The Mystery Of His Legendary Queen

Chapter5

I sat staring out the window for what felt like hours when I heard Sharaya come back into the room. She carried a tray loaded with food and carefully set it on the bed before settling across from me.

“Is everything okay? You were screaming in your sleep.”

I lowered my gaze to the blanket, unable to answer right away.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she said gently, “but sometimes talking about it helps.”

I released a shaky breath. “When I was sixteen, Alpha Victor attacked my kingdom and slaughtered almost everyone there. Then he took me because he thought I was pretty enough to become his breeding machine.” My voice cracked slightly, but I forced myself to continue. “Ever since then, I’ve hidden who I truly am to stay alive. I still don’t know where all the women and children he stole were taken, and the only thing I can do now is become stronger so I can save what’s left of my kingdom.”

Sharaya frowned. “What do you mean by kingdom?”

I moved closer to her. “I’m the daughter of King Daciana and Queen Daciana.”

Her eyes widened so much I thought she might actually fall off the bed.

“Sharaya, are you okay?”

She blinked rapidly before finally finding her voice. “Oh my Goddess… wait, are you serious? You’re royalty?”

I nodded once, and she let out a loud squeal.

“OMG, Nina, that’s incredible! But if you’re technically the queen now, why are you hiding?”

I grabbed a piece of toast before answering. “Because Victor couldn’t have killed my parents alone. Someone helped him, and the only beings powerful enough to weaken my family were witches. My father wasn’t king for no reason.”

The excitement faded from her face. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

“That’s also why we warned you not to tell anyone about us,” I continued. “And why Rudina had your wolf swear loyalty. That kind of promise can’t be broken.”

Sharaya shook her head. “No, Nina. That isn’t the real reason.”

I looked at her in confusion.

“We swore loyalty because you protected us.” Her voice softened. “Victor beat us nearly to death more than once, and every single time you stepped in front of us. You took punishment that should’ve killed you. Rudina didn’t swear herself to you because you’re royal. She did it because you were willing to sacrifice yourself for us.”

Emotion tightened my chest.

“Why would anyone do that for me?”

Sharaya handed me a glass of water. “Because nobody has ever fought for us the way you did. You almost died trying to keep us safe, so now we’ll do the same for you.”

Without thinking, I climbed over the tray and wrapped my arms around her.

“Thank you, Sharaya. You don’t understand how much that means to me. I haven’t trusted anyone in years.”

She hugged me tightly. “You can trust me. Honestly, I think you can trust this pack too. They hate Victor just as much as you do. They’ve spent years trying to uncover what happened to your parents.”

I pulled back slightly. “Really?”

She nodded. “They even found a birth certificate connected to you. It didn’t list your name, but it had your birthday and your parents’ names on it.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “My parents said they destroyed every trace of me. Why would they leave something like that behind?”

“Maybe they couldn’t get rid of everything,” she suggested. “They also found a picture of you as a child.”

Instant panic shot through me.

“Sharaya, if they have a picture, they’ll know exactly who I am.”

She quickly rested a hand on my shoulder. “Calm down. You look nothing like you used to. Your hair is brown now, and your eyes are completely different. Nobody would ever connect you to that little girl unless you told them.”

Then her expression turned more serious.

“Which brings me to the real question… are you planning to tell the Alpha the truth?”

I hesitated. “Honestly, I don’t know. It depends on whether Rudina agrees and whether I feel like I can trust him.”

I grabbed one of the sandwiches from the tray. “Although Rudina already seems to trust them, which is strange considering she barely trusted anyone before you.”

Sharaya suddenly stood and tugged me up with her.

“Well, there’s only one way to figure it out. Put your contacts in and hide those eyes.”

I blinked at her in confusion.

“And before you ask,” she added with a grin, “to remove the hair dye later, all you have to do is say ‘Twinkle.’ The witch who made it lives under the pack’s protection.”

I gave her a skeptical look.

“She’s harmless,” Sharaya assured me. “A light witch. She refuses to use dark magic because she’s terrified of the consequences.”

“Why do I need the contacts now?”

Her grin widened. “Because the Alpha came home early. Apparently he finished pack business faster than expected and wants to meet you in his office.”

My stomach flipped instantly.

I grabbed the contacts and headed into the bathroom. Thankfully Sharaya reminded me because I probably would’ve forgotten. After wearing the same pair for so long at the Howlite Pack, putting in new ones felt strange. My eyes watered while they adjusted.

When I blinked again, Sharaya was suddenly beside me.

“Turn around.”

I did, and she inspected my eyes carefully before nodding in approval.

“You’re good. Ready?”

I nodded, though unease settled heavily in my chest. Something about tonight felt different.

Trying to ignore the feeling, I followed Sharaya downstairs toward the Alpha’s office. She lifted her hand to knock, but the door swung open before she touched it.

Beta Jordan stood there smiling.

“No need to knock. The Alpha’s expecting you.”

The second I stepped into the room, a scent crashed into me so hard my knees nearly buckled.

Chocolate and ocean breeze.

My breath caught.

“Rudina… please tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”

“I already told you we had a second-chance mate,” she purred smugly. “Now move so I can see him.”

I stepped farther into the office while my pulse hammered wildly. The man standing near the desk suddenly inhaled sharply before turning around.

And my entire world stopped.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly handsome. Dark hair framed striking green eyes that locked onto me with dangerous intensity.

He moved toward me slowly, breathing in my scent like he couldn’t get enough. The moment he stopped in front of me, his eyes darkened completely.

“MINE!”

Rudina surged forward instantly.

“MINE!”

The next thing I knew, we had practically collided into each other.

A loud throat clearing shattered the moment.

We jumped apart to find Sharaya struggling not to laugh while Beta Jordan looked entirely too amused.

Realizing I still didn’t know his name, I awkwardly held out my hand.

“Hi… I’m Da’Vina.”

The man laughed softly before taking my hand and brushing his lips across my knuckles.

“Alpha Dereck,” he introduced himself. “And your name is beautiful, little mate.”

Heat flooded my cheeks, though part of me still stayed guarded. My first mate had turned out to be a monster.

“Nina,” Rudina whispered gently, “he won’t hurt us.”

I wanted to believe her.

“Come sit with me,” Dereck said softly.

I let him guide me toward the couch while Jordan and Sharaya settled across from us.

“Sharaya explained some of what happened to you,” Dereck began carefully. “At least the parts she knows. Would you be willing to tell us more? Or maybe give us your last name?”

I glanced nervously at Sharaya, who immediately nodded encouragement.

Taking a steadying breath, I prepared myself for rejection.

“My full name is Da’Vina Daciana,” I said quietly. “I’m the daughter of King and Queen Daciana.”

Dereck and Jordan shot to their feet so fast I instinctively dropped into a defensive stance.

Sharaya quickly stepped between us.

“Guys, you’re scaring her.”

Realization crossed both their faces immediately.

“I’m sorry,” Dereck said, stepping closer cautiously. “We didn’t mean to frighten you. We’ve been searching for you for years.”

I slowly relaxed. “It’s okay. I just… react badly sometimes.”

“You don’t need to apologize for surviving,” Jordan said firmly.

I offered him a faint smile before turning back toward Dereck.

“I understand if you want to reject me. I come with a lot of danger, and I won’t blame you for not wanting that near your pack.”

Dereck looked genuinely offended by the idea.

“Why would I reject you because of your family?”

I glanced toward Sharaya again, and she gave me another reassuring nod.

Swallowing hard, I whispered, “Twinkle.”

The brown dye vanished from my hair, revealing silver strands so bright they almost glowed. Then I removed the contacts hiding my real eyes.

Shock covered both their faces.

“This is why I warned you,” I admitted quietly. “I’m not a normal wolf. Honestly, I don’t even know what I am. But whatever I am got my parents killed, and I refuse to put your pack in danger because of it.” I hesitated briefly. “Especially considering Alpha Victor was my first mate.”

Silence filled the room.

“I rejected him the second I realized what kind of monster he was.”

Before I could say anything else, Dereck stepped forward and kissed me.

“Nina,” he murmured against my lips, “I would never walk away from you. I’ve waited my entire life for my mate. Why would I throw that away over something you can’t control? None of this was your fault.”

Emotion nearly overwhelmed me.

Jordan smiled warmly. “You belong here. You’re already this pack’s Luna.”

Suddenly Sharaya burst into laughter.

We all turned toward her in confusion.

“You idiots do realize she’s technically the queen, right?”

Both men froze.

The realization visibly smacked them in the face.

I looked at Sharaya, and we completely lost it. Within seconds we were laughing so hard tears streamed down our faces while the boys stared at us like we’d lost our minds.

When we finally calmed down, Dereck crossed his arms dramatically.

“You two finished?”

“Don’t blame us because you forgot I outrank everyone here,” I teased.

Jordan groaned while Dereck shook his head with a smile.

“But seriously,” I continued, “I still need training. I also need to return to my family’s castle and uncover whatever secrets my parents left behind. It’s probably the only way I’ll ever understand what I really am.”

Dereck and Jordan exchanged a look.

“We’ll help you,” Dereck promised immediately. “But there’s one condition.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You only train with me.”

I laughed softly. “Possessive already?”

“You’re my mate,” he replied unapologetically.

“Well, considering almost nobody knows about Rudina, I couldn’t train with anyone else anyway. She tends to stand out.”

Both men looked confused.

Sharaya stepped forward with a grin. “Take us to the secure room. Then she can show you.”

Dereck led us downstairs through several concrete hallways until we reached a massive metal door with both a key lock and fingerprint scanner.

After unlocking it, he ushered us inside.

The room had no windows at all.

“No one can see or hear anything in here,” Dereck explained. “Usually we use it for prisoners, but this should keep your wolf hidden while you train.”

I nodded before glancing toward Sharaya.

“Rudina,” I whispered, “showtime.”

She practically purred in excitement.

Seconds later, we shifted.

Jordan looked ready to faint while Dereck stared at us in complete awe.

Rudina padded over to him and gently nudged his arm with her head.

That finally snapped him out of his trance.

He slowly buried his fingers into her fur. “You’re incredible,” he whispered. “The most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

I shifted back quickly while Sharaya tossed me clothes.

Once I was dressed again, I looked at Dereck seriously.

“This is why I can’t shift around the pack. Not until I know exactly what I am.”

Dereck and Jordan exchanged another glance before turning back toward me.

“Then we’ll figure it out together,” Dereck promised.

Then his expression softened slightly.

“But first, you need food.”

I laughed quietly as he took my hand and led me out of the room.

I still couldn’t believe I’d found a second-chance mate so quickly. It didn’t feel possible.

But for the first time in years, it felt like the Moon Goddess had finally decided to give me something other than pain.