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"APOLLO!"

The Queen screamed at the top of her lungs, pressing her palm against her chest, as if her heart would leap in despair, for the Duke was certainly inside and the fire had emblazed the chamber in minutes. Constricting, squeezing, and piercing my entire body was the bond in combustion. It was an ordinary reaction to panic and feel anxious, but the bond was making it difficult to breathe.

Instinct was fighting with reasoning.
I stared at the locked doors while the men were struggling to bust it open with their axes. Some wolves have shifted, gnawing at the wood with their deadly fangs to save the Duke. And as I stared at the fissure that had been induced by the forces, therewith I saw the shadow of the Duke.

Overtaking the rationality, I pushed past the men and held the sides of the crevice, willing my claws out similar to the way I had normally done before. I was not certain if it would work but urgency held me from thinking. Grasping the wood tightly, my nails elongated and punctured the panel. As if great power had been spilt in my arms and hands, I pushed the door and threw the panel onto the side. A half- shift it was, and I had never felt that strong for long.

Before my eyes was a burgeoning fire, swallowing the King's antechamber without regret. I turned to my left where I was sure I'd seen the Duke's figure, and I was not mistaken for he was there, carrying a locked chest while coughing.

There was falling debris. The paintings that hung on the walls were sliding down like balls of fire around Apollo. It was a lengthy path leading towards him, and the clouds of smoke kept my eyes blurry and stinging, preventing me to move faster than I should to aid the duke.

My heart was beating fast, threatening to explode if unrelieved of the burden of seeing my fated in danger. Hatred set aside, I faced all of the obstacles, needing to appease my clawing wolf at bay. It could never happen again, he had said. But her borrowed strength helped me break the chamber door.

Needless to say, I ignored the scratches, the burns, and I numbed myself, riding the currents of courage of the alpha beast inside.

"Apollo!" I reached out a hand to him but he was still at a distance.

The sound of debris from above was a mere crack of a beam, but it was hazardous. I thought of this as I looked up. Immediately, I crossed the space before the piece of burning wood could drop. Apollo recognized me and his right hand was pressed against the wall, seemingly supporting himself for he was on the verge of collapsing.

Our eyes locked as I walked towards him, feeling a tug of relief that he was fine, which I was sure, I'd be damned to remember later. The Duke's face was brushed with ashes. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and closed his eyes, ignoring the fact that he was walking in the midst of fire, suffocating.

But blast, when he lifted his lids again, his eyes had different orbs. Silver dusted one of his irises, and the other was a glistening glow of gold.

When he was near me, he reached for my neck and placed his head exhaustedly on the crook of my shoulders. His body appeared to be in the weakest state I'd witnessed of him. Gone was the Mortifera in the woods.

"Regina mea." He whispered.

And as the smokes rose thicker, the Duke coughed one last time, and passed out. The chest dropped onto the floor with a thud. I saved him, I discerned. I saved my fear from the inferno of death.

Adrenaline washed over, my knees suddenly buckled, and slowly we both slumped down onto the floor. I stared blankly at the fire, finding no room in my mind to push the duke away. Water was sprayed like rain shower over us, and I held him in those moments with a torn heart.




"My lady, you were brave. You saved your betroth and the whole Kingdom is indebted to your chivalry." Catherine said as she finished wiping my face with wet cloth as I sat still on my bed.

Within an hour, I regained my senses, finding it hard to breathe as the smoke infiltrated my lungs during the fire. The Queen was astounded, discovering her son in his weakest form in my arms when the fire was put out. Reassured of our safety, she ordered the guards to carry us out, and I mindlessly held the duke tighter, not wanting to release him, as if he was safer in my arms. We stayed like that for a bit, and Catherine said no one dared to touch us.

It was only when I heard Galax crying from outside that I reclaimed the right consciousness, and allowed the men to take the duke away for he needed immediate treatment. I was dumbfounded and lost, wondering why his words to me had such influential effect. I was in pain because of the bond.

I was in pain because he called me his queen.

"Why did I save him, Catherine?" I asked with voice hoarse from disuse.

Holding a blue mantle, she paused from her actions, staring down at me with a look of melancholy. "Do you hate him, milady?"

Slowly, I nodded. "Aye. I do." It was a programmed answer. My mind had always seen him as despicable and proud, reviling him for what he had done to me in the very beginning.

"For what reasons?" She sat on the chair beside me, placing the mantle around my shoulders, looking attentively.

I seized the sheets covering my legs and kept my head down in thought. The memories of my father ceaselessly returned, the wars we fought before his death, and my mother's suffering under the siege of human hunters. These were sufferings from before which were greater compared to what Apollo had done to me. However, his unforeseen arrival had stolen the glories we had gained from that. He drained me of strength- mind and body.

Under my watch, the pack had been conquered by an unearthly force. And though presented with the title of royalty, my heart belonged not to the people of Sidus but to a lineage wiped by their future king. I knew they were still alive; I had hoped and prayed for it. Hal, for one, was proof of their existence. The Alpha in me could still surge, and when I saved Apollo, the beast had shown me true strength that our elders once said I would possess at the age of eighteen.

"I don't belong here, Catherine." I uttered. "I made a promise to my father that I will protect our bloodline, but on the day of its fulfilment, we were attacked by the Duke's army. I am an Alpha and my beast insists to redeem herself, Catherine. And I'm afraid that one day would come and I'd be consumed by her if her wishes are unsatisfied... like how Galax's mother never returned to her true form."

There was a short gasp from the woman beside me. "But you can-'t be alpha without-

"Land and disciples, I know. The Duke told me." I addressed, gripping the fabric tighter, finding it questionable to move within Sidus' laws and traditions.

"Then challenge an alpha. Gain his estate and his people." A voice came from a corner.

Leaning against the wall beside the door to the antechamber was Lord Gregory with his arms crossed in front of his chest. I swallowed a lump in my throat and stared back at him with regard. "Why are you here, milord?"

He remained composed, holding my gaze as if he understood my woes and needs. Dynamism of connections spurred from our shared gesture, and alight was a spark of hope from his earlier statement. But why would he suggest something against his duke?

"'Tis my duty to guard you, an order given by the queen." He replied.

"If you're true to your words and you are loyal to Her Majesty, then why would you propose an idea against her will?" Straight and stern, I questioned.

He pulled his back away from the wall. The armour he was wearing clung to him and its sound hinted the weight of metals. "Please do not question my loyalty to the queen. The choice is yours to take, not mine. I merely stated what you would likely learn from observance for you look clever and determined." He spoke, holding the hilt of his sword as he walked closer to the edge of the mattress.

"Lord Horton, you are cunning. But with my standing, I am not as clever as you see. How can one challenge an alpha of Sidus? And I think women of this kingdom are debauched from claiming a title. The eight of you are men, am I correct?" I added doubt.

"Nay, you are mistaken. One alpha is a woman, and it seems you have not chanced upon her presence." Lord Gregory lifted his chin, eyes cast downwards, examining me.

Hanging lightly down his forehead were brown wisps of hair. Akin to his aura was the colour of austerity. "The Alpha of Crux." I realized.

All this time, I had no clue that the duke's favoured alpha was a woman. Arresting was the thought, and the bond quivered discerning the length of time the duke had spent with that alpha. For once, I thought, let the bond leave me be for it was implanting jolts of emotions I should not be feeling.

"The look of jealousy." He remarked. "I will not question that emotion for you are his betroth and it is valid... and she is the Alpha of Crux after all."

"What do you mean, Lord Gregory?" I snapped, hearing offense in his words.

"Ah. You are truly oblivious." The earl said.

"Milord, she does not need to hear it." Catherine's voice surfaced.

"Miss Garrison, that is irrelevant. The future queen has the right to be informed." The earl reprimanded, not bothering to take his eyes off of my frail figure.

"He is right, Catherine. I would like to hear what he has to say. I hope not to look naïve when I meet her." I said, my blood pumping faster. "Go on, milord."

Lord Gregory smirked, rubbing his stubble with his fingers whilst staring out the window. "Illaria was once Apollo's betrothed, but the Queen banished her from the castle, believing Apollo is destined to find someone chosen by the moon. They say Apollo cared for Illaria, gave her the northern lands of Crux as evidence. She is no warrior, but she is shrewd. Apollo praised her tactics and often seeks her advice." He stopped and faced me once again.

"Physically, she is the weakest of the alphas, but her mind is assuredly strongest. If you are to challenge anyone, pick her. The land of Crux will be in your hands."

I felt enlightened yet extremely bothered. Apollo had always been adamant in letting me know how weak I was to be an alpha, and yet he chose to give another woman the title one born with it should also have.

If this was jealousy, then so be it.

But it was in different form, it was of privilege. The inclination was more on the side of the title, not the relationship between the two. Unlike the bond's reaction, my mind was aiming to consider Lord Gregory's idea.

"And what will happen if I claim the land? It won't bring back the people I vowed to rule and protect." I questioned.

"The future lies upon your decision, milady." He answered. "The Alpha of Crux holds power over the prisoners the duke gathers from your world."

Three knocks broke the conversation. I sighed and felt more muddled. And as Lord Gregory opened the door, a guard quickly entered and told the earl something that made him pale in a split second. Looking at me from his side, he seemed anxious.

"The Queen requests your appearance before the Duke, Lady White."

I abided the Queen's command and went to the Duke's momentary chamber. The expression on Lord Gregory's face from earlier told me, it was not going to be a simple visit but a grave one. A hundredfold, the moon's bond rippled, impaling my heart with an agony for the man whom I hated the most.

"Your Grace." I curtsied, finding the Queen out of the Duke's chamber.

Her eyes were consumed by grief, puffy and reddened by her tears. But Queen Robin smiled briefly, thanking me in an almost inaudible tone before taking me in her arms in a tight embrace.

"Thank you for saving him." Her voice cracked in a mere whisper.

Keeping my chin on the crook of her shoulders, I nodded and rubbed my palms on her back, soothing her for she was on the verge of melting down again. Thoughts from the heavy conversation earlier were forgotten as I looked back to what I saw in the middle of the fire. Behind the Queen was the chest Apollo tried to save from his chamber.

"Who could have done this, my queen?" I asked, pulling away.

"The investigations are still ongoing. My son has only awoken when I called you. His eyes are distant, speaking words we could not understand except for your name." She said, wiping a stray tear.

He must have been speaking in Latin. But what about my name? What did he want from me?

'Regina mea.' My Queen.

"Do me a favour, my child. Take good care of him. I think he needs you more than anyone." She pleaded, breaking through my thoughts.

I kept my stare on the wooden chest and nodded. "Aye, Your Majesty. I will attend to the duke's needs."

Should I?

Therewith, as the queen left, I gathered the chest and brought it inside. My head was reeling in curiosity of what was inside it that Apollo could not afford to lose. Stepping inside his chambers, I was surprised to see him lying peacefully on his bed, as though he were someone else... someone I was only about to meet.

Careful with my steps, I felt comfortable in the rearing silence despite of being alone with the duke in a secluded place. On a wooden stool beside his bed, I sat, placing the chest on my lap.

He was beautiful.

The beast was not who lay in front. He was an ordinary person of our kind with a body not as invincible as I thought it would be. His dark hair fell in waves, framing the face of a fallen god. My hands ached to touch him, to feel his pulse, and to hear him breathing. Sixty four seconds, I mentally counted, and his eyelids fluttered, revealing a set of golden orbs.

His gaze was soft as he took in his surroundings. His stormy blue eyes that were haunting were nothing compared to this beautiful hue that carried the light of the sun. Maybe this was the reason why they named him after the sun god.

Drowsily, he looked at me. "Hic es." He said. You are here.

'Do you hate him?' the question rolled back. Could one really despise her mate?

"Quo modo sentis, Apollo?"

How are you feeling, Apollo? I asked. His face held no sign of the dictator, of threat.

He took a long inhale and released.
"Sum siccus." I am thirsty.

Instantly, I sought for the pitcher of water on the bedside table, pouring one glass for him. This felt strange.

Apollo moved, and struggled to lift himself up, I saw the burns on his neck which would soon heal with his abilities... but it could have healed sooner, I recollected as I brought the cup to his lips and aided him. The sheets slipped down, unveiling his sinewy frame.

Somehow, there were butterflies in my stomach. The bond was in delight, performing one of the old traditions of satisfying the bond when the duke accepted and drank without complaints.

The male shall be served by the flesh and the female by the beast. One was simply finished.

As I removed the cup and placed it down, Apollo raised himself into a sitting position, trembling in the process as if he had undergone a battle that drained him. What really happened inside the King's chamber?

"Aperire, Freya." He suddenly said.
A watched him as he stared down on my lap, glancing at the wooden box which I thought was locked. Open it, Freya.

Twisting the bolt, I raised the flat board and curiously looked at what was inside. An all too familiar cloth brought nostalgia, gripping my heart in a tight embrace. It was the red sash of my father, with the brooch of our pack, but now it was fashioned into a necklace.

My throat dried, heavily confused as to why the duke saved these mementos for someone he did not value as a leader. And as a stray tear slid down my cheeks, Apollo's eyes conveyed gentleness that I never thought I'd see.

"Non est, mi ducissa." He uttered, lifting unsteady hand, wiping away my tear. "It is yours, my duchess."

"Why are you doing this Apollo?" I whispered.

This was not him. He had changed a hundred and eighty degrees. I refused to believe that he was Apollo. The duke never showed sympathy to those under him. This gesture, it could be an act. But why was my heart yearning for his touch?

Given the bond, I knew this was coming. But why? Why was he being gentle and almost loving? What did he want in return?

"Nolo eam consumet." He said. "Contra eam, quae habet ante vos, Regina Mea."

I don't want you to be consumed... Fight her before she owns you, My Queen.

• • • • •

Yey. I updated after one day. Isn't that cool? So many stuffs packed in one chapter, but that's why I released it early. Well, Apollo is confusing. (I am as confused as you are, calling him bipolar) but I keep reminding myself that this and that is the reason why, and I nod to myself and understand. (But I'll leave you confused for now or the story would end without justice). See you on the next update! Please vote and comment as much as you can. See it's motivating :)
Vale!
- Lady Therese