YOU WERE MINE FIRST

White Eyes

CHAPTER 5: White Eyes

Doors didn't just open.

They exploded.

Ancient black wood, iron-banded, wood that survived four hundred years and sieges and witch fire, split down the middle with a crack like thunder. Half slammed into stone wall so hard it left a dent. Other half hung crooked on one screaming hinge.

Standing in the ruined doorway, swords drawn, claws out, eyes glowing solid gold in the dark hallway, breathing hard like they ran the entire castle, was the Royal Guard of Blackthorn.

Twenty of them.

I thought Rhazien was big. Thought Vark was big.

These males were monsters.

Each seven feet at least, shoulders wider than doorframes, wearing black plate armor dented and scratched from real battles, not parade armor like werewolf Alphas wear. Swords huge, curved, still wet with rain, dripping onto black marble. Fangs down. Eyes glowing.

In front, leading them, a male almost as big as Rhazien.

Dark brown hair cut short, military short, scar through left eyebrow down to cheekbone, gold eyes not gold right now but black with rage, ringed furious gold. No armor, just black pants and black shirt half buttoned like he threw it on while running. Claws fully extended.

Beta Cain.

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

His eyes swept the room in one second. Took in ruined bed. Black furs on floor. The smell, Goddess, the smell, rain and heat and something new, cold and white and powerful that made even my nose sting.

Then his eyes landed on me.

Standing in front of gold mirror in Rhazien's huge black shirt that fell to mid-thigh, wet hair tangled, face streaked with tears, eyes glowing white like twin moons, streak pure white in hair shining.

The sword in his hand dropped an inch.

"Oh, Goddess," he whispered.

Rhazien moved.

I didn't see him move. One second standing behind me, 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 now, black and long and dripping shadows. Whole body a wall between me and twenty armed Lycans.

His growl wasn't sound. Earthquake. Made broken doors vibrate. Made swords in guards' hands rattle.

"MINE!" he roared, and word wasn't human, all beast, all Lycan King. "SHE IS MINE! YOU LOOK AT THE FLOOR! YOU LOOK AT FLOOR RIGHT NOW OR I WILL TEAR YOUR EYES OUT!"

Twenty seven-foot Royal Guards, most feared killing force in eastern territories, who just kicked down King's bedroom door to save him, dropped to one knee in perfect unison. So hard stone cracked under armored knees.

_Thud._

Swords clattered to floor. Heads bowed so low chins hit chests. Fists slammed to chests.

All except Cain.

Cain stayed standing three seconds too long, black-ringed gold eyes still locked on space where I was behind Rhazien's back, nostrils flaring wide, whole body trembling.

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

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

Cain finally dropped. Not to one knee like others. To both knees. Head bowed so low forehead almost touched black marble. Submission absolute. To me. Not just Rhazien.

"My Queen," he whispered to floor, to my feet peeking out from behind Rhazien's legs. "Forgive us. We smelled... we didn't know..."

Behind that huge back, I was shaking so hard I thought legs would give. Hands fisted in back of his skin, clinging.

Lyra purring so loud inside chest I thought everyone could hear. _Good,_ she purred, cold and pleased. _They remember. Even after three hundred years._

"They're scaring me," I whispered, voice tiny, white glowing eyes filling with tears again because twenty giant armed males kneeling to me in bedroom while I wore only his shirt was too much, too much after yesterday I was nothing.

Rhazien heard me.

Whole demeanor changed in heartbeat. Snarling feral King vanished. Turned around, huge hands, claws still out but carefully pulled back, cupped my face again, blocking kneeling males from view entirely.

"Hey," he whispered, low and soft and only for me, forehead dropping to mine, nose bumping mine. "Hey, little debt, look at me. Only at me. No one else here. Just me and you. You are safe. No one will touch you. No one will look at you unless you want them to. I will end them all if you ask."

He said it like offering breakfast.

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

"They kicked down my bedroom door while my mate was glowing first time," he growled, but smiling now. "They deserve that. Cain especially."

From floor, Cain's muffled voice came, still forehead to marble, "I can hear you, you possessive brute. And I kicked it down because entire castle thought you were being attacked. Outer wall sentries reported Queen's 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 whispered, reverent again. "Goddess, Elara, your eyes. Do you know what you look like right now?"

I shook head.

"Like Moon came down and decided to wear my shirt," he said, voice raw.

Behind him, Cain cleared throat, still on knees. "My King, with respect... you are not fully dressed. Your Queen is... not dressed for company. And there are twenty males kneeling in bedroom trying very hard not to notice how strong her scent is because we all value lives. Can we... maybe get you both cover?"

Rhazien went rigid. Looked down at himself, at my legs pressed to his, at fact his shirt on me rode up while I clung, and low possessive snarl tore out.

Grabbed huge black fur throw off bed in one fast move and wrapped around me, swallowing me whole, tucking under chin, only glowing white eyes and white-streaked hair peeking out. Then grabbed another black sheet and wrapped around own waist.

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

I nodded inside fur cocoon, face on fire.

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

Cain looked up slowly.

Gold eyes met white ones across ruined bedroom, and I saw it happen. Pupils blew wide.

"White Queen," he whispered again, and this time voice broke like boy's, not Beta's. "By Goddess. I thought they were all dead."

"She didn't die," Lyra said, and this time she didn't just speak inside head. She pushed my mouth open and spoke through me, voice layered with mine, two voices, one cold and ancient and royal, one small and shaking, speaking as one. "I was hidden. I was caged by witches paid by frightened Alphas. They put iron around my soul when I was only days old. Eighteen years I slept in dark while my wolf scrubbed their floors."

Every guard in room flinched as one. Cain's hands hit floor to keep upright.

Rhazien's hand tightened on my fur cocoon.

_Little wolf,_ Lyra said inside, softer now, only to me, _let me show them._

I didn't know how to let her. But nodded.

Cold rushed through me, like diving into moonlit water. Back arched. Head fell back. White in eyes exploded brighter.

And felt fur.

Not his. Mine.

White fur, soft as snow, sprouting along arms, over hands still clutching fur throw, white claws extending from fingertips. Teeth ached, canines lengthening. Ears moved to top of head, white and tipped silver.

I gasped, and it came out half howl.

In mirror across room, saw myself.

Girl wrapped in black fur, white hair glowing, white ears on head, white tail, fluffy huge white tail curling around own leg, eyes like captured moons.

Half-shifted. White Queen half-form. Something no werewolf could do until twenty-five.

Room silent.

Then Cain, Beta of Blackthorn, pressed forehead to floor so hard I heard it crack and said, voice shaking with tears, "My Queen. My White Queen has returned. Command us."

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

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

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

Stepped closer, huge hand coming up, trembling, and cupped new white ear, thumb stroking soft fur there, gold eyes black with awe.

"My Queen," he whispered, and for first time, he said it not like nickname, but like prayer, like vow. "My mate. My Luna."

Outside, howling changed.

No longer alarmed. Rejoicing.

Hundreds of Lycan voices on mountain, howling as one.

They felt her too.

Their Queen was awake.

And far, far down mountain, in little pack house where boy named Jaxon Cole was still hurting from broken offering table and staring at black metal card that said KING, his wolf, Fenric, who had been silent since he rejected me, suddenly threw head back inside head and howled in agony and longing so loud Jaxon fell to knees clutching skull, screaming my name.

"Elara!"

But I didn't hear him anymore.

Too busy looking into gold eyes of Beast King who claimed me by debt, who now looked at me like I claimed him, body and soul, for free.