The Alpha's Lost Queen

Aveline's Pov The fireflies in the forest were alive tonight. I stood out on the open balcony, gazing up at the stars, admiring their twinkling nature, when a firm hand tugged on mine. I glanced to my left at its owner—the man beside me. His jet black hair framed his face perfectly, and those golden eyes, the ones I could lose myself in for days on end, stared deeply into mine. He gave me a soft smile, which I unconsciously returned, a single thought crossing my mind. “How lucky am I to have you as my mate?” “What’s going on in that mind of yours, sweet Aveline?” He murmured, bending forward to press his forehead against mine. I instinctively shut my eyes, allowing his voice to waver through my mind. “Nothing.” I whispered, inhaling his scent. It meshed perfectly with the fresh fragrance of the forest surrounding the pack. Almost too perfect. He hummed in response, his left hand cupping my cheek, his thumb tracing slow circles on my skin. I opened my eyes to meet his intense gaze. We stayed still, just like that, lost in each other. My heart rammed against its cage as he leaned in. “Royal Alpha.” A man’s voice cut through the moment, drawing us to a halt. I chuckled softly watching him grimace in irritation. He turned to face the owner of the voice. A pack warrior stood before us, his head bowed in respect before speaking. “We await your presence to begin the royal ball. Nearly everyone has gathered.” “Thank you.” He replied gruffly. The warrior bowed again to both of us before marching ahead. He sighed heavily, linking our arms together. I patted his arm in response. “Can’t even have a moment with my mate anymore.” “We’ll have enough time later, Darius.” I assured him. “The royal ball comes first. You are their Alpha, after all.” “And you, their Luna.” He took my free hand, lifting it to his lips. He placed a lingering kiss on my knuckles. “You look beyond beautiful by the way.” “And you look handsome as always.” “Shall we?” He led me to the ceremonial hall, where our annual royal ball was held, amongst other major events throughout the year. As our arrival was announced, I scanned the room. Our loyal subjects occupied the space, their various garments befitting of the occasion, almost in perfect harmony with the royal pack’s colours that decorated the hall’s walls. The wolves in attendance bowed as Darius and I walked into their midst. After paying their respects, the ball soon went underway with music flowing through the air. A few couples took to the floor dancing along to the rhythm. Darius was relating with some of his subordinates while I entertained the women of the ball as they paid compliments to my dress—which accentuated my figure—and my hair which was tightly poised behind my head. I smiled at the compliments paying them some of mine in return. In the midst of my royal patronage, a firm hand found my waist from behind and a familiar smile found my lips. “Forgive me, ladies, but I must steal the Luna for a dance before the song ends.” Darius’s low voice reverberated from behind me. The women, bearing flustered smiles, jeered playfully at us to go ahead and have our dance. I gave them a not so apologetic apology, promising to engage with them later before allowing Darius to whisk me to the center of the hall. He kept his hands on my waist as we swayed with the music. I mouthed a thank you to him, and he merely chuckled, a deep rumble from his chest. “You don’t need to thank me.” “I wasn’t sure how to keep the small talk going.” “It doesn’t matter anymore, you’re with me now. I’ll be the only one to steal your attention.” We shared a warm smile as I leaned against his chest, my head resting where his heart lay. His hand found the back of my head, threading softly through my hair. I could almost feel his heartbeat pulsing through him, I held unto him inhaling deeply. I could stay here forever, laying in his arms and nothing would deter me. I snuggled into him a little more and his grip on me tightened a bit, as if to reassure me of his presence. The music playing in the hall came to an abrupt stop. A collective sound of loud gasps following after. We pulled away from each other. I looked around at the wide eyed faces surrounding us. “What was going on?” I whispered. “You deceitful being!” The words sounding more like a screech tore through the room. A man was thrown to the center where Darius and I stood, his body landing with a heavy thud. I jumped back almost immediately staring down at him in horror. Was he breathing? The man groaned, shifting slightly. He met our eyes, the evident pain from the fall shone in his brown eyes. Cassian. The Royal Beta. What was he doing on the floor? I moved instinctively, wanting to reach down to help him when the voice that had spoken before rang through my ears again. “Both of you are a blatant disgrace upon this pack.” The seer. She stood tall in her dress, cascading around her like shadows, seething at Cassian who lay at our feet struggling to get to his feet. “What is the meaning of this?” Darius demanded, his voice was a low growl. “A great disgrace has occurred, Royal Alpha.” She replied grimly. “I do not have time for your parables, Seer.” “Cassian, are you okay?” I asked urgently. “Who did this to you?” “I did.” Through the gathered crowd walked Sage, her golden brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. She had a sly look of disgust pointed in my direction. “Sage, what is the meaning of this?” Darius barked. “You dare to interrupt the royal ball? Have you gone mad entirely?” “I have, Darius, I have gone mad.” She spat, her voice laced with venom. “Mad with fury.” “You—” “Sage, how about you relax and talk to me?” I interrupted, leveling my voice. Sage and Darius were rarely ever at each other’s throats for a serious reason, a testament of their long term friendship. But now, I could sense a shift in the air that I didn’t particularly like. I needed to diffuse the situation. “We can—“ Her laugh cut me off. I blinked. It wasn’t one of amusement. It was a bitter, humorless laugh. “And why would I talk to you?” she sneered. “Sage,” Darius growled, his voice stilling the room. “If your lips utter anything else against your Luna, I will make sure you never speak again.” He took a threatening step forward just as Cassian stood upright, turning to look at Sage over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t advise that, Alpha Darius.” The seer spoke again. I watched Darius’s fists clench at his sides. “And why not?” he asked, exasperated. “We have traitors in our midst.” The room erupted into a cacophony of tense whispers, questionable side glances and worried looks. “A traitor?” Cassian echoed, massaging his collarbone. “Is that why you tossed me across the floor like some dirt?” “It’s because you are dirt.” Cassian almost lunged at the Seer but stopped when Darius raised a palm in the air. A warning. “Care to explain yourselves?” I watched him steadily train his gold eyes on the two women, switching between them every few seconds. “She.” Sage pointed at me. Me? “Sage, what are you talking about?” I demanded. I didn’t take well to false accusations even if she were familiar with my husband. Her familiarity was starting to breed disrespect. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” “Stop your nonsense, are you calling me a traitor?” “Not just you.” Her gaze flickered to Cassian. “Him as well.” The previous tightness in the room reached a new high and I could clearly see the veins starting to protrude on Darius’s neck. Sage was making baseless allegations and I didn’t like it any more than he did. “I’ve had about enough of this,” He sighed. “Seize her.” Darius spun on his heel, waving towards Sage. The warriors hadn’t fully gotten to her when she spoke again. “They slept together.” Darius stopped abruptly, and so did everyone else. I stared back at Sage with wide eyes. What?