The Alpha's Queen ✔ (Available on Radish)

Prologue

"Blood Moon." It sounded like a statement, not a question.

"Yes. We've got to get you somewhere safe." she led me past empty corridors and slowed down when we entered the study.

She suddenly stumbled and would have fallen had I not caught her.

"Mum!"

"I'm... fine." she breathed out, holding her left hand out onto the wall to balance herself. "I can just feel the ties from the pack members slowly being ripped off from my heart one by one."

As the Alpha and the Luna, mum and dad could feel every death of a pack member. But for me, they were just pinches to the heart, unlike my parents. Each one hurt more than the last.

She opened the drawer of a table and took out a bottle. Moving quickly, she sprayed my entire body thoroughly with the liquid. It smelled like smoke. This was a tactic that I had learned a few years ago that was used to cover up one's scent.

"Let me see if I can smell you." She started to sniff around my body, trying to detect my scent before nodding in satisfaction.

That particular move from my mum supported my next guess.

I was leaving.

She walked over to the bookcase with its back facing the brick wall. There was an empty space where a flower pot once stood beside the bookcase. It was big enough for one person to squeeze through.

"Dad and the kids?"

"Dad's below fighting. The kids, you'll see them later." she flicked her fingers impatiently.

I never knew why dad didn't just take away the flower pot and push the bookcase straight into the wall, but now I did.

I watched as my mum push the flower pot away before running her fingers over the brick wall. She suddenly stopped at a particular brick and pushed it in.

Like a scene from a movie, the wall was pushed to the side and a poorly-lit passageway could be seen. "Go."

I hesitated and turned around to face her. "What about you?"

She gave me a shaky smile of reassurance. "I'll be fine. Stay safe. You'll meet the kids at the other side. Drive until you reach Golden Moon, alright? Look for the Alpha. Tell him that you are the one they're looking for." she brushed the stray strands of hair away from my forehead and before kissing it gently.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no time for questions."

A choked sob escaped from my lips. This felt too much like a goodbye; like it was the last time I would ever see her.

"Why don't you and dad come with us?"

It was a futile question, but I needed to hear her response. "As the Alpha and the Luna, we're the last ones going down fighting."

I felt my heart clench at her words. I was about to persuade her to come along with me when a tortured scream came from a few corridors away. My mother quickly pushed me into the secret passageway and pressed a lever at the side.

The wall began closing and I turned around towards the small opening. "Mum!"

"Stay safe." there was a sad smile on her face. "And remember, we will always love you."

Just like that, the wall closed until all I saw now were slabs of concrete holding the bricks in place. The shouts and screams of agony that sounded vaguely familiar from the other side of the wall were enough to make me want to break down and cry.