I woke up feeling like a different person.
It was almost like another wake up from death but then again...I mean I was pretty much enlightened.
A wry smile took over my features as I stared at the sunrise.
The yellow bled into light orange as the light filled ball peeked out from between the valley of the tall mountains capped with white and green alike, the river Minsa stretching like an uncoiled snake. The sun rays reflected off the sparkling water, making it seem like a sea of jewels. The light blue sky had puffs of white clouds dotting it. The wind blew with it the scent of fresh cut grass and mountain air tinged with scented flowers and the feeling of a unique constricting kind of freedom.
I gently turned in my mate's embrace, his muscled corded arm still keeping its weight on my waist, encasing me in a pleasant confinement.
The sun reflecting off his features made his ebony hair seem a shade of lighter brown in spots and reddish in some while his angular jaw was on full display. Xander was beautiful in such a feral, rugged manner that it was momentarily staggering.
I felt my heart skitter as I smiled softly at him.
Just to test it all, I wriggled in his embrace.
Xander's grip become iron-clad and he immediately rolled on top of me.
I blinked, his scent tickling my nostrils and his golden eyes clashing with mine.
He slowly frowned, his eyes tracking my each movement before they stared into mine again.
"Are you alright?" Xander's tenseness decreased and his ebony hair hung slightly over my face like a curtain.
I nodded. "Yes."
I wondered if he could sense my trepidation even though he wasn't as close as he could've been. His finger left featherweight touches as it trailed over my tear stained cheek, eliciting strange sparks within me.
The situation slightly reminded me of the time I'd cried to Xander or as I knew him at that time - Alpha - and woken up in Arion's embrace.
We'd kissed.
And it made my heart ache to know things would soon change for probably the worse.
What kind of woman makes her mates commit atrocities against herself?
I took in a final deep breath and then pushed Xander off. "Don't you have things to attend to?"
He glanced at me lazily and gave me a wolfish grin, "You're one of them though."
My lips lifted up and I shook my head in a non-committal way.
Getting up from the bed, I slipped my feet into the satin slippers, tightening my golden robe before I addressed my mate again with my back turned on him.
"Go. I'll be getting accustomed to the Palace after a long bath."
I heard a huff behind me and then the sound of rustling sheets before he was in front of me again, his loose white shirt doing nothing to hide the muscles underneath.
"Alright then. Visit me whenever you want. I'll come to you as well." With a distance of about one foot between us, it was tempting to run into his arms but it'd have to wait.
I stared up into his golden eyes, his scent making me heady and memories making me teary.
He took a step back and I nodded.
I waited for him to leave because now things were different. Xander gave me a look which make the brown in his eyes shine with worry so I gave a reassuring smile.
"I'll be fine."
For some reason, he believed me.
I contemplated whether to tell him that he was forgiven but I arrived at the conclusion that it wouldn't be the best strategy to follow yet. Not so soon anyways. It needed to be a slow process like it would've been before things became clear as crystals for me.
Once the door closed behind Xander, the door to my seldom occurring insecurities did too.
At least for the time being.
•○•
When the maid brought out the corset for me, I waved her way.
"No corsets until I specifically request them."
The maid bowed while the other one questioned, "What would you like to wear then, Your Majesty?"
I looked over the wardrobe, distinguishing between the things Micah and Melida had picked and what my mate hadn't been a part of selecting for certain reasons.
My eyes snagged onto a teal colored dress that would hang down to my ankles by my estimate. Upon touching it, it had a silken feel and the v-neckline suited the design. With tiny gold colored jewels stitched upon its waistline like a creeping vine meeting a shoulder, it looked elegant.
"This one will do."
The two maids got to getting the dress ready while three others came with the hair-do accessories and the kohl and lip colors.
I'd indulge myself in this for today. Or a bit longer perhaps.
Seating myself in front of the vanity, I stared into my silver streaked eyes. Tilting my head, it felt rather amusing to me.
Yes there was much left to recall but for now we needed to get going.
When the door opened, I simply slid my eyes over to the person who entered.
I took a second to look at her head bowed, the scent and agility of werewolf clinging to her.
It made me nostalgic. I was once in that position and it was what I strove to erase.
"And you are?"
"I am to be your personal handmaiden, Your Majesty."
I rose an un-amused brow before observing her. Curly black hair in a ponytail, practical yet distinguishing clothes with black slacks and a loose gold shirt.
"What is your name?"
At my question she looked me in the eyes, "Ellana."
I felt the corners of my lips tilting upwards. "It's a beautiful name."
I was waiting for a personal handmaiden anyway. I knew it wouldn't be long that I'd be assigned one and she was sure to have been picked by Micah or Melida. A strong werewolf by the looks of it who'd be good enough to run a few errands because trust wasn't given, it was earned and Ellana had yet to do that.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I looked back into the mirror and spoke, "Ask for Lord Micah and Princess Melida to meet me in thirty minutes at the grand room on the second floor of the East Wing."
"Of course, Your Majesty." With that Ellana left to do my bidding.
I raised my chin and felt the tugs on my hair as the females worked on getting me presentable and the dress was taken down from its position in the wardrobe.
Running my eyes over all of the people serving me, I rolled my shoulders and kept the blank face.
Kindness wasn't going to be my friend in this role. A Queen wasn't supposed to act like a sympathising being and especially since I was considered human.
Which reminds me I need to mask my changing scent as well.
So much to do.
I have so, so much to achieve.
Starting with how to make the council and werewolf kingdom accept me when I'm being considered a human. But then again, Xander isn't one to take those things into consideration. That was always my job. If he believed in something, there was no way he could be deterred.
Oh but I forcefully deterred him.
A dry chuckled left my lips, carrying with it the whispers of a night long long ago, buried so deep that thinking of it made my stomach turn.
•○•
Throwing open the doors to the location I'd called my friends to, I walked in with my head held high.
The tiara was a little too much, honestly but Xander had personally requested it to be worn by me so I couldn't exactly say no. I knew what it meant because the tiara carried one of the rarest stones. Lying in the center of it was a black obsidian, shining like a black diamond.
It was a sign of who I was to not just him but the kingdom. It was his way of trying to protect me though it wouldn't do much. But he was quite busy and well, I'd been making things very hard for him after all.
The teal dress turned out like I expected it to. It fell like a loose long sleeved curtain above my waist where the golden gems tightened and the dress flowed down in a genteel way. My dagger was strapped to my thigh and easily accessible.
Oh.
Did I forget to mention it had a thigh high slit on the right?
Well, all my dresses do.
It was quite a sensuous and deadly touch I liked when wearing any dresses as required by the courts and werewolves are the most carnal in the ways of the sexual being residing inside of them among the supernatural species followed by the Fae.
So it was nothing rare for a little leg to be shown.
Granted I was to be Queen but oh well.
When I spotted Mel and Micah who stood up from their chairs on the mostly empty table in the far right of the grand room, I smiled.
"Close the doors."
Ellana was the only one I'd allowed to accompany me till here and once the closing sound of the doors entered my ears, there was only silence afterwards. I wasn't afraid of our conversation being overheard because besides Mel and Micah taking the needed steps, I was present and this was the least of the things I needed to get my control back over.
Still, I cast a silencing bubble to encase the room so our conversation would remain privy.
We stared at each other.
And then I smiled.
"Hello, Mels."
Melida's yellow wolf eyes widened slightly and she took a step forward, her eyes taking in my whole attire and the way I held myself in. "You aren't....By chance....."
I slid my eyes to Micah. "It's been a long time, Micah."
He gulped, his red hair curling all over his head in that familiar way. "It's you, isn't it?"
I walked closer to the two and then before anything else could happen, Mels was embracing me in her arms tightly, her hug sinking me into familiarity as I closed my eyes.
Melida was not one to show affection in form of touch. It was very rare but it meant a lot.
It seemed like she had no words when she let go to look over my face again. I gave her a small smile and her eyes were glassy. Micah sat down, taking deep breaths and I had to swallow the ball of emotions in my throat.
After a few minutes of silent observation, once we were all seated, Micah spoke.
"How much, uh, do you remember?"
I looked down, inhaling deeply. "For now, enough." Then I looked back up at him with a tiny frown. "But explain to me why I knew you in the slave system as a child?"
I had a sneaking suspicion but I didn't want it to be confirmed.
Melida answered for him as he cringed, "As you guessed, things haven't been going the way we wished them to. The plans were all disrupted and it may or may not have started by Micah's assassination."
I stilled, staring at Melida as she met my stare head on.
Micah picked off where she had stopped, "Fortunately, my reincarnation occurred and I retained my memories too. I think it's thanks to someone but....oh well." He frowned, running a hand through his hair. "The worst part though was having to work as Theo the stableboy under Queen Kesla. That vampire is the worst of them."
His sneer was met with sardonic smiles.
But I knew now what had been happening. Micah wasn't betraying me. He never would. I'd have to go through the details of everything in depth later on but for now we were low on time.
I made a face, "It'll take time for everything to return to me but yes I get it." I rubbed the fabric of my teal dress between my fingers, enjoying the texture. "Then it must not have been so hard for you to find Micah who already stuck close by my side."
Mels nodded. "I kept an eye on you and him." She played with a knife from her belt absentmindedly and Micah narrowed his eyes at her, "I tried following the plan. So at the auction, an already restless Xander finally scented you. If things had gone well, you'd have entered Adalda and maybe.....the situation would've been different. Alas, that was never Kesla's intention. Fate is a cruel bitch too and Lucien found you." She shrugged. "We lost our chance to get you. I believed if you were headed to Celera, you'd still have an oblivious Lucien and Damien by your side and when the opportunity would present itself, I'd whisk you away."
"The opportunity never arrived but I could look after you a little bit too." Micah chimed in and I gave him a smile.
Everything made so much sense now. Including the familiarity I sometimes felt with Teho who was Micah.
I nodded in understanding. "Except your little stunt coincided with Lancelot's Killian-sent little party that'd invaded Celera." I tilted my head, "Xander in his wolf form wasn't threatening Sera. He was asking her. About me. Because he knew her and was desperate to get me." I chuckled wryly as I remembered the instance where I'd seen my first werewolf - an Alpha at that - and my little oblivious human self had marks from Alpha's bite on my now completely healed forearm. Ones he'd made sure to try and heal because he knew what I was to him.
"Xander would have used mind-link communication to talk to Sera since he couldn't shift and needed answers but..." Micah shrugged.
"Yes. Sera had already been antagonizing Xander so that when you came, the scene would look like he had been threatening Sera. And then Arion arrived." Melida looked down. "Sera and I used to communicate a little."
I bit the inside of my cheek, imaging the pain Mels must have had to go through. All alone that too. And after Sera's death, it just got worse. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone."
She gave a droll look tinged with heartache and I couldn't help but close my eyes against that expression even as she spoke. "I had Sera though."
Opening my eyes, I clenched my jaw and looked at the two of them grimly. "Killian and the rest will pay with their lives for what they did to Sera. And everyone else. No one's life was lost for no reason. I promise you."
Micah nodded, "I know, Cara."
My name sounded almost strange now. A sardonic chuckle left my lips and I sighed heavily.
Mels gulped, "What now though? We need to start preparing. Killian hasn't just rallied the forces on Vammal but he's gaining form and power at a very unusual rate according to our sources. It's disconcerting. He's striving to get at least one portal open so he'll have his forces doubled, tripled in power. "
I narrowed my eyes in thought and organized the information I remembered, had and was just given.
"Alright. Let's start then?" My eyes slid between my two best friends - more than best friends - and then I continued after they nodded.
"Micah, get a letter sent to him regarding our situation." The curly red haired shapeshifter stood up and bowed.
"I'll do that as soon as possible."
I turned to Mels. "The first thing you need to get done...." I played with my onyx hair before looked her straight in the eyes, "I want Britt and Keely out of the Celera Palace and here before the mating ceremony ball. It'll be a challenge but it needs to be done quickly."
Mels frowned, "I get Britt...but what about Keely?"
I looked away as I stood up from the chair, grace coming easily to me. "You'll know."
Melida nodded slowly in thought and I couldn't help but admire the trust these two put in me. I'd have to not disappoint them. Or myself.
"But what about the mating ceremony ball you spoke of? You're going to mate with Xander? Before...?"
I exhaled a heavy breath and smiled grimly, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll.....handle it."
Even if the end will tear me apart into pieces, I'll still do it.
And no one can know any of it until then.
"Alright."
With that we all silently headed towards the door. Right before I opened it, Micah's masculine voice halted me and Mels in our steps.
"It's good to have you back, Cara. Even in these circumstances."
I glanced at him and smiled, my hand patting his shoulder affirmatively. "Me too, Micah. Me too."
"Cara?" I raised my eyes to meet with Mels and I knew exactly what she saw in them with the way her eyes softened and so did her voice. "I suppose this part of the plan worked out at least."
I smiled without humor, blinking to restore my eyes to their original state.
"Lucifer did owe me a favour after all."
•○•
AN~
Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. You might have to deal with them for a while though. Been super duper busy ugh. Anyways, I hope you all are doing well.
Either way....I'm so happy that Vicious Fangs crosses 50K reads and 7.6K votes! Plus Marked Claws is over 2.2K views! Means so much! Don't forget to vote and comment!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It had a lot of mysterious eh? The next chapter is pretty long and in Xander's POV! So look forward forward it! I just haven't finsihed 9th chapter's draft....and I'm going to end up being busy again. Gah. Still, do comment! And hang on, I appreciate your support a lot!
Till next time then!
~Skyler