The White Queen
The fever started an hour after the healer left.
It wasn't a normal sickness. It felt like a wildfire had been ignited completely inside my veins. My skin was burning to the touch, and a strange, terrifying pressure was building at the base of my spine.
"Breathe, Nia," Kade murmured, his massive hands resting gently on my shoulders as I sat on the edge of the bed, trembling violently.
He was practically vibrating with anxiety, his glowing golden eyes tracking every ragged breath I took.
"The curse is breaking. Your wolf is fighting her way out of the dark. "
Before I could answer, a loud, aggressive pounding echoed on the heavy oak doors of the bedroom.
Kade's jaw locked. His feral Alpha aura instantly flooded the room, heavy and suffocating.
"I gave strict orders that we were not to be disturbed," Kade growled, turning toward the door.
"Alpha!" The harsh, unrelenting voice of Beta Torin—the massive, scarred warrior I had seen on the tarmac—barked from the hallway. "The Pack Council has assembled in the Great Hall. They demand an audience. We cannot have a human-blooded runt sitting on the Winter Throne!"
I flinched, pulling Kade's oversized shirt tighter around my burning body. A runt. Even hundreds of miles away from my uncle, that word still had the power to make me feel completely worthless.
Kade saw my reaction. The temperature in the bedroom dropped to freezing.
"I am going to rip his tongue out," Kade stated calmly, a terrifying, homicidal darkness overtaking his features. He stood up, fully prepared to walk out the door and slaughter his own Beta.
"Wait," I choked out, grabbing his thick wrist.
My blood was practically boiling, but a sudden, unfamiliar surge of pure, aggressive pride flared in my chest. It wasn't my human mind; it was her. The wolf inside me was waking up, and she was absolutely furious that someone dared to question her worth.
"Don't hide me," I breathed, forcing myself to stand up on shaky legs. I looked up into Kade's surprised, glowing eyes. "If I am going to be your Queen... they need to look me in the eye when they insult me."
Kade stared at me. A slow, incredibly dark, and fiercely proud smile spread across his scarred face.
"As you wish, my Queen," he murmured reverently.
He didn't carry me this time. Kade walked close beside me, his massive frame a protective shield as we left the penthouse and descended the stone stairs toward the Great Hall.
The Hall was massive, built of dark ice and black iron. Hundreds of elite Winter Pack warriors and Council elders were gathered inside, their faces hardened with suspicion and anger.
When we walked in, a heavy, suffocating silence fell over the crowd.
Beta Torin stepped forward, his arms crossed over his massive chest. He looked at me—a pale, trembling girl drowning in the Alpha's shirt—with absolute, undisguised disgust.
"Alpha Kade," Torin spoke loudly, ensuring the entire hall heard him. "You are the Butcher. You are our strength. But this... this is a half-breed pet. She cannot survive the northern winters. She cannot bear strong pups. I formally challenge her right to be Luna!"
"Torin," Kade's voice was a soft, demonic whisper that echoed off the icy walls. His eyes were entirely gold. "You have exactly three seconds to drop to your knees and beg for her forgiveness, or I will paint this floor with your blood."
"I only bow to a true wolf!" Torin roared, his own eyes flashing yellow as he prepared to brace for the King's attack.
But Kade never got the chance to strike.
A sharp, agonizing snap echoed from my chest.
I screamed, collapsing onto the freezing stone floor. The pain was absolute, blinding agony. It felt like every single bone in my body was shattering simultaneously.
"Nia!" Kade dropped to his knees beside me, his massive hands hovering over my thrashing body, completely terrified. "The curse... it's breaking right now!"
"Stay back!" I shrieked, my voice distorting into a guttural, inhuman growl.
The dark magic binding my soul finally, violently shattered.
The shift wasn't a gradual transition. It was an explosion. A blinding wave of raw, ancient power blasted out from my body, hitting the surrounding warriors like a physical shockwave. Torin and the front row of the Council were literally thrown backward off their feet.
My human bones broke and instantly reformed. My vision went black, and then immediately sharpened into high-definition, predatory clarity.
The agonizing pain vanished, entirely replaced by a feeling of absolute, intoxicating freedom.
I stood up. I wasn't looking up at Kade's knees anymore. I was looking him directly in the eye.
The Great Hall was completely, terrifyingly silent. Nobody breathed.
I lowered my massive head and looked at my paws. They were huge, tipped with lethal, curved silver claws. And my fur... it wasn't brown or grey.
It was pure, blinding, iridescent white.
I was a massive, ethereal white wolf. I stood nearly as tall as the Butcher himself. In werewolf lore, white wolves were myths. They were said to be the direct descendants of the Moon Goddess, possessing raw, unmatched magical power.
Beta Torin, who had just managed to scramble back to his feet, stared at me in absolute, mind-shattering horror.
My inner wolf didn't wait for an apology. I bared my terrifyingly long fangs, my eyes glowing a brilliant, blinding silver. I let out a massive, earth-shaking roar that vibrated through the very foundations of the frozen castle.
The sheer, suffocating weight of my Luna aura crashed down on the room.
It was infinitely more powerful than the Alpha command. It was ancient, royal, and completely undeniable.
Every single warrior in the room, including the elders, instantly collapsed to the stone floor. They didn't just kneel; they pressed their faces directly against the ice, completely paralyzed by the awe and terror of standing in the presence of a legend.
Beta Torin was shaking violently, his forehead pressed to the floor, exposing his neck entirely to me in ultimate submission.
I turned my massive silver eyes to look at Kade.
The terrifying, ruthless warlord was still on his knees. He hadn't been forced down by my aura; his beast had submitted willingly. He looked up at my massive, glowing white wolf form, completely captivated, his golden eyes shining with absolute worship.
He reached out slowly, placing his massive, calloused hand gently against my snowy snout.
"My beautiful Queen," Kade whispered, bowing his head in front of his entire pack.