All Chapters of THE ROGUE QUEEN : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The leader's blade was just inches from my throat when the shadows caught his wrist.They wrapped around him like living chains, black and twisting and alive. His eyes went wide with shock, then in fear as the darkness tightened around him."What—what the fuck—"I didn't know what I was doing. I just knew I wanted him to stop. To back away. To leave us alone.The shadows obeyed.They yanked him backward with enough force to send him crashing into a tree. He hit hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs.To my right, Kael had the second hunter pinned, teeth around his throat, a warning growl rumbling in his chest. The man had dropped his weapon and gone completely still, knowing that one wrong move would end him.The third hunter—the one the shadows had grabbed first was on his knees, clawing at the darkness wrapped around his neck. His face was turning purple.“He can't breathe,” I realized with horror.“Good,” my wolf snarled. “Let him suffocate.”“No!”I pulled the shadows bac

I didn’t sleep at all that night.Every time I shut my eyes, I saw their faces. Zara. Lyra. Maya. Old Thomas. All of them preparing to fight… while I ran away.“You're not running,” my wolf whispered. “You're surviving.”But it still felt like running.When dawn finally broke, I was already packed and waiting outside Lyra's shelter. The camp was stirring—wolves moving with quietly, checking weapons, saying quiet goodbyes to loved ones.Preparing for war.“Ready?” Lyra asked as she stepped out. She looked exhausted, eyes tired and sad.“No,” I said honestly.“Good.” She pressed a small pouch into my hand. “Medicine. Use it only if you need it. And one more thing.” Her hand tightened on my shoulder. “Don’t you dare feel guilty for living. You hear me?”I nodded, because speaking would’ve broken something inside me.Kael found me moments later. He looked like he hadn’t slept either. His hair was a mess, his clothes wrinkled, and there was dark circles under his eyes, tension in his jaw.

By midday, I was ready to collapse.Kael had pushed me through three hours of non-stop combat training. Blocking, dodging, pivoting, countering. My muscles screamed. My lungs burned. Every inch of my body ached."Again," Kael said, resetting his stance.“I need a break,” I groaned."You'll get one when you successfully block five attacks in a row."I groaned but got back into position.He came at me—left hook, right cross, uppercut. I blocked the first two but missed the third. His fist stopped inches from my jaw."Dead," he announced. "Again."We’d been doing this over and over. I’d reached four blocks twice, but never five. I was so too tired.My frustration was building with each failed attempt."I can't do this," I said, dropping my arms."Yes, you can.""No, I really can't. I'm exhausted. I can barely stand—""In a real fight, you won't get to be exhausted. You'll fight until you win or die." His voice was firm but not unkind. "One more round. Give me five blocks."I wanted to ar

The forest was completely different at night.Darker, yes, but also more alive. Every sound seemed louder. Every scent sharper. The moon hung heavy and bright above the trees, painting everything in silver and shadow.I stood at the den entrance in my wolf form, shadows rippling through my dark fur. Beside me, Kael's russet wolf was alert and patient.“Ready?” his voice asked through the pack link, the mind connection between wolves that I was still learning to use.“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.“Remember,” he said, “use your nose. Follow the smell. And when you find the prey, wait for my signal before you attack.”I nodded, lowering my big head in agreement.We walked into the forest together, quietly.Kael was right, being in wolf form made everything clearer. My senses felt stronger than ever. I could smell everything, the pine trees, the wet soil, the faint scent of a fox that had been there hours earlier, and something else…A rabbit.“There,” Kael’s voice said. “To the

We left as soon as the sun came up.We didn’t take much with us—just the little food we had left, some water, the medical kit, and our weapons. Everything else stayed behind.The den used to feel safe, like home.Now it felt like a place we barely escaped from.Kael walked carefully, trying not to put too much weight on his injured side. My shoulder hurt with every step, but I tried not to show it. Neither of us talked about the pain.“How long will it take?” I asked as we made our way through the forest.“To get back to camp? About a full day if we push ourselves. Maybe more, since we’re both hurt.” He stopped to look at a mark on a tree—one he had made when we first traveled this way. “We’ll have to rest more than I want to.”"“Garrett could be tracking us.”“He is tracking us,” Kael said. “The real question is whether he’s doing it right now or waiting for backup.” He shifted his pack on his shoulder. “If I had to guess, he’s gone to report what happened. After what you did last ni