The Mystery Of His Legendary Queen

Chapter4

Sharaya and I took our time eating. I think we both understood how important this moment was, because neither of us rushed through the food in front of us.

Truthfully, I could only finish about half my plate before I felt full.

“Already full?” Sharaya asked gently.

I looked down and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad,” she said softly. “When I first got here, I could barely eat anything either. I promise it gets easier with time.”

I swallowed hard before looking back up at her.

“Sharaya… if my wolf hadn’t told me what happened to you, I think I would’ve lost my mind worrying. I tried to protect you. I really did. But they still hurt you.” My voice cracked slightly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve tried harder.”

She immediately grabbed my hand.

“Don’t apologize to me, Nina. You got hurt protecting me more times than I can count. I told you to stop, but you were stubborn as an ox.” She gave me a small smile. “Why would you apologize to me? If anything, I should apologize for not being stronger.”

“It’s not your job to protect me, Sharaya. It’s mine to protect you. You’re my best friend.”

Her expression softened before she pushed the plates aside.

“Come on. Let me show you our room so you can freshen up a bit.”

I quickly grabbed her arm before she could stand.

“Wait. Can you get me some brown hair dye and ice-blue contacts first? Nobody can see my real hair or eye color. You’ve already seen my wolf.”

She nodded and led me upstairs to the room. Once inside, she crossed to her dresser and dug beneath a stack of clothes before pulling out exactly what I needed.

“Your wolf told mine you’d need these,” she explained. “So I got them a while ago for when you arrived.”

I smiled gratefully and reached for them, but she pulled them back with a grin.

“I’m doing your hair,” she announced. “And you can put the contacts in after your shower so your eyes can finally get a break. You’ve worn those things for an entire year.”

Her smile softened.

“You don’t have to hide from me, Nina. Your wolf already told me everything.”

Something warm settled in my chest at her words.

I walked into the bathroom and sat backward on the toilet while Sharaya mixed the dye into my hair. About ten minutes later, she stepped back.

“Alright, timer’s started. You can shower in about ten minutes. This dye works really fast.”

She tossed the empty containers into the trash before suddenly leaving the room.

A minute later, she returned carrying lighter fluid and a lighter.

Before I could stop her, she soaked the trash and lit it on fire.

“Sharaya!” I whisper-shouted.

She shrugged casually.

“This way nobody knows you dyed your hair. At least not until we know whether this pack can truly be trusted.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

How did I get lucky enough to have a friend like her?

We sat there talking quietly until the timer finally went off. Sharaya disappeared again before returning with a towel and a fresh set of clothes.

“I had to guess your size,” she admitted. “I figured you’d be smaller since you haven’t been eating properly.”

Then she quietly left the room to give me privacy.

I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm before carefully removing the contacts from my eyes. I flushed them down the toilet before stepping beneath the steaming water.

The heat felt incredible.

For the first time in over a year, my eyes could finally breathe.

I washed my hair and body with the soaps Sharaya had left for me, taking my time under the spray.

When I finally stepped out, I dried myself quickly and pulled on the clean clothes before opening the bathroom door.

Sharaya turned around, and her mouth instantly fell open.

“Nina…” she breathed. “You’re beautiful. And your eyes are incredible.”

I smiled shyly. “Thank you.”

She shook herself slightly before motioning toward the bed.

“Now get some sleep. Beta Jordon wants to meet with us in the morning.”

I crossed the room and collapsed onto the mattress with a sigh.

“Rudina,” I whispered internally, “do you think we’ll really be able to trust this pack?”

“Oh, I know we can,” she replied confidently. “But until you feel safe enough, we’ll continue hiding who we are.”

I frowned.

“You’re still hiding things from me. When are you finally going to tell me the truth?”

“I already told you,” she said patiently. “I can’t explain everything until you learn the secrets of your family. Only then can I tell you what we truly are.”

“Then why are you so certain we can trust this pack?”

“I just am, Nina. Have I ever led us wrong before?”

I hated admitting it, but she had a point.

I lay there staring at the ceiling while exhaustion slowly dragged at my body. Eventually, my eyes drifted shut, and for the first time in a long time, I thought I might actually sleep peacefully.

But then the nightmares came.

Flashes of my parents’ deaths tore through my mind. Blood. Screams. Victor’s laughter.

Then suddenly, everything changed.

I stood in the middle of a forest unlike any I had ever seen. Moonlight filtered through silver trees, and directly ahead of me sat a beautiful glowing pond.

I slowly walked toward it.

But every time I got closer, the pond moved farther away.

Confused, I continued following it until I suddenly felt someone behind me.

I turned sharply.

Two breathtaking women stood there watching me. Both had long white hair that shimmered beneath the moonlight. One had glowing pink eyes, while the other’s eyes were a deep violet.

“You are finally here, dear child,” the woman with pink eyes said softly.

I opened my mouth to speak, but darkness suddenly began creeping around us.

The woman with violet eyes smiled sadly.

“Well, perhaps next time we can speak longer… if you manage to stay here.”

I tried to ask who they were, but the darkness swallowed everything before I could force the words out.

“Rudina, what’s happening?” I asked frantically.

“You’re waking up,” she replied calmly. “Sharaya heard you screaming.”

I slowly opened my eyes to find Sharaya sitting beside the bed, concern written all over her face.

“Are you okay?”

I pushed myself upright, still shaken from the dream.

“Yeah,” I lied quietly. “Just a bad dream.”

She studied me for a moment before nodding.

“Alright. I’ll go get us something to eat, and then we can talk about it, okay?”

I nodded absentmindedly as she walked out of the room.

Once the door shut behind her, I turned toward the window and stared outside.

Why had something this terrible happened to us?

Nobody in our kingdom deserved what Victor had done.