YOU WERE MINE FIRST

Kneel

CHAPTER 6: Kneel

Doors were already ruins.

Ancient black wood, iron-banded, wood that survived four hundred years and sieges and the night old King went feral, hung split down the middle. One half dented into stone wall. Other hung crooked on one hinge.

Standing in the ruin was the Royal Guard.

I thought Rhazien was big. These males were monsters.

Each seven feet at least, shoulders wider than doorframes, black plate armor dented and scratched from real battles. Not parade armor. Real war armor. Swords huge, curved, still wet with rain. Fangs down. Ears flat.

In front, almost as big as Rhazien.

Dark brown hair cut military short, silver scar through left eyebrow to cheekbone, gold eyes black with rage and terror. No armor, just black pants and half-buttoned shirt like he threw it on running. Bare feet. Claws fully out.

Beta Cain.

I heard kitchen girls whisper his name in Blood Stone. Beast King's right hand. The male who does the killing when the King too busy.

His eyes swept room in one second. Ruined bed. Black furs kicked aside. Fireplace roaring too hot. The smell, Goddess, the smell. Thick and undeniable. Rain and heat and something new, cold and white and powerful that stung nose like inhaling moonlight.

Then eyes landed on me.

Standing in front of gold mirror in Rhazien's huge black shirt barely covering thighs, wet hair tangled with one thick streak pure glowing snow-white at front, face streaked with tears, white wolf ears covered in soft fur tipped silver twitching on top of head, huge fluffy white tail I couldn't control curling around own calf, eyes glowing white like twin moons.

Sword in his hand dropped an inch, tip hitting marble.

"Oh," he whispered.

Rhazien moved.

Didn't see him. One second behind me, in sheet wrapped low around hips, staring at my eyes in mirror like I was miracle. Next in front of me, huge back blocking completely, arms spread wide, own claws out black and long dripping shadows.

Growl wasn't sound. Earthquake. Made broken doors vibrate. Made swords rattle.

"MINE!" he roared, word not human, all beast, all Lycan King. "SHE IS MINE! LOOK AT FLOOR! LOOK AT FLOOR OR I WILL TEAR YOUR EYES OUT!"

Twenty Royal Guards, most feared force in eastern territories, who fight vampires for fun, dropped to one knee in perfect unison. So hard stone cracked under armored knees.

_Thud._

Swords clattered. Heads bowed chins to chests. Fists slammed to chests.

All except Cain.

Cain stayed standing three seconds too long, black-ringed gold eyes locked where I was hidden behind Rhazien's back, nostrils flaring, whole body trembling. Not fear. Shock. Awe.

"A White Queen," he breathed, hoarse. "Goddess have mercy. Rhazien... you have White Queen in your bed."

"I said look at floor, Cain!" Rhazien snarled.

Cain finally dropped. Not to one knee. To both knees. Hard enough to crack marble. Head bowed so low forehead almost touched floor. Submission absolute. Not to King. To me.

"My Queen," he whispered. "Forgive us. Sentries said Queen's aura, unclaimed Queen in King's wing, we thought..."

Behind huge back, I shook so hard teeth chattered. Hands fisted in hot skin of his lower back, clinging.

Lyra purred so loud inside chest I was sure everyone heard. _Good,_ she purred, cold and pleased. _They remember. Even after three hundred years, their beasts remember what white fur means._

"They're scaring me," I whispered, tiny, white eyes filling with tears because I didn't know how to turn glow off.

Rhazien heard me.

Whole demeanor changed. Snarling King vanished.

Turned, huge hands, claws carefully pulled back, cupped my face, blocking kneeling males entirely.

"Hey," he whispered, low and soft only for me, forehead to mine, nose bumping new white ear making it flick. "Hey, little debt, look at me. Only me. No one else here. Just me and you. You are safe. No one will touch you."

He said it like offering tea.

Choked laugh half sob burst out. "No! Don't hurt them! They're your guards!"

"They deserve it for kicking down my door while my mate was glowing first time," he growled, but smiling now, small feral relieved smile.

From floor, Cain muffled, forehead still to marble, "I can hear you, you possessive brute. I kicked it down because entire castle thought you were being attacked. Sentries reported aura so strong it knocked two out. Kitchens reported girls fainted. What was I supposed to do?"

Rhazien ignored him, gold eyes fixed on my white ones. "Your eyes," he murmured, reverent. "Goddess, Elara, do you know what you look like?"

I shook head, tears dripping onto his hands.

"Like Moon came down and decided she was tired of sky and wanted to wear my shirt instead," he said, voice breaking.

Behind him, Cain cleared throat, still on knees. "My King, with respect... you are not dressed for company. Your Queen is not dressed for company. And twenty males kneeling trying very hard to be respectful. Can we get you both cover?"

Rhazien went rigid. Looked down at himself, at my legs pressed to his, at shirt ridden up, and low possessive snarl tore out.

Grabbed huge black fur throw and wrapped around me, swallowing whole, tucking tight under chin, only glowing white eyes and white-streaked hair and twitching ears peeking. Then grabbed black silk sheet for own waist.

"Better?" he asked me, gold eyes only on me.

Nodded inside fur cocoon, face on fire.

"Good." Turned head, voice back to King, cold absolute. "You can look up now, Cain. Only you. Rest keep eyes on floor."

Cain looked up slowly.

Gold eyes met white ones, and I saw it. Pupils blew wide till almost no gold left. Color drained from scarred face.

"White Queen," he whispered, voice broke like boy's. Tears filled his eyes. "By Goddess. I thought all dead. My grandmother was Temple Guard before it burned... she said last White Queen died screaming on altar when vampires burned Temple, cursed Lycan Kings to never have true mates again..."

"She didn't die," Lyra said, and this time not just inside head. She pushed forward, cold royal ancient, pushed my mouth open and spoke through me, voice layered with mine, two voices one small shaking one cold ancient echoing like wind through temple that no longer exists. White eyes flared so bright shadows fled. "I was hidden. Caged by witches paid by frightened Alphas who knew what white wolf born to kitchen girl would mean. They put iron around my soul when only days old. Years I slept in dark while my wolf scrubbed floors and they called her wolfless."

Every guard flinched as one. Cain's hands hit floor.

Rhazien's hand tightened on fur cocoon.

_Little wolf,_ Lyra said inside, softer only to me, _let me show them what he claimed by debt and thought was good deal._

I didn't know how. But nodded.

Cold rushed like diving into frozen lake under moonlight. Back arched hard. Head fell back, throat exposed, white ears twitching wildly. White light in eyes exploded brighter so whole bedroom lit silver-white.

And felt fur. Not his. Mine.

White fur soft as fresh snow sprouting along arms, over hands, covering marks on knees, white claws delicate sharp extending. Teeth ached, canines lengthening. Ears moved fully to top of head white huge tipped silver. Tail fluffed to twice its size huge white soft thumping against Rhazien's leg.

Gasped, it came out half howl half whimper.

In huge gold mirror saw myself.

Not Elara Finch kitchen girl.

Girl wrapped in black fur making white glow brighter, white hair now more white than brown, white streak spreading from temple back like frost, white ears swiveling, white tail curled around Beast King's waist, eyes like captured moons.

Half-shifted. White Queen half-form. Something no werewolf could do until twenty-five and only Alphas. Something not seen in three hundred years.

Room silent except twenty males trying not to breathe too loud.

Then Cain, Beta of Blackthorn, male who skins Alphas alive for fun, pressed forehead to floor so hard I heard marble crack and said voice shaking with tears, "My Queen. My White Queen has returned. Command us and we will burn world for you."

And one by one like wave, twenty Royal Guards behind him slammed fists to chests harder so hard armor dented and shouted as one voices shaking castle,

"HAIL THE WHITE QUEEN! HAIL THE LUNA OF BLACKTHORN!"

Rhazien didn't kneel. Kings don't kneel, even to Queens.

Stepped closer, huge hand trembling, and cupped new white ear, rough thumb stroking soft fur inside, and whole body jolted like lightning shot down spine. Sound tore from my throat I didn't know I could make, soft needy whine, glowing eyes fluttering.

"My Queen," he whispered, first time since he met me on broken altar floor he said it not like nickname to tease, but like prayer, like vow. Gold eyes black with awe. "My mate. My Luna."

Outside howling changed. No longer alarmed. Rejoicing.

Hundreds of Lycan voices on mountain, howling as one, deep old joyful relieved that made snow fall off peaks.

They felt her too.

Their Queen was awake.

Rhazien leaned down, forehead to mine again, lips brushing white-furred ear, while Beta and Guard knelt foreheads to floor.

Lyra purred smug.

_See, little wolf? He wasn't monster in story. We are._

White in eyes pulsed once bright enough to light whole Black Mountain fifty miles, beacon visible from Blood Stone, from northern packs, from vampire capital.

Signal to every wolf, witch, vampire, thing that thought White Queens extinct.

Come and kneel. Or come and die.

My lips parted, new fangs glinting, white claws digging into Rhazien's shoulders, and I whispered voice layered with Lyra's cold royal finally not scared,

"Mine."

Beast King shuddered like struck and whispered back broken,

"Yours. Always yours."