"Don't worry your majesty. The future Alpha king will recover soon."

I hope so. I give the doctor a curt nod before I return to my sulking.

Lorenzo was taken to the pack hospital and the sordid mutt (or should I say Xander?) is being held in the cells. I managed to break a few of his bones when I flung him off of my mate by his scruff.

Now, Lorenzo is being treated by the royal doctor who says that he'll be fine.

Oh goddess. I can't believe I told him I love him.

You do. He is our mate, stupid.

Shut up. I thought I would confess my love for him under better circumstances.

What's done is done. And besides, there's no point in waiting for "the perfect chance", you need to use the chances you have because you never know which one is your last.

Wow. So sentimental.

"Alpha! Please return to the castle immediately! It's an emergency!" One of my castle workers mind-links me.

"On my way."

I hurriedly give my tiara, scepter and sash to a teenage she-wolf nearby. "Please give these to Mia when she gets here."

Without looking back, I run out of the hospital and shift. My velvet dress rips to shreds, not that I care.

I run as fast as I could in wolf form and reach the castle in record time. I don't feel like shifting back just in case we're in danger, so I trot in.

"Yvonne?"

"Alpha! In the main kitchen!"

I dash over to the kitchen and as I come nearer, the strong metallic scent of blood fills my nose.

I face a gruesome sight in the kitchen. Not only is the place splattered with blood; two dead she-wolves lay on the tiled floor.

One of them clutches a note with her burnt hand that is coated in blood. Blood still leaks out of the corners of her wide open mouth.

The other's eye sockets are empty, leaving two holes with blood trickling out of them like adjacent volcanoes.

"Viveca and Zara." Yvonne chokes out before wailing.

I pad over to Viveca, the girl with the note in her hand. I sniff the piece of paper.

I pick up on Viveca's scent and someone else's.

Kaceline.

My blood boils and I start growling.

How dare she! Killing my pack members now!?

I will wring her neck like a wet towel then rip her body to shreds.

My silvery fur raises, making me look larger than I already am and I shake in anger.

"Chloe! Calm down." Mia says.

I let out another growl.

"CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOUR SISTER HAS DONE!?"

"Chloe, I know, but how are we going to solve our problems if you get mad over them so easily?"

My tail lowers and some of my anger dissipates. I shift back and even out my breathing.

She is right. I may be an Alpha (and Alphas are known to have the worst tempers), but I need to keep my cool.

"Okay, let's see what this letter says." I bend over to pick the note up. Before I could touch it, Mia uses a summoning spell and the note flies out of Viveca's scorched hands. She does not hold it with her own hands, she keeps it levitating in fro the of her.

"This paper has a very dark and powerful charm on it. Only the recipient can touch it without that..." she points at the two corpses, "...happening."

"What does it say?" I ask.

"Congratulations on finding your mate. I already knew who it was, but it was fun watching you try to hide him. Ciao." Mia reads. "Then there's a picture of a black feather."

How could she have known? Mia detects my distress and answers my internal question.

"There once was a rumor of a prophecy about the future werewolves, which is the present today. Something that traces to Trent and Kamilla and their disappearance. I don't know though. I didn't pay much attention since I was still bitter about werewolves thanks to my dad."

I take in all the information. I just wonder how many people knew about this "prophecy" and where do Lorenzo's parents fit in all this? I internally groan in frustration.

I mind-link some wolves to help clean up this mess and make sure that the two she-wolves are made decent. I only notice my nudity when Yvonne hands me some robes to wear.

I walk up to my office and call the council so we could arrange a meeting in a few days to discuss what will be done about the coronation.

I let out another sigh after the call and run a hand through my hair. I'm not even queen yet but I'm doing such a horrible job as a ruler. Two of my own pack members died, my mate is in hospital, my best friend is missing and I still don't have a clue where my enemy is.

Could my life get any worse?

Disinfectant.

The first thing I can smell before I open my eyes. I'm definitely in a hospital, judging by the beeps of a cardiogram. I slowly open one eye, then the next after I see that there isn't much light in the room.

I look around and see that I am on my own in a ward.

I pull out the needles and shut off the machines. I jump off the bed and stretch my arms and legs. Man, I'm stiff, but at least all my wounds have fully healed.

I look around for some clothes to wear and thankfully, I find some trousers and a shirt.

A nurse walks into the room as I zip up the trousers.

"Alpha, are you okay? Should I get the doctor to discharge you?"

Is she calling Alpha?

I simply stare at her and contemplate on whether I should speak or not. I should, especially since she's not going anywhere without an answer. "No thanks." I croak out.

Goddess, how I hate my voice!

She smiles at me before exiting the room. I take that as my cue to leave too. I walk out of the hospital and breathe in the fresh morning air.

The perfect time to go for a quick run then check up on my mate in the castle. I hope I'm allowed into the castle.

Well, I should be, considering that I am Chloe's mate but the last time I was in there wasn't so pleasant.

I jog up to some shrubbery and take off my clothes, then shift into my wolf. I take off into the woods, letting Ford take control since it's been too long since he was let out.

After our little run and a small hunt, I start trotting back where I came from. I decide to walk slowly and admire the beauty of nature. Birds sing their melodious tunes and flowers sway in the wind like kite on a windy day. The sun appears green through the canopy of trees. It is so serene.

Suddenly, a black and brown blur dashes through the trees. My curious wolf ears pick up on it immediately and my head snaps to the direction of a growl.

Four grown wolves step out of the bushes with their teeth bared at me. I let out a growl of my own.

This is going to be fun.