The Queen Of Tricks

A Fox's New Friend

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door. I ignored it.

After the hundredth time it seemed like I was finally operated enough to open it.

Stomping to the door I swung it open full speed. Instead of seeing an irritated Alpha. I saw two wide eyed little girls.

They were two little girls. One of them was the little girl that had dropped off her Geronimo Stilton books for me to read. The other seemed to be her little sister.

I swooped down to the height of the little girls. It wasn't hard considering the older one was almost as tall as me. One seemed to be around ten while the other was half her age.

"Hello." I said sweetly to them, giving them a small wave.

They both looked at me bashfully, small smiles tugging at their lips.

"Hi." The older one whispered.

I stuck my hand out for them to shake. "I'm Vienna. What are your names?"

The little one raised her head first, grabbing my hand. I smiled at the girls sticky hand.

"I'm Remy." She said confidently.

"Nice to meet you Remy." I smiled.

I looked at the older one putting my hand out to her. Hesitantly she shook it. "I'm Jazmine."

"Well it's nice to meet you both." I beamed at them. "Now what can I do for you lovely ladies?"

They both gave me their bashful smiles. Jade took a deep breath then looked at me. "Mommy told us that you aren't a wolf, but you're a fox."

I gave them a smile. It hadn't even been 48 hours and even the babies of the pack knew. These wolves talked fast.

I nodded my head. "I am."

"Well, we thought that maybe you would want to read a different book." Jade said smiling at me. She glanced behind her at the mother that was hiding in the shadows. Keeping an eye on her babies.

Remy moved her hands in front of me, offering me the new book. Instantly my heart melted. The Fox and the Hound.

"Look." Remy shouted. "It's you and the Alpha."

I tried not to show them my grimace at the mention of Cassar. Jade elbowed her sister in the side, shushing her.

I tried not to laugh at the sister battle that started in front of me. I remembered my own battles with my sister. Instinctively I looked down at the gold ring on my finger.

"Thank you. I can't wait to read it." I said taking it out of Remy's small hands.

The two girls beamed at me, giggling as they turned around and ran back to their mother. I smiled at her, giving her a nod of my head. She smiled back at me, and started walking down the stairs.

I closed the door and sat in the rocking chair facing the window. I smiled at the book, and started reading it.

Before I could get into it, I heard another soft knock at the door. I stood up to go see the two little girls at my door again.

I didn't hesitate and I opened my door widely. Which was a mistake because it was not Jade and Remy at the door, but a very cold Harlen.

With a disgruntled scream I quickly tried to slam the door closed.

With an inch to spare Harlen stuck her foot in the door, effectively stopping it.

I hadn't seen Harlen since the walk back from Baras's cave. The entire time she glared at me, her eyes promising to drop me in a freezing lake with weights tied to my ankles. That was the kind of death I was trying to avoid.

That was why I had locked myself in my room, I wasn't ready to face her wrath. But here she was, coming to me.

"Go away Satan." I cried, trying to shove the door closed.

"Vienna, relax. I just want to talk." She told me calmly. Like I would believe her. I saw how pissed she was.

"You can't kill me." I screamed at her.

"I'm not going to kill you."

"Cassar would be very angry!" I yelled. Then I stopped for a moment thinking about it.

Maybe death would be worth it, if it pissed Cassar off. I shook the thought away. No that would be crazy, but maybe I could save it for later.

"Why do you always think someone is going to kill you?" She asked me through the door.

"Honestly, most of the time someone is trying to kill me." I grumbled still pushing the door closed.

"What have you done to people for them to kill you?" She asked me loudly.

"It doesn't matter who I am, or what I am, if I'm dead." I called.

She didn't answer she just pushed on the other side of the door. I thought I was doing a good job at keeping her out, but obviously she was just playing with me considering the door flung open. I was forced to jump back so the door wouldn't hit me.

Harlen slowly entered the room, looking at my hands for any form of weapon I could use against her. If I was prepared I would have grabbed the headboard I used to throw at Cassar when he came in.

"I'm not mad Vienna." Harlen said calmly.

"Yeah, for some crazy reason, I don't believe you."

"Listen Vienna." Harlen said, sitting on the bed facing me. "I actually came to have a serious conversation with you."

My face scrunched up in confusion. "Serious? I don't do serious."

"Well can you try for a couple of minutes?" She asked me. Something about her dark eyes was unsettling. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about them made me sit on the bed beside her cautiously.

"To start off with, I just wanted to add that what you did yesterday with Baras. That was stupid."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I waved her off. "I've already gotten the speech from Cassar. A few times."

Cassar had been pretty mad when he finally put some pants on. He lectured me about stupidity, responsibility, and respect for almost a straight hour. I didn't pay attention to five minutes of it. I kept getting distracted by a vein in his four head that looked like it would explode.

Harlen look a deep breath, gaining my attention once again. "I know. But I wanted to say that what you did was stupid, but I saw the whole thing. I saw that Baras wasn't going to hurt you. You did something to control him. You know him."

I shrugged my shoulders at her. "Everyone knows who is he. Just like how everyone knows who you are."

"Maybe, but not everyone knows where he is. You did. From the moment we started walking, you knew where you were going. I didn't realise until after you ran past his barrier."

I was never good at serious situations. Instead I just looked at my lap and pursed my lips. If she was trying to get me spill my guts, it wasn't happening.

"But I didn't come here to lecture you." She said. "I came because I want to tell you a story. My story."

My raised my brow at her.

"I'm telling you this, not because I want to guilt you into mating with Cassar, but because I think you should know." Harlen looked down at her lap sadly.

"Okay." I said slowly, giving her a weird look. Harlen didn't seem to be the type for long winded conversations. Or for story telling.

"When I was eighteen, I met my mate."

My eyes snapped up to hers, widening in shock. There were a lot of stories about the fierce warrior, but non of them involved a mate.

She took of breath of air looking at me again. "Growing up my family was always on the move. We never had a place we called home. We were each others home. Our family was our home."

I nodded my head, listening to her.

Harlen came from a family that were the Goddess's personal army before she disappeared. Her Blessed Warriors.

When the Moon Goddess disappeared, the family refused to believe it. Now they just roam the earth waiting for her to call them back to her side.

"But when I was eighteen, my family and I were traveling through North America. I don't remember why, but I was fighting with one of my cousins, so I left for a couple of days to get away from them for a little while." A soft smile was our her face as she spoke about her family, but then it grew serious.

"While I was on my own I was running through a packs territory. We normally avoided personal territories. Sticking to unclaimed land, but I was young and arrogant. I figured no one would notice one lone wolf.

"Unfortunately someone did. It turned out that the wolf who caught me was the alpha. As soon as we saw each other, smelt each others scents, we knew that we were mates."

My brain raced trying to think of any alphas that had died recently who were around Harlen's age. I couldn't think of anyone.

"It didn't take us long to get aquatinted. We mated that night." The way she spoke the words, she didn't sound like she regretted what she did, it was just something that had happened. Something sad that had just happened, and she had no control over.

She didn't speak for a couple of seconds, she just stared out the window.

"What happened?" I asked, urging her to continue.

"We didn't even now each others names." She whispered. She took another deep breath. "He had just recently become alpha. He was strong but prideful. Hate swelled inside of him. A hate dedicated to rogues.

The next morning, he asked me what pack I was from,"

I closed my eyes, my heart going out for the beautiful female in front of me. It didn't take a genius to figure out why I hadn't heard of her mate before.

The Blessed Warriors never joined a traditional pack. Considered rouges to the rest of the world because of their loyalty to a dead Goddess.

"I told him I didn't come from a pack. I told him who my family was. I expected him to be impressed. Instead, he was disgusted with me. He yelled and cursed me." A sickening smile spread across her face. She glanced at me with bitter filled eyes at the male that was no where near us. "He even tried to attack me that day."

I felt my own anger forming in my chest. My hands fisting.

"He called me a pathetic rogue, worthy of only pain and torture. I deserved a special place in hell where I could rot. He was disgusted with himself for mating with me. He couldn't understand why he was being punished in the worst way possible." She shook her head. "After that, he kicked me out of his house wearing nothing but my own skin. He told me if I ever came near his territory again, he would kill me."

"But you're a Blessed Warrior. Not a rogue." I referred to her families lineage. The Goddess's blessed warriors. Her army of wolves. Known for their combat abilities. Their skill on the battle field. They were known as the perfect wolves. "What kind of stupid moron wouldn't want a Blessed Warrior to rule a pack?"

"A hundred years ago, that might have been the case. When the Goddess was around, but when she disappeared things changed. My family still believes that she will come back and rule again. She will take her throne, and bless them. So they never joined a pack, never fully forming their own. Sticking to a rogue lifestyle until she comes back.

"The rest of the wolves never agreed with them. My family is frowned apon. Believed to be crazy fools for waiting for the Goddess. Insane. So technically, I was a rogue."

"What an idiot." I mumbled, referring to her bastard of a mate.

She nodded her head, agreeing with me. "Before he left me on the outskirts of his territory, he fully rejected me."

I shook my head, angry at the sick bastard who could do such a thing. "I didn't know you could reject your mate after fully mating."

"I didn't think it was possible either."

"How did you react?

She shook her head ruefully. "I was young. I was broken hearted. I believed a mate was supposed to love you unconditionally." She gave a sad grin, referring to our conversation just the other day. "After that, I didn't know what to do, I didn't have it in me to kill him. So I just ran. I couldn't go back to my family, I was too ashamed. I just let my animal instincts take over. I didn't think, I didn't feel, I just ran. I ran for weeks."

***

I couldn't take it anymore, I was seething.

"Eventually I ran right into the Viribus Territory. For the second time in my life, I was caught. This time by the Alpha's son. Cassar noticed something was wrong, and he took me in.

"None knew who I was, Cassar just noticed how thin I was, how sad I was. I didn't speak for days, but Cassar and a few others still cared for me."

I would never admit it, but my heart swelled a little for Cassar. He had helped a young female for nothing, just out of the goodness of his heart.

"Cassar's father was still the alpha then. A disgusting male. He wanted to kick me out just like what my mate had done, but Cassar refused. By then I was tired of running. I was tired and sick. With Cassar's help, I made a deal with the Alpha. That I could join their pack if I paid my dues." She smiled thinking back. "The first time I trained, it was with Gage and Cassar. It took me five seconds to have them both on their asses."

I giggled along with her, thinking about the sight. A skinny wolf who had been running for days, who barely spoke, knocking both the future alpha and the third on the ground.

"While the last Alpha was still alive, I was just a pack runt because of my past. But when Cassar became Alpha, he made sure that my past didn't effect me. He never held it against me, and he has always made sure others never did either."

She looked deep into my eyes, forcing me to give her my full attention. My eyes burned with emotion.

"That's why I'm telling you this V, that no matter what your past is. No matter what your hiding from us. It doesn't matter. We will open our arms to you, and treat you as if you were born and raised in this pack." She took my hands in hers. "It doesn't matter V. You are allowed to stay here, no matter what you have done before."

My throat felt tight, I even had to hold back real tears. I refused to let them fall. "That's not why I can't stay Harlen."

"Well whatever it is, it doesn't matter. When you decide to stay, nothing will change. If Cassar could look past my history, something my own mate couldn't do, then Cassar will easily look past yours. Even the weasels who are fighting you now, they will come around."

"You don't get it Harlen. It doesn't matter if he's secretly a good guy. I can't stay." I whispered to her, trying to show her with my eyes that it wasn't possible.

Harlen still didn't get it. She stood up and gave me a small smile. "I'm not telling you to stay Vienna. Just don't leave without giving him a chance."

She stood up to leave the room, but I was still seething. Thinking about all the ways I could make her mate suffer.

"Harlen." I called after her. She turned around, raising her brow. She saw the rage written on my face.

Harlen shook her head. "Don't worry about it Vienna. I wouldn't let Cassar kill him, and I'm not going to let you kill him."

"Why?" I asked. Why wouldn't she want the male that hurt her be sent to his grave?

"He's an Alpha." She shrugged sadly. "It would do more harm then good. I'm not letting the people I care about get hurt because of my past."

I nodded my head, understanding. She turned back around to leave, but I wasn't finished yet. "Do you have any cash?"

She scrunched up her face in confusion, but pulled out her wallet in her back pocket. "All I have is a five."

"That's fine." I told her honestly. She handed me the bill.

"Why do you want it?"

I gave her a soft but deadly smirk. "It'll be taken care of."

She looked at me quizzically, but didn't ask. That's what I liked about Harlen, she never asked questions that didn't need answers to. She left the room, softly closing the door.

I promised myself a long time ago that no matter how small the payment was, I would never do another job for free. I couldn't survive on handouts. That was why I clutched the five dollar bill in my fist, holding it tight to my chest.

She might not want him to die, but she never said anything about not letting him suffer. And suffering was my specialty.

I let my back fall against the bed. A few tears escaping down my face.

Tears for the young female that didn't deserve the pain she was put through, and a few for myself. At the quicksand I just seemed to be falling deeper into.

It wasn't that I didn't want to stay, I mean I didn't, but I couldn't stay. It wasn't possible.

***

I pushed myself to run faster. I stretched my fox's body to make longer strides.

All I could hear was my own jagged breathing and my paws pounding the forest ground. At first all I saw was the lush forest around me.

I knew I was getting closer, I could feel it in my bones. The weight that was on my shoulders lifting slightly. My spirit rising in excitement.

Then I saw them. Standing in front of the Silver Lake. The small group huddled together, waiting for me.

I wanted to yell in triumph. I picked up my pace even more as I saw their faces.

My shouts for joy quickly changed. I was so close, yet so far.

As fast as my hopes had risen, they fell faster then a meteor.

It wasn't the same feeling as the leash that tied me to the Alpha. It was more like the cage that guarded the giant bear.

An invisible, but unbreakable wall.

I cried out, all my hopes ripping away from me as I collided against the invisible wall.

They just stared back at me. They clung to one another in desperation. Their eyes were wide, but they didn't make a move to come closer. They couldn't.

Fear and panic started to take over my senses. I needed to get to them.

I desperately clawed at the wall. I threw myself against it. I did everything I could to get to my people.

I felt the tears in my eyes as a sinking feeling filled my chest. I cried out again and again.

I had to get to them. They needed me. But I couldn't.

Then my fur stood on its end. My body froze. The sound of a deep rolling howl burned through the forest.

"Vienna." It was him.

I gave one last look at them. Shivering and scared, I couldn't get the image out of my mind.

"Vienna."

Then I turned around to meet my enemy.

I felt a pair of strong hands slightly shake my shoulder. "Vienna, wake up."

Instead of answering I just burrowed myself deeper into the blankets. I wanted one more look at them before I had to face realty again.

I hadn't been able to sleep since I got here. When I did finally fall asleep, I was cursed with horrible dreams. But sleep was still sleep, and he was taking that from me.

"Vienna, it's time to wake up."

I growled at the bastard Alpha that was keeping me from them. Muttering unintelligible words into my pillow.

"Don't make me do something you will regret." He threatened.

I almost laughed, what more could he do to me?

"One," He started. His voice laced with annoyance.

I curled myself tighter into a ball on the bed, ignoring the temperamental ass.

"Two."

I pulled the blankets over my head, trying to shut him out. I turned my face deeper into the pillow. "Screw you mother-"

"Three." He yelled, ripping my warm cocoon of blankets from my body.

I shrieked, jumping five feet in the air when the cold air hit my now freezing skin.

All I wanted was some piece and quite. All I get is an asshole who smirks at my discomfort.

"Bastard." I stood on the bed so I was eye level with the smirking Alpha. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sometimes I forget how big Cassar Salvaterre is, and then something would happen and it would be like a slap in the face.

For example, having to stand on a bed just to make direct eye contact with him, and still feeling small is one of those moments. I might have been as tall as him at the moment, but he was still twice my size.

But he may have been a hell of a lot bigger then me, but I know. When it comes down to it, I will destroy his soul.

And I was really, really tempted at this moment.

In the early sunlight his eyes were the colour of deep sienna, mischief danced in them while he held my warm blankets away from me. Cassar's dark grey hair was dishevelled as if he didn't even know what a brush was.

"I tried knocking first." He shrugged his shoulders, the corners of his lips turned up. "You didn't answer."

"Hmmm," I fumed, shivering in my pyjamas. "Maybe because I was sleeping?"

"It's almost eight in the morning, how are you still asleep?" He raised a brow at me.

"Eight?" I shouted, my eyes growing in shock and anger. "Why would you wake me up at the crack of stupid? Stupid."

Cassar looked at me sceptically. "This is early?"

"Yes you ugly, ugly," I struggled trying to find the right word. "cheesecake."

"Cheesecake?"

I groaned in embarrassment, sitting back on the bed. "That's what you get when you wake me up this early. Bad insults."

He laughed. "Remind me to wake you up early more often. It's better for my ego."

"Your ego doesn't need anything except to be knocked down a few pegs." I grumbled rubbing my eyes. "How the hell did you even get in here? I locked the door."

"Shortcake, I have a key for every room in this house." He smirked at me.

My eyes grew at the revelation. I glared at him. "That's an invasion of privacy you snake. And don't call me shortcake."

"You call me cheesecake, I am going to call you shortcake." He nodded at me, his smirk only growing the harder I glared. "Because you're short."

"Get out." I ordered, pointing at the door.

"Aww come on shortcake. Don't be like that." He whined.

I growled at him as I flung myself on top of my pillow. I ignored the cold as my blankets were now in a clump by Cassar's feet.

"Why are you even hear?" I whined.

"We are going to go for a run." Cassar told me.

"A what?" I blanked.

"A run." He said slower. "Go outside, enjoy nature, get some exercise."

"You mean to tell me, that you woke me up ridiculously early to run?"

Cass gave me a flat look. "Yes."

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not going."

Cassar growled. "You're going to come with me if you like it or not. So will you be leaving here with or without your dignity?"

I huffed a laugh. "Jokes on you. I lost my dignity a long time ago."

He rolled his eyes and took a couple of steps towards me, grabbing me by the waist.

My eyes grew as I tried to scramble away from him. "Wait wait wait."

He stopped moving for a second, hovering over me with his eye brows raised.

"Is Teddy going to be there?" I asked, opening one eye to look at Cassar's confused face.

"Teddy?"

"You know, the guy that tackled me at the football game. The one you tried to shred into confetti ." I explained.

A dangerous growl came from him as he straightened back up. "Jordie. His name is Jordie."

"Jordie, Teddy, same person. Will he be there?"

"I don't know." Cassar gritted.

"You aren't telling me you're still upset about the whole football thing?" I asked.

"He attacked you."

I groaned loudly. "Good lord man. Why are you so stubborn?"

Cassar's jaw dropped. "I'm stubborn? You're the most stubborn person I have ever met."

I glared up at him. "I'm not stubborn. I'm determined."

"Yeah, determined as a mule."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. So is he going to be there?" My own wicked smirk twitching.

Cassar's eyes narrowed at me. "It is the packs territory. There is a possibility he will be somewhere in it."

"Well that's all the persuasion I need." I cried happily as I jumped out of bed. I started pushing Cassar out of my room. "Now you need to leave, so I can get gym ready."

Cassar sighed, allowing me to shove him out the door. Just as I was about to slam it on his face, his foot stoped it. "You are going to be the death of me."

"That's the plan." I winked shoving the door fully closed.

Now that he was out of the room, I was half tempted to just go back to bed.

"If you're not out in ten minutes, I'm coming after you. With a bucket of water this time." I heard him growl from the other side of the door.

Now I really was more then three quarters tempted, just to piss him off.

I had good intentions. I really did. I got up and brushed my teeth. I changed into some yoga pants and a workout top, but when I was done, I looked back at my bed and it was just calling me. I did what every normal creature would do. I went to it.

This time I did hear the pounding on the door. This time I ignored it on purpose.

Without any patience, Cassar stormed into the room, grabbed me around my waist and hoisted me over his shoulder. As if I weighed nothing to him.

"Let me go you animal." I shouted at the arrogant doofus, pounding on his back.

"I told you, you are coming with me if you like it or not."

"Let me go or I'll sauté your balls with your brains." I threatened.

"You know, for such a small female, you have a lot of anger."

"Funny, I was rarely angry before I came here." I yelled at him. "Coincidence? I think not."

Something I said must have been funny because I could feel the vibrations of Cassar's laughter.

And like a true asshole Cassar never let me down. He walked throughout the whole house out the back door and into the forest around us with me swinging over his shoulder, pounding on his back.

But I promise, I cursed him the whole way.

He completely ignored the other wolves who gave us amused looks as we passed them. None of them even offering any help. Selfish mutts.

I threw a couple of curses their way too.

Finally in the middle of the woods Cassar let me down.

I didn't waste any time in the revenge department. Just as he set me down, I jumped for him. Attempting to shove my fist through his eyeball.

Unfortunately he saw it coming. Just as I was about to make contact, Cassar completely swallowed my fist with his. Using the force of my punch against me he swung me around so my back was flush against his chest.

I seethed at him as I struggled against his intense grip. Groaning at the impact.

"Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when you're angry?" Cassar chuckled into my ear.

I completely ignored the goosebumps that appeared over my skin.

"I'm about to be bloody adorable if you don't let me go." I hissed up at him.

"Now Vienna, if you had just listened to me from the beginning, you wouldn't be in this mess." He sighed sarcastically.

I growled at him. "If I had listened to you from the beginning I wouldn't have been able to do this."

Without another second for him to process my words, I jabbed my elbow into his abdomen, wiggling out his grip. With all my strength I pushed away from him.