Royally Rogue

Senses

The Queen

I startled awake, rising to a ninety-degree angle in a split second. My husband, my mate, was not next to me.

Everything looked the same. The windows were covered by the drapes, the door was closed- locked, in fact. The bathroom had no exit or window.

I inhaled deeply, searching for any intruding scents. Nothing.

Nobody could have gotten in.

Then for what reason was I awake?

I gazed around the room, eyes seeing perfectly in the dark. They must be functioning in hyper-mode, meaning my wolf was aware of something that I was not. But then why was she not talking to me?

Confused, I slowly pushed the white sheets off and slipped out of bed, feeling the cool marble on my bare feet.

"What is it..." I murmured to myself, crossing my arms protectively over my chest. I felt restless, uneasy, as I took a few steps forward to test my motor skills. I scanned the ceiling, looking for any sort of bug that could have tripped my hypersensitivity. I squinted at the particles on the wall, willing there to be something to explain my uneasiness. But the walls were clean, all the way down to the last speck of dust in the corner of the crown molding.

I thought to leave my room, but there were unfamiliar guards outside of our room, a result of my husband's paranoia. And if I left, they might alert him.

My mate didn't trust Roman anymore, taking him off his normal patrols and even put him on probation from the castle itself. Which meant it was my duty to pick up Roman's schedule and do border checks. However, I found myself exceeding the schedule and pushing my body to its limits in order to circle the circumference every hour, hoping I would find evidence on our daughter. My husband worked during the day in his office and then took up my shift in the night. He was frantic, obsessed, as was his right. Our daughter was kidnapped in front of his very eyes, and he could do nothing to stop it. The rogue leader had taken her across our borders, holding her and another pack member in his grasp as they struggled to return

At that moment, he had to decide on whether to put the pack at war to save our daughter or to step back and formulate a plan.

He came back in shambles that night, and at that moment, I, too, had to make a decision. He fell to my feet, and I picked him up enough to bring us back to the shadow of our room, where our people could not see us... where we could weep in solitude.

Holding him in my arms that night, I knew I had to be the strong one, for both of us.

Something was definitely wrong, even though there was not a speck of dust out of place. Standing there, contemplating the air around me, I felt as though my heart was aching.

In a small spurt of hope, my daughter flashed through my mind. Maybe this was the moon goddess telling me something!

A surge of a adrenaline rushed through me as I rushed to the window, about to part the curtains. Then suddenly, I thought about my border routine. Maybe, after my wolf and I had run consistently, she had picked up a presence or felt a shift on our land?

But, if I wanted an update on the border status tonight, then I'd have to go through my mate himself, which would only result in more panic.

In truth, I was on the verge of a meltdown every time I thought of my sweetest daughter, Arabella. But I stayed firm, never complaining and only finding time to mourn when I was supposed to be sleeping. After I felt all my energy and tears leave me, I was able to sleep. Whatever I did, I did to avoid chaos in our pack.

But my husband was losing it. My son, Aaron, had been running around the grounds on behalf of him, and the pack was starting to notice. When he relieved me from my post, he had bags under his eyes, fidgeting hands, and hair crazed. The moonlight made him seem ghostly, complemented by his long and lanky figure.

So, for the sake of order, I wouldn't link my husband. No, I would handle this.

I quickly walked over to my wardrobe, opening the ancient wood doors to reveal my silver armor. It was light, flexible, but not for shifting. I didn't plan on that tonight, I could run on two feet just fine.

I rushed to slip on the silver, feeling the hum of the metal on my skin. To any other wolf, this would feel like a burning, scalding sensation. But it filled me with energy, a blessing from the moon goddess herself.

After buckling the last straps, I put my hair in braids and walked over to the windows. Pulling back the heavy, velvet curtains, I drank in the moonlight.

Normally, the feeling would fill me with a sense of completeness. A sense of belonging and understanding of my place.

Instead, I was greeted with a pang of stress and pain. I stumbled backward, my armor clanking loudly and my footsteps stomping on the marble floor.

My hand instantly went up to shield my heart, and I shut my eyes from the light of the moon. Hissing, I moved to the left, to where I was in the shade.

When I felt the cool feeling of darkness, I raised my head in confusion, squinting at the light that poured in through the windows.

A marking.

The soft whisper of the familiar voice inside my head said.

My mouth went dry, heart stopping, as the room buried me in its silence.

Is this why I was I stricken awake? Why did my instincts tell me it was a marking? Whose marking? How did my wolf know, and why did the moonlight hurt me? Could this be... the goddess herself? Was she communicating to me though the animal she created inside of me?

I inhaled deeply, straightening myself out and regrouping. Staring at the light, I whispered, "Moon goddess, give me whatever you judge to be just and true."

And then I stepped forward, back into the light. I let the pain eat at me as I slowly raised my eyes up to meet the light of the moon. I'd endured worse than this, but the sharp, stabbing of my heart was foreign and fresh agony.

As I stared, the white orb seemed to radiate, pulsing with intensity.

I listened, for something, anything. The silence was deafening, intensifying my physical and psychological pain.

Seconds went by- moments of nothing except the discomfort of being in the light. I found my fists clenching and teeth gritting together. Slowly, my body was shriveling away for the torture of the moon.

And then, just as I was about to give up, a voice, so delicate and yet so strong, spoke to me.

The marking is complete.

"Whose marking ?" I stuttered out, quickly responding.

They will unite the divided or begin an era of extinction.

"Wait-!" I shouted, stumbling forward towards the window. I placed a hand against the window, watching in desperation as the moon shifted under the clouds, the light that had been providing the connection disrupted. The intense discomfort was gone, and where the presence of the moon goddess had been, emptiness remained.

I found myself breathless, leaning against the cool glass.

I needed to find my daughter.

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Shout out to @xnostalgia for being my #1 hoe

First perspective of the Queen!!

Hope y'all are having a good day!!!

Thanks for all the support, I'll try to update soooon