The Alpha Queen

Prologue: Ten Years Ago

A scream rent through the rain dampened woods, that of a young girl. The two fae males that had been passing by stopped dead in their tracks, their heads whipping towards the direction the sound had come free.

"Do you think we should check it out," one of them breathed, his breath fogging in front of him.

A sob reached them next and the anguish in the noise sent them running in its direction without further thought. They pushed past low hanging branches until they reached a small clearing.

The first thing they noticed was the girl on the ground, her knees pulled tight to her chest. She had a mane of brown hair and couldn't be more than nine or ten. Four men were standing around her, all of them big and bulky, their eyes flashing in the dark.

"What's going on here," one of the fae asked breathlessly. "Get away from her."

The four men turned towards him, grins spreading across their faces. Then the girl rose, her own eyes flashing as she smiled.

The two fae cursed as they exchanged a glance. "You're that alpha girl?"

The alpha smiled as her pack crouched around her, ready to spring into action at her command. "That's right. And I believe your fairy queen recently sent two of my werewolves to me, minus their bodies."

The two male fae glanced at the four werewolves as they took a step back. Their hands reached for the daggers at their hips as the werewolves' skin rippled.

"You're mistaken," one of the males spoke. "She's not our queen.

"I may be nine, but I'm not stupid," the alpha seethed. "Her scent coats every male of her nation." She then glanced at the werewolf standing closest to her. "Attack."

That one word had three of the werewolves launching themselves at the two fae, their bodies shifting into their wolf forms as they pounced. Silver flashed as the fae pulled their daggers free and then they collided, snarls and cries filling the air.

The werewolf still in his skin stepped in front of the alpha, his own dagger gripped in his hand. His skin rippled as he watched his brothers fighting with the two males, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

The little alpha's cold fingers wrapped around his arm as one of her wolves fell, his blood staining the ground. Yet she didn't look away from the gruesome scene, her bright eyes hard.

Another one of her wolves was slammed against a tree and then the fae responsible screamed as his throat was ripped out. The scream turned into a gurgle as the male fell.

Before the wolf barely pulled free, the remaining fae swung an arm, air pulsing from him into the wolf. The wolf flew a few feet away, landing hard enough to knock the breath out of him.

The fae turned towards the alpha and her lone protector, his golden hair rippling in wind created by him.

"You don't stand a chance against us, bitch," he seethed.

The alpha tightened her hold on her protector's arm, which was taunt beneath her fingers. He was so tense, only his chest moved as he breathed heavily. Her fingers slid down his arm and then away. The second they left his skin he launched himself at the fae, staying in his skin.

Their daggers swung towards each other, both just barely dodging out of the others way. The werewolf sliced the fae's arm and then the fae sliced his dagger across the werewolf's chest, red blooming across his white shirt. He paused a moment to glance down, missing the fist the fae swung at him.

The werewolf fell to the ground with a snarl. The fae laughed as he lunged for the alpha, who fell back in an attempt to get away.

"Nova," she cried out in alarm.

Nova pushed off the ground and tackled the fae before he could lay a hand on his alpha. He punched the fae again and again, until the alpha called his name once more.

Nova sat back, his knuckles raw, and breathing heavily. The fae beneath him was still, his face a bloody mess. Nova moved away from him, crawling over to where the alpha still sat, her earlier hard expression replaced by fear and sorrow.

"Theia," he said, helping the girl to her feet. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, her shaking fingers hovering over his chest. "You're hurt."

"I'll be fine," he replied, folding her hands in his. "Let's check on the others."

They rushed over to the other members of her pack, helping two to their feet after they shifted back into their skin. The other was already shifted, his chest no longer moving. Dead. They would carry him back home with them so he could be buried.

As Nova finished checking on the two injured werewolves, Theia stood off to the side, staring at the two dead fae with a frown. The fae had gotten too close for comfort. Something needed to be done about them, but what? Theia's lone pack wasn't enough to take on a whole nation of fae. She was afraid this could only lead to war, a war she wasn't ready to face.

"Theia," Nova spoke quietly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

No, she wasn't alright. She was just a child after all, a child who had become alpha at such a young age because her father had been killed. But she had no other choice than to be ok.

"I'm fine," she replied, even something in her voice made her sound more ancient than she was. "We should go."

She turned as Nova dropped his hand. Their eyes met and she knew he knew she wasn't ok, but this wasn't the time or place to discuss it. So, she turned from the gruesome scene, focusing her thoughts on needing to bury another member of her pack.