for a moment and stared at the magnificent building before me as a tear rolled down my cheek.

‎I didn't know whether to cry or smile. The tear was for the pain I had endured, while the small smile on my face came from the little hope I still had left.

‎But what was there to hope for?

‎I was now a warrior, and I was standing inside the Lycan King's Palace. There was no escaping the war unless I found a way to leave before it began. Otherwise, I would be forced to fight a battle I was certain I wouldn't survive.

‎I wiped my cheek and followed the other warriors inside.

‎A man soon approached us and led us toward the warriors' camp. I followed behind them, carrying my bag, when a feminine voice suddenly called from behind me.

‎"Hey, madam!"

‎I stopped and looked around. Since there were no other women nearby, I realized she must have been calling me.

‎I turned just as an elderly woman hurried toward me. Her hair was mostly white, and although she looked old enough to be a grandmother, she moved with surprising energy.

‎"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

‎I blinked at her.

‎"What do you mean?"

‎She pointed toward the warriors walking ahead of me.

‎"Those men are the newly arrived warriors, and they're heading to the warriors' camp. You shouldn't be following them."

‎I let out a quiet sigh.

‎"Besides, you look like you're new here. Who are you looking for?"

‎I smiled politely.

‎"I'm not looking for anyone. I'm one of the new warriors."

‎The woman's mouth fell open.

‎"You're a female warrior?"

‎I nodded.

‎"I've never seen one before," she said, looking me up and down. "I've heard that female warriors are incredibly powerful. They're rare, and the few who join the warriors are usually very strong."

‎I smiled faintly.

‎If only she knew the truth.

‎I wasn't some powerful she-wolf who had volunteered to join the warriors. I was a wolfless girl whose own parents had forced her into a position she never wanted.

‎"Thank you for the conversation, but I need to catch up with the others," I said, pointing toward the warriors who were getting farther away.

‎I turned to leave, but the woman quickly caught my arm.

‎"Wait a moment. Even if you're a female warrior, you're not supposed to stay in their camp."

‎I frowned.

‎"Why not?"

‎"Because the camp is occupied by men. You need your own privacy, don't you?"

‎I raised an eyebrow.

‎So I really was the only female warrior they had brought here.

‎How strange.

‎The woman smiled as if she had just remembered something.

‎"There's a vacant room in the palace. You can stay there instead."

‎I stared at her in surprise. I hadn't expected anyone to be this kind to me, especially someone who had only just met me.

‎Before I could stop myself, I pulled her into a hug.

‎"Thank you so much."

‎She chuckled and gently patted my back.

‎I couldn't understand why she was treating me so kindly when she barely knew anything about me. After everything I had experienced in the Black Water Pack, her kindness felt almost unreal.

‎As we began walking together, I glanced at her.

‎"May I ask what your position is in the palace?"

‎"I'm the chief palace maid," she replied with a smile.

‎"Oh."

‎She led me through several hallways before stopping in front of a room. When she opened the door, I stepped inside and stared at the beautiful space.

‎The room was spacious, with a comfortable bed, elegant furniture, and a large window that allowed plenty of light to enter. It was far more beautiful than any room I had ever been given at home.

‎"It's beautiful," I said, unable to hide my admiration.

‎The woman laughed softly.

‎"All the rooms in the palace are beautiful. Even the warriors' camp is impressive."

‎I shrugged.

‎"I suppose so."

‎She smiled and turned toward the door.

‎"I'll leave you to arrange your belongings."

‎"Wait!" I called before she could leave.

‎She turned back to me.

‎"I forgot to ask your name."

‎Her face brightened.

‎"Yvoinne."

‎I returned her smile.

‎"I'm Zuri."

‎She winked at me before leaving the room, and I watched her disappear down the hallway.

‎For the first time since leaving home, I felt a little more comfortable.

‎Perhaps not everyone in this palace would treat me badly.

‎★★★

‎"s**t!"

‎I woke up suddenly, my heart pounding as I sat upright in bed.

‎For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. Then I glanced at the wall clock and realized it was two in the morning.

‎I had just had a terrible dream.

‎In it, someone had framed me for killing a person inside the palace, and I had been dragged into the dungeon without anyone listening to my explanation.

‎The dream had felt so real that I could still remember the fear I had experienced.

‎I rubbed my face and sighed.

‎I had never wanted to come to this palace in the first place, and now I was having nightmares about being thrown into its dungeon. I couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible would happen if I stayed here.

‎There was only one thing I could do.

‎Escape.

‎My first attempt to escape the Black Water Pack had failed because my father had kept a close watch on me. But this palace was different. No one knew me well enough to suspect that I would try to run away, and I had barely spent any time here.

‎If I acted quickly, I might be able to leave before anyone noticed.

‎Without wasting another moment, I grabbed my small bag and quietly slipped out of my room.

‎The hallway was empty, and I didn't see a single guard nearby. I smiled to myself as I tiptoed toward the palace gate.

‎When I arrived, however, I discovered that the gate was locked.

‎I stopped and stared at it, wondering what to do.

‎Then I noticed a guard sitting nearby with his head lowered. He appeared to be asleep.

‎Thank the Moon Goddess!

‎I crept closer, trying not to make a sound. As I approached him, I noticed a bunch of keys sticking out of his breast pocket.

‎My eyes widened.

‎That was exactly what I needed.

‎I carefully reached toward his pocket and began pulling out the keys. The guard suddenly turned his head, and I froze with my hand still near his chest.

‎My heart pounded so loudly that I was certain he would hear it.

‎Thankfully, he didn't wake up.

‎I waited until he settled again before slowly removing the keys from his pocket. Once they were safely in my hand, I stepped away and released a relieved breath.

‎Now all I had to do was find the right key.

‎I hurried toward the gate and examined the bunch of keys. There were so many of them that I had no idea which one would open the padlock.

‎Still, I couldn't afford to waste time.

‎I began trying them one after another, carefully inserting each key into the lock and turning it.

‎None of them worked.

‎I tried another, then another, becoming more frustrated with every failed attempt.

‎Just as I was about to try the next key, a hand suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind.

‎I stiffened.

‎Every muscle in my body went rigid as a strange sense of danger washed over me.

‎Slowly, I turned my head.

‎And my heart nearly stopped.

‎It was the Lycan King.

‎He stood so close that I could barely move, and his intense gaze was fixed on my face. I froze, unable to understand how he had managed to sneak up on me without making a sound.

‎My heart hammered against my chest as I stared into his eyes.

‎I was certain he would shout at me or demand to know why I was trying to escape from his palace. I even prepared myself for whatever punishment he might give me.

‎But he did none of those things.

‎Instead, he pulled me closer until I could feel his warm breath against my skin.

‎My entire body went still.

‎His gaze moved slowly from my eyes to my lips, and I shivered under the intensity of his stare.

‎Then he leaned closer and whispered in a low voice that sent a strange sensation through me.

‎"So it was you all along."