All The Queen's Monsters (The Queen's Slave, Book 3)

Twenty Seven: The Beginning of The End

"There are monsters among us.
There always have been and there always will be.
I've known that ever since I can remember, just like I've always known I was one."

-Rob Thurman

‼️brief mention of past torture and sexual assault‼️

"Blackout" by Freya Ridings

&

"Hero" by David Kushner

A Z A L E A

I paced at the top of the cliff that overlooked my pack, my paws sinking into the mud. I'd been up here for the past three days, trying and failing to figure out a way to hit Ravenna and the castle before Hades returned. Over a week ago, I sent out scouts to each of the outposts Ravenna commanded, only to find a sea of rabid vampires between her and us. And fuck all if I knew what to do about it.

My shoulders bunched and rolled underneath tense packed muscle and my breath steamed in the cool air. The distant clang of steel and pained grunts echoed through the forest. We had just over fifteen thousand now, but a majority of them were still in training. I'd ordered that everyone participate. Every woman, man, and child allied with us will know how to fight. And with Elizabeth, Kore, and Camille training them, I knew they were in capable hands. Still, I felt restless. The energy inside me hummed with impatience, and I wanted nothing more than to rip Ravenna limb from limb, scattering her in the wind. My lips curled back in a snarl as I imaged her hot blood pooling in my mouth, the crunch of her bones snapping beneath my jaws.

It haunted me, and I knew the time to act was rapidly approaching whether we were ready or not.

A whisper of consciousness brushed against the wall between my mind and the pack, and I lowered it to let her in.

"Alpha." Sienna, the woman who had helped me give birth, spoke. "We have a...situation."

My fur fluffed up in warning, and without answering, I traveled the pack bonds. I found her lounging outside one of the training rings, and my breath caught at the scene before her. I looked through her eyes. Two of my younger wolves had shifted and were going at it, their blood staining the ground. The humans and wolves surrounding them had backed up, and my blood boiled at the sight of the fear on the children's faces as they hid behind their mothers. I had forbade shifting during training due to the humans in the pack and the danger to them. I left her mind and started down the mountain.

I needed to make an example out of these two wolves.

"I'll be there momentarily. Make sure they don't kill anyone." I told her, and I could hear the amusement in her voice when she replied that she would try not to. Kore and Elizabeth checked in with me also, offering to punish them, but I declined. I had something else in mind.

Kore picked up on that train of thought and met me at the base of the mountain, her eyes narrowed and a furious scowl on her face. "No."

I rolled my eyes, shifting to my human skin. I crossed my arms. "This isn't up for discussion, Kore. I will bear their punishment, as it is my duty as their queen. I will not be a tyrant like Ravenna."