My Omega Queen
Chapter 25: Rotten to the Core

POV: Emily

The last and only time I’ve shifted, the agony caused by Kyle’s rejection completely eclipsed the pain of shifting into Accalia. Hence, it truly took me by surprise when the shifting began and all my bones started breaking and rearranging, hurting like hell. It felt like forever, but it was all worth it. The moment Accalia put her paws down on the soft grass, she shook her head and sniffed the air. Our reflection in the water looked as majestic as I remembered, making me feel strong and confident. Accalia stretched her back side and began running through the woods, her paws touching the ground so swiftly that you could barely hear us. She easily hunted and trapped a rabbit by pinning its ear down using a paw, playing with it for a moment. However, we had just eaten, so she let it go. After all, the hunt was the fun part.

As she was enjoying her activities, suddenly her ears perked up due to some noise in the distance, quickly joined by the sight of a black shadow mixing with the bushes. A sniff in the air was more than enough to tell us the source of this disturbance: Arthur. He was slowly getting closer, until he was barely feet away from us. He was huge, and his eyes were as deep and dark as the night, yet I could tell he was infatuated with us.

“We must have lost track of time.” I thought, and immediately considered asking Accalia for control back. However, my idea was quickly diminished by the utter realization that my clothes were left beside the lake. Werewolves usually have no issues displaying their bare bodies in front of peers, but it still feels embarassing to me. My thoughts were now concentrated on the fact that Accalia and Arthur were definitely going to complete the mating ritual if nothing was done, so I had to think fast.

Nevertheless, Accalia managed to surprise everyone with her unexpected reaction at seeing her mate getting closer: growling. A more agressive growl accompanied by her teeth exposed in warning determined Arthur to stop in his steps and ponder on Accalia’s actions.

“Accalia, what are you doing?!” I asked her worriedly, scared by the consequences of growling at the Alpha: “He could kill us for this!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just give him a piece of my mind for marking us without permission.” Accalia replied to me, as calmly as ever.

“Just let it go, Accalia! Our best bet now is submissi-” but it was too late. A deep and loud growl escaped Arthur’s snout as he decided to get closer, slowly, yet imposing and dominating. Accalia did not back away at his roar and stood her ground, which only managed to further anger Arthur.

“Shift back!!” I pleaded in vain, ignoring my ashamed side for the sake of self-preservation, but I get no answer.

They both stopped growling when Arthur halted in his steps beside Accalia’s head, being just a tad taller than her. Accalia broke the intense atmosphere by suddenly snapping at his ear, making Arthur dodge her bite and instantly lunging at us in an attempt to bring us into a submissive position. But Accalia is fast to side step and let him hit the floor, as if foreseeing his move. This fall seems to have been enough for Accalia, as she starts wagging her tail and crouching. Arthur gets up and shakes off the dust, facing us in confusion. Accalia lays her ears back to display her lack of aggression and begins heading towards the huge black spot in front of us that’s emanating anger. She whimpers for a second before licking his muzzle and rubbing her face onto his. Arthur gives in to the mate bond and reflects her actions of intimacy. They start playing like two pups in kindergarten, as if nothing ever happened. Suddenly, Arthur’s attention was distracted and he started running towards the direction of the lake, closely followed by Accalia. Edward’s clothes soon came in sight, hidden behind a tree, where he shifted back to his human form. Accalia did not think of giving him any privacy, staring at him change while whimpering slowly.

Once clothed, Edward approached Accalia and caressed her fur, whispering:

“I’m sorry for taking Arthur away, but an urgent matter at the pack requires my undivided attention right now. We’ll meet at home.” and leaving in a hurry.

I also shifted back once he was nowhere in sight, the moon being my only witness, and I hurried towards the mansion. Unsurprisingly, the door leading to Edward’s office was closed. However, just as I walked beside the door, I get startled by Michael opening it and welcoming me inside:

“Good evening, Luna, come in.” he said happily.

My heart skips a beat in expectance of my very first official pack meeting. I step inside the room that is now quite familiar to me, and the first thing I see are the Elders Andrew and Lance sitting on the sofa. Edward is leaning on his desk in front of them and ushers me to get closer, wearing a grin on his face:

“Emily, perfect timing! Come here… As Luna of the pack, it is now time for you to get involved in pack duties.”

The Elders were not saying anything, holding their heads down, not making eye contact.

I leaned on the desk beside Edward and he continued: “You might not remember this, but after the ceremony, Elder Cole went missing. At first, I paid no mind to his absence. However, after the doctor confirmed that you had been poisoned, me, Michael and the girls immediately suspected the mead, suspicion which you have also supported. Since the drink itself was also nowhere to be found so as to test it, we have organised a wide search for Cole and we have finally found him, trying to hide in a long deserted cabin just outside our border.”

His words leave me speechless, as I would have never thought that an Elder would betray their pack. Elders are supposed to be the most loyal, trustworthy wolves in the pack. They are usually werewolves past the middle age which have acquired so much wisdom through their years of servitude that even an Alpha requests their advice. This is why an Elder commiting treason is virtually unheard of.

Despite my surprised expression, Edward went on with his story while getting progressively angrier: “After merely minutes of torture, Cole confessed to the heinous crime. To top it all off, he also admitted that Antonio Greyback, my f*cking Gamma, had requested it.” while saying this, he clenched the desk so hard that it began splintering under pressure. “The moment they heard that, Andrew and Lance, sitting here, have been trying to find excuses for their friend, and ask for mercy.”

Then Edward moves his gaze towards me, asking: “Now, what do you think we should do with Cole and his accomplice, Emily?”