Becoming The Werewolf Queen

~~Esmeralda POV~~

"Hey baby. You look stressed, what's the issue?" I asked Thorne as he entered our room, he wasn't smiling at all.

"Hey, I didn't see you there. Shouldn't you be with the women right now?" He asked me instead, staring at me with a little bit of unhappiness on his face. He doesn't even look like he's happy to see me at all. I frowned a bit at that, putting aside that thought.

"I came back early because I wasn't feeling well. What's wrong with you though? Did something happen?" I asked him again.

"Nothing much, I'm just stressed out. But what did you do that made you not feel well? I bet you all were just talking and all. What happens when you finally become queen then?" He asked me.

My heart dipped a bit. For some reason, the words made me a little bit hurt. It was almost like he was invalidating my feelings.

"I want to be left alone for the rest of tonight please, just stay out of my way." He added, making me even more confused.

Thorne never talked to me that way, he had never told me to leave him alone before.

What exactly is going on with him? I didn't miss the look on his face as he walked away.

Was that disgust?

I could have sworn that was what I saw on his face.

But that's not possible.

It's just not possible that he's disgusted by me, it doesn't make any sense to me at all. I badly want to believe that it's my brain playing pranks on me. Maybe it's because I'm not feeling well.

Thorne has been the most romantic man I've ever seen and met. We met years ago, and I was over the moon when I met him. I've been longing to meet my mate since.

I fell in love with him since the first day I saw him, he was everything I wanted in a mate and more.

And although he's the heir of the werewolf King.

I pictured our future together and I just really want nothing more than to get mated with him already. The mating and coronation ceremony is tomorrow and he hadn't failed to tell me how much he looks forward to that.

I really expected him to be all smiles when he got home today but the attitude I got wasn't expected at all.

He was so happy with me before leaving, what happened then?

"Thorne, what's the issue?" I asked as I walked over to the room.

I tried to open the door, only to see that it was locked from behind.

He really doesn't want to see me?

"Look for something to do, Esmeralda. I'm not in the mood for you at the moment" He shouted from inside. That hollow feeling came again, I felt really hurt by his words.

Just as I turned around, I heard the door to the right swing open. I walked towards it, wondering who came in without knocking. I got into the living room to see Aria, Thorne's childhood friend and my biggest hater.

She only spared me a glance, about to walk past me when I dragged her back.

"Excuse you? You don't barge into someone's-"

"I asked her to come, Esmeralda. She's here to see me." Thorne's voice came on, cutting me off.

"You heard that, bitch. Now get out of my way." She slightly pushed me aside and walked past me. I was really stunned by her choice of word, and Thorne heard it clearly too but he didn't say anything about it.

Before I could say anything else, I felt bile rush up my throat and I ran towards the toilet. I dumped everything in my stomach into the sink as a very sick feeling washed over me.

I rested my back against the wall as I tried to catch my breath. I felt really dizzy, my head light too. Thorne should have felt it already that I wasn't feeling well, but he didn't run through the doors to come to me.

My eyes suddenly traveled to the pregnancy strip on the table. I had gotten one from the clinic earlier today. I slowly picked it up, nervousness eating at me.

The fact that Thorne called for his female best friend while he asked me to leave him alone and they're in the same room right now didn't even freak me like the test.

I waited patiently in the restroom as I waited for the result. I don't even know the result I hope for. How will Thorne react?

My heart missed a beat as soon as I saw the two pink lines on the strip.

Maybe... just maybe this news will make Thorne happy.

~

Today was the day I become the Queen of the werwolf kingdom and also mate with Thorne rightfully. My makeup and hair has been done perfectly already, I could barely even recognize myself at the point.

"I'll go and grab the gown now." My stylist said, referring to the regal gown that I'm meant to put on. It's the gown that has been passed down from generations to generations and now I'm next in line to wear it.

I've tried it yesterday for the fitting and the necessary fitting has been done already, now it's just for me to wear it for the celebrating.

As I was left alone in the room, I couldn't help but think about Thorne. He still hasn't said anything to me. I just hope that the news I want to break to him tonight cheers him up.

The stylist rushed in with panic on her face, forcing me out of reverie.

"There's a problem, your highness. We can't find the dress!"

"What? How's that even possible? You said it's a very sacred dress and I can't become queen without it." I said back, my heart racing wildly in my chest.

"It's really sacred, and we're way behind schedule at the moment. Everyone is waiting for you, we have to do something." She said.

"What do we do then?" My head had started to bang with the kings of thoughts running through it. I really can't afford to mess anything up again, I don't want to make Thorne more mad than he is already.

"We have a backup dress, there's one that you can wear. It's just that a special rite will be done after this coronation." She said.

"Okay then, let's do that. Let's just get this over with already." I said to her. We swung into action immediately, I put on the dress that looked like that one that I wore yesterday. The only thing was that this one felt lighter.

Immediately we were done, I was escorted to the grand hall by some maids, I had been told that I'd only see Thorne when i get into the hall.

Hopefully he's over anything that's going on with him already.

The doors opened and the sounds of chatters filled my ears. Then suddenly everywhere went quiet as soon as I stepped in, Thorne stood at the altar with his father and mine at the front too.

Nervousness was at the forefront of my mind.

I walked over to where Thorne stood, a small smile on my face. Meanwhile he had a very stern look on his face, there was no hint of a smile or anything related to it on his face at all.

"We welcome you all to the mating ceremony and coronation of the new king and Queen. May the both of you please step forward." The announcer started.

Thorne walked towards where I stood, but his eyes weren't on me at all.

They were on someone behind me.

I turned and gasped.

Aria. That's Aria, in the same dress like I was.

What exactly is going on right now? Is this a prank or something?

"In opposition to what every one of you think or know, I'm not taking Esmeralda as my queen or mate today. I choose Aria as my Queen and mate instead." Thorne spoke for the first time since I got here.

My head went light, I pinched myself just to be sure that I wasn't having a bad dream or something.

There's just no way this was real.

"Esmeralda here and her father have plans of starting a coup and overthrowing my father, the king." He announced then started walking towards me.

"I hereby offer her as a sacrifice to prove my loyalty to the whole pack and my father, the outgoing king. I reject you, Esmeralda Knight as my mate. I give her up for my father."

~~~Esmeralda~~

My eyes came open again as I felt myself being dragged. My baby, what if something had happened to my baby? I knew I only passed out for seconds when i saw myself in the midst of people with guards dragging me.

My hand went to my stomach as I was pushed into the dungeon. My ears rang loudly as everything around me went blurry, no word registered in my mind, neither did I see anything.

The sound of the dungeon being locked up met my ears and my body met with the cold, concrete floor.

Thorne just rejected me, I had just been rejected by my mate, and he just handed me over to his father to prove his loyalty to him.

I've been betrayed a whole lot of times by friends, even my best friend back at my father's park once betrayed me, but this is the highest level of betrayal I've seen. It hurts so much, it hurts that I just want to die.

I gripped my chest in pain, my heart felt like it was going to just jump right out of my chest. I really wish this is all a dream, it just has to be a dream, or a nightmare even with how bad it is.

"Esme..." A voice dragged me out of the foggy state of my mind. I looked up to see my father, the man who has loved me all his life. He looks so unrecognizable right now, bruises littered on his body and he looked like he had just fought a really hard war.

"Dad?" I mumbled. He was locked up in the cell opposite mine. I couldn't even notice him or sniff him out.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry for putting you through this, I swear I didn't want it to escalate to this level. I hate to see you in pain, I hate that I brought this upon you." He said, his eyes brimmed with tears.

As much as I wanted to point fingers at anyone for bringing this upon me, I'd never hate my father. I can't even hate him, it's not possible.

"But why? Why do you want to overthrow the king? Why didn't you tell me anything?" I asked him, whispering.

"I've not told you this before, but his rule is doing a lot of damage to our pack. He takes too much tax and makes it difficult for the economy to thrive. The only way he'd yield is if we threaten him with war, and that was what we were planning when Thorne found out." He explained.

"You should have still let me know, we could have something else. Maybe I could have talked to Thorne-" I was interrupted by a pretty loud noise. I hatched my stomach subconsciously again, guarding my baby.

Some guards stormed towards where my fathers was held in and they opened the iron bars.

"Don't rough handle him please." I begged, watching as they dragged him. Another set of guards came to my own side and opened the gates just like they did to my father's. I was approached and dragged away by them too.

My father and I was taken outside the dungeon, to a very large area. I earnestly prayed to the moon goddess or whoever could be listening to me right now that they just let us go. I know that if they do that right now, it means we'd become rogues. The pack is no longer ours.

But that's way better than being imprisoned or even killed. Thorne stood at the front with Aria by his side. Their regal dresses shone under the moonlight. I felt a pang of hurt as he drew her closer to him when he saw me staring at him.

"Tonight, we're gathered to witness the punishment of two rebels. They not only planned to execute my father and I, they also planned a war. A war isn't something that's tolerable, especially by people who want to do it for their selfish gains." Thorne's voice boome.

"As the king of the werwolf kingdom, I command that Max Knight is beheaded, and Esmeralda Knight becomes a slave here, she's demoted!"

It can't be. My father can't die, he can't be killed. That's not possible. He's not going to die, I can't allow him to die at all.

I fell on my knees immediately, not minding anything at the moment. I'd do anything to just make sure that my father doesn't die.

"Please don't kill him, do anything else you want with us, just don't kill him please. Thorne, don't do this to me please." I begged him, putting all the sincerity I could muster into the words.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to call the king by his name, mutt? Have you forgotten your place so soon?" Aria stepped forward, glaring hard at me.

I've never felt so hated by people or anyone ever since the news of my father planning to overthrow the king got out.

The looks on people's faces just made me hate my own existence for the first time.

"The audacity is crazy. I want his head off, and restrain her so she can watch him die. There's no mercy for people who betray us." Thorne ordered, so much authority and hatred in his voice.

I cried out, pleading even more as I was grabbed by some really strong men and they restrained me just like Thorne had ordered. Tears streamed down my face as helplessness like never before gripped my entire form.

I wiggled hardly in their hold as my father was tied up before me like some animal, he was so rough handled that I just wanted nothing more than to get to him at the moment.

"Thorne, please. You said you'll never hurt me, remember." I cried, tears blurring my vision. I didn't even see Aria walking over to me, all I felt was a hard smack on my face. She slapped me so hard that my head whipped to the side.

She had always hated me, it's no shocker that she hates me even more right now. I watched as a man brought out a sword and stood before my father.

"Please." I mumbled weakly.

"I love you so much, my princess. I'm sorry." My father said back. My heart raced wildly as the man lifted up the sword, my body went flaccid as the sword descended and went unto my father.

Red was the next thing I saw. No, I wasn't angry. It was the splatter of blood that came out from my father's body and to my face. His head rolled to the floor, his eyes wide open as his head detached from his body.

What sort of nightmare is this? It feels so real, it's so scary. I felt myself being lifted up from the ground, my legs couldn't even stand on their own at all.

"You're so lucky that you're not the one who's dead, I want to see you suffer before you finally decide to kill youself."

Is that Thorne? It's just not possible. My Thorne doesn't sound that way, this one sounds so cruel. My Thorne doesn't sound cruel, he's nice.

"I want her to clean the hall that was used for the coronation alone. No one is allowed to help her. Then when she's done with that, she should clean the kitchen and prepare breakfast for tomorrow." Arid said.

When is this nightmare ever going to end?

~

It wasn't a nightmare at all, I only got to know that when it was midnight. My father body has been sent to the natural lands where they went to bury him, I didn't even know where they buried him.

I feel utterly alone in this world at the moment, so cold and alone.

I was approached by three maids, they've been my friends sort of since I got here.

"Come with us, we'll get you out of here. We've spoken to a few guards and they agreed to helping you get out. We all like you and we can't watch you get punished here like this." One of them said.

I left the kingdom that night with a heavy heart and a pup developing in me.

~~Esmeralda~~

"Are you sure about this? Won't you all get into trouble or something?" I asked the girls as we got to a secret part of the palace. I didn't get what was going on. It seemed like I'd just got out of something like a trance.

I now know that I wasn't having a nightmare, but something seems to be missing right now. It feels as though I'm meant to be with something or someone.

Right, my father. He should be with me right now, that horrible experience was just a part of my imagination. It definetly wasn't real, so he should be with me right now. There was no way he's actually dead. Of course he wasn't, he promised me that he'll be there for me forever

So yeah he's....

"You don't have to worry about a thing, we've taken care of everything already. And even the guards at the entrance will allow you go, we all know about it." She said, cutting my thoughts off.

"Can we wait though? I need to go with my father, I can't leave without him." I said, stopping.

They all looked at one another, a sad expression crossing their features too. Why are they staring at me that way? Is that pity?

I realized that I was wasting more time by standing there, so I just turned around in a bid to go and get my father like I had said. I was however drawn back by the one closest to me.

"Uh, you have to leave now. Your father is in a better place now, I'm sure he'd want you to leave now too as we're way behind time." I was told.

I frowned, "What do you mean? Isn't he waiting for me? He came to the kingdom earlier-" I was cut off by some quick movements close to us.

The maids dragged me away from that place and we started running towards a place that was so unfamiliar to me. We got to a wall and one of the maids started punching some parts of the wall. I was confused as to what was going on until the wall started making way. It's a door. It's really a door.

"You have to leave now. Just go down this tunnel, it'll lead right outside the kingdom. There are warriors and guards at the other side, they'll let you go." She said, then stared at me with something like disgust mixed with pity. "Maybe you'll meet your father at the other side"

I wanted to talk but the door was rapidly closed and locked. I looked around to see myself in a tunnel, the only thing is that it wasn't dark at all. It was well lit.

Where's this place? It looks like a hidden passageway or something. Thorne had actually told me once that there's a lot of hidden passageways in the palace, it comes in handy in case of emergency.

I walked down just like I was told, I didn't even know what I was doing anymore. I just knew that I needed to get out of here.

Just like I had been told, I saw the guards. They let me go and I was given a map with a lamp, I asked for my father once more and I was only given that pitiful look.

What was wrong with everyone? Why wouldn't they just let me see him?

As I stepped into the woods, all that was on my mind was making it till morning then I'd go look for my father.

~

A yelp of pain escaped my mouth as the wolf fell off of me.

That's another one dead. How many have I killed so far?

When exactly will these rogues stop attacking? I'd fought against three rogues counting from last night even though I had made sure to stay on the neutral lands.

"This really isn't how I expected my first pregnancy to go." I mumbled to myself as I tried to rest a bit before proceeding again.

My mind slowly drifted to few nights ago with Thorne. We had a very mind blowing sex, one that made both of us pant for air after we were done.

"That was so good, I've never felt so good." He said to me, his hand slowly brushing my hair as he said that.

"if I'm happy, you're happy." I mumbled, a small smile on my face. He placed a very gentle kiss on my cheeks, making me feel so contented and loved. The forehead kisses and his warm hugs make me feel like nothing else matter in this world.

"I love you, don't ever for once doubt that. I love you more than life itself." He said, almost as if he could read my mind and could see the uncertainty running through it.

I slept in his arms that night, so happy and loved. It was the next morning that he started acting up, I didn't even know that he found out about my father's plans and he presumed that I knew about it because of how close I was to my father.

And he said he was going to stand by me through everything. A bitter feeling came up in my mouth as I remembered all that we had done together since we met two years ago.

My hand went to my stomach, I rubbed it affectionately.

"I promise to be with you all through everything, and this isn't an empty promise at all." I mumbled.

This child is going to be the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'll ensure that. I'll make sure my child never suffers. But for now, I have to make it out of this place before I get eaten up by the wild wolves. It seems there's quite a number of them in this part of the woods.

I've never been so happy that I took my training classes seriously, it's not even like my father would have had it another way. He loves me, but not to the point of protecting me to the extent of getting a few bruises from training.

I picked up myself and the map that I had been given, using it to nagivage the woods. I walked for some minutes then I felt the presence of some rogues around me.

"Not again," I mumbled to myself. Can I just get a breather for today already?

And I really hope the moon goddess has a very good plan in stock for me. There's gotta be a reason for making me go through all these stress.

The rogues came into view but they weren't the regular ones at all. These ones look so clean and organized.

"Hey," I called out to them but they barely stared at me before going their way.

How rude...

I sighed and headed towards the opposite direction. I couldn't help but wonder though

Who were they?