Alpha Queen [1] ✓

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"Luna," it was Soren knocking on my door with his voice soft, "Apologies for the disturbance but you have visitors."

"Visitors?" I mumbled into the mattress and cursed them for interrupting my much needed sleep. It was seven in the morning, who could possibly be here at this ungodly hour?

Then I sat up when it hit me.

"Wait. You mean. . .?"

"Yes, they're back."

I shot out of bed—well, the fastest I could while six months pregnant—and got ready as quickly as possible. Only ten days had passed but it felt like torture waiting for my mate to return. This was the longest we'd been apart in some time. As a wolf with the mate pull, I could only imagine how Ares felt.

Ignoring Soren's warnings to slow down, I nearly ran to the front door. Roman and Belladonna were carrying their bags up the steps and through the hall. It looked like they had plenty of supplies left.

"Luna," they both bowed their heads when they saw me. They looked healthy and not harmed in any way at all.

"It's so good to see that you're back safe and sound."

"We were both saying how we expected to be away for longer. Luckily, our mission was successful." Roman reported.

"There was no trouble then?"

"Not at all." Belladonna answered. "Alpha knew exactly where the target would be. We didn't even have to spend that much effort tracking."

"That's very good, I'm relieved." I looked around and couldn't help but feel Ares's absence. "Is Ares with you?" I asked nervously because for all I knew he had taken a detour.

"Yes, he took the she-wolf Coral to his office. He actually mind-linked me to inform you that he would like you to meet them there."

I nodded, "Thank you for keeping him safe. Get some rest."

I made my way back up the stairs and took no detours to get to Ares. When I got to the office, Ares was at his desk and Coral was standing in front of him with her back to me.

"So you have called upon me," Coral said before I even made a sound. She turned around and bowed her head in respect. "Luna Trueblood,"

"Thank you for traveling all this way to meet us, Coral. I hope the journey wasn't too long." I gave her a small smile and took in her appearance. She was wearing a patterned robe shaded in a deep maroon underneath a black silk cloak. Her white hair was in a braided updo.

"Alex," Ares's voice made my eyes gravitate towards my mate and I smiled.

"Ares," I breathed out and felt a rush of joy.

He immediately came to me and we met in a warm embrace.

"I missed you,"

"As I missed you," Ares let himself be for a minute before he switched into his Alpha persona. "Coral was kind enough to accept our invitation but she would only speak if you were also present."

Ares motioned for Coral to sit but she declined.

"Do you remember me?" She asked and seemingly only to me.

How could I forget? I wanted to say. "We met at the Alpha's Ball. You had a prophecy for me." One that had been haunting me for months.

"Yes, Ares kindly explained the situation. You believe that I can tell you what it all means."

"Do you? Know what it means?" I asked. "I mean, can you really see the future?"

It sounded impossible but if werewolves were real then I had no right to judge. I mean, seeing a human being transform into a giant wolf in mere seconds made it easy to believe anything else.

"The future walks in my dreams. I wait and the visions always come to me." She explained.

"And what exactly do you see?" Ares asked.

"I see death." Coral didn't sugarcoat. "Countless death. Blood will indeed be your namesake by the wrath of the Moon Goddess. As you both know, firstborn twins of an Alpha cannot coexist. One is always born to rule while the other is only born to serve. The Moon Goddess shall have her sacrifice or she will take it by force."

I wanted to scream that the Moon Goddess didn't really exist in our reality. She was a legendary goddess who gave werewolves life but it wasn't like we could talk to her here and now. Would she really care about this?

"Is there any way to stop the ceremony?" I asked desperately. "Please. There has to be another way so that they both can live!" I would do anything to spare one of my children. I wouldn't just give up and sacrifice an innocent.

"I wish there was, Luna. But there is only one way this has to go. If the ceremony is not complete, it will mean the downfall of our world."

She spoke with such certainty as if she had already witnessed it.

"How do you know? How can you be so sure?"

"Because this is not the first prophecy that has become a reality. In fact, I have given one that was proven true to the other person in this room." Her eyes left mine and I followed her gaze to see that she was staring directly at Ares.

"What do you mean? Did you see one about Ares?" I asked her then looked back at him. "Did she give you a prophecy?"

"Yes," he said, "Many years ago."

I knew that they had met before me, Coral even said that it was a long time ago, but neither mentioned anything about another prophecy. I couldn't help but feel suspicious. How come she was giving us so many prophecies? Was this common for other wolves?

"I saw two prophecies. One has already bore fruit," she looked from Ares to me, "And one has its seeds planted."

"It was about my parents. She knew they were going to die. It was nothing she could have prevented." He said. "And she also saw you."

"Really? What did she tell you about me?"

"It was several years ago but I do remember her saying something along the lines of 'with every winter comes a spring to melt the ice'. I met you in the spring." Ares explained and I wondered how words that vague could mean anything at all.

"Ever since I was born, I have had this gift." Coral said while looking at the floor. "It is not a common one so it is often misunderstood. But only one thing is certain—if they do not complete the ritual, there will be irreversible consequences."

The three of us didn't talk for a moment as we were all still processing.

"I don't believe you. I don't believe that one of our children's deaths can cause so much destruction. It sounds insane."

"The future is ever-changing, I do admit. The words are already written yet the ink is not often dry." She paused. "But I see your children very clearly. One will inherit the Alpha's ice blue eyes and dark brown hair, while the other will resemble you with freckles and light brown eyes. . . They will be opposites in every way. The girl will be headstrong and a natural leader, albeit a lone wolf all the same. The boy will be handsome, amiable, and surrounded by many friends. . ." She trailed off. "I normally cannot see the visions this clearly but yours I see like a photograph."

I couldn't help but feel a rush of joy as she described how our children would be and what they would look like. I was already excited to meet them.

"And why is that?" Ares asked.

Coral seemed hesitant to answer.

"I do have a theory. I find that I am able to possess greater sight for those who share the same blood as me."

Same blood. . .

She couldn't possibly be inferring—no, there was absolutely no way—

"What do you mean same blood?" I demanded. I needed her to spell it out for me. I needed her to describe it down to the very most specific detail.

That was right.

She had fallen in love with a human. . .

"Yes, Alexandria, I am your mother."