The Queen Beneath The Mask

Chapter one: Memories For five years, I had played the perfect Luna. I smiled when my mate came home late. I lowered my eyes when his council questioned my decisions. I swallowed every insult thrown at me by women who wanted my crown. And when my husband began spending more nights away from our chambers, I told myself that a queen did not behave like a jealous girl. I was patient. I was loyal. I was loving. And I was a fool. And everyone around me saw it. Some of the maid's whispered about it. Even the guards spoke but love blinded me like a cloud. grand staircase of Moonlight Castle, dressed in a silver gown that had been chosen for me by my husband. King Austin stood below. Beside him was another woman. Chelsea. His mistress. She was beautiful in the delicate way that made men weak—long golden hair, pale skin, enormous blue eyes. And in her arms was a little boy. My stepson Star. Except tonight, he wasn't calling me Luna. He wasn't even looking at me. He reached toward Chelsea and whispered the word that cut deeper than any blade. “Mommy.” The great hall fell silent. I stared at the child. For five years, I had raised him. I had held him through nightmares. I had sat beside his bed when he was sick. I had taught him how to read. I had kissed scraped knees and listened to stories about monsters hiding beneath his bed. He had once wrapped his tiny arms around my neck and promised that when he grew up, he would protect me. Now he called another woman Mommy. My gaze slowly lifted to Austin. He didn't look ashamed. That hurt most of all. But what hurt mostly was all of this was happening on our anniversal night, and everyone came to celebrate with us. But now here I was standing here like a fool. My heart started to beat fast and my body started to heat up. grabbed the stairwell. Memories flickered like a lightning shot to me. I remembered five years ago how Austin's father begged my father for my hand in marriage. This was after several meet ups me and Austin had in some of the packs gatherings. Austin was such a charming handsome sweet talker man who sweept me off my feet the first day we met. My father was against it at first he said I can't leave everything I've worked hard for just for marriage. He was right but I was inlove and for the first time someone noticed me and my love for him. My father even convinced my Childhood friend Luke to try and change my mind, but I didn't listen. I am the only child my father and mother had, but Luke was found on the road back from East after a war by my fathe. He said he was lost and didn't know where he came from, so my father took him in. After that Luke became close to my dad and me like a son and brother I never After a year of my marriage with Austin my dad passed away. Luke was the new king of the Starfall Pack. My Father formally placed him as one before he passed away and I was happy with it. Luke was kind, loyal and strong. The pack respected him even the council elders loved and respected him. while standing there those memories came back and I remembered the first three years of our marriage. How happy we were, the laughter we shared, those game night as a family, those love making nights in our private chamber. How soft he would touch me. Those slow kisses. Those breathless moments after making love to each other. The next two years were hell. He started staying out late, sometimes didn't even show up at night. At first I did fight with him about it but as time went by I stopped. One day he threw a plate at my face if I didn't doge my face would be ruined. For me that was it, I decided that day my love for him has ended and everyday he proved me right. “Austin,” I whispered. He stepped forward. “Stella, we need to talk.” I almost laughed. Five years. Five years of devotion, and apparently all I deserved was a conversation. “About what?” His jaw tightened. “The council has made a decision.” Of course. The council. There was always a council when Austin wanted to do something cowardly. “The council believes Chelsea should become Queen.” A murmur moved through the hall. My fingers tightened around the railing. “And what do you believe?” Austin looked at me. For one brief moment, something like guilt crossed his face. Then it disappeared. “I believe it is time for a change.” I nodded slowly. “So you are replacing me.” Chelsea stepped closer to him. “She is only your Luna because of an old political arrangement,” she said softly. “Everyone knows you never loved her.” The hall became painfully quiet. I looked at Austin. Then back at Chelsea. "It's funny how much you know about our marriage not so long ago you were all over my friend Like, I see that you have finally given on hime after so much work." "Stella don't talk about things you don't know, it's been five years since you last saw Luke and me so don't be so sure " she looked irritated saying that. "OH!Sorry for pressing on to wounds I thought they've healed by now, that's why you ended up running after what's mine again. " "So is it true that you Austin you've never loved me?" He didn’t answer, but guilt finally appeared on his face. Something inside of me cracked. Not my heart. Something deeper. Something that had been sleeping for five years. I looked down at my hands. They were dedicated. Soft. The hands of a queen who spent her days signing documents and preparing medicines. Nobody in this room knew that those hands had once held swords. Nobody knew that before I came to Blood moonlight, I had been known throughout the northern territories as the Silver Wolf. Nobody knew that I had defeated three alpha warriors before I was twenty. Nobody knew that the scars beneath my gowns had been earned on battlefields. And nobody knew why I had abandoned that life. Austin. I had chosen peace for him. I had buried the warrior inside me because he had once told me he wanted a gentle wife. I had given him everything. And he had mistaken my silence for weakness. I slowly removed the silver crown from my head. The entire hall watched. Blood moonlight kingdom was at South and the people of South heard stories about the Silver Wolf. But no one knew who it was. And that was the beauty of it. I walked down the staircase. When I reached Adrian, I held the crown toward him. “Here.” He frowned. “What are you doing?” “Giving you what you wanted.” His eyes widened. “You're not going to fight this?” "Fight?" I laughed. "Only important people are meant to fight for. " "So I am not important to you?" "You stopped being important to me the day you decided to step out of our chamber and layed next another woman's bed." He stared at me in disbelief. His mouth slowly opened as of he wanted to say something but no words come out. Chelsea smiled. I noticed. And I smiled too. But unlike hers, mine contained no happiness. "You wanted a queen who obey you." I said. "So I am giving you your freedom.” Adrian stared at me. “Stella —” I walked past him. Then I stopped. Without turning around, I spoke one final sentence. “But remember something, Adrian.” The hall went silent. “You spent five years believing you knew your wife.” I glanced over my shoulder. “You never knew me at all.” Then I walked away. Meanwhile everything happening, someone was standing at the corner of the hall silently watching everything.