The Lycan Queen

I am Queen Aurora

Aurora P.O.V

My name is Aurora Moon. I am the queen of the Black Wood Realm, Luna of the Silver Crescent Pack, and this is my story. We live in the darkest time of our era. It wasn’t always like this though. My kingdom once lived in peace long before I became the Queen. However, now, myself and my people are fighting a war that has been going on for many years. It all began with my great-great Grandfather, the great King Edward. It is told that he and my great-great Grandmother, queen Gabriella, had a mate bond like no other has ever known. Their strength, together, united many towns, creating the Black Wood realm itself. Their love for one another was said to be an inspiration for wolves all over the realm. Humans saw them as their queen and king, although they didn’t know of their supernatural abilities. Wolves saw them as their Luna and Alpha, and thus, the silver Crescent pack was born. Edward and Gabriella offered peace and tranquillity to all that entered their kingdom and the realm once thrived and lived in harmony along side the neighbouring kingdom, The Red Stone Realm.

King Edward visioned a world where the two kingdoms could be great allies. He hosted a ball for The Red Stone Realms’ king. His name was Victor, the vampire king, leader of the Blood shadow’s clan and King of the Red Stone Realm. King Victor’s realm worked very much the same as King Edwards’. One hosted vampires. The other hosted wolves. Victor accepted Edwards’s invitation to the ball and the two Kings were delighted to become allies. That was, until Victor arrived at the ball. The moon goddess herself had fated Queen Gabriella and King Victor to one another. Two fated mates to one Queen, a disgraceful joke from our goddess. The ball ended in threat, with Edward trying to force Victor to reject Gabriella. Victor refused Edward’s demands and left. He went back to his realm, enraged at the fact that he could not have Gabriella.

A source had leaked to Edward that Victor was planning to steal Gabriella from him. This made him envious, even vengeful, and so, he marched his army towards the Red Stone Realm to start a war. Victor heard of the battle coming towards him and he too marched his army towards the Black Wood Realm. The two armies collided in a field centred between both kingdoms. A huge battle commenced, and poor queen Gabriella was caught in the cross-fire. Her death on that fateful night was the start of the entire war, dividing the two realms. Both kings blamed one another and thus the Realms became rivals. The once peaceful Black Wood Realm was now a fortified army, hell bent on raising warriors fit to fight.

Without his Luna and Queen, Edward began to lose his mind. The only emotions coursing through him were those of rage and fury. He sought vengeance and so did his pack. That was until Edward began spiralling further out of control, bringing in his first law after the war began. That any child born that reached the age of five was immediately opted in to start warrior training. Those who questioned him were executed. Then he turned on any wolves and vampires that shared the mate bond, forbidding such a bond to exist within his realm. Those who didn’t flee were slaughtered. Those that were the product of such a bond were labelled a hybrid and so they were either slaughtered or slaved. The life that Edward’s people had grown to love and know was gone forever and Edward was labelled “The Mad King.”

The longer the war continued, the easier it was for people to accept his laws as tradition. We live in a different time now. The stories of the peaceful time before the war were just that, stories. A mere fairy tale that we have grown to admire, but know that it is not our way of life. We were built for war. I was built for war. I am the first woman in my line to rule as queen. Do not be mistaken though, for I am no ordinary Queen. I am a warrior, I have powers. I am the strongest in my army and I am about to lead my wolves into battle.

-

I took the lead, charging towards the vampire army across the battlefield, my wolves falling behind me into our V formation. This was a tactic we have perfected over the years and when we used it the vampires never stood a chance. I ran to the centre of their formation and used my power to force a path through the middle of them, dividing their army into two groups. My wolves followed my lead and quickly surrounded both groups, forcing them to huddle together tightly. Then, my warriors began slaughtering them from the outer circle inwards. I watched as the vampire army dwindled down to just one. The last vampire curled up in a ball on the ground cowering and shaking. My Beta’s wolf, Ezra, snarled up towards his prey. I would spare no lives today.

“Ezra!” I growled. “Finish this now!” I roared.

I had no time for games. I watched Ezra closely and he clamped down onto the vampire’s head, sounding a loud crunch. He ripped it clean from the vampire’s body, effortlessly. He shook his head, hurling the vampire's head through the air as the headless body fell to the floor, sounding a deep, lifeless thud. Another victory. My warriors howled to the moon, sounding their victory to the moon goddess herself. Ezra shifted, giving Ezekiel back control of his body. He bowed at my feet. My wolves bowed beside him. A clear sign of respect for their queen. Pride searing through me.

“My Queen.” Ezekiel’s voice was rough and deep. I motioned for all to stand.

“Gather the dead and load the wagons. We head back to the pack.” I ordered.

I watched over them as the battlefield became nothing more than a mere field once again. We can not have humans finding signs of this. We have worked hard over the years to separate human towns from war. Keeping our supernatural identity a secret.

Once the wagons were loaded, we headed back home to the pack. Although the pack lands were no longer the oasis I described. They were still very beautiful. The townhouses and my castle itself were damaged and worn out by the war, but the valley our pack was situated in was a colourful picture of natural beauty. The waterfall that fell down the mountain on the right boasted a glorious view indeed. It fed a river that flowed through the town. Its waters were so clear you could see the vivid colours of the fish that swam within. To top it off, the air here was warm and sweet. I inhaled deeply, holding it in. Home sweet home.

As we pulled up to the front of the castle, my castle guards opened the wagon doors for me, bowing to me as I exited the wagon. My main guard, Gerald, rose from his bow as I walked towards him.

“Luna, the former Alpha, is here to speak with you, he’s waiting in the castle foyer.” He said as I walked past him.

A sigh escaped my lips as I waved him off with my hand. I waved the same hand towards the castle doors, swinging them open with my power. I could see my father stood there waiting for me. As I walked into the castle foyer I sucked in an inward sigh at the sight of him.

“Aurora!” my father sternly greeted me. Irritation took over my content mood, “Father, so good to see you! I don’t suppose you are here to congratulate us on another battle won?” My sarcasm was evident in my tone.

“Don’t be foolish, Aurora! You need to start planning a bigger attack to put an end to this war once and for all!” He growled.

“All in good time Father," My voice was higher than usual to emphasize that he lacked patience. "Might I remind you who has gotten us this close to winning this war? My warriors need to rest and I need to bathe.” I dragged the word bathe out with a slight boast in my voice. His face scrunched up and his brow furrowed showing his frustration at my tone.

"Now, now, enough of this chatter. You worry too much and doubt me about every decision I make. It's becoming too tiring to listen to." irritation beginning to take over my playful tone. I strutted off past him before another word left his mouth and thus spoiled my mood completely. I ascended up the spiral staircase to my personal quarters.

“My Luna, your bath is ready” came a shy stutter from my servant as she stood waiting by the door to my bathroom with fresh towels in her hands. She opened the doors for me and placed the towels on a rack.

“Thanks Juliette that will be all.” I politely replied.

“Dinner will be ready for you in your quarters after your bath, Luna.” She stuttered ever so quietly.

“Nonsense Juliette! Tonight I will dine in the main hall with my warriors along side me. We are celebrating another win!” I gloated loudly, making Juliette almost jump out of her skin.

“Goodness, why are you so skittish Juliette?” I asked.

“No reason your majesty, I will tell the cooks of your plans for dinner.” She stuttered once more and left the room hastily.

What has gotten into that girl? I mean she’s always been extremely timid and quiet, but today she’s acting out of the ordinary. She was abused and held back as a child. My father found her years ago and she now takes refuge in the castle and acts as a servant for me. She’s gotten everything she needs now, but her wolf is still weak. She needed everything at the start of her life to be built like any of the other wolves around here in our pack. I shrugged the thought of her skittish actions away, dragged and threw my tattered-blood stained clothes off of me and got into my bath.

As I lay in my bath I reflected on the battle events. We needed to think of newer strategies and formations if we were to keep the element of surprise against our enemy. The V formation was a beautiful strategy, but if used too often, would lose its effects. I have to keep my mind focused and open to all possibilities and outcomes of the battles we've fought. It helped us to fight the battles ahead. My whole life has been focused on this war. I have grown up preparing to take the throne, to take my Luna title and fight this war for my King Edward. Now I am here and it feels like I’ve almost completed what was asked of me. If we won soon, I would be free to rule my realm peacefully and my pack would be at peace knowing that they were safe and it was all over.

I washed the blood from my long silver hair. It’s amazing so much blood wouldn’t stain it red. Then I washed the muck and blood from my body and got out of the bath. I dried my hair and then wrapped a towel around me and left the bathroom through the on-suite door to my room. I stood before the full-length mirror and let the towel drop to the floor.

“We heal faster every time, Aurora. We grow stronger every day.” My wolf's voice flowed through my mind as we stared at our reflection through my eyes. Not a single mark on my body from the battle just hours before. Sapphire’s healing powers are much faster and stronger than any other wolf. It helped that we had powers. Only a few of us have powers in the pack and no other wolf has more than one power like me.

I pulled on a white shirt, then laced up my brown leather corset over the top, pulled on my trousers, I let my long silver wavy hair flow down my back, slipped on my boots and left the bedroom to head downstairs to the main hall for dinner.

When I swung open the doors, the entire hall came to a stand, all conversation stopped abruptly, and everyone's eyes and attention were on me. I walked with my head held high and my arms behind my back, going to take a seat on my throne at the main table. The echoing of my boots was the only sound in the room. When I got there, I turned to face my standing warriors.

“Let us celebrate!” I yelled, throwing my hands up in the air and a cheer erupted through the hall, music began playing and drinks were being served. I sat on my throne next to Ezekiel. He was a handsome man and, if I’m honest, I’m a little upset the moon goddess didn’t bless me with him as my mate. He stood around 6-3 in height and his build was pure muscle. He had sleek deep brown hair and his eyes were like deep blue crescent moons. His complexion was tanned, a perfect man all but for a scar that went down the right side of his face. It made him look rather intimidating to most. Nevertheless, he is a loyal right hand and a perfect Beta. He executes his jobs brilliantly and is respected well by all.

“My Queen” he bowed his head to address me and placed a kiss on my hand before taking his seat by my side. I smiled gently at him, my cheeks filling with heat.

"Behave yourself Aurora!" Saph scolded me through our link.

I would be lying if I said that there wasn’t desire and s****l tension between us. I had often thought about taking him as a chosen mate. Saph didn't like that idea very much. Wolves are extremely loyal to the mate bond and the mate they are given is chosen by the Moon Goddess. Even if they haven't met them yet, they fight us over loyalty to them. Besides, neither of us had found our mates yet and with the war and losing a lot of our people over the years and still daily, we weren’t sure if we would ever find them. Even still, I vowed an unwritten oath that I would find my chosen mate from the moon goddess herself and, of course, I had to keep my little Saph happy. Trust me when I say that I don't even like her when she's angry. That didn’t stop my imagination running wild sometimes though. Thoughts about me and Ezekiel naked and entwined surfaced in my mind.

"Disgusting Aurora!" Saph growled through my mind and I gave an inward chuckle at her.

My father came to take his seat beside me and instantly my arousal was gone and replaced with annoyance. Saph scoffed in my mind at the instant Karma that was dealt to me. My father was an incredibly controlling man and actively sought to have a say in how I ruled my realm and pack. He had a very hard time letting go and letting me rule how I see fit. It's caused a huge strain on our relationship over the years and the pair of us could barely stand each other anymore.

“Aurora.” My Father huffed.

“You cannot ignore me forever child. We need to make a plan for a bigger attack now.”

“Father, please let us eat and enjoy a celebratory drink. There will be plenty of time for this tomorrow!” I let a low growl out with my tone towards him.

“Fine! But I want a meeting called first thing in the morning in the strategy room.” He ordered.

“Fine!” I huffed.

"Does he think he still runs the show?" growled Sapphire in my mind.

"Patience Saph. Mr Grumpy is upset that he's no longer the Alpha around here. You know how power-hungry he can be sometimes." I cooed to her to calm her down.

The kitchen doors swung open and the smell of roast chicken and roast beef filled the room. I took in a deep breath and my stomach growled in acknowledgment that dinner was ready. The servants came piling out of the kitchen in orderly lines holding large silver trays, they worked fast on placing all the trays on the tables and lifting the lids to reveal the steaming meat and veg beneath. Without any hesitation, I delved straight into my meal and the hall went silent once again as we all devoured our food.

The main hall was an exceedingly large room. It has extremely high ceilings, gold-laced pillars that stood from floor to ceiling, gold-framed paintings covered the walls and the most beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was the greatest room that we used for our celebratory meals. We once used it to host balls, but since the war there hasn’t been much of that happening around here. In fact, it seems the Castle is looking dull and worn the longer the war continues.

After our feast, the drinking and dancing began and I took that as a sign to make a swift exit that I hoped no one would notice. I made sure the coast was clear and headed back up the stairs towards my quarters. Just as I was getting to the top of the stairs, I heard a rough throat clearing behind me. I spun around to see Ezekiel standing there eyeing me curiously.

“Leaving so soon my Queen?” He c****d his brow at me with a slight grin on his face.

“You know I’m not a fan of dancing Zeek! Anyways, I thought I’d get some rest before my Father gathered us all up to discuss battle plans in the morning.” Slight sarcasm laced my tone. I turned my heel and took the last step up to the top of the stairs, swaying my hips in a way that told him I wanted him to follow me even though I knew deep down I had to save myself for my true mate. He did, however, start to follow me, my heart rate skipping a little as excitement started to take over me. My body began to be fueled with desire and heat started to rise through me and I pondered the thought of letting him ravish me. Ezekiel grabbed my hand and spun me around, capturing me in his big strong arms. I giggled in response to him as he lifted me off the floor with a big goofy grin on his face. I wrapped my legs around his waist to secure myself to him and he held me up with each of his big hands firmly gripping my cheeks.

"Zeek you tease." I laughed out loud. "

Ezra is livid, he's threatening to take control and put you down." A devilish smile forming from one corner of his mouth.

"Aurora, that's enough! Stop now!" Saphire was growling loudly in my head now, causing me to sigh out loud. Ezekiel took notice of my sigh, it was a clear indication that both of our wolves were not going to let this happen.

"Alright, wolves, calm down, we will behave." Ezekiel huffed out, looking rather defeated.

"I'm at least carrying you to the door." He grinned, knowing that as long as we behaved ourselves our wolves couldn't argue any further. This earned him another giggle from me. As we reached the hallway, the stench of rotting flesh drifted through the air, turning my stomach instantly.

“Ugh! What is that smell?” I blurted out. Ezra put me down and pushed me behind him, guarding me with his body.

“Stay behind me, my Queen,” Ezekiel growled.