Queen of the Beasts *Sample*

Chapter 24

"I hate being in human form." I complained as Oliver boosted me onto the back of an old, but reliable horse.

"And I hate the fact that my sister is confronting an enemy with me, but here we are." Oliver grunted once I was in the saddle. He ran a hair through his auburn hair. After all these years his nervous gestures hadn't changed in the slightest. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Violet?"

"Yes." I lied, already thinking of all the ways that this could go wrong. Very wrong. I knew Thorn. I knew how volatile and violent he could become when things went wrong. But I couldn't back down now.

Oliver knew me better than that. He saw that I would not admit defeat or shame myself in front of my mate but I watched his eyes flick over my stiff posture and the white knuckles that were curled around the reins. If anything my anxiety strengthened his determination, like my doubt was fuel.

"My men are the best. Nothing will happen to you."

I gave him a curt nod, still holding onto my hardened front but his words comforted me. I wasn't facing Thorn alone this time. I had my brother by my side and I would be followed by three of his best men. Thorn could not strong arm or manipulate me now. I could be a queen soon, he would have to respect and listen to me, even if he didn't want to.

"We need to go now." I announced, "I want to intercept him before he gets too far onto the royal lands. The less people that know about this the better, right?"

Oliver swung himself onto the back of a beast and answered with a firm squeeze. All of the horses took off, following one another and the horse I was on was no exception. Though I hadn't ridden a horse since I had been very young I was balanced enough to remain in the side saddle as we took off. I was just thankful that Oliver had been wise enough to put me on the most intuitive horse of the group.

While my dress flapped in the wind and the sounds of the guards could be heard all around me I was scanning the woods around me. After all this time in human form and all this time indoors I still adored the feeling of the breeze in my hair and loved the fresh smell of the grass and leaves that filled the air. Even with my red hair blowing across my face I knew this place. I knew it so well I could almost picture my wolf form alongside Thorn, taunting the guards, desperately searching for weak spots and loving the thrill. It had been my life and at the time I wouldn't have changed it for anything and I would've been disgusted by the position I was in currently.

But everything had changed. Now, the idea of Thorn creeping around these woods made me shiver with disgust.

At some points previously I had wanted to go back to him and his way of thinking. Even with Griffin's constant kindness ebbing away at my resolve I had still been torn between the life I used to know and the one I had now. After Oliver confronted me about being just like my parents by mentality had shifted. Then Hunter had shown up and it was like a switch had flipped. I didn't fully understand why he had come to me, but it had been enough to convince me that I was where I needed to be. Hunter would not risk sacrificing himself to the people he loathed and defying the man who had saved his life for nothing. Something must've been very wrong though he wasn't strong enough to speak about it yet.

I didn't know what Thorn had done, but I fully intended to find out.

With a suddenness that surprised us all, Oliver pulled up his horse. It was so unexpected that my horse near plowed into the rear of Oliver's and I could hear the guard behind me struggle to stop his horse as well. The two guards that flanked me began scanning for threats immediately.

The threat found us first.

My horse's ears flickered with uncertainty when a feral snarl rung through the silence in the forest. My attention snapped to a large grey wolf I had never seen before. And the horrendous wound on its back. But before I could even consider what to do next the werewolf lunged forward, his target the guard behind me.