The Queen and Her Wolves

"I give up!" I yelled, sprawled on the ground in defeat, just like every other time I’d lost.

Levi, my trainer and my life mentor, immediately halted his movements.

“You are distracted, Mia.” Levi said while sheathing his sword.

He stepped closer and held out a hand, offering to pull me to my feet.

“Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night. I ate two cupcakes Sophie made for me after dinner. I can’t reject any chocolate-flavored sweets.” I explained. I usually won’t go into so many details with him, because it is obvious enough that he's not interested in my life.

“It's not about it.” Levi said calmly, “You are concerned.”

I sighed. Levi is the strongest trainer in the pack, of course he can look through me. 

“I know I can’t hide anything from you, Levi, Ok, I'm just thinking about mother. She didn’t call me to visit her for three months. I just want to know if she recovered now, but every time I asked for a meeting, there was no reply.” I said,

“As I heard, the queen is really sick,” Levi responded while taking my sword to check. “At least she didn’t call Kate, too.”

“Yes.. I mean no, there is nothing about Kate, I have no problem with Kate becoming the next Queen.”

My elder sister Kate. She had been my sister and companion since childhood. Our mother, the greatest Alpha Queen, was always consumed by her duties, leaving Kate and the servants to care for me. Unlike me, Kate had short black hair, she was always sharp and confident. Our mother adored her, nurturing her in ways I could only watch from afar. I may have looked like my mother, but I rarely saw her, and the distance between us had always been clear.

“Then why are we here? Like dogs playing discs?”

“No, Levi, you were ordered by mother to train me when I was just thirteen, we are not trained for years for fighting against our own blood, but for protecting others.”

I said, and Levi rolled his eyes.

“Did I miss the time when you became a saint? Tell me I can blame it on Bryan.”

His words made me laugh.

“And, we are not dogs, we are wolves, I’m not a saint, and nobody told me to be a one, this is what I think about, mine, Mia Romanov’s opinion!” I explained and smiled.

I found out I enjoy making Levi slightly pissed sometimes, it is fun to see more expressions on his poker face. But trust me, if I dared to talk back when I was younger, Levi would definitely take revenge during our training. He can beat me to the point where I can’t even move a finger. I guess that’s why Mother sent him to train me because he was the nightmare of all wolves.  

I put down my ponytail hair and continued,

“Hmmm, maybe you are right, I was a little bit influenced by Bryan, you know, I finished all the books he brought to me, those great myths, wolf history, poems, Oh!  And a few romance novels. “ 

”Stop your great speech and go to the shower.” Levi walked toward the door, and I hurried to follow.

“Come on, Levi, it is not wrong with books. You are a knight for me, aren’t you? Besides, Mother won’t choose me for the next queen, right?”

I spoke casually, but he suddenly stopped and turned to ask me,

“How did you know?” His tone was a bit strict.

“Everyone knows, Kate almost done all the paperwork for Mother these three months. She already took the responsibilities of a Queen. ” 

I explained, and Levi replied calmly.

“You will do better if you want to compete. Kate is just better at making friends with those families with fame and power. Don’t forget you get a better score than her on Strategic Studies.”

I was grateful that Levi, as my knight, was willing to speak up for me, but I didn’t mind admitting these things myself.

Sometimes, I even wondered why Mother had assigned her best knight to be my trainer. If she wanted Kate to be the next Queen, why not give him to her instead?

Once Kate became Queen, Levi would be her chief knight, and he wouldn’t have to waste time on someone like me. It would be better for both of them.

“But I don’t want to compete with Kate. She is my only sister, and she is so sweet to me.”

I smiled.

“I might support her with some paperwork when Kate becomes the Queen, can’t let her do everything herself.”

But Levi stopped me.

“What if she wants to compete with you?” Levi said, it is unexpected and I found out I never thought about it before. 

“No, Kate won’t fight against me, I trust her” I replied, shaking my head.

“Listen,” Levi said, his voice lower, firmer.

“You keep saying you trust Kate, that you believe she will never stand against you, but trust is not a shield in this pack, Mia. Blood makes people cruel. Power makes them worse.”

“That’s unfair,” I said immediately, my chest tightening. “Kate is not like that. She practically runs half the pack already, and she still treats me like a little girl she needs to protect. She would never hurt me just to become Queen.”

“You see what she shows you,” Levi said calmly. “Not what she is forced to become.”

I shook my head. “No, I knew Kate, and I believe in her and my eyes.”

Levi’s expression darkened slightly, and for a moment, I thought he might say something harsher, something that would cut deeper. Instead, he exhaled slowly, as if holding back words he wasn’t allowed to speak.

“You are too willing to believe that love is stronger than ambition,” he said. “I have seen sisters turn on each other for less than a crown.”

“That’s not us,” I insisted. “Kate raised me as much as Mother did. She would die for me.”

“And would you die for her?” Levi asked quietly.

The question caught me off guard. “I think I will.”

Levi studied my face for a long moment, his single visible eye searching for something, as if he wanted to see whether my certainty would crack under his stare. When it didn’t, something like frustration flickered across his features.

“Then you had better be prepared for the possibility that she will not make the same choice,” he said. “Because when the throne is involved, people convince themselves that betrayal is duty.”

I felt a strange chill crawl up my spine. “Why are you saying this now?”

“Because you are almost eighteen,” Levi answered. “Things will change, whether you want them to or not.”

I forced a small laugh, trying to lighten the weight in my chest. “You’re being dramatic. Kate doesn’t even like court politics. She complains about paperwork every night. She would give the crown away if she could.”

Levi didn’t smile.

“She is smarter than you think,” he said. “And know more secrets. Stronger, but that does not always make someone kind.”

I opened my mouth to argue again, but something in his face stopped me. He looked.. sad?

“Just promise me one thing,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“If the time comes when you have to choose between trusting Kate and protecting yourself, choose yourself,” Levi said. “No matter how much it hurts.”

My throat tightened. “Why does it sound like you know something? ”

“Just promise me.” His tone was firm.

I replied slowly. "Yes, I promise you. I will always protect myself."

Levi nodded and stepped out of the door. I couldn't help but question again.

"Levi, why are you asking me? Will you leave me?"

“No, Mia, " His jaw clenched. "I will never leave you.”

My heart tightened and skipped a beat. Levi never said such things to me.

Later, as I walked back toward the palace, his words followed me like a shadow. I tried to laugh them off, to tell myself that Levi was simply too cynical, shaped by wars and betrayals I had never lived through, but doubt had already begun to settle in my chest, quiet and uncomfortable, because for the first time, I wondered what Kate would look like if she stopped being just my sister and became only the future Queen.

The palace corridors felt different that night, colder and heavier, as if the stone itself was listening. Servants moved quickly, avoiding eye contact, and guards stood straighter than usual.

When I reached my room, Sophie was already there, laying out fresh clothes and preparing tea.

“You should rest well tonight, Princess Mia,” she said with a small smile. “Tomorrow will be a big day.”

“Everyone keeps saying that,” I replied, forcing a light tone. “I will still wear my jeans and hoodie to hear the announcement.”

Sophie smiled, “No, you need to prepare properly. I will hide all your loose-fitting clothes, casual shoes, and even if you don't like it, you must wear the most formal dress,” she continued gently. “The blue one.”

"Nooo, I can breathe with that blue dress! You can't do this to me, Sophie!" I groaned, and she left satisfied.

After she left, I sat by the window, staring out at the dark outline of the forest. I thought about Kate’s laughter, about the way she used to braid my hair when we were younger, about how she always stepped in front of me when Mother’s temper grew sharp, and no matter how hard I tried, Levi’s words refused to leave my mind.

Power makes people worse.

I shook my head, as if I could physically shake the thought away. Kate was my sister. She loved me. That had to be enough.