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Healer Rhea's POV
- Six Months Later -

There was a theory, that the feeling that's identified in the first few moments of waking up would be the tone for the day.

For Rhea on this very morning, a bird decided to chirp its entire life story just at the base of her windowsill and then some. But all she could do was allow a smile to blossom on her face—Yet as her eyes still hadn't adjusted, she turned to reach for the male beside her.

Only for the space to be empty.

Right—It would be empty from now on, and even with the weeks passing by her broken courtship, Rhea was still having difficulty not sleeping beside Alpha Stephan.
Though a part of them was always inevitable.

She was a missing Queen—A ghost—One that resurrected into a Healer with the bare minimum of blessed abilities. He was an Alpha male in one of the most powerful packs outside the Kingdom's walls.

It was not meant to be.

In the midst of her own self-pity, she turned to grab her favorite cane and made the given steps forward towards her built-in cabinet—A feature she's hardly had since her days at the farmhouse.

Nelo had taken to adding the finer details with the woodwork such as this, and Rhea couldn't be prouder. The lovable little male was doing his best with getting his name dedicated to his own creative outlet.

And Rhea couldn't help but remind him about his accomplishments every other day.

Nelo wasn't the only one who had grown with the months of joining the Red Moon pack.
Osmin had taken to becoming the Master of Arms, working right alongside Stephan, considering the previous wolf was close to retirement.

And it didn't hurt that Osmin had Enforcer training, it benefited his status, and for some reason that Rhea couldn't pinpoint—It seemed as though Stephan wanted to spit at the King's feet every other chance.

If anything, it was one of the many reasons that Rhea believed that she and Stephan did not work out—His hatred for the Kingdom and the rest of Romulus' monarchy had hurt.

Hurt in more ways than one.

As Rhea had gotten dressed for the day, wrapping her arms tightly with the normal binds and tying her hair to get the better half of her strains away from her face, she sighed in relief at tackling one of the more difficult tasks of the day.

Leaving the bed had become a challenge, as though something had conspired over.
A looming darkness that wanted to take over.

It left her with little motivation to build upon something that she could have only dreamed of in her previous life—To publish a healing manual. One that would share her findings and construct a basis for what healing focuses' on.
The patient.

Even now, the original manual was featured on her shelf, dozens of edited slips of parchment sticking out of it and then some. And she hadn't dared touch the damned thing when it was worth so much trouble.

Yet another smile graced her as she realized just how massively popular it had become—That Armund A.V was the creator of the wonderful masterpiece, as to keep her identity a secret, given that Rhea didn't want to be known so largely.

The entirety of the Red Moon pack had become very protective, hardly ever wanting her to leave the territory for even the smallest of an errand. She couldn't see the excitement for her findings and publishings outright, but the parcels of questions started to take a good part of her day, even if it was just reading the dozens of appreciation letters for being able to offer some support.

Upon leaving her room, the door had creaked loud enough, on purpose, to alert those she lives with. Though it had been a rather sad day when she had given the boot to her males, as their own home was already settled.

One would assume that Rhea had banished them from the land with the arguments they had made, but they were hardly a few steps away, given that they were living right next door.
And over as much as possible that nothing truly seemed misplaced when they were living elsewhere.

Currently, Lillian was already working up cooking a feast, providing one of her more recently discovered and adored interests—Cooking.

Osmin, who was already scarfing down his plate had straightened his back when seeing Rhea enter the room. "Stand down, Os—I just want some tea and a biscuit. Then you can inhale the rest of your meal." The male coughed while Lillian howled in laughter, her body moving delicately to the side as the apron truly didn't do anything to cover the likes of her swollen tum.

Rhea had come forward, her hands smoothing out the wrinkles in the cloth as she hummed. "This little pup give you any trouble last night?" She asked, her eyes flickering up to the expecting mother, while Osman laughed.

"Trouble? The pup was kicking damn balls around or goddess knows what! Nearly kicked me out of bed!"
"Maybe it's time to sleep shifted, Os—Most males find that it calms the pups, and the moms." That was certainly something the couple would be trying out later if it meant getting a restful night's sleep.

"I can't be the only one who didn't sleep, Rhee—The bags under your eyes." The woman had simply rolled her eyes as she repositioned her cain.
"The nightmares returned, it's fine—And don't you dare tell the males, they'll just start all over with the guard detail again." With Osmin and Lillian sharing an unsure look with one another, it gave her time for Rhea to enjoy her breakfast with a bit of weight off her chest.

Even if she woke up happy and somewhat well-rested, her dreams were still giving her the awful reminder of the worst day of her life—One where the fiery pits of hell would look easier to manage.

It wasn't long until Rhea had the home to herself, smiling in her own solitude was the most peace she could manage in the past few weeks. Usually, there were still building concerns, but since they had now surpassed the cooler months once again, it allowed them to embrace the warmth.

Meaning that their hard work in the farmlands was about to pay off, especially since Nelo had made a deal with a restaurant in the Kingdom that wanted fresh produce and wasn't afraid to pay the price or the cost of labor and shipment.

"Good morning, your majesty!" With a quick slam of her mug, she turned to see her males already pushing at her patience as she huffed to the side.
No, she could never get mad at them.

Not when they were one of the reasons for remaining loyal to life.

"Rolf, you're pushing at a very thin line—And I haven't even gotten more than a few sips of my coffee." She whined, and the male held his gut as he threw his head back and laughed.

"Well, I suppose you don't want the reports for your book sales then, hm?" He said, waving the folder to and fro, as though it were a tasty treat. Though Rhea was not a fool to fall for the trick, not after the first few times.

"Is it good news?... Not sure I can handle anything besides that at the moment."

"Yes. Very good. A quick summary—The extension to the stable and the addition livestock is completely paid for by a mere fraction of what has been made so far." The shock crossing over Rhea's face had been a splendid reminder that her work in edits and sharing her studies was worth it all.

"Both projects could be funded?"

"And...Perhaps it'll fund the second volume." He ushered, and the woman couldn't help but squeal—Especially when she leaned over and gave her friend a hug, one he reciprocated with ease. "See! I came with good reason!"

"Good reason? You could've woken me up in the middle of the night with that news and I wouldn't have a bad thing to say...How are the reviews?" She was nearly out of breath by the time she had gotten all her questions out. But Rolf humored her all the same, knowing that she needed a bit of good news to get her through the day.

Whether that came with the birth of a new pack member, a funny story told by the neighbors in their circle, or a kind pup just blessing her day with a smile—Things were going by slowly, all things considered, but Rhea was being dutiful in being the mistress of her manor.

And manor, it surely was.

The entirety of her property was in use, though she was just thankful that the operations were not all on her own labor. Daily life held tasks for everyone, but the upbeat and happiness were easy to sense, and from here even!

"Ma'am? Did I lose you?" Rolf stuttered, and that instantly caught Rhea back in her own mind as she sighed. "Sorry, I haven't been up that long before you came..." She dwelled, withholding a yawn. Even now the remanence of the fire was still creeping up on her.

"Rhee, are you sleep—"

"Yes. I'm sleeping fine. Just nerves about the book is all." It was fairly easy to deflect things, but of course, her set of males had ganged up on her with an already discussed plan that they would do, just as she feared.

"Goddess above, I am sleeping fine! I do not need anyone in my bed to sit me as if I'm a child." She spat, but the males had just smiled once more—Dane had already considered every possible and viable option, but with the help of Osmin and Lillian, Rhea was on her own.

Course, she could say no and things would revert back, but it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

The first night back to their roots, Dane had taken to joining Rhea in her room. Yet not in the way she expected, considering he had situated himself on a lovely little mattress on the floor just beside the bed.

One that Rhea had thrown a fit over, saying that her bed was large enough for them to share.

"It would be against every oath I took, Ma'am." He repeated, for what felt like the hundredth time that week. But Rhea had finally given up as she groaned. "Dane, I swear to the goddess above, if you do not get into bed with me, I will gladly make tomorrow's plans never-ending." Dane, who was already exhausted and held no room for putting up a fight, had moved up and joined his Queen into bed.

"I'm glad we can come to an agreement." She smiled, but damn it all, Dane had indeed taken a vow to protect the Princess since he had joined the King's guard.
How would things look now that he was sharing a bed with the Queen when it wasn't at all necessary?

"This is an agreement? It feels like I'm just complying, Rhee."

"Shh, pillow talk is supposed to be fun." The male couldn't hold himself back, not when the poor female had mistaken her words and grew readily embarrassed within a mere breath after speaking. "I misspoke—"

"Pillow talk, aye?" He instated, arching himself up onto an arm as he turned to face her entirely. Though one wrong shift, and he would fall straight back onto the ground where he would have slept, but there was hardly ever a fight in him.

"I just meant that we could unwind, talk about the day?... It's easier to fall asleep to." Dane sighed, slumping back into his pillow as he couldn't imagine how lonely things have gotten since their settlement.

Or how lonely Rhea's life had been, regardless.

"May I speak freely, Rhea?" He asked, and she nodded, her eyes never leaving his as she watched the questions and curiosity swirling about. "Why did you and Stephan end the courtship?"

"It's as I told you, he's a wolf and I'm a—"

"No. It has to be more. You don't give a damn who is what. Not unless they're unkind...Be honest, please. It's all we have left." She closed her eyes and tried to cover herself further with the covers, but it did not work.

Not when the male's eyes bore into hers.

"His hatred...For the Kingdom."

"What?"
"Stephan hates everything about the Kingdom. He hates the townsmen, the nobles, the castle—Everything. It's my home, Dane. It will always be my home. Even if I hadn't stepped foot inside the castle walls for years. How could I possibly be with someone who looks at the new monarch with such—such negativity? He's an Alpha! He's supposed to be in line and in support. Goddess, if all these packs were aligned with the Kingdom, then things would function better." It had been a mouthful, but Dane understood the better half.

Politics.
It would always come down to politics—Even when he has the title of an Alpha, it did nothing when she was a Queen in her own birthright. Holding the name of the former kingdom.

"He hates the king?"

"Despises him is more like it. And I just—All I see is a little pup who could hardly hold a broad sword or an ink quill. I know I'm living in a false reality, and that the King would not hesitate to kill me. But I just—He's done some good, hasn't he?" Dane could not outright state his opinion, not when he questioned the King's decisions on more than one decision or law that had unkindly affected him.

"The King would have your head on a spike if he knew you existed, Rhea."

"I understand, but Stephan hates him more than just that—And besides, I think it's best I stay away from that side of it all." That was something they could agree upon, but she had caught the silence and dealt with what it was.

"It's unfair, I realize, that you were imprisoned under his watch..."

"I do not know his character as a male. He is a far better King than his father, sure. But I cannot follow a reign that killed my sworn alliance." She nodded, wiping aside a tear that slipped without her consent.

"His people killed our people, and yet I still have little hate. Not when the Kingdom is filled with the combined unions and hybrid pups sparking in this generation." Dane knew that babes and pups were simply the Queen's weakness.

A weakness that Rhea was unsure if she could ever have for herself.

But at least she would have plenty of distractions with the likes of her second manual and various other projects returning to the forefront.

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Date: 05/08/23

Time: 12:38

Words: 2525

Author's Note:

Double update completed! And things are looking well on Rhea's new property, though perhaps it's best that she's not with Alpha Stephan anymore.

It makes room for another, someone who is waiting for their time to make a grand return to greet her properly.

Until Saturday!