My Omega Queen
Chapter 34: Time to Shine

POV: Emily

Edward’s awkward look was quickly explained:

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m afraid our second date will have to wait for a bit. I have postponed sharing these news with you considering the events, but I have a meeting scheduled with the Alpha of the Frostcrest Pack, located in the North-East. Unfortunately, the date has been agreed upon a while ago and we cannot miss it. We are to discuss terms for a possible trade alliance, but, bottom line is that I’m going to be gone for about four days because it’s a long trip. Michael and a few other pack warriors are coming with me. Until then, I would like for you to take up the mantle of Queen and lead the pack on my behalf, starting tomorrow. I know Amanda has already shown you the ropes, so I thought it would be a good idea.”

It takes me a while to digest everything I’ve just been told by Edward. Realizing that a huge responsibility has been laid on my shoulders, my anxiety skyrockets. I begin thinking about the date we just had and that it may have been his plan all along, to get me out of my grief and into my queenly duties. My line of thought and my worries are interrupted by Edward saying:

“Of course, if you think you can do it. Otherwise, I can always leave Michael to be the temporary leader, as has been the case so far. I am truly sorry for having soured the day of our first date like this.”

Despite this request catching me off guard, I manage to reply promptly:

“No, I can do it. I want to.”

I let out an internal sigh of relief, especially as Accalia purrs proudly at my determination. Somehow, he managed to think of everything, thus ridding me of my bad thoughts. He is right, I need to step up and show my worth, no matter how dire the situation is.

Edward smiles and continues:

“I’m glad to hear that. Naturally, I will also give you walkthrough of what needs to be done while I’ll be gone, but more on that tomorrow morning, before I depart for Frostcrest. For now, just know that I’ve done my best these past few days so that you’ll have as little a workload as possible. If everything goes well, the pack won’t even feel my absence.”

He ends his pep talk with an alluring wink, which reminds me of how handsome he is and makes me more aware of our surroundings. As we entered the mansion, we quickly realised that nobody was home so we just stopped in the living room to talk. This romantic mood is only accentuated by his complete trust in me to fill this critical role and I couldn’t be happier:

“Don’t tease me like that! I’ll barely get any sleep now, just thinking about it.” I say, as I lean towards him and hug his neck and shoulders: “Thank you, again, for today. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be such a great queen, you’ll just have to take me on another date when you get back.”

He barely manages to get out: “We have a dea-” before I k**s his lips and seal our agreement. However, to my delight, this time he doesn’t pull back, but pushes further. Edward grabs the back of my head and continues our k**s by touching slightly my lips with his tongue, asking for permission. As I grant it and our tongues begin intermingling, our bodies begin a dance of their own towards our bedroom. The path was definitely not straight, as we hit walls every now and then, lacking vision. Going up the stairs proved to be the most difficult challenge. After only three steps, Edward unlocked our lips and decided to carry me in his arms the rest of the way. His usual slick hair was now a mess and I could feel his rapid heartbeats with my body. My staring has been halted by a sudden thud on the soft bed, which took me by surprise. I was so engulfed in devouring his body with my eyes that I didn’t even notice when we got in the bedroom. However, Edward, who is now staying in front of me, has completely lost the excited glimmer in his eyes, which are now comprising a pitiful expression. A look around me is enough to tell me the source of his agony: my side of the bed is covered in used tissues, a reminder of my mental state and past events. Just as Edward sits slowly on the side of the bed, I get up to gather and throw away the tissues, making sure to assure him:

“I’m fine! We can go on in a second!”

But Edward chooses to hug me to sleep in silence. It has been a while since I last fell asleep without crying, hence I can certainly say that this day was exactly what I needed.

The morning comes and I wake up snuggling with Edward. My mind wanders to Grace again, but I manage to push through the lingering pain. I need to stay strong right now. The Midnight pack needs a leader and that should be me. By the time I finish freshening up in the bathroom, Edward too has woken up. He quickly gets dressed and leaves, telling me to meet him in his office so that he can explain my duties to me. I expect to be out and about today, so I get dressed in casual clothes and I get to Edward merely a few minutes after he left.

“Great, that was fast.”, he begins. Pointing toward a stack of papers on his desk, we begin my walkthrough: “Now, this is the hardest and most daunting task you have to do while I’m away. Those documents are requests sent in by other packs or even our own members.”

Edward goes on to explain how to read through them, giving me a detailed rundown of what I should or should not to, how to sort them, if and when to consult either a book or other people. By the end, it feels like my head is spinning, but I’m pretty sure I managed to understand most of what needs to be done. Grinning, Edward pulls out a few pieces of paper from his desk and says:

“Just in case, I made some cheat sheets, but I’m sure you won’t need them. Now, let’s move on to patrolling and what you need to do there.”

While walking around the barracks, he acquaints me with the several patrol leaders and informs them of the temporary changes. They reacted better than I thought, as they seemed rather happy to be of service. Basically, I am to decide formations and numbers in case of an attack. In the unfortunate case of an invasion, I am to command the troops and repel it to my best judgement. It sounds pretty scary to imagine bearing the weight of other lives on my shoulders, but Accalia reassures me that I am not alone.

Afterwards, Edward brings up different scenarios which might occur and gives me a list of people to talk to if emergencies are to arise. Most notably, Amanda will have my back every step of the way to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

“So, I think that was everything. I’m sure you’ll do great, but, on the off chance that something is wrong, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Even I had a rough start and had to grow into it. Alright then, I must leave now, everybody must be waiting for me.”

“Have a safe trip.”, I say as I k**s Edward goodbye.

He blushes, smiles, then replies: “Have fun, Emily. We’ll see each other soon enough.”

As soon as Edward left, I could feel a pit in my stomach. It just dawned on me that I am the one in charge now, and that there is an expectation from me as a queen. I swiftly head for the office and get started on the paperwork.

After a dizzying couple of hours, the stack of papers seemed as big and imposing as it was when I started, so I decide to take a break to avoid getting frustrated. Amanda shows up to give me a brief update on a minor fight that broke out at the training grounds, but it was quickly resolved without the need for my intervention.

We walk around the territory, seeing how people go about their day, until we reach the kindergarten. Me and Amanda play with the pups for a while just so I can take my mind off of the sheer amount of bureaucracy Edward left for me to wrap up. Slowly, I return to the dreaded office and thanks to the cheat sheet and perhaps the much-needed break, I feel ready to tackle some requests. I have a productive session, in which the stack has finally diminished visibly, so I am quite content with my work.

Deciding this was enough for today and seeing it was quite late too, I leave the room and go to Grace’s resting place. Coincidentally, I meet Andy there and we both share stories about her. While we are both still deeply hurt by her passing, it’s good we can manage to smile while recalling the good times. Andy thanks me for the chat and leaves, but I stay behind for a while, laying on the cold headstone and whispering:

“I hope I can make you proud of me, Grace. I really wish you could see me right now. I miss you-” is what I manage to say before tears begin to flow. I say a quiet goodbye and leave, mind-linking Amanda on the way home:

“Hey, are you still working? Do you feel like watching a movie?”

Immediately, I hear an excited voice saying:

“Oh my Godness, yes, I’d love to! I’m almost done here, I’ll bring some snacks to your room. You can choose the movie meanwhile.”

I hurry back home to browse through the available catalog, until Amanda arrives with a huge bucket of popcorn and some drinks. We ended up watching a horror vampire movie, it was quite fun. We chat for a bit about our day, but eventually we get tired and each go to sleep in our room. I’m really grateful to have such a good friend and Beta female.

I wake up the next day ready to take on the papers, but I only manage to get a few of them done until I am mind-linked by one of the patrols with the worst news possible:

“Luna, there is a breach at the southern border. Our patrols have encountered seven hostile rogues in the south-eastern sector. We tried to fend them off but only managed to kill one of them before the rest scattered or retreated. What’s the plan?”

I remember there were about twelve patrols in that sector, so I relay my decision:

“Split into two groups: six of you should pursue and the other should attempt to intercept them before they reach the village. If they want to retreat, let them. Focus on defense.”

“Understood.”

Worried, I quickly make my way towards the barracks to better coordinate a search. However, my nightmare worsens when I get another mind-link:

“This is Marco, from the south-western sector. We have engaged a group of about ten or so hostile rogues. We are currently fighting but seem to be outnumbered. What should we do, Luna?”

This is bad. My mind is racing, as is my body. I need to stay calm and keep heading for the barracks. I realize that the next moments are crucial and my plan going forward needs to be flawless.

Okay, Emily, it’s your time to shine!, I encourage myself.