The Alpha's Queen

Chapter 20: A Moonlight Run

Devany

When I woke, the room was dark except for a sliver of moonlight. I sat up slowly, stretching stiff muscles and taking stock of my injuries, only to find besides some lingering soreness, I had healed. A smile played on my lips. A lot of shitty, crazy things had happened since I became a wolf, but this definitely fell into the category of amazing.

I threw back the covers and froze as a familiar scent struck me. Twisting, I looked at the spot beside me, expecting to find Beckett there; instead, I only saw the indention where his body had lain curled next to mine. The spot was still warm.

It was probably best that he wasn't here when I woke up. After everything that happened today, I might have given into my animal impulses and thrown myself on him. He had been so protective and tender, helping me bathe and putting me to bed when we made it to the Blue Mountain pack compound. This connection between us already made it hard for me to control myself, but when he did things like that, it wasn't my body that struggled. It was my heart.

"Get it together, Dev," I muttered, throwing my legs over the side of the bed.

I'd been giving myself the same pep talk for weeks now, and it wasn't working. For all these years, I had been on my own. The pinnacle of a strong, independent woman who didn't need a man. Maybe I still didn't need one, but it felt really nice to be taken care of for a change.

"Ow," I hissed when I stood and my ankle protested. The pain nearly sent me toppling to the floor.

Bracing myself against the wall, I studied my ankle. From the outside, it appeared perfect. No swelling or bruises. Clearly, the injury to the bone had been worse than we thought if it remained so painful, or maybe bones just took longer? I groaned, hating that I didn't know how any of this worked.

My suitcase sat on the floor by the closet. Empty from the looks of it. All my clothes had been hung in the closet or folded and put away in drawers. Toiletries covered the vanity in the ensuite bathroom. Allie or Pria could have done it, but I knew it was Beckett. His scent lingered over everything.

Twenty minutes later, I stepped into the living area, hoping to find Beckett waiting for me, but the space was dark and cold. I stared at the door, debating the wisdom of leaving the room. He'd told me we shared this cabin with the rest of our pack, but that didn't guarantee my safety. The Black Fang wolves weren't always kind, especially when their Alpha wasn't around, but the alternative meant sitting in this room until someone came for me. That felt a little too much like being a prisoner again.

Mind made up, I stepped into the hallway, scanning the dimly lit corridor cautiously before picking a direction to walk. My wolf woke inside of me, growing uncomfortable with the lack of windows. I attempted to soothe her, but it only seemed to irritate her more. Or was I irritated? We were one and the same, right? She chuffed in response, almost like she was laughing.

A few wrong turns later, and I found a door leading to the outside. I limped through it, dragging in deep breaths of snow and pine scented air until all the lingering anxiety from being cooped up faded away. Only then did I inspect my surroundings.

They had given the Black Fang pack the cabin at the far end of the compound. The cabin backed up right to the woods and river. I'm sure Jack thought he was insulting us by putting us out here, but the solitude was nice. Not to mention, no one would complain about putting more distance between us and that asshole.

The moon was almost full and had started its descent into the western horizon, meaning it wouldn't be long before dawn. That explained why I had encountered no one on my way out here, but it didn't explain why Beckett hadn't been in bed. Unless he had changed his mind about us sharing a room, but I doubted it. Someone had tried to kill us earlier. I was surprised he let me out of his sight.

I rubbed my arms and stared into the woods, an idea taking shape. The smart thing to do would be to go back to my room and sleep. My body could continue to heal, and I was sure Beckett would be there in the morning.

Or...my wolf perked up, following my line of thought with approval. Slipping into the forest, I quickly undressed, putting my clothes in a neat pile at the base of a tree. Naked and shivering, I closed my eyes, slowed my breathing, and willed the shift to come. As usual, my wolf laughed and stayed put.

"Why are you like this?" I snarled at her. "I'm trying to let you out."

"Because it's fun?"

"There's no way we're one and the same. You're such a bitch."

"Oh, you're a bitch, too. You just don't know it yet. You've spent your entire life bending your neck to everyone else. Poor, pitiful Devany, the orphan. Weak, little human. And now, when you bear the marks of not just an Alpha but of a queen, you still pretend to be a fucking Omega!"

Pure vitriol raced through her and spilled into me. My back arched with the force of her emotions. My emotions, really. The ones I'd shoved down for weeks while everyone treated me like shit on their shoes.

Eyes glowing and lips pulling back in a snarl, I grabbed hold of her, forcing her to come forward. She howled–part rage and part triumph. Every part of me burned and snapped and twisted until at last I stood in the forest, no longer human but a wolf.

She wrestled for control the way she always did when I shifted, and this time, it was harder to force her down. Beckett was right. The wreck had weakened me, making it difficult to maintain control. Through sheer stubbornness and pride, I subdued her, and for the first time, she didn't seem angry when I won. She seemed pleased.

I took a tentative step forward. Not a single twinge of pain. A happy yip escaped me, and I shook out my fur, sending silver and white hair flying around me. Then, because I couldn't contain it anymore, I released a long, low howl before racing into the woods, feeling free for the first time in my entire life.

How long I ran, I wasn't certain. Pools of moonlight dappled the ground, and I chased them like a puppy, rolling in the middle of each one before darting off to the next. Wet earth built beneath my toenails, and my muscles burned as I climbed rocky mountain sides. Icy river water soaked my coat as I splashed through shallow streams. All my human concerns faded with every minute.

"Devany."

The whisper of my name brought me up short as I chased a rabbit I'd startled out of hiding. Ears pricked forward, I scanned the surrounding space. Directly across from me, on the other side of the river, the bushes rustled. The hair on my back raised, and my chest rumbled with a low growl.

Glowing blue eyes appeared first. I flattened myself to the ground, ready to spring as the rest of the creature followed. A giant wolf of white and gray. Double my size at least, and very, very angry.

"What are you going to do now?" My wolf asked as the monster in front of us bared his teeth.

I swallowed. There was only one thing I could do.

Run.