Chapter one
1760 Words
LUCIAN’S POV
The Dead lands looked like exactly how I remembered them.
The trees were dark and twisted, the ground—muddy and wet. The air—full of the smell of blood and rotten flesh.
There were no walls around or banners, not even a sign of life except the distant howling of a rogue somewhere deeper in the forest.
Good, that meant my mission here would be quick.
I shifted slightly on my horse and kept moving, paying no heed to the emptiness in my chest. The journey here had been longer than it should have been. Two years ago I could have crossed this distance without feeling it at all.
Now every mile reminded me that something inside me was missing.
My wolf had been unresponsive the entire ride, which was pathetic.
I pushed the thought away and focused on the path ahead.
Behind me, two members of the Royal Guard waited quietly. Neither of them spoke, neither did any of them ask questions.
Which was good, they knew better than to. I thought too soon as one of them finally broke the silence. “Your Majesty…are you certain she survived?”
I didn’t look back. “If she didn’t,” I said flatly, “then we wasted a trip.”
The guard shifted uneasily. “I only meant… the Deadlands are not known for mercy.”
I almost laughed—mercy.
That girl had never known mercy for even a day in her life. I doubted the Deadlands would suddenly start offering it.
Still…the healers had been very certain.
Your power did not vanish, Your Majesty. It transferred.
Transferred—to a servant girl. The thought stirred my anger. How pathetic.
I nudged my horse forward again and rode past the rusted border marker that separated Valdris territory from exile land.
The Deadlands.
Where unwanted wolves went to die.
The forest became thicker as we moved forward. More branches covered the already narrow trail, which blocked out more and more sunlight, the place felt abandoned.
Exactly what I expected.
The rumors about a Violet Queen ruling here were ridiculous. These rogues could barely cooperate long enough to share a meal, let alone build anything resembling a kingdom.
Someone had probably started a myth to scare travelers. Or maybe the girl had gathered a handful of desperate wolves and declared herself important.
Either way, I would deal with it.
A sharp whistle disrupted the silence of the forest and my horse stopped immediately.
I raised my hand before the guards behind me could draw their weapons.
“Easy,” I muttered, and then figures appeared between the trees.
Five of them. All rogues.
Well at least that’s what I assumed at first glance. Their clothes were rough and worn out, and none of them carried pack markings.
But the moment they stepped fully into the path, something felt…weird.
They were standing in a formation, it didn't feel random or scattered.
It was organized.
One of them stepped forward. A tall woman in long dark cornrows with a sword strapped to her back.
Her eyes moved over me slowly. “You crossed the border without permission.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you normally require permission to enter a wasteland?”
She didn’t smile. “This wasteland belongs to someone.”
I felt one of the guards behind me shift and she noticed, then her gaze returned to me. “You’ll leave your weapons here.”
One of the guards spoke immediately. “Do you realize who you’re speaking to?”
“Yes,” the woman replied calmly. “The man who rode into my territory uninvited.”
Your territory. Interesting.
I slid off my horse slowly. “You seem very confident for someone standing in front of a king.”
She shrugged. “You seem very confident for someone standing in front of five wolves who don’t answer to him.”
One of the guards stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this is absurd. We should—”
“No.” The word left my mouth before he finished.
I looked back at the woman. “You said this territory belongs to someone.”
“Yes.”
“Then take me to them.”
Her expression remained the same. “That depends.”
“On what?”
She tilted her head slightly. “On whether the Violet Queen wants to see you.”
So the rumor had a name, I smirked and folded my arms. “She will.”
“And how are you so certain?”
“Because I crossed half a kingdom to speak with her.”
Silence.
The woman studied my face for a moment longer before turning toward the others. “Search them.”
The guards stiffened immediately, but I remained silent.
Two of the rogues stepped forward and removed the swords from the guards’ belts.
After that she gestured deeper into the forest. “Follow me.”
We walked for several minutes, and at first the view did not change.
Just trees, dirt and silence.
Then the once thick forest began to lighten, I heard voices before I saw anything.
It was laughter—and movement.
The sound of wood being chopped somewhere nearby, then the trees opened and I paused for a minute.
Because what stood in front of me was not what I expected, it was far from what I had ever imagined.
Buildings. Actual buildings.
These were not the broken shells rogues usually hid inside, but real structures built from wood and stone. Light smoke drifted from chimneys. People moved through the streets carrying baskets and tools.
A marketplace across the center of the clearing where wolves were calmly trading food, cloth, weapons.
Children ran past us chasing each other.
Children!
I stared at them, the woman leading us glanced back briefly. “Surprised much?”
I didn’t answer, this wasn’t possible. Rogues didn’t build communities.
They barely managed to get by.
Yet everywhere I looked I saw order, it looked nothing like the rigid discipline of a royal pack, but something alive and functioning.
Wolves were working together. Rouge wolves.
A guard tower stood near the edge of the settlement and two wolves watched the entrance carefully.
This wasn’t chaos, this was a territory. But we continued walking.
As we did every pair of eyes in the market turned toward me. They knew exactly who I was and not a single one of them bowed.
Interesting.
The woman led us toward the largest building at the far end of the settlement and two wolves opened the doors as we approached.
Inside there was a long hall with torches on the sides of the walls.
And towards the end of the room sat a throne, I slowed down my steps because the woman sitting in that throne looked nothing like the girl I remembered.
Two years ago she had been frail and quiet. A servant who barely lifted her eyes from the floor when nobles walked past.
Now she sat with one leg crossed over the other, leaning casually against the arm of the throne as if it had always been hers.
She had long dark hair that fell over her shoulders.
A faint violet light glowed around her, as we moved in further, she lifted her eyes and her gaze landed on me.
For a moment neither of us said anything, then she smiled slowly.
I could tell it was amusement.
“Well,” she said lightly, “this is unexpected.”
I felt my heart begin to race, but I ignored it and looked straight at her. “Elara.”
Her smile widened. “Oh so you remember my name.”
“I remember my mistakes.”
“That is good.” She replied slowly and leaned back in the throne.
“Then you know why you’re here.”
“I do.”
“Do you?” Her voice filled the room effortlessly, it was like her power could be felt even in her voice.
The wolves standing along the walls watched us carefully and I took a step forward.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
She laughed. “That’s funny.”
“There is nothing amusing about this situation.”
“No?” she said, tilting her head slightly. “From where I’m sitting, it looks very amusing.”
“You stole my Alpha power.”
“I stole it?”
Her eyebrow lifted. “That’s an interesting version of events.”
“You know exactly what happened.”
“Yes,” she said calmly. “I do.”
The room went quiet, while I maintained eye contact with her.
“Return it.”
Her fingers tapped lazily against the arm of the throne. “And if I say no?”
“You don’t have that option.”
“Oh?”
She leaned forward slightly. “And why is that?”
“Because it belongs to the crown.” For a moment her eyes darkened with annoyance.
“The crown threw me into the Deadlands to die.”
“That was a political necessity.”
“Of course it was.”
More silence.
Then she sighed softly and stood, as she did the room seemed like it moved with her energy, the violet glow shone lightly around her hands.
And my wolf tossed weakly in response.
She walked down the steps slowly until she stood a few feet away from me. She was close enough that I could see the faint scar beneath the old mark on her neck.
“Let me make sure I understand this correctly,” she said softly.
“You rejected me.”
“Yes.”
“You exiled me.”
“Yes.”
“You assumed I died.”
“That was the likely outcome.”
“And now,” she finished, folding her arms, “you rode into my territory and demanded your power back.”
“That is correct.”
Her smile returned. “Well.”
She turned slightly and gestured towards the settlement outside the hall.
“Do you see all of that?”
“Yes.”
“I built it.”
I didn’t respond as she looked back at me.
“If the Alpha King wants his power back,” she said calmly. “He can earn it.”
I frowned, I didn't understand where this was going and I did not like it. “Earn it how?”
Her smile widened again. “Starting from the bottom—just like I did.”
- Writer
