Red String {EDITING}

Kings and Queens

"You inherited your father's eyes and nose... but pretty much everything else comes from my side..." Liberty smirked. "Which is a very good thing."

"Where's my dad?!" Lyra was in front of her mother in an instant, gripping her shoulders like her life depended on it. "He's OK isn't he?!"

"Chill, Lyra." She said, ruffling her hair. "Damien – my mate, and your father – is fine."

"Where is he then? Didn't he want to see me?!"

One eyebrow twitched. "Calm down, daughter, and let go of my shoulders before I electrocute you." Liberty muttered, wincing as Lyra released her death grip. "Bloody hell, you've got your father's strength for definite..."

"Where is he?"

"It was hard enough for me to sneak in here undetected, which means it'd be impossible for that gigantic hunk of dreamy muscles to find his way in here." She grumbled, shaking her shoulders out. "He's as stealthy as a tiger when he's in battle, but anywhere else, he's a clumsy oaf..."

"When will I be able to see him?" Lyra stared pleadingly at her mother. "Can you take me to him?"

"Am I not enough for you?" Liberty pouted.

"I just want to meet both of my parents." She stuttered, glancing down.

"Relax. I'm only messing with you kiddo." She said, smiling gently. "That clumsy oaf was in tears when he spotted you on the news... We've been trying to find you for quite a few years now..."

Lyra wrapped her arms around herself. "Why did you even leave me in the first place?"

"Because of who we are." Liberty closed her eyes. "Me and your father... We're Rogues... with influence..." Her arms wrapped around her daughter pulling her into a hug. "It means we're on the run from the Alphas all the time... and that's not the life we wanted for you." She laughed grimly. "We wanted you to have a nice family... a stable home... a happy life..." Tears pooled in her eyes. "You can see how well that turned out."

"You're here now..." Lyra's smile was strained. "That's what counts."

"We should've kept you." Liberty sighed. "There's not a day that goes by where I don't regret not raising you as our own." Murky blue eyes narrowed. "That's why I'll never forgive Omega Taurus." She said, her voice cold. "They ruined your happy life... Took you further away from us than we planned... They hurt you, Lyra." Her gaze met her daughter's. "I can tell from your eyes. The way you smile... They took your childhood from you, and I swear... I'll make them pay, even if it's the last thing I do."

"I want to bring Omega Taurus to its knees by myself." Lyra said, her cold eyes meeting Liberty's, at least until she poked her on the nose.

"No, Ly." She shook her head. "I don't want you chasing after revenge and forgetting about everything else you love. You've got your mate to think about now, and I'm fairly sure he's still in the overprotective caveman stage of your relationship." Liberty turned, striding away. "I'll be the only one to dirty my hands with the blood of Omega Taurus." She smiled icily. "And trust me, dear daughter, I'll make it painful... Very painful..."

"Wait." Lyra stepped after her.

"Our time's up, Ly." She said, her gaze flickering over to the blonde as he landed on the roof between them. "Remember what I said." She grinned, nodding at Blaze, red lightning crackling around her as she vanished in a blur.

"This speed..." Lyra mumbled, covering her face as wind whipped towards her.

"You've still got a lot to learn, Lyra!" Liberty yelled, jumping down from the roof, landing with ease on the ground several stories below.

"What the hell was that all about?" Blu asked to no one in particular, having appeared on the roof moments later.

"Are you hurt?" Blake questioned, looking her up and down, relief crossing his face when he saw that she was unhurt. "Thank the Goddess..." He said quietly. "Rylan would've killed us if you'd been injured..."

"Who the heck even was that...?" Blaze mumbled, staring at the place she'd jumped down from.

The woman in question was currently running through the forest, at least she was, until a voice sounded close by.

"Counter."

Red lightning was ripped away from her, dissipating into thin air as Alpha King Rylan jumped down from a nearby tree, blocking her path.

"Little Rylan..." Liberty grinned. "My, how you've grown..."

Rylan blinked. "Do I know you?"

Liberty paused. "Wow... You really don't know who I am, do you?"

"What gave it away?"

"Rylan." A red-eyed blonde spoke. "I'm guessing you're too preoccupied with your mate to remember these things, but that's the woman your parents spent the entirety of their reign hunting."

"You mean..." He spun to face the other Alpha.

"She's the werewolf who sits at the head of the most terrifying group of Rogues... A group whose name instils fear into everyone who hears it – a group even more frightening than Omega Taurus."

"I'm flattered." Liberty grinned.

Alpha Thorn glared at the redhead. "Rogue Queen."

Liberty tilted her head. "Ah, the ever-present little Thorn in my side..."

"I've only been there for the last few years..." Thorn said, his hands crackling with white lightning. "Now, are you going to come quietly, or do I have to use force?"

"Hush." Liberty sighed, sending a bolt of red lightning his way. "You've still got quite a way to go before you'll be able to actually hold your ground against me, brat, so don't even try."

"Why did you even come here then?" Rylan asked. "Nobody's seen you in years..."

"I came to see your mate."

His hands clenched into fists. "You'd better not have done anything to her..." Rylan hissed, pausing when he saw the tears trickling down her face.

They were soon wiped away. "I didn't hurt her... I couldn't, even if my life depended on it..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Wow..." Liberty laughed. "You're just as slow as Lyra..."

"Are you insulting me?!"

She flicked him on the nose. "Hardly. I'm just stating an observation."

"Rogue Queen." He spat.

"Liberty."

His eyebrows knotted together. "What?!"

"That's my name."

"Why would I want to know your name...?"

"Well..." Liberty smiled. "You should at least know the name of your mother-in-law."

Rylan blinked.

"Take care of my daughter, Rylan." She turned, walking away, a wide grin spreading across her face as she turned one last time. "Because I'll chop off your balls if you don't."

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ILLENIS HERE
And on that bombshell, goodnight.
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