Chapter 2 The Queen Of Valgertha

I was merciless on the battlefield, a natural-born leader, but a rare variant, nonetheless. I wasn't an omega.

I wasn't fated to spread my legs and bow to an alpha. There wasn't an ounce of omega instinct within me. There were no powerful urges that would awaken in the presence of an alpha, even one as powerful as King Vageir.

I wouldn't go into heat. I would never beg to take an alpha's knot or his cock or even to be bred because it simply wasn't a part of me. I wasn't a beta either.

I didn't showcase the typical body type of one and sometimes, there was the occasional beta that would bow to me. It was a skill I'd learned to hone when I led my squadron onto the battlefield.

It had granted us much success many times over. The crowd all around me chanted in excitement, waiting to hear the king's words, but an overwhelming sense of dismay built up inside me.

By announcing his choice publicly, it would mean that I wouldn't be able to refuse. It should be an honor to be chosen by the king, but I could only dread what was going to come of it.

I went against the norm. I was an oddity and I bowed to no one. I wouldn't be forced to spread my legs to anyone. Even the king. "I've made my choice," the king said.

Time seemed to slow as cheers rang out. People screamed my name and others cried out his. Simon, give me strength for what the fates have in store for me. I didn't say a word.

It wasn't my place. He was king and I was not.

"I claim Freya the Unstoppable as mine. There isn't another woman that deserves the honor of being my queen. She's proven herself worthy of leading you all on the battlefield and now she's going to prove herself worthy of ruling all of Valgertha by my side," he continued.

I licked my lips. I tried to keep my expression calm and I did everything in my power to quell the fury rampaging within me. I took a deep breath and stared at the king.

He knew I wasn't an omega. He knew that I would never kneel to alpha and if he had it in his mind to try to conquer me, he should think again.

I kneeled to no one. Not on the battlefield and certainly not off of it. I had no plans on changing that either just because he decided to take me as his wife, as his queen. The crowd roared with their approval, effectively making my decision for me.

I looked across their faces, all of them cheering for me. For all my life, I had struggled to prove myself under the stigma of being the only known female alpha in existence. I'd earned everything I had ever acquired, from the land that I lived on to my place on the battlefield leading my very own group of warriors. My heart beat heavily in my chest.

It felt like a drum, pounding over and over, forcing the blood to rush through my veins and echo loudly in my skull. King Vageir stared at me, a satisfied smirk edging at the corner of his lips.

I returned his gaze, refusing to back down. He had dark war paint that dragged down to his chin and continued out to the sides of his shaved head in a thick, blood-red line. His familiar hard brown eyes appraised mine, completely unforgiving and far too alpha for my liking right now.

His long brown hair was gathered at the back of his head, braided into a long rope along with pieces of frayed red fabric. He wore his battle armor, which was muddy, covered in blood, and well-worn from use.

Our people fought together in battle, no matter if they were a king or a commoner, man or woman. He was no different. We'd fought together as equals, but now he wanted a whole lot more than I was willing to give. My alpha simmered inside me, awakened at the challenge of another of my kind.

"Do you accept, Freya?" he asked, his voice carrying throughout the room. Our people waited in silence. I could almost cut the tension and anticipation with a knife.

They were waiting for me. I closed my eyes and prayed to the gods. Simon, the god of war. Edie, the goddess of tranquility. Oslin, the god of the fates. I prayed to all of them except for one, Cerena, goddess of fertility.

Right now, I didn't want her blessing. Right now, she could just fuck right off. The crowd was deadly quiet. They wanted an answer, so I gave my people and my king the one they wanted.

I felt myself die a little inside as I opened my lips and said the words that I didn't want to say.

"I accept your offer, King Vageir," I said forcefully, keeping as much strength in my voice as I could manage. I said it because I knew I no longer had a choice. The entire Great Hall erupted into screams of excitement.

The king outstretched his hand and I forced one foot in front of another until I reached the table at the front of the room. I stepped up onto the raised platform and moved across it to take his offered fingers before he took my hand and raised our arms in the air as one.

He was making us appear as a united front. "To the people of Valgertha, may we continue conquering the wilds together. Freya and I will lead you to a great many victories together. The gods will smile down upon our union, blessing us with glory and victory for many years to come," Vageir shouted.

I couldn't hear anything except the deafening cheers of the crowd. They cried out for us, for honor, and the glory that could only be found through victory on the battlefield.

They wanted this and I knew that I would be powerless to stop it now. I could do this. I could be queen. I just had to quell the alpha that was screaming inside me. I had to stop her from getting out.