Chapter 3 PREPARING FOR WAR

Upon entering the library, my eyes lock with the good-looking prince I had broken up with a year ago, and a rush of conflicting emotions overwhelms me. Despite our relationship being over, I can't seem to shake his lingering pursuit.

            I know the inevitable time will come when I'll be leaving, and he'll find his true mate. The pain of not being able to see each other weighs heavily on us both, but I hold onto the hope that we'll be better off for having split up. As I see him approaching, memories of our secret encounters and the struggles of our forbidden love flood my mind. It's clear that his position in the kingdom has kept us hidden, making me doubt the sincerity of his feelings for me, a she-wolf.

            Summoning all my strength, I approached him with a stoic expression. "Cadma, what are you doing here?" I ask, trying to keep my emotions in check. He smirks and leans against a nearby post, retorting, "What? Why can't I visit my favorite librarian?" His nonchalant demeanor adds to my frustration and disappointment.

            "Sighing, I respond, "If you're here for research or reading material, I can assist you with finding the information you need on a computer. Once you've printed it, one of the ladies at the desk will assist you." With a heavy heart, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, bewildered by my coldness.

Feeling a sigh escape me, I left Cadma standing there, dumbfounded, as I walked away. At this point, I knew he would probably seek out a she-dragon and engage in a public display of affection, hoping it would provoke a reaction from me. It saddened me to witness his childish behavior. Therefore, I chose not to turn back and pretend not to notice. My heart went out to the girl, who might mistakenly believe she had found her prince charming, when in reality, he was just using her to get to me.

            As I made my way to my office, I realized the weight of my responsibility as the person in charge of genealogical research and the instructors at various dragon universities.

There were many times when I wanted to access the werewolf private websites of different packs for research purposes. However, in order to do so, I needed a code from my Alpha files to confirm my pack's membership. I couldn't do this because sharing information about my pack would also reveal our location to potential enemies. So, I focused my efforts on gathering information about different wolf packs from the dragons' private internet.

            To achieve my goal, I began searching for other wolf packs that would unite with me in the fight against Malcolm.

        Initially, I didn't want to engage in this war, but after learning from the shadow warriors about the existence of the Kingdom and its cruel new King, I felt compelled to act.

An innocent person is selected from a lottery each month by the new king. After the name is selected, the person has the option of choosing how they wish to die. Public hanging, guillotine, gunfire, electric shock, or poisoning are examples of public executions.

In recent years, there have been a number of public executions that serve as a warning to those who try to deviate from the path the King has chosen.

As a result, the kingdom is now reluctant to challenge him. Upon a beheading, he impales the head on a spear and has the soldiers parade it to the various packs. The moment I learned of this, I couldn't stop the bile from rising in my throat.

            Over the course of an hour, I vomited. As their true queen, I was selfish. Though I may depart before my 18th birthday, I refuse to leave my brother behind, and I still need to build a strong army before I go. Therefore, I have decided to meet with the King, Queen, My Shadow Warriors, Rector the royal warrior, and see how they can assist me.

            During my journey, I will attempt to save my kingdom. Along with a sense of fear, there is also a sense of determination. Despite my best efforts, I have neglected the kingdom for far too long. The kingdom is like my children who need me.

            Two weeks have passed, and the meeting is finally at hand. We all sit at a long table in a soundproofed room. I asked the King to have a projector set up so I could present a video I had created that showcases the atrocities being committed by the new king in the western kingdom. I inserted my USB drive, and the technician found the video I had made. This video highlights the various atrocities the new king has been committing.

I saw the queen take a trash can and throw up, especially when the little 3-year-old girl was beheaded, and her head was on a staff parading her head. The parents screaming for their child in the background and gunshots could be heard killing the parents. Leaving the remaining pups orphaned.

The men in the room appeared pale and shaken by what they had witnessed. The shadow warriors, who had already seen the scene, still looked disturbed.

            "Your highnesses, I can no longer in good conscience stay here and let my kingdom suffer. I am asking for your help. I need to identify my allies and take some Dragon warriors with me as well," I pleaded.

            The Queen began crying, "Dear, I have always considered you, one of my daughters. That king is horrible, and he could harm you just like those under his rule, and you are still so young." I could feel her concern, love, and fear for me emanated in waves of worry.

             "Due to my selfishness, I haven't sought the truth about what happened to my people because I don't want to leave this kingdom. You are my family, but I must also take care of my people. Soon I will be eighteen, and I know other young kings or queens who took over their kingdoms much younger due to losing parents in their own wars."

            “I love you all,” I struggled to hold back tears. “But we all have a destiny, and mine is to protect my kingdom. My parents’ deaths wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t come back and rescue my people. They don’t just look like me, they share DNA with me. I can only imagine that my people have given up hope of my return to save them."

            Both the King and Queen were now crying, but they nodded in recognition that I was right. There was pride in my warriors’ eyes as they all pledged their loyalty.

            I smiled and continued, “Regarding my brother, when will we receive his DNA results?”

            As the King shrugged his shoulders, "I am unsure" The King declared.

"Your highnesses I will do what I can to help with the research and find out who his biological parents are. It is my responsibility to ensure that my brother is taken care of if his biological family is still alive and worthy of him. It agonizes me so, but I need to face reality, I am going off to war, and I may never return due to this."

            It is agonizing for me to leave my brother behind, and I know it will be equally painful for Gandor. It is likely that he will continue to live with Nana if we are unable to locate his parents.

Directing my attention again to the Royal couple I ask, "Nana and her mate seem to truly enjoy living here. Would that be okay with you, your highness?”

            Struggling to hold back tears, the King choked out my name, "Ashina, our kingdom’s warriors, supplies, and witches are at your disposal. It is my hope that you will continue to see us as family when you become Queen. Of course, it is okay for your NaNa and Gandor and anyone else who chooses to stay. You are all family to us."

            I stood up, tears flowing, and embraced both the King and Queen.

            "After we determine my brother's parentage, my men and I will prepare to depart for our mission."

            Looking at the Shadow warriors, I added, "I need you to find allies and negotiate with them to ensure that we are allowed to remain on their lands. Please inform them that wolves and dragons will be fighting together."

Turning my attention to Rector, I said, "Rector, I want you to accompany the shadow warriors and train the men we'll be recruiting from each pack. Bring a witch with you to root out any potential traitors. If they try to betray us, their tongues will be silenced."

            Rector smiled and bowed, saying, “Yes, your highness.”

            I was surprised by his respectful gesture and saw that the entire room followed suit.

            Shocked by the reverence my warriors showed me, I hurriedly said, “You don't have to bow before me, guys. We are equals now, working together as a family to save our kingdom. You have my deepest loyalty and trust."

            Rector spoke for the group, declaring, “We recognize you as the true Queen of the Dark Moon Kingdom, and we bow to honor you."

            Touched by their loyalty, tears welled up in my eyes as my men bowed before me.

            A month had passed, and my men fulfilled the roles I had assigned them. The King called me to his office and handed me an envelope. As I opened it, my stomach twisted with anticipation. Inside was the DNA analysis of Gandor, revealing the following results.