As a trio of rogues we were on the move rather often, so this was nothing new to us. This was the way had to be. We were seen by packs as unruly and untrustworthy. One didn't become a rogue by accident. We had to be rejected by our packs because we had committed a heinous crime, because we were physically unwell and would only endanger the pack, a runaway, or because we were not able to properly function within the structure of pack life. And because of that no werewolves wanted us near their territories. They assumed must've been dangerous and deranged if we wanted to live our lives away from civilization because wolves were not designed to live alone.

But I didn't feel that we were violent and unpredictable. At least not towards the majority of our kind.

Thorn was the only one of us had chosen to be this way. He had wanted to rebel against the royals since he was a young pup, but his pack refused to stand behind him on such a dangerous front. He was cast aside when he was only twelve years old. Being tossed out when he was so young simply because he had an opposing opinion only heightened his dislike of the royals and he vowed to do whatever he could to impede their way of life.

Hunter had been born with a deformed hind leg. His warrior parents had abandoned him in the woods at the very young age eight when they assumed that it was something he would not grow out of. Thankfully, Thorn had found him and had saved his life and Hunter had grown to be a resourceful and fully functioning werewolf. Together, they began plotting their attack against the royals.

My story was both more bizarre and confusing and I was the last one to join the group.

My mother had been a wonderful luna when I was a young girl. The entire pack had adored her without end. She was a beautiful, strong woman who stood beside a proud alpha male, her legal husband and my father. Then, little by little, she destroyed my life. One night she went out for a solo run and returned home, mumbling about a wolf she had seen. She claimed he was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on. For a few nights I could hear her crying softly to herself. After a week had passed I heard my parents arguing. I don't remember much but I do recall my father scoffing and telling my mother that mates were unnecessary, alliances had to be forged for strength and my mother screamed back at him, telling him he was more human than wolf now.

The next morning, she was gone.

My father never went after her; he simply went on to find a newer, younger wife. When I asked him about it he told me that my mother had made her choice and I merely had to accept it.

But I was more stubborn and more determined than he ever gave me credit for. I decided that if my father wouldn't go after her then I would. Someone had to find her; she could've been hurt or lost. I didn't realize that I was being young and naïve.

I also left in the middle of the night, hoping to track her down and bring her back home, where she belonged. She and my father would apologize to one another as husband and wife should and my world would return to normal. My father would heavily disapprove of this as he was too proud of his own good so I used the cover of night to sneak out of our little house and off of our packlands.

I had trekked around the dense woods all night in search of my mother. I called out to her until my voice was hoarse and I was slightly dizzy from dehydration. I was so focused on my task, so convinced that I would find her and everything would be well again, that I didn't realize that I had gotten very lost until the sun had risen the next morning.

With the world around me illuminated dread had set in. I was eleven, uneducated and terrified. And completely alone in unsafe territory.

In the week that I was alone in the woods I understood how right my mother was.

I was supposed to be an apex predator. I was supposed to be a beautifully constructed hybrid between a powerful beast that conquered the forest lands and tundra and a resourceful and logical human. But as I bumbled through the forest I found that I was so out of touch with my wolf that I had just as much trouble hunting in human form as I did in wolf form. My four legged body was loud and uncoordinated on the best of days and the only thing it really offered me was a layer of fur on the cold nights that passed. I was useless as a wolf and hardly better off as a fragile human. But I became aware of two things: my mother would've never left if my father had been a true werewolf and I was certain that I would die out in the wilderness.

Then Thorn and Hunter had stumbled upon my weak and skin body by chance.

After that it had been an incredible journey of learning to understand my inner wolf and use my various talents. For the next seven years we bonded over our love for what we truly were and we grew more into our animal selves each day. We were an awkward group at first, but we had become a team with a bond that was stronger than I thought possible. I had finally accepted myself for what I truly was and I loved every moment of it. While Thorn shifted into his human about once a week to keep his muscles and joints used to shifting I hadn't been on two legs more than three times in the seven years we had been together and Hunter was even less than that.

Now, at the age of eighteen, I was ready to finally taken down the unnatural human leaders that currently sat on the throne.

After we relocated, of course.

We spent the night after my catastrophe walking. We didn't stop for anything and I was deeply thankful that I had no human belongings to lug around with me. It would've made the whole journey infinitely more exhausting and I wasn't sure if my small wolf could handle any more load on the small frame. The embarrassment I carried with me was burden enough.

Finally, the sun started to peak over the horizon and I felt relieved for my strained eyes. We had walked over forty kilometers in the dark and my whole body was aching, my paws were tender and my eyesight had grown bleary from attempting to navigate in the dark for such an extensive period of time despite my excellent night vision. All I wanted to think about was my next meal and finding a nice pile of leaves to sleep in.

But as we progressed into a small clearing something wasn't right. There was something in the air that I could barely detect. When I inhaled deeply I could only catch the slightest hint of something, but it wasn't enough.

Evidently I wasn't the only one who sensed it because Thorn had slowed to a stop, the massive black wolf trying to assess what was wrong. His ear flickered back and forth, trying to catch any sounds in the air that would give away a clue. I watched as he took slow, even breaths, but there was never any clarity on his features. We were all certain something was here, we just didn't know what.

But, before we knew it, we had become the prey and our predators moved soundlessly through the woods. By the time we saw them it was too late.

Thorn stayed unearthly still. Hunter let out a quiet whimper. And I just watched in shock as an enormous black wolf neared us.

He was striking and radiated power. He had a proud chest and the sharpest brown eyes I had ever seen. They stood out starkly against his black coat and glittered with human intelligence. Though his muzzle was coated in white fur, giving away his age, he strode towards our little trio with confidence.

Thorn didn't advance towards the lone wolf, but I saw a wicked glint in his eyes that told me he was more than ready for this fight. He thought that the old wolf didn't stand a chance against the three of us. His tail lifted, his ears went back, and he maneuvered his body into a stiff, advanced position. Low warning growls were pouring from his chest, but I knew that even if the old wolf submitted Thorn would want blood. He knew he could defeat this single wolf without an issue.

I was simply baffled. Why would an elderly wolf willingly walk into a challenge such as this? It simply didn't make any sense.

But I saw a strong brown wolf emerge from the shadows on our right and dread swept through my body. Then another wolf from our left. And ever so slowly half a dozen more wolves poured out of the surrounding forest.

Though the black wolf never changed his posture, never turned aggressive, the other wolves were low to the ground and snarling violently. It seemed that Thorn had threatened their leader.

And the leader of my pack very quickly realized his mistakes. Thorn's forward stance gradually curled back on itself. His ears flattened in fear, his hind legs curled slightly, and his tail drooped. This was not a fight we were going to come out of victoriously. In fact, there was little chance that we would come out of it at all if it ended up physical. Our only option was to flee like cowards.

Thorn and I bolted at the same time, darting off in opposite directions.

My launch was fast and calculated. I held eye contact with the grey wolf that was nearest to me, making sure that I didn't give away my only gap for escape. Then, when the moment felt right, I sprinted towards him. He seemed stunned by this and I saw confusion flicker across his features for the briefest moment before he collected himself and braced for the attack. He almost looked amused by the thought of such a tiny wolf challenging him.

At the very last second I dodged to the right as hard as I could, steering my body towards the only clearing in between the wolves. My tactic had worked. The wolves tailing me had changed direction to follow, but they hadn't moved fast enough. My sudden change had thrown them off enough to buy me a few seconds. I knew that once I was through the clearing I would have enough time to lose them. I could navigate my small body with an impressive amount of agility. I just needed trees and shrubs for coverage to get me out of this disaster. Once I was out of sight they would never find me again. I would survive this.

But Hunter's loud cry of pain shattered my escape.

I didn't even think about what I was risking. I couldn't. My sweet Hunter needed my help. My direction changed once more, heading back to where I had been seconds before. Back into the treachery.

And Hunter, the gentle soul of our tiny pack, had a single wolf biting down on one of his legs. He squirmed and yelped, feebly attempting to get away, but he had never been a strong wolf.

I took three long strides, growling angrily with each step. Then I leapt into the air and my body slammed against Hunter's assailant. The larger wolf let out a startled yelp which was all it took to release my friend.

At least my sacrifice had been worth it.

Hunter was running immediately. He looked back at me and I nodded for him to go on.

I was thankful that he turned away before he could witness the other wolves leaping onto me. Teeth latched onto my legs, my back, my throat. Their bites broke through my thick skin, tearing into my flesh. Agony flooded my body. I wanted to howl and yelp loudly. I wanted to scream out to my comrades for help before I was torn apart. But I forced myself to stay silent, knowing that Hunter or Thorn might put themselves at risk. There was no saving me; they would only be damning themselves. I just shut my eyes, gritted my teeth as tightly as I could and hoped that they would kill me quickly. Yet their bites didn't aim to my vitals. They aimed to injury, to weak and disable me.

"Now, now that's quite enough." A man stated, the voice liquid and smooth.

And at those simple words the violent beasts that had been on top of me stopped their vicious attacks. At first they remained frozen, their teeth and claws still buried deep in me. But as I heard soft, human steps approaching one by one they all withdrew. I let out a soft whimper each time a set of claws or teeth was removed from my bleeding skin. Eventually, I was left lying on the forest floor, covered in my own blood and panting hard from the pain that whirled through my system.

I briefly wondered if simply dying would've been better because I doubted this man had stopped their attacks for a noble purpose. Still, I craned my head ever so slightly to see the man who had stopped the werewolves from tearing me completely apart.

Black hair with streaks of aged white, sharp brown eyes. Standing in a loose shirt and dirty trousers he looked no less regal than he had as a wolf. The power was rolling off him in waves.

I defiantly let out a low growl and snapped my teeth towards him.

"Fredricks, bring me that collar. I think she'll be a fine specimen to try it out on." The man murmured, smirking at my boldness.

I shut my eyes again, exhausted and in so much pain. I felt that nothing could make this more awful than it already was. I was beaten and humiliated in a matter of seconds.

But they burst open again when my body was filled with searing agony. The pain radiated from my throat, shooting through my body with such intensity that my wolf let out a vile noise, an animalistic sound that I had never heard. I thrashed as best as I could. My paws swatted at my throat and I thrashed my whole body about, trying to get the god awful contraption off, but it was useless. The awful had been fastened around my throat like I was a common dog. And it could only be one thing. Silver.

I let out a defeated whimper, my limbs stilling as each movement, each twitch of a muscle in my neck made the pain tremendously worse. But that was only another mistake. As I slowed my movements I felt human hands close around my forelegs. When I tried to tug them away it was too late, they had already been tied together and my back legs were being hobbled together as well.

"Well done gentlemen." The man praised, "We have caught one of the rogues that has been pestering us relentlessly. We've played her game, now I believe it's her turn to play ours. What do you say?"

The men around me jeered and whooped in delight and excitement while I deeply wished they had ended my life already.

***Kind of a sequel to The First Queen and certainly a continuation of my series. What do you guys think so far? This chapter is dedicated to the first person who commented on this story and hyped me up endless. Forever grateful for your support.***