“Claude!” I rushed towards him when he was screaming from pain.
“Don’t come!” He summoned his hand to halt me. “Just calm our son, Rachelle. I am fine.”
I felt myself tremble and nodded as I looked down at Cloudy who was troubled at my horrifying scream. “Hush, my little prince… Hush now…” I gently tapped his side to calm him down. Then I turned to Cornelius. “Cornelius, eliminate them!” I ordered as soon as he rushed beside me.
He shook his head. “I can’t, Your Majesty. We are being surrounded. They all held bows and arrows coated with wolfsbane… And looks like they really threw it at Alpha King Claudian…” I turned at Claude who was still suffering from the burning sensation from the chemical.
I sniffed it. I smelled the scent of wolfsbane. However, I smelled that there was another added ingredient. It felt like it made the wolfsbane a more potent chemical than before.
“Silver,” I summoned him.
“Yes, Your Majesty?” He bowed his head, looking worried.
I walked to him and bestowed Cloudy. “Hold and protect the first prince. He is Claude and I’s treasure. He will be the next Crown Prince so protect him at all cost,” I said earnestly.
He nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. I will risk my life to protect His Highness, Prince Claudian.”
That made me relieved as I approached Claude to hold his face that hadn’t been healed. His half face was burnt. He was in pain right now, groaning.
“Claude, allow me to take the lead of your knights,” I said as he was heaving out a breath.
“Rachelle…” He looked at me with his other eye while he was covering his half face with his hand. Claude nodded after a moment. “Listen to your Luna Queen,” he ordered.
Sighing, I smiled a little as I stood up. “Gather here, Royal Knights of the Waevalon Kingdom! Hear me as your Luna Queen!” I ordered. “Bring all the shields you have and come here.”
All the knights have gathered in one place, circling us. In all that matters, the Alpha King and Luna Queen must be protected at all costs. Even if they had to risk their lives just to protect us.
I needed to compose myself. Claude wasn’t in the right condition to lead as he was bearing the teething pain. I mind linked Claude if I could summon the other battle commanders of the Eagle Mist.
‘It is futile. They are settled for the battle today, Rachelle,’ Claude said in the mind link.
‘We need backup… Who knows what could have happened as we didn’t know how many were surrounding us,’ I said as I was becoming more vigilant to my surroundings. I glanced at Silver who was holding my son.
‘The formation will be ruined. The plan is to take out the hideout today.’ I hissed silently at his response.
I also needed to protect my son from this. We must remain unscathed and return to the military camp to heal Claude. However, we were in a dire situation in which we were surrounded.
This was one of the things I was avoiding when returning to the palace. Claude already predicted it but we still couldn’t avoid the damage.
Think, Rachelle… Think…
I inhaled and exhaled before Claude and I exchanged a glance at each other as we started to analyze the situation by creating and sharing information through the mind link. This was much safer than speaking through mouth to mouth because werewolves had sensitive hearings. We didn’t want our conversation to be revealed. We also had to deal with this in a much calmer way and must not panic.
‘Let’s begin, Rachelle.’ I nodded my head.
Let’s see… All in all, Claude brought a dozen of royal knights with him. That included Silver. I have an elite battle commander from the Eagle Mist. Then, I have myself. Then, Claude who was injured right now.
Each of the royal knights, except Silver, was holding a shield. They were forming a defense formation by creating a tortoise-shaped shield. This was useful since we didn’t know where they were going to attack next.
The issue was the wolfsbane once they shot the arrow to the shield which the chemical of the wolfsbane would burst out once it hit the target. With the help of the shield, we would minimize any incident. We would only receive minimal wounds but it wouldn’t fade away. It was still a danger to us that if we would hit that chemical, it would burn our skin.
‘Cloudy.’ We both flinched when we mentioned our son’s name as soon as we came up to the conclusion on what we must do now.
Then together, Claude and I turned at Cornelius, who suddenly jumped into his feet, when we looked at him. We returned the gazes to each other and nodded before I stood up and took Cloudy from Silver’s arms.
‘Prioritize the safety of the first prince, Cornelius. We will entrust Prince Claudian V to you,’ I said as my eyes were getting teary-eyed when I bestowed it to Cornelius.
He panicked. ‘B-But why, Your Majesty? I can protect you!’ He shook his head but still, he held Cloudy to his arms.
Claude groaned before he settled beside me and mind-linked Cornelius. I supported him when he was about to collapse but he halted himself. He also communicated with his royal knights about the plan he and I concocted to escape death somehow.
‘It is not safe for our son to stay here, Cornelius. It is you that I can only trust since I know you can escape from their grasp. Claude and I will act as a decoy for you to escape,’ I explained seriously. ‘This is also an order from the master of the Eagle Mist. There is no way you can defy it.’
His jaw dropped before he bowed his head, hesitant. ‘Your Majesty… I… I will do it.’
I bestowed Claude a signal that Cornelius agreed. He nodded back and gently caressed our son’s head.
“Take care of our little son.” His voice croaked.
I bit my lower lip as I bestowed Cloudy a kiss on his forehead. “We will reunite again, Cloudy…”
I felt my heart was breaking that Claude and I had to make a decision for this. We only wanted the best for Cloudy yet this was happening right now even though I needed to follow the sanction.
“Cornelius, I will kill you if something happens to my son,” I threatened coldly. “Bring him to safety and do not mind us. Your Alpha King and I will escape as soon as we finish this. Do you understand?”
“I am not going to forgive you for not reporting to me, Commander Cornelius. You better take care of our son. I will depose your rank from military, nobility and from being the Alpha of your pack if Cloudy is not in the proper shape,” Claude threatened him.
Cornelius bowed his head. “I shall do it and protect His Highness, Prince Claudian with my life.” His voice was shaking. Even if he was the Alpha of the South Monterey pack, Claude and I still held the highest power ranking status in the kingdom.
Claude was the Alpha King and I was the Luna Queen.
He must obey or he would be courting for his death.
“What took you so long to discuss something there? I only want to see Luna Queen Rachelle. That is all.”
I stiffened as my eyes widened from the man who just appeared from the back of the tree. I gritted my teeth seeing that man’s scared face and had the same age of the Grand Alpha King.
“Magnius Lothim…” I said, gritting my teeth.
The one who committed two-degree felony crime murder for killing his fellow pack members and an Alpha slayer was no other than Magnius Lothim. He was the headache of the Waevalon Kingdom as he started to wreak havoc for fifteen years.
Claude growled as well. “I shall kill him…” he said in a groaning tone as he showed his claws.
I glanced at Cornelius when I held Claude’s hands. ‘Get ready for our signal,’ I said and turned to Claude who held my hand tightly as a response. I nodded at Claude and forced a smile before I got ready and released his hand.
The royal knights gave way for me after I took the sword from Cornelius. I am at ease that he didn’t need this since he doesn’t need to fight. He would just escape for the safety of Claude and I’s son.
As soon as I came out, I came to see a man with ocean blue eyes holding a dagger while smiling sinisterly.
“So, you have finally shown yourself…” I growled as I oscillated the sword and stayed on my ground.
“I didn’t expect that the Luna Queen herself was going to lead the military brigade. Must I say, I am proud?”
I creased my forehead. Proud? What in the bloody hell was he saying? “You are proud because you did not expect that a woman could lead a brigade? And that I am the first Luna Queen who led it?” I scoffed arrogantly.
He smirked and didn’t answer my question. Then he gestured his hands as more rogues came out from the bushes and behind the trees before they circled us along with the comrades I was with as they held bows and arrows towards our direction.
“Why can’t you just resort to a peaceful approach, Lothim? What is your goal in leading a war?” I asked, and couldn’t help being annoyed at his absurdity. “You even gathered allies and you don’t think the Alpha King didn’t know that a few nobles are sponsoring you?” I scoffed.
A few noble households were against the coronation of Claude of being the newly crowned Alpha King. They thought that Claude didn’t fit to be a good ruler since Claude never got the political power of the nobles. He had the love and support from the subjects of the commoners and peasants.
Claude was aware of this fact. Before I left the palace, Claude would massacre all the families who committed treason against the royal lycan family. It was why he was left in the palace to settle the business by summoning all the nobles in the palace as soon as he found out that they were conspiring with Lothim.
Lothim shrugged. “Not that I care for it. I heard they were slaughtered by the Alpha King himself.” He grinned. “It is beneficial to me anyway since I wouldn’t be controlled by them anymore. I can do whatever I want.” Then he pierced his blue orbs at me. “I only want something from you. A connection that tormented me ever since this day…”
“What do you mean?” What the hell was he saying? Connection? Was it because I am the Luna Queen?
But before Lothim could answer, I saw when three of his men were pierced with spears. With that, the royal knights dispersed before Claude attacked Lothim in his wolf form.
“Cornelius, go!” I ordered when he nodded and dashed off when the royal knights were busy handling the other people as I went behind Claude to surprise Lothim with our synchronization.
Lothim laughed maniacally as he managed to evade Claude’s attack and my attack by using his dagger that was coated with wolfsbane. I glared at Claude who was not in the good condition to fight anymore. I must refrain from attacking him anymore. He must think of escaping right now.
I conspired with the other royal knights and ordered them to take Claude as soon as I told Claude to switch places with me.
‘What?!’ He sounded angry at our mind-link.
‘Do it now!’ I told him angrily when we both managed to bruise Lothim which he hissed and stepped back.
Claude did as I said and transformed back to his human form. He almost knelt to the ground if I hadn’t caught him in my arms. “It’ll be alright, my love.” He looked at me, bewildered. I caressed his cheek that wasn’t burned from the chemical. “You must remain alive. It is useless if a Luna Queen will die. The Alpha King must live and rule his kingdom,” I said in my heartfelt words.
He gripped my arm. “What the hell are you saying, Rachelle?! What-”
I didn’t wait for him to finish his words as I kicked him on his chest so he could be thrown off from afar by using my powerful legs. That was the cue for the royal knights to depart so they could take Claude that was twenty meters away from me.
“Rachelle!” He called my name, growling. He was about to stand up but the royal knights halted him.
‘Take care, Claude. Take care of our little Cloudy.’ I smiled softly as tears fell from my eyes and dropped my sword when I saw them taking him away while Claude was struggling from their holds.
I held my chin high when I felt the blade of the dagger near my neck while Lothim was behind me. I didn’t move. “You said that you want something from me. I do not know what it is but-”
“I only need your connection to the Moon Goddess.”
I froze as my eyes widened. “W-What?” What did he want from Her? “I do not have a connection to the Moon Goddess with her… I only spoke to her but that is only a one-time thing…”
He chuckled darkly. “Ah, yes… You still do not know who you are.” I felt my heart leap. How did he know that fact? And why did he sound like he knew me?
“Who are you really?” I asked to be cautious right now. I hissed when I felt the blade feeling the pain and the burning sensation in my neck.
I hissed when he gripped my hair so he could force me to look into his ocean blue eyes. I felt like something struck me when I saw that the color of our eyes was the same. I felt my body tremble about that.
He grinned when he must have known how I scrutinized him. “I am your father, Luna Queen Rachelle. And you… are the first offspring of the Moon Goddess.”
My eyes widened. “What?!”