The Alpha Queen

Chapter Eleven

The rogue pack were taking Nova north, closer to wherever they believed Theia to be located. He'd been keeping his mouth shut but his ears open, trying to gather as much information as possible about this pack and whatever they knew about Hamel, the fae who was holding Theia hostage.

Hamel believed Theia was the true queen but whether he wanted her dead or not, Nova didn't know. The rogue pack believed Theia to be an imposter and Astra the true prophesized queen.

They never considered there could be a second person with wolf eyes, but Nova knew one thing for sure and that was that Theia was no imposter. The second he laid eyes on her, he knew his mate would someday rise and become the queen she was meant to be. He had no doubts about who she was and what she could accomplish. Astra was the imposter and she needed to be stopped before she poisoned the minds of the other packs.

Most of the rogue pack stayed in their fur as they travelled, except for Bran who walked beside Nova in only a pair of shorts and a belt that held two daggers. Nova's hands had been tied in front of him and he was being led by a wolf who had dragged Nova to his knees several times now. He was practically dead on his feet, they had been traveling none stop since yesterday. And after he had run so long in his wolf form in search of Theia before being caught, he had only had about an hour of so to rest since he'd left the compound. Any longer and he was afraid he was going to collapse from exhaustion.

A sleek black wolf came running from the front, darting between the others with ease. Nova tensed when he spotted her bright red eyes and nearly fell over the wolf holding his reins when they suddenly came to a stop.

Astra rubbed against his leg causing him to grimace but he didn't dare try to move away, especially as Bran placed a hand on his shoulder in warning. Shifting into her skin beside him, she smiled almost seductively. Leaning close to him, she ran her fingers down the front of his chest, her red eyes searing into his. Itwas discerning looking into them, but he refused to show weakness by avoidingthem.

"Are you sure you don't want to change allegiance," she asked, her voice low. "I'm impressed by your strength. A weaker wolf would have fallen by now."

"I would never betray my alpha," he growled in response.

She tsked as her claws replaced her fingers. "You will die."

"For her, yes."

Her eyes held his for a moment longer before she turned to Bran. "We have a tail. Go fetch him and bring him to me alive."

Bran nodded once and then removed his shorts and belt, dropping them to the ground before shifting. He took off into the trees, his brown fur blending in with their surroundings making him almost invisible in the brush.

Astra ran her fingers through the gray fur of the wolf Nova was tied to as they waited, Nova feeling awkward in the tense silence. He desperately wished he could use this moment to sit down, especially as he swayed slightly on his feet. He hadn't even been given any water since they took him and it felt as if his mouth was full of cotton, his throat so dry he could hardly swallow.

When he glanced at Astra, he caught her watching him, a small smile curving her full lips. "What's her name, your alpha?"

He was surprised by her question. Did she truly not know the name of the person she planned to kill? She seemed to know so much about Hamel and had even known they held Theia hostage when Nova himself had no idea.

He thought about not answering her, but figured it wasn't worth taking a hitting for, especially when he didn't think he could handle anything else. With a hoarse voice he answered, "Theia."

"Theia," she repeated, as if she were testing the name out to see how it'd sound coming from her lips. Nova didn't like it one bit. "And what makes Theia so great that you'd die for her?"

That wasn't as simple to answer, not without hinting at his relationship to her. Theia was everything to him, his heart, his soul, his light, his whole world. But he supposed that's not exactly what Astra meant by the question.

"She was born to lead," Nova told her. "And she'd damn well make a better queen than you."

Astra seethed and took a step towards him, most likely to take a swipe at him. Thankfully Bran returned then, dragging some guy along with him who he threw at her feet.

"Ah, you've caught our tail," Astra exclaimed, turning her attention to the guy. "Good boy."

Nova rolled his eyes as Bran's chest puffed with pride, before glancing down at the guy who, based on his pointed ears was fae. The stink of him drifted into Nova's nose on his next breath and his whole body went rigid at the scent. This was the male he had scented in the drawing room, the male who had taken Theia.

Astra fisted her hand in the male's white hair to lift his head up. He must have put up a fight with Bran because he was sporting a fresh black eye and a split lip. "Who are you," she asked.

Despite the situation he was currently in, the male smirked up at her as he replied, "Torren."

"Well, Torren, what do you want with my pack?"

"I have no interest in you or your pack. In fact, I have no clue who you people even are."

She scoffed as she yanked at his hair enough to cause him to grimace. "I find that hard to believe considering you've been following us."

"No, not you. I've been following him," he replied with a flick of his eyes in Nova's direction.

Astra raised her eyebrows at that and then dragged Torren to his feet, releasing his hair once the male was standing.

"Is that so," she asked. "And what do you want with my hostage?"

"I'm willing to make a trade for him, just name your price," Torren responded.

She glanced back at Nova in surprise, but his eyes were on Torren as he debated how he could get information out of the male about Theia without revealing anything to Astra. But it was impossible, Nova couldn't get free, and he doubted he'd be granted a moment alone with the male.

"I'm afraid he's not for sale," Astra responded. "I need him."

Torren scoffed. "What for? He's nobody."

"That's where you're wrong. He's my ticket to his alpha, Theia."

Torren's eyes widened slightly at that. "And what do you want with her?"

The concern in his voice caused Astra and Nova both to narrow their eyes at the male. After a beat, Astra's lips spread slowly. "Don't tell me you're one of Hamel's people? Oh, this is too good."

She grabbed the front of Torren's leather vest, jerking him close to her. "I'm right, aren't I? You came looking for Nova for her, didn't you?"

Torren hesitated, glancing between Astra's red eyes. "What do you want for him?"

Her smile widened. "I want to meet with her so I can look her in the eyes and prove I'm the true alpha queen, not her."

"And then kill her, I suppose?"

"Tomorrow at midnight, just outside the city walls. If she wants her toy back alive, she better meet me then, or else I'll give him to my wolves for their plaything."

She shoved Torren away from her before he could respond. He glanced at Nova then as shadows began to form around him.

"Don't," Nova managed to shout out before the male disappeared.

Astra laughed as she turned to Bran. "I love it when things fall so easily into place." She smirked at Nova next and then shifted back into her fur, taking off away from them.

The rope binding Nova's hands jerked as the wolf dragging him began to walk again. Things may be working out for Astra, but Nova felt as if his whole world was crashing down around him. He knew exactly what Theia would do and he was terrified because of it.