Twilight Shadow: Blood Moon Love

“...And you have dinner with the Alphas of North Isle packs at 7 in the evening,” Sir Ansel finishes with a clearing of the throat that resounds loudly than he had expected in the otherwise quiet hall. 

Queen Rosalie strokes the tiny kitten in an affectionate manner before releasing the little ball of fur from her lap. The kitten makes no delay in running off in the direction of the garden to play with her other friends.  

Her aquamarine eyes filled with warmth follow her beloved cat until she disappears behind the wall. Her soft features turn firm, not much just enough to show her seriousness, as Queen Rosalie rises to her feet and turns to face her assistant. 

The moment her eyes lock with his, Sir Ansel straightens his slightly crooked spine and bends his head in respect. He has always admired this woman standing in front of him. Attired in the golden and red gown, she looked like a delicate rose, beautiful and fascinating but the resemblance ends there. Her appearance has deceived many into misjudging her as weak. And those who did still regret it. Those who had the opportunity to meet her know it better than anyone. At the mere age of six and twenty, the woman has emerged as the finest example of woman empowerment. She has nerves of steel and a brain as sharp as a razor. She is headstrong, confident, and a true ruler.  

“ Prepare a list of their demands. I would like to go over it before the dinner,” the command floated out of her mouth with ease as if she is doing it for years, a truth that can’t be contested. 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the man bows to her and moves aside to give her space to walk past him.

He also feels pity for the woman he admires the most for he has never seen a person this lonely and this sad. He hopes her mate will take all the pain away that she tries so hard to conceal. If only Sir Ansel knew.   

The mild commotion in court dies out the moment the announcer announces the Queen’s arrival. The members instantly shoot to their feet to greet the Queen of Avalon, Rosalie, as she enters the premises. She nods at her bowing subordinates and after she perches on her throne she commands all of them to rise. She has a measured but significant smile on her face as she overlooks her subjects with regal elegance.  

One of her advisors rises from his chair and makes his way to the center of the court. Queen fixes her attention on the man who must be in his mid-thirties. 

“ Your majesty,” the man bows down to her. Rosalie nods at the man to proceed.

The man raised to his full height and began briefing her on the benefits that her new economic policy brought to the downtrodden section of society. Rosalie attentively listened to his report and asked a few questions as well. The meeting went on for a few hours. 

The last to rise was Hendrix, the former beta and her late father’s most trusted advisor. Her interest piqued instantly and her smile widened a fraction when the oldest in the court strolled over to the center, leaning over a stick, and curtseyed in front of her. 

Rosalie gestured for him to speak. 

“Your majesty, I received a piece of information from one of my birds last night. According to the information, the bloodsuckers are on their way to slay our race to extinction. They have already unleashed destruction in the Gharangum Kingdom. As unfortunate as it is, the once mighty kingdom is now nothing but a pile of dust,” Hendrix apprises with a hint of frustration in his tone. Of late, those leeches have become a constant source of annoyance for everyone.  

As perturbing as the news is, Rosalie takes the news with a composed demeanor. A ruler should never let trepidation surface on their face no matter how grave the situation is because the public looks up to him or her for in hope. 

As soon as Hendrix finished speaking, the other members started giving their two cents on how to finish off those leeches. Rosalie listened to all of them and lastly, she turned to Hendrix. 

“Would you like to say something?” Rosalie asked him. Hendrix opened his mouth to speak. 

“It is plain to see that the night crawlers have become more powerful with time. Our force can halt them for some time but is not strong enough to destroy them completely. We have warriors who kill for a living but at the moment we need warriors who kill to live. The ones who know no mercy can only make an example out of this war for those leeches,” his eyes full of wisdom remained fixed on the queen’s face. 

Rosalie gave him a thoughtful nod. 

“What do you propose?” she urged him to speak his mind. 

“ What I propose is we should ally with the most feared clan there is. They will fight for us, they will die for us, and in return, we will offer their children education, pieces of land for agriculture, and access to our rivers,” Hendrix replied mysteriously.

This was the first instance in ages when an emotion flickered in her ever-stoic eyes. It wasn’t confusion but apprehension for she had sensed her most celebrated advisors' next words.

“Which clan are you referring to, Hendrix?” she tried her best to not let bitterness coat her words and asked in a stern tone.

The old man looked square into her eyes and uttered that one word that she loathed from the bottom of her heart.

“Barbarians,” Hendrix uttered without faltering. A collective gasp rose from the room. Her soft features turned rigid in disapproval. 

“I am certain there is another way than making friends with the criminals, thieves, and murderers,” she countered in a composed but unyielding manner. 

“I wish there was, your majesty, but for now this is the only option I can think of. Besides the sole remedy for the venom, they are using to kill our people is only available in Barbarian’s owned territory,” Hendrix replied.

“The court is dismissed,” Rosalie announced sharply and walked off only this time she didn’t look as self-possessed as she always did. 

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Hope you like the first chapter. There is history between our main couple which will resurface as the story progresses. Please, support and reward the book