I shake my head and whisper back to him, "The 11th house will follow me to the ends of the earth to extinguish my family's line after what my father did.  If I lead you, I just doom you all."

My beta, Fred, struggles to control his wolf and grips my arm, "We're even more doomed without you."

I only have one way to truly save my people and that's to replace the murdered queen.  I'm of the blood, as the last touched I can challenge the rites at any time to claim her throne.  This was always my privilege, instilled in me since birth.  Though I had no desire to take on her mantle, she'd been a kind enough monarch.  I had no choice now.  If I became queen my pack would replace the 11th as the royal pack and they'd become untouchable by the other houses.  It was a gamble, one that would likely kill me, but it was the only play that I had left.

And so, dear reader, this is the story of how I signed up for my own doom.  How I became the willing participant in the rite of queens and lost the one true love of my life.

The old round table in the throne room was set with delicate finger sandwiches, their edges neatly trimmed and laid out like little works of art. The soft aroma of freshly baked bread mixed with the delicate fragrance of herbs. The table, though worn with age, still held a certain charm—its wood gleaming with the faint glow of the setting sun through the grand windows. Fen sat beside me, his presence like a warm, steady flame. His broad shoulders were relaxed as he leaned slightly toward the table, his dark green eyes glinting with the same intensity they always held, though today, there was something almost playful in his gaze.


Chapter 17 - The Promise of Hunger - NSFW