All Chapters of THE ROGUE QUEEN : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Present Day – Bloodfang Pack TerritoryThey were celebrating.The sound of drums, laughter, and cheers filled the air, seeping through the cracks of my small basement room. It was the night of the Moonrise Ceremony, the night when every eighteen-year-old got to shift for the first time, showing their strength and earning their place in the pack.I sat quietly on the edge of my old mattress, staring down at my hands.Ten years ago, my mother had told me something I never forgot. She said I wasn’t wolfless like everyone believed—that there was power inside me, waiting for the right moment to wake up.Ten years ago, I buried that truth and the pendant my mother gave me, because I was too scared to face what it meant.For all those years, I kept believing the same lie everyone else believed: that I was nothing.But tonight, on my eighteenth birthday, a small part of me still hoped she’d been right. That maybe my wolf would finally wake up and prove everyone wrong.Instead, there was nothi

I should have run.Every part of me screamed to move, to get up, to disappear into the shadows before whoever found me decided I was a threat.But I couldn't.My body refused to respond. The shift had drained everything, every bit of strength, every drop of energy I didn't know I had. Even breathing felt like dragging air with struggle.Get up, my wolf whispered. Her voice weak but urgent. We need to move."I... can't..."*Try.*I did. I tried with everything.My legs trembled as I tried to stand myself, but they gave out immediately. I fell back to the ground with a small , broken, pathetic whimper that sounded nothing like the powerful creature I'd been not so long ago.The footsteps came closer.Slow, careful, cautious. Like whoever it was clearly didn't want to startle a dangerous animal.Smart."Easy," the voice said again, it was a man's voice, definitely male, with a rough edge that spoke of someone who'd lived hard. "I'm not going to hurt you."A laugh wanted to bubble up in

I didn’t want to wake up. When I was asleep, I could pretend. Pretend that the rejection never happened. Pretend I was still in my small basement room back at Bloodfang, getting ready for another day where no one noticed me. Pretend my world hadn’t completely fallen apart in just one day. But my body didn’t care. Pain pulled me awake — dull, deep pain that spread from my shoulder where the arrow had pierced me. My muscles hurt, like I’d been stepped on by something heavy. And underneath it all was a deep tiredness that made even opening my eyes feel like too much work. Still I forced them open anyway. Soft sunlight came through the thin walls of Lyra’s tent, turning everything a warm gold. The air smelled of herbs, smoke, and food cooking somewhere close — a smell that made my stomach twist painfully. How long had it been since I’d eaten? Two days? Maybe three? I tried to sit up, but instantly regretted it. The world tilted, my shoulder burned, and for a second I thought I was

Dawn arrived too early.I woke to Lyra shaking my shoulder, Her face looked a little sorry and a little amused."Maya's waiting," she said. "And trust me, you don't want to keep her waiting."My body protested as I sat up. Yesterday's training with Kael had left me sore in places I didn't know could hurt. And that had been the gentle introduction.“Here.” Lyra handed me a cup of the bitter medicine. “Drink. You’ll need it.”I downed it without arguing, wincing at the taste."How bad is she?" I asked as I pulled on the clothes Lyra had found for me—worn pants, a simple shirt, boots that were slightly too big.“Maya?” Lyra thought for a second. “She’s intense. Fair, though. She won’t push you beyond what you can handle. She’ll push you right to the edge and keep going until you get better.”"That's supposed to be reassuring?""No. That's supposed to be honest." She handed me a piece of bread and dried meat. "Eat while you walk. And Selene?" I paused at the entrance to the shelter."Don

I dreamed of blood that night.It ran like rivers through the dark, spreading across the ground, sinking into the earth. And in the middle of it stood a figure made of shadows—tall, not human, eyes glowing like burning coals.You can’t hide from what you are, it said. You can’t escape the fate waiting for you.I woke gasping, my heart slamming against my ribs, my skin cold and damp with sweatThe shelter was empty. Lyra must have already left for morning duties.Outside, I could hear the camp stirring to life but it was different now. Quieter. More cautious. The easy warmth from two days ago had been replaced by tension that hung in the air like smoke.Davey's death had changed everything.I forced myself up, ignoring my protesting muscles, and splashed cold water on my face from the basin Lyra kept near her workspace. My reflection in the small mirror looked haggard, dark circles under my eyes, bruises from yesterday's training still healing on my jaw and cheekbone.I looked like I'