The Wolf Queen (The Queen's Slave, Book 2)

Six: Murder

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."

-James Baldwin

Touch By: 3LAU (feat. Carly Paige)

Waking up was a strange thing for me as of late.

My dreams were always filled of that horrible night, the night I had fled the palace and everything I thought I had held dear. The night I caught my mate in the arms of another, lost in the throes of passion or whatever the fuck Jacob came up with in a desperate attempt to make me laugh. Jokes on me, apparently fleeing from your master was a crime punishable by death. Not that it was much of a threat since death was the preferred option for most slaves. But here I was currently being carried against my will, mind you, in the arms of said master. My wolf twitched an ear at the back of my mind, exasperated with my stupidity and the way she had manhandled me. My back ached from our tumble through the forest, the new scarring was still quite tender, however the pain didn't distract me for long as I watched her lips purse, an unreadable expression crossing her face. My lips still tingled with the memory of our kiss, a blush rising unbidden to my cheeks. I scowled at myself in disgust.

Cheating bitch, I reiterated, the corners of my mouth lifting slightly. That's better.

"You're awake." She deadpanned, not looking at me. I had forgotten the power her voice held as goosebumps fled down my body. Ignoring my traitorous body, I huffed, hating how vulnerable and small I felt in this moment.

"Put me down." I didn't bother with pleasantries, content to stew in my anger and pain for as long as I could.

"No." I growled at the blatant disregard of my wishes. I glanced down, wondering if it was worth the pain to jump from her arms. As if she heard the thought, her arms tightened around me. "If you try to escape I will catch you and haul you over my shoulder. And believe me, it won't be pleasant." I winced at the picture she painted, glaring daggers at her.

"Is that a threat?" She finally looked down at me and I had to fight off the butterflies in my stomach as that beautiful gold clashed with my blue.

"No, my love. It is a promise." She purred, a strange gleam entering her gaze just then. Her use of the endearment only pissed me off more and I decided to take my chances with escaping.

"I'm not your anything." I snarled, before bringing my arm up to my mouth, my canines elongating while my heart thumped wildly in my chest. A sick sense of satisfaction contorted my mouth into a smirk as her pupils dilated. I had her. I knew her like no one else did, knew exactly what buttons to push, which is why I didn't feel the slightest bit of regret as I tore through the skin of my wrist, allowing my life blood to pour from the deep wound. The change was instantaneous as she slid to a stop and practically threw me away from her. I yelped as I hit the ground, rolling to absorb the impact, wincing as I scrambled to my feet. The smirk on my mouth wavered as her eyes faded to black, her incisors lengthening menacingly. I realized just then how foolish I had been, to awaken the monster within her. The more logical, human side of Elizabeth I could deal with, but this part of her...I wasn't so sure. Sometimes it was if there was an actual entity living within her, a separate thing inside of her, something that controlled her in the darkest of her days. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides as she heaved for breath, the soft plop plop of my blood hitting the forest floor the only sound around us. Suddenly I remembered what it was like to feel this wild power she battled every single day, for myself. To feel my incisors ache with the need to feed, the way my ears heard every thing for miles, and my eyesight took in even the smallest of details. Most of all, I remembered how powerful the need for blood was and just how hard it was to control that bloodlust.