The Gold Queen (Prequel)

***Mateo***

I stare at my beautiful mate tucked away in her bed as she sleeps peacefully, a bowl of water and a cloth in my hand.

It’s been ten days since the attack and despite Emiliano’s best efforts, he could not get Sofia to wake up. Instead, she lay frozen in time, her golden eyes hidden beneath her eyelids and thick lashes. I had doctors and even the medicine man from the human village brought in to treat her, but no matter what they did, she refused to open her eyes.

They said she was in perfect health, Emiliano having removed every ounce of poison from her body. Her mind, however, was in pieces. Losing her parents must have been a devastating blow, and now all we could do was wait for her to heal.

I missed her. I missed her so much; it hurt to breathe without her.

I couldn’t stand the silence in the mornings. I craved her voice, her laughter, her m***s, her smiles. Her.

I nuzzle my face into her neck, inhaling her scent to calm the fear that was slowly overtaking my heart every day. I smooth her hair down, careful not to mess with the infinite tubes going in and out of her.

I dip my rag in the water and bring it to her face, carefully wiping her cheeks and forehead. A nurse would normally clean her, but I wanted to do it myself. I didn’t want anyone touching her unless they had good reason to. I bring the rag down her neck and collarbones, wringing out the rag and bringing it back to her skin. Slowly, I undo her hospital gown when I sense my brother standing at the door.

“Go away, Emi,” I murmur, wiping down Sofia’s arms.

“Please,” he croaks, his voice cracking with guilt. “Please, Teo. Please don’t shut me out. I-I’m so sorry I failed. I’m so, so sorry…”

Since the attack, I had not allowed Emiliano near Sofia, a part of me still angry that he left her alone. I knew why he left and I was even grateful that he saved our sister, but my wolf was unforgiving. In Luis’s eyes, Emiliano had let our mate get hurt. He had failed his duty as Gamma.

I knew it was cruel to blame Emiliano, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing it. Feeling anger towards my brother was better than feeling the numbness I felt at the thought of spending the rest of my life without Sofia in it.

“Go away Emi,” I whisper, afraid to turn and look at him in fear I might lash out if he came any closer.

I could hear shuffling behind me as Valentina walks into the room, clutching her newborn son to her chest. She looks furiously at me as she storms into the room. When she’s within reaching distance of me, she raises her hand and slaps me across the cheek, panting angrily at me.

Emiliano gasps and holds his breath in shock as I cup my burning cheek and glare at her.

“You can be angry at Julian,” she growls, rocking her baby as he stirs. “But you will not blame our brother for Sofia. Ever,” she huffs. “He doesn’t deserve it and you know it!” She turns on her heel and glares at her twin. “And you!” she points at Emi. “You will not apologize anymore for what happened.”

An awkward silence engulfs the room as I avoid eye contact with both of them, choosing instead to focus on my sleeping mate.

“Mom and Dad are gone,” Valentina sighs. “I will not lose my brothers to Julian, too. We’re in this war together or we will not make it out alive. Understand?”

Neither Emi nor I respond and she stomps her foot angrily on the ground, two Valentina copies appearing beside her. One of the clones storms over to me and yanks me by my ear, pulling me to my feet and dragging me to the center of the room while the second clone does the same with Emiliano.

“Make up now!” Valentina demands, scowling at us.

Emiliano is the first to react, sticking out his hand for me to shake. I stare at his palms, the palms of a healer who had saved Sofia on more than one occasion. He had always been there for her and even as I tried to push him away, he regularly checked in to see Sofia’s progress with the nurses and stood guard at the door.

I take a closer look at the man before me and realize my brother had aged considerably since he first took his oath. At just 19, he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, protecting his queen and his small family in a time of war. Being the man that he was, he felt every loss of our fallen warriors, blaming himself for every life he could not save.

My eyes flicker to my sister and the baby in her arms. Thanks to Emiliano, she would get to watch her son grow into a man. Knowing I was wrong, I heave a heavy sigh and take Emiliano’s hand in mine, his eyes sparkling with hope.

Valentina smiles triumphantly to herself as she settles down on the bed beside Sofia. She rocks her baby once more as he fusses in her arms before gently laying him down beside Sofia, tucking his little head by her neck.

“This is Diego,” Valentina murmurs, tucking a loose strand of Sofia’s hair behind her ear. “Isn’t he beautiful, your Majesty?”

“He looks like a red, swollen blob to me,” I chuckle, dodging the fist that comes hurdling towards me, a murderous look in Valentina’s eyes. “I’m kidding!” I yelp as she pinches my side. “He’s beautiful, Vale. Absolutely beautiful.”

She frowns at me before turning back to her baby and stroking his little hair. Just then, Karina carries in a crying Chava into the room and hands him over to Emi.

“I’ve tried everything!” She sighs, rubbing her temples. “His pacifier, his bottle, toys, farts, food, but he just won’t stop crying! I can’t focus on the Moon warrior ceremony with him crying next to me!”

“How are the preparations going?” I ask.

The Kingdom would be holding Moon Warrior ceremony tonight for the fallen King Juan Carlos and his Queen, Ana Lucia. It was the highest honor paid to a fallen pack member, reserved only for Royal and Alpha families, the bravest warriors who died in combat, and the wolves who had gone above and beyond to serve their pack. My mother and father were given a Moon Warrior ceremony shortly after their passing. Members of all twelve packs and the three silver clans would arrive soon to join in the mourning of our former King and Queen.

“Everything is almost ready,” Karina sighs. “The headstones came in this morning and are being put in place as we speak. The bodies have all been prepared and I’m just waiting for the last of the pyres to be built and the field to be cleared out for the all the guests.”

I was not looking forward to leading this ceremony, especially not without Sofia. She was Queen, and these were her parents. It would break her heart to have missed this day, but her parents needed to be put to rest and I needed to address the Kingdom.

“Thank you,” I nod, Karin rushing off to take care of the last-minute details for the ceremony.

Emi takes his son in his arms and rocks him up and down, rubbing circles on his back. The little boy’s eyes suddenly go wide as Emi soothes him with his healing powers. Now calm, Chava leans forward and smushes his face against his father’s for a very big sloppy k**s on his cheek.

Diego fusses some more as he curls up to Sofia, the sound drawing Chava’s attention. Chava stares intently at his sleeping aunt, almost as if in a trance, his eyes unwilling to move away from her. He reaches out his hands towards her and whines, wanting to be taken to his aunt.

“No, Chava,” Emi scolds his son. “She’s asleep.”

But Chava only shakes his head, demanding to be taken to Sofia. He struggles against his father, Emi patiently telling him “No”.

“It’s fine,” I say, forcing a smile and reaching my arms out to Chava. “Come here, chamaco. Let’s say hi to Tia (Aunt) Sofia.”

Chava bounces up and down in my arms, explaining his concern for his aunt in a series of “ba ba” sounds that make us all laugh. I lean down close to Sofia for him to see. “She’s asleep, see?” I whisper.

He reaches out his tiny hands to her, and I gently set him down on the bed. Chavita grabs her cheeks and goes quiet for a moment, almost as if concentrating.

Suddenly, a tiny g***n escapes Sofia’s lips, her fingers twitching at her sides. My heart nearly leaps out of my chest as her eyes slowly flutter open and she gasps for air, struggling against the tube in her throat.

“Get a nurse!” I hear myself say, the sound of Emiliano running down the hall following him.

.

.

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***Sofia***

The cool water envelops me as I stare up at the beautiful sky, laying perfectly still in the middle of a lake.

When I first awoke from the darkness, I found myself in a forest, one I had never seen before. At first, I thought Julian had kidnapped me, but I soon realized there was no one here but wolves; two large white wolves with the most mesmerizing pink and purple eyes. They never said anything nor did they hurt me and despite their size, I was not afraid of them. If anything, I found their company soothing. They would follow me around wherever I went, wanting to play or be petted. I felt at home with them and so I spent my time exploring the forest alongside them for what seemed like hours. Days and nights were non-existent here, the sky unchanging and the weather always pleasant. After a while, they brought me to the lake I now found myself in.

It was peaceful here, my two wolf companions swimming beside me or laying out in the sun, perfectly content in this small bubble where nothing bad ever happened. I lay perfectly still to watch the unchanging sky.

Unchanging, that is, until now.

Almost from thin air, a pair of green clouds form above me, morphing into the shape of what appeared to be two green eyes. The two wolves barked and yipped at the green eyes, wagging their tails excitedly.

Did they know these eyes?

Suddenly, I feel myself sink into the water, the pretty blue sky with green eyes disappearing, turning into a bright light that burned into my eyes.

I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe! I panic, my hands flying to my throat.

Relax, Solana whispers. We’re going to be fine.

“It’s okay, Sofia. It’s okay, just relax,” I hear a gentle voice pull me call out, a pair of warm hands wrapping around my wrists.

The bright light shining down on my face blinds me and I blink a few times to focus my vision. I look around the room and find myself surrounded by doctors reaching for me.

Overwhelmed and wanting to return to the peaceful lake, I struggle to scream and begin slapping at the hands coming towards me.

“It’s okay,” someone murmurs, my body recognizing my mate and relaxing. “I’m right here, Chaparrita. I’m right here.”

My bed is adjusted and I find myself on my back as someone extracts a thick tube from my mouth. I instinctively gasp for air, looking frantically around the room for my mate. I see Valentina crying tears of joy by my side, holding a tiny bundle in her arms. To my left, Emi, Teo and Chava watch as the doctors inspect my brain function. I stare at the little boy, tilting my head to the side as I recognize Chava’s green eyes. They were the eyes in the sky. He had been the one who brought me back.

But how? How did he pull me out?

I continue to ponder on Salvador’s abilities as the medical team point flashlights in my eyes and asks me to wiggle different parts of my body. I had a feeling Salvador held the key to this entire ordeal, and I had every intention of finding out what it was he could do. With the assessment complete, the doctors leave to give us some space and my mind finally drifts off to the horrible battle.

“Teo?” I whisper, images of my mother and dad’s lifeless bodies on the battleground floor flashing through my mind. He wraps me up in his arms and pulls me to his chest as I sob.

“Teo, d-did you get him?” I ask, wanting to know if Julian’s reign of terror was over. “Did you kill him …?”

His body tenses up, my heart sinking as I realize Julian was still out there. I find comfort in my mate’s arms, however, as I remember sensing him moments before I blacked out. My Mateo would always fight for me.

“It’s okay,” I murmur, wanting to comfort him in some way. I wipe away a tear on his cheek as I pull back to inspect him. He looks so tired, his grey eyes lacking their mischievous sparkle. “We’ll get him next time,” I murmur, pressing my lips against his.

“I-I thought I lost you,” he pants, his voice shaking. “I- I thought you would never wake up again.” He pulls me to his chest, inhaling the scent of my hair.

How long had I been asleep? I think to myself, trying to somehow calculate the time I spent in the strange forest with the wolves.

“How long has it been since the fight?” I ask, afraid of knowing how much time I had lost. “H-have you already buried my parents?”

“No,” Mateo says quietly. “You’re just in time for their ceremony.”

My breath gets caught in my throat and I burst into tears. I would get to put them to rest.

I’m filled in on everything that had occurred since the battle. We had lost several brave men and women, but Julian’s army experienced a devastating loss. We knew we had some time before he would return to finish what he started and we make plans to meet the Alphas shortly after the ceremony to start our own campaign against Julian.

Mateo has the nurses get me out of my tubes and I’m taken home to prepare for the ceremony. The Hacienda was under repair, our bedroom amid being remodeled. We’ll be staying in the guest house for the time being. I didn’t mind; it would be nice to spend some time away from a place that would constantly remind me of the loss of my family.

Valentina helps me dress in a plain linen dress, as was customary at a Moon Warrior Ceremony. We were all equals sharing grief and mourning the people we lost, so we wore the same clothing to symbolize that we were all Moon’s children who would one day reunite with her and our loved ones in Her Kingdom.

Mateo meets me at the door, holding my hand and squeezing it. “Just take it one step at a time,” he whispers to me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. “And remember… they’re not gone. We’ll see them again.”

I nod quietly as I’m given a torch. Hand in hand, Mateo and I walk out the main gates of the Hacienda, my heart swelling with pride as I’m greeted by all of my pack members holding candles for the late King and Queen. They bow in reverence, several wolves holding back tears.

My father had been their beloved King after overthrowing his cruel father at the tender age of 17. He lead his troops in battle and fought the man who raised him in order to protect the people he loved. He was, in every way, a true King.

Mateo and I lead the procession into the Jungle, the Moon shining over us as we made our way to el Nacimiento. Several pyres line the shores of the river, linen covered bodies laying on each one. Each body was washed and prepared with oils before being wrapped in linen and adorned with Night Phlox, a special night-blooming flower that gave off a sweet fragrance. A few tears spill onto my cheeks as I stare at the largest pyre in the middle, my mother and father laying next to each other.

The humans from the village arrive, their dancers performing for my mom and dad one last time. I watch as they move and jerk to the beat of drum, chanting their own prayers to the Moon as they danced. When they stop, I stand before my people and smile.

“I’m going to miss the King and Queen,” I say quietly, biting my lower l*p to keep it from trembling. “But most of all, I’m going to miss my Mom and Dad.” Mateo squeezes my hand as I stifle a tiny sob and I inhale deeply. “S-sorry, sorry,” I mutter, attempting to compose myself. “M-many of you knew my father to be a powerful soldier, a warrior for his people… but I knew him as the man who taught me to be brave even I was afraid.

My mother… she uh… she was strong like him, too. I-I didn’t always understand her, but I never doubted that she loved this Kingdom,” I add, wiping away at my tears. “They are now both resting among the stars, watching over us alongside the Moon. Let us rejoice that they have been brought home and remember the sacrifices they made for us.”

Emiliano steps forward with a bowl of ashes and one by one, every member of our kingdom dips their fingers in and leaves an ash mark on the bodies of our fallen King, Queen, and soldiers to represent each pack member they died protecting. By the end of the ritual, we cover all the bodies head to toe in ashes.

I place flowers on my parents’ pyre as I make the last mark on my mother and father and lean close to my mother’s ear, cupping her cheeks to give her one last k**s on the forehead.

“I will make him pay,” I whisper. “I promise you that.”

I say my last goodbye before setting the pyres ablaze with my hands. Mateo stands beside me as we watch the fire slowly consume the pyres. Several wolves shift, howling at the moon to wish our King and Queen a safe journey to the stars.

Tonight was a night to celebrate the laughs, memories, and love my mother and father had left behind. They had ruled for over two decades, rebuilding and protecting the people of our great kingdom. I was honored to have been their daughter.

The night fills with smoke and the sweet smell of night phlox as we join in on the shift and howl. Children play in the river, while others sit and tell battles stories of my mother and father. Roberto, my mother’s former gamma, remains by her side for the remainder of the night, protecting her body one last time as she journeyed to the afterlife. His wolf howls a cry of love and remembrance. He would never forget his Luna.

When the sun rises and the pyres die down, Mateo and Emi help me gather up the ashes, placing them in urns before we make our way over to the pack cemetery to bury their remains. Karina had arranged for the headstones to be placed beside each other, and after a moment of silence, I set the urns down and bury my parents.

With my head held high, I turn to my kingdom and thank them for joining me in the celebration of my parent’s life.

As I’m about to lead the kingdom back to the Hacienda, I catch a glimpse of Chava sleeping peacefully in his father’s arms. It was time to figure out just how that little boy brought me home and who or what those two white wolves were.