The Alpha King's Rebellious Queen
The Alpha King’s Rebellious Queen Chapter 74

Jemma’s POV

I sat in the SUV beside Cassius trying not to completely break down into a mess of tears. Cassius had told me to be strong and think of the twins also. But I just wanted to find Nicky and have him in my arms and safe again. I leaned against Cassius’s chest for comfort. He stroked my back as I watched the scenery outside the vehicle become familiar. We were close to the lake I had spent a lot of time at as a pup with my parents and siblings. The vehicle pulled into the lot close to the lake and I was out of the door before it was fully stopped.

“Jemma!” Cassius called after me but I ignored him and saw my father and brother.

My father looked stressed. I looked past him to see a white sheet covering a body. I assumed it was Mark’s. I saw b***d around the sheet on the ground. I sighed. Mark had been like an uncle to me growing up and of course, he was Nicky’s grandfather. I stopped in front of my father and he pulled me into a hug. I knew he was grieving the loss of his beta and close friend. Despite their differences, he and Mark had been like brothers.

“How are you holding up Phil?” I heard Cassius ask behind me.

My father released me and I vaguely heard him and my mate talking. I caught a familiar scent in the air and motherly instinct drove me to follow it. ‘I have a bad feeling about this.’ I said to Leonora. ‘It’s our pup. I just know it.’

My son’s scent grew stronger the further away I got from my Cassius and my family. My gut said to turn back and go to Cassius but instinct and my wolf were driving me in this direction. I stopped at the top of a hill out of earshot of my mate and the warriors we brought. I looked around and saw I was near a road. “Nicky?” I called out.

“Mommy!” I heard his voice and turned to see him being held tightly by Jeremy. He tried to break free from his father’s grasp but Jeremy held on tight.

“Jeremy! Let him go.”

Nicky was crying as he struggled to get free from Jeremy’s grasp. “Let me go.” He snarled to Jeremy.

Jeremy pulled Nicky towards him. “Stop it, Nicholas.” He sighed and looked at me. “Everything will be okay. Soon you will be free of that mate bond and then we’ll all be together.” Jeremy explained as my anger towards him rose.

I heard rustling behind me and turned to see what it was and then I felt something sharp stabbing me in my neck. The cackling of a man behind me could be heard as I felt faint and pain through my body. I started to sink to the ground as my son called to me.

Jeremy stepped forward as I fell to the ground. “Do not mind link Cassius or you and Nicky will be killed. Just go to sleep and soon everything will be alright.” His once handsome face became the devil as I slipped into darkness and pain. I heard Leonora growling in my head. ‘Leonora tell Enoch what Jeremy just said.’

‘I already did, Jemma.’ My wolf replied as I closed my eyes and everything went black.

All I felt was searing hot pain in the darkness. I wanted to escape it and be free of it. I tried opening my eyes but I was paralyzed from the hot pain. ‘Leonora.’ I called to my wolf.

‘We’ve been poisoned again, Jemma. The same as last time. I have to choose between staying in contact with Enoch or saving the pups.’

‘Save the pups, Leonora. I need to have faith that Enoch and Cassius will find us.’ There was silence as my wolf didn’t reply but the pain lessened till I was numb. I felt my body being jostled along with my voice all around me. I heard Nicky crying.

“Shut that brat up.” I heard a loud growl close by. Most likely from whoever was carrying me. I wanted to wake up and claw his eyes out for yelling at my pup.

“Quiet down, Nick.” I heard Jeremy growling and my son just whimpered.

The next thing I know I was dropped like a sack of potatoes. Luckily I landed on something almost soft. I still wanted to open my eyes but it felt like they were glued shut.

“Mommy!’ My son yelped.

“Shut the brat up before I yank his f*****g tongue out.” The voice snarled.

My pup whined as I heard him yelp. “Nick, shut up.” Jeremy barked at him. I wanted to wake up so I could rip Jeremy’s throat out. I never should have asked Cassius to spare him. What a damn fool I was.

I lay there listening to the voices before I fell into silence again. I dreamt of my pups playing in the field of daisies with Cassius. But I couldn’t get to them. The more I tried to run to them the further away they got. I finally got to them only for everything to go black again. I called out to Cassius only for my voice to echo into the void. I felt empty as I opened my eyes. I was lying on my side facing a brick wall. I rolled onto my back and figured out I was on a bed. Not a comfortable one but a bed. I turned my head and I was in a cell of some sort. It was made of wet stone. Beside the bed, there was a small table with a chair and a dirty-smelling toilet in the corner. I tried sitting up but my head felt like it was in a vice. There was a large iron door with a small window. I heard keys jingling and then the door opened. In walked Jeremy with a grin upon his demon face. I sneered at him.

He knelt bweside the bed. “How are you feeling, love?” He reached out to stroke my cheek and I swatted him away. He tried using Cassius’s term of endearment for me.

“What the f**k is going on Jeremy?” I snarled at him and his smile fell.

“Don’t be like that Jemma. I am saving you from a forced mating. When this is all over you and I will be together. We’ll take Nick far away and live a happy life.”

I growled at him. “You are so f*****g deluded Jeremy.” He growled at my words. “I will never be with you. Cassius is the only one I want. I never should have asked him to spare you. He is a far better father than you will ever be.”

Jeremy snarled loudly and balled up his fists. I hissed when he punched me hard in my cheek. I glared at him. “Shut up Jemma.”

I heard someone chuckle and looked towards the door as a man looking like Cassius stepped into the cell. He was wearing a very fine black suit and his brown hair was slicked back. He snorted at Jeremy. “Oh come now, Jeremy. Don’t hit the woman.” His smooth voice echoed in the cell. He then turned his dull blue eyes on me.

“Felix.” I spat with disgust.

He snapped his fingers and Jeremy pulled the chair from the meager table and set it beside Felix. He sat down and placed his hand on his knee. “Are you comfortable, your majesty?” He tried sounding sincere as Jeremy stood beside him. “I know it’s not the cell you saw in your dreams but that can be arranged if you like.”

I just glared at him. I wanted to leap off this bed and rip both of their throats out but I could barely move. No doubt the effects of the poison in my body.

“Anyways, you are probably curious about why you are here,” Felix said with amusement in his voice.

“I have an idea,” I responded to him. “You are very predictable. You want the crown.”

He nodded. “How right you are. I am the rightful king of the werewolves. The Furys were never supposed to rule but they took it from my half of the family. When I am king things will be restored to the way they were before the Furys usurped the crown.”

I snorted. “Right, enslaving humans and destroying the order of things.”

Felix leaned back in the chair. “And what is wrong with enslaving an inferior species. Humans are useless twits. They would be better off serving us.”

I rolled my eyes at him and looked at Jeremy. “And what are you getting out of this?”

He glanced at Felix. “Why you of course.” He smiled at me. “Having you in my arms has always been the goal. I love you, Jemma. I want us to be together like we were meant to be.”

I snarled at him. “There is one problem with that plan, Jeremy. I don’t love you.”

He snickered. “You are only saying that because of the mate bond. Once Cassius is dead your heart will be free to love the one it truly desires.”

“Cassius is the one I truly desire.”

Jeremy growled at me. “Jemma, I am doing this for us.”

“I don’t have time for this lover’s spat,” Felix spoke out angrily. “You, my dear will be my guest while that poison we injected kills off those royal whelps. By that time Cassius will be weakened by your absence so I will easily take him down. Then you will be free to go with Jeremy and your pup.” He stood up and walked towards the door. “It shouldn’t take more than a week.” He walked out of the cell leaving me with Jeremy.

I scowled at the man I once loved. How could he have sunk so low that I now despised him? “You may think you won me. But I will hate you forever and the first chance I get I will kill you.”

Jeremy’s expression darkened and he grabbed my throat. “You can make this easy of hard. I would hate anything to happen to Nick.” His voice hissed out and I felt chills run down my spine.

“You wouldn’t hurt him, Jeremy.”

He got into my face. “That entirely depends on you, Jemma. Be a good little mate and we’ll be happy. Fight me and Nick will never live to his fourth birthday.” He released me and I gasped for air.

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. In everything that Jeremy had done, I had always defended him as a father. Despite all his failings he always loved Nick no matter what and here he was threatening to kill our precious pup. “You would kill your own son?”

“We can always make more.” His face contorted into an evil grin. “I have to go, it’s almost dinner time. Be sure to eat every last bite. It has a special ingredient to speed up the poison in your system.” He laughed coldly before walking out of the cell and locking it behind him.

Tears fell down my cheeks. It wasn’t cold but the feeling that Jeremy left me with made me shiver. I so wanted to mind link Cassius so he could come and save me. ‘Leonora, you have to hold on.’ I told her to be met with silence. She had to use all of her strength to keep the poisons from affecting the pups. She couldn’t contact Enoch or Leopold. She couldn’t even talk to me. The silence was jarring.

I pulled my knees to my chest and fell into an uneasy sleep. Hoping and praying that Cassius would find us. All I wanted was my mate’s tender touch and to be held in his safe arms. Hours later I was awakened by rough hands shaking me. I looked up to a grim-faced rogue.

“Get up and eat your dinner, miss.” He growled to me. He had a tray of what looked to be gruel in his hands. I could smell the poison mixed in.

“I’m not hungry.”

A rough hand pulled me up to stand before him. He dropped the tray on the table and then forced me to sit. “Either you eat it yourself or I force you to.”

I stared at the nasty-looking food and my stomach turned. I wasn’t sure how long Leonora could hang on if I kept eating the poison. ‘Moon Goddess. Please. Spare my pups.’ I prayed to her as I took a bite of the food. “This s**t is nasty.”

“Be grateful we are feeding you.” The rogue growled. He was standing over me.

“Do you have to watch me?”

“Yes. The boss wants me to ensure him that you eat every last bite.”

Sighing heavily I steeled myself to finish the food. Perhaps once he left I could just vomit it up before it affected my body too much. I forced it down quickly and turned to the rogue. “Satisfied?”

He picked up the tray and left the cell. I listened as his steps got further away then I ran to the toilet and stuck my finger down my throat forcing myself to vomit. I retched until my sides hurt. I wished there was water for me to rinse my mouth. Sighing I walked over and fell onto the bed. I stared at the ceiling as I lay on my back. The taste of bile in my mouth making me queasy. I didn’t know how long I would be able to hang on like this.

I fell into a restless sleep. Tossing and turning on the hard bed. I eventually succumbed to the darkness again and dreamed of my happy family running around in the field only I was unable to get to them. I was in a cage looking out. They didn’t seem to notice I was there as I cried out to them. Then one by one they faded as I screamed for them. Finally, Cassius was the only one left. His blue eyes looked up at me as he turned to dust and his remains blew away in the wind. “Cassius!” I cried into the silence. “Cassius, I need you to find me. I need you to rescue me and our pups. Oh please Moon Goddess, don’t let them die.”

‘Hold on Jemma.’ A female voice said as the field of daises glowed in a silvery light. ‘You are stronger than you know. The full moon is in one week. Leonora has the strength to hang on for the week and then she and the pups will die. You need to have faith that I will keep that from happening. But I will need your strength to achieve that.’

‘I have faith in you.’ I said to the voice I’m pretty sure was the Moon Goddess, Selene. She did not speak again and I was left to suffer in silence once again. I just hoped what she said was real and not a manifestation of my thoughts. I just needed faith.