Chapter 2.1

"I DIDN'T mean it."

Althaia huddled in the corner of her fiancé Henry's house, sobbing uncontrollably. Even though it had happened a few days ago, the accident that happened that night was still vivid in her mind.

(Flashback)

Crying and furious, Althaia threw into the tree a deer she had met in the forest. She banked on the poor animal the pain she was feeling. She repeatedly stepped on the dead deer while still in tears. She was very upset because of their Queen Mother's decision that her cousin Calista should be the next queen.

"Why?! Why?! Why?!" She wept and knelt on the ground.

From the beginning, she dreamed of becoming the leader of their tribe. She made every effort to get the queen to notice her. She studied hard, trained tough to be skilled in combat, and became a responsible alpha of her pack. She has spent almost her entire life preparing herself for the throne.

She believed that she possessed the qualities of an exemplary leader so she became complacent that she would be the one that would be chosen to be the next queen. But she was wrong. It never crossed her mind that her favorite cousin Calista would be her rival for the throne she had long hoped for. She could not figure out why their queen had chosen Calista because in her eyes she was weak and above all, she had no interest in power.

She is now starting to feel a great hatred for her cousin.

She turned her attention to the house of their Queen Mother. She saw the old queen standing in front of the open large window and was staring at the big moon. Because of the resentment she felt, she decided to confront her.

When she reached the queen's house, she didn't bother to knock anymore and just went inside. She found the queen on the second floor of the house and was still standing opposite the window.

"Everyone is asleep, why are you still awake, Althaia?" the queen calmly asked her without taking her eyes off the big moon. It seems like she was waiting for her to come.

Althaia violently wiped away her tears. "W-why Calista?"

The queen smiled wistfully before turning around. "Why? Do you think I made the wrong choice?"

Tears welled up in Althaia's eyes again. "I know that you are aware that I wanted to be the next queen. You know that I'll be hurt by your decision! But why did you still choose her?!" she resented the Queen. "I did everything to get your attention! I trained hard! I led my pack well! What else do you want me to do for you to notice me?!" In a fit of rage, she threw the large vase beside her causing the shattering sound to echo the whole place. "Why Calista? Why?! She doesn't know anything about being a leader! She doesn't even want the throne!"

"You're too thirsty for power, my child." The queen stepped closer to her. "Your greed for power will ruin you..." She tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks but she avoided her face. "I don't want you to get hurt, Althaia... Either of you. Please don't let your anger swallow you."

Althaia did not like what the queen said. She burst into tears and angrily threw anything that strike her sight. The queen tried to stop her but she pushed her away violently.

"Althaia_."

Althaia got on her knees and screamed.

A few moments passed before Althaia had calmed herself. She wiped away her tears, then stood up and paid attention to the surrounding. She was upset when she didn't see the queen. Once again, she felt resentment towards the Queen Mother and thought that she really didn't matter to her.

With a heavy heart, she got out of the house. She was about to pass the gate when she heard a voice. She looked in the direction where it was coming from and was shocked at what she saw.

She saw the Queen Mother lying on the iron bars of the gate. One of her hands was holding the iron that was pierced in her stomach and the other was reaching out to her.

Althaia looked at her trembling hands as she recalls the moment she pushed her away. Is she the one who did it?

Althaia shook her head several times and denied to herself the crime had committed. "N-no... I didn't do it."

(End of Flashback)

Althaia was surprised when the door to the living room suddenly opened, causing her to squeeze more into the corner of the house.

Henry gasped in shock when he saw Althaia inside his house. "What are you doing here? Why did you didn't attend the Queen Mother's funeral? Everyone's looking for you there."

Althaia bit her fingernails and could no longer sit still. "Why are they looking for me? Are they blaming me for that old woman's death?"

Henry stared at her, confused. "W-what are you saying? Why would they blame you?"

Althaia covered her mouth when she heard people outside the house.

Uncertain of what was really happening, Henry stood up and closed the door. When he returned to his girlfriend, she was now walking back and forth while still gnawing her nails. He stopped her by grabbing her arm. "What did you do, Althaia?"

Althaia violently withdrew her arm. "I didn't kill her!"

Henry was silent because of his girlfriend's bizarre behavior. Is the Queen's death wasn't an accident? Is she the one who killed her?

Again, he asked her to clarify his suspicion but she just fell to the floor and burst into tears. "It's her fault... It's her fault..."

*****

AFTER exhaling a puff of smoke, Henry flicked his burning cigarette out of his small window. He silently watched his fellow werewolves walking and getting busy with their respective work from the window of his room. They were all wearing dark clothes, a symbol of their mourning the death of their Queen Mother.

He looked at Althaia who was lying sideways on her bed with a red blanket wrapped around her naked body. Her stare was far away and tears were still streaming on her face. He still couldn't believe what his girlfriend had confessed to him. He knew that her savagery could have bad consequences but he did not expect it to happen this way.

He looked outside again when he heard two old ladies talking.

"Now that Queen Mother is gone, does that mean Calista will be the one to lead us now?" asked one of the interlocutors.

"Probably!" the respondent replied.

"But is that child ready? The Queen Mother didn't even get the chance to teach her how to lead us."

"That's also what I'm worried about. I actually thought that Althaia would be the next queen. Apart from that girl being smart and brave, I think she will protect us better in case our enemies attack."

"Calista is also smart and also kind. It just happened that she's not as brave as her cousin."

"Without Calista, perhaps Althaia would be our queen today."

Henry turned to Althaia after hearing the elders talk. An idea popped into his mind.

He approached Althaia and supported her to sit down. She's still silently sobbing. He cupped her face in his palms and stared deeply into her eyes. "Do you really want that throne?"