The Alpha King's Rebellious Queen
The Alpha King’s Rebellious Queen Chapter 9

Jemma’s POV

Leonora howled and fought me as I ran from the palace. ‘GO BACK TO MATE!’ It took all of my strength to keep her from taking over and making us go back. ‘I can’t do that, Leonora.’ I pleaded with her. I was not going to be Queen. I just wanted to be a simple warrior, not Queen.

‘You can’t run from fate, Jemma.’ Leonora growled in my head.

I panted as I ran because Leonora was refusing to lend me strength, and I was wearing a tight dress and no shoes. My feet were cut up from rocks and sticks, but I ignored the pain. I leaned against the tree for a moment to catch my breath. Leonora was still growling in my head. My vision blurred as she was pushing forward in my head. ‘Stop it, Leonora, I am not going back.’ I snarled at her.

‘He is our mate Jemma,’ She cried.

‘You already know how I felt about mates,’ I argued. ‘I am not fit to be Queen. King Cassius can be free to find someone better and more suited.’ I tried to plead with her. But she was not easily convinced.

‘Jemma, this isn’t you. The Moon Goddess chose you to be the mate of the King for a reason. She wouldn’t have chosen you if she did not think you were capable. Which you are more than capable of.’

A twig snapped, and I looked to find two male warriors in the royal garb approaching me. One stepped forward. “Jemma MacKenzie? The King has ordered us to take you with us.”

I shook my head. “No.” The last thing I wanted to do was get myself in more trouble by fighting the royal guards, but I couldn’t go back. He reached out and clasped my arm. I sized him up and down, and he started to lead me back to the palace. ‘Leonora, if you help me I promise you I will go back to Cassius. I just need to sort out my head and see Nicky.’

‘If you promise.’ She growled.

‘I swear to the Goddess. Now let’s not hurt the guards.’ I felt her surge forward as I ripped my arm out of the grip. He lunged for me, and I quickly shifted into my wolf. The two guards looked at me, stunned to see a pure white wolf with violet eyes standing before them. I snarled, and they backed off. Then I leaped over them and took off towards home. The way home from the palace was quicker through the woods than it was by car. Our territory bordered the royal territory. I was relieved when I saw familiar scenery come into view. We slowed to a trot as I passed over the boundary. Using my nose, I found one of our clothing stashes and shifted back into human form, and pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top. Then I started walking towards the packhouse. A pair of strong arms grabbed me and pulled me into a hard chest. I yelped as a familiar scent took me over.

“Want to tell me why the royal guard is after you?” Paul whispered into my ear.

I turned in his arms and looked into his golden eyes. They usually made me go weak in the knees, and now nothing. He leaned down to k**s me, and it was like kissing my brother. “The royal guard is after me?” I tried to play it off. “I had no idea. I just had to get away from the party. You know how much I hate those things.”

He nodded, but I knew he didn’t believe me. “Are you sure that’s all because we have several asking for you?”

I tensed. “Just let me go back to the house. I have to see Nicky.”

He took a deep breath. “You know I cannot go against the royal guard Jemma.” His deep voice rumbled out.

I traced my hand down his cheek and looked him in the eyes. He leaned down and kissed me again. I felt pain in my chest as Leonora growled viciously in my head. He tried deepening the k**s but just couldn’t. I pulled away from him. Damn that mate bond. I no longer felt anything for Paul. “Let me go, Paul.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that, Jemma.”

A loud growl fell out of me. “LET ME GO!” I said in an authoritative tone like my father’s alpha tone, only it was more powerful. Paul instantly let me go, and I backed away from him. There was a moment of silence between us as he looked at me with shock, and then he fell to his knees.

He bowed his head. “Your majesty.” How the hell does he know?

‘Your aura changed the moment you found out that you and Cassius are mates.’ Leonora explained.

I shook my head. ‘No. No. This can’t be happening.’

‘The sooner you accept your fate, then the sooner we can move on.’

“Get off the ground, Paul,” I ordered him.

He rose to his feet. “You are the King’s mate, aren’t you?”

“Not for long, Paul. I’m no queen.”

He smiled with his golden eyes. “That is where you are wrong, Jemma. I always knew you were special. We are not meant to be, no matter how much I desired you. It’s clear to me now. You shouldn’t be running from your fate, my Queen.”

I reached for him, and he backed away. “I’m sorry, Paul.” I felt tears fall down my cheeks.

“You are going to be an amazing queen, Jemma.” I sensed others approaching us. He sighed. “Go back to the packhouse. I will cover for you.”

I tried touching him again, and he backed away from me and sprinted towards the others that were approaching us. Taking a deep breath, I took off towards home. I needed to get home and see my baby. Relief washed over me when the house came into view. It would always be my home. I felt the eyes of the pack on me as I walked swiftly to the door. No one said anything. I smiled at them as I walked towards the living room. My heart swelled when I heard Nicky giggling. He was sitting on the couch in his father’s lap. Others were sitting on the couch, watching a movie. Their heads all snapped to me when I entered the room. “Mommy!” Nicky broke the silence and hopped off of Jeremy’s lap and ran over to me.

I picked him up and hugged him tight to me. I kissed the top of his blonde head. “Hi, Nicky. I missed you.” I walked towards the couch. “Was he good?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Of course, he was.” He looked me over. “So, how was the ball?” He eyed my attire.

“Boring.” I sensed my mother had entered the room. I also felt her anger. I turned to see her standing in the doorway, glaring at me with her arms folded. The rest of the pack members had their heads bowed, sensing their Luna’s anger. I mustered a weak smile. “Hi, Mom. I uh had to leave the party.”

She said nothing. She just kept her icy stare on me.

“I needed to come home to check on Nicky.” I looked at Jeremy.

“What happened at the ball, Jemma?” My mother’s voice slithered out like venom.

I shuddered. I had rarely heard that tone in her voice. “Uh, nothing. It was just a boring old ball. I missed Nicky, so I had to come home.”

Her expression remained cold. “What happened to the dress?”

‘Oh shit.’ I said in my head. That expensive dress has now in shredded pieces lying on the forest floor. “I uh took it off to shift and forgot it.”

She gave me a look. She knew I was lying. There was no fooling my mother. She stepped towards me. Nicky shrank into my chest. Even he could sense how angry his grandmother was. “Well, you better go take care of Nicky. It’s past his bedtime.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I glanced at Jeremy before exiting the living room. I quickly made my way to my room. I set my sleepy son on my bed and sighed as I sat beside him. I patted his back.

“Mommy,” He muttered quietly.

“Let’s get you ready for bed,” I said to him.

He suddenly shot up from the bed. “No, I’m not tired.” He giggled and ran over to his bed and jumped on it.

“Nicholas, no jumping on the bed,” I yelled at him. He merely giggled and kept jumping. I walked over to him and picked him up. “It’s time for bed.” I kissed his nose.

“But Mommy, I want to play some more.”

I sighed as I walked towards my bathroom. “How about I put you in the tub, and you can play a little in there?”

He nodded as I set him down. He ran into the bathroom. I followed and turned on the faucet and then helped him undress. I added some of his favorite SpongeBob bubbles and threw his toy boats into the filling tub. I picked him up and set him in the tub. He giggled as bubbles touched him. I turned off the water and sat beside the tub.

He made funny noises as he played with his boats and toy sharks. I picked up a washcloth and began to wash him.

“Mommy, what does a boat say?”

I laughed. “Boats don’t say anything, silly goose. They are boats.”

“They go honk honk, Mommy.” He giggled as I began to wash his hair.

“Do they now, my silly boy?”

He nodded. “Yes.” He made mock honking noises as he splashed around. I finished washing his hair.

“Time to rinse. Close your eyes.” He closed his eyes as I rinsed his hair. Once done, I let him play for a couple more minutes. “Are you ready to get out now?”

He nodded. “Yes, Mommy.” He stood up, and I wrapped him in a towel and dried him off. Then I carried him into my room. My mother was standing in the doorway. Her face held no expression.

“Your father just came home.” She said without emotion.

I shrugged as I set Nicky down and opened the drawers to get his pajamas. My mother had approached me. “Cool.”

“You did it this time, Jemma.” She spoke angrily. “He needs you in his office now.”

“Mom, I need to put Nicky in bed.” I picked up my son. He snuggled against me.

“Now, Jemma!” My mother ordered in her Luna tone. Unfortunately for her, it no longer had any effect on me. Her eyes widened when I just stood there. “So, it is true.” Tears sprung into her eyes. “You are the Queen.” She whispered.

“Don’t cry, Grandma,” Nicky said to her.

My mother pressed her lips. “We need to go down to your father’s office now.” She said calmly. “Please.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I held Nicky tighter to me. Surely my father wouldn’t be too angry with me while I had my baby in my arms. I followed my mother out of my room. We passed pack members who stared at me with wide eyes. Tiffany ran up to us.

“Mom, why is the freaking king here?” My sister asked my mother, who shot me a look.

“Why indeed, Tiffany?”

Tiffany gave her a confused look then turned her gaze to me. “How was the ball?” She asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“You know, just another boring old ball,” I replied to her.

My mother shot me a look that silenced my sister and me. As we approached my father’s office, the scent of lavender and vanilla hit me like a truck. I couldn’t shake how it made me feel. We walked into the office. My father was sitting behind his desk with a drink in his hand. Beta Mark leaned against the wall while Uncle Terry was sitting in one of the chairs in front of my father’s desk. My eyes stopped on Cassius, who was leaning against the window. He turned his gaze to me. I was expecting anger, but instead, he smiled warmly at me. “Hello, Mate.”

I gulped and glanced at my father, who was looking at me through glassy eyes. No doubt he had a lot to drink tonight. He nodded at Mark. The beta walked over to me with arms out. “I’ll take Nicky.” He said to me.

“No,” I held my son tighter to me.

My father issued a low growl. “We need to talk, Jemma. And Nicholas needs to go to bed.”

I sighed.

“Come to Papa, Nicky.” Mark smiled at his grandson. “Let’s go find your daddy.”

I let him take my son out of my arms. “I’ll be up to tuck you in soon, Nicky.”

He waved bye to me as Mark carried him out of the office and closed. My mother had walked behind the desk and stood behind my father with her hand on his shoulder.

My father pointed to the empty chair. “Sit.” He ordered in his alpha tone. Which no longer affected me.

I just stood there.

He sighed. “I know my tone no longer affects you. But sit anyways.” He ordered through gritted teeth.

Not wanting to argue, I sat in the chair. Uncle Terry exited the other chair as Cassius sat in it. He grabbed the chair I was in and turned it, so I was facing him. His electrifying blue eyes bore into me. “Look at me, Jemma.” He said softly.

Taking a deep breath, I looked into the blue pools. My wolf howled happily. His eyes flashed black for a moment before returning to blue. “You ran away from me, Jemma.” His voice sounded sad rather than angry.

I looked away from him. Suddenly I couldn’t face him. “I panicked.”

“Your father here tells me that you don’t want a mate.”

I nodded as I felt tears in my eyes. “I-I have a boyfriend.”

He growled. “Is that the scent I smell all over you besides your pup’s? Don’t think I didn’t sense you kissing him.”

My b***d ran cold. ‘Told you.’ Leonora snarled in my head. “I-I kissed my son on the top of his head.”

“Quit lying, Jemma. Who did you k**s?” My mate asked coldly.

I wasn’t going to tell him who my boyfriend is or was. I didn’t want him to punish Paul. “P-Paul Daniels.”

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at my father. “I want him punished.”

“No! Please. Don’t. Paul is a good warrior. Please.”

His blue eyes landed on me again. “But he touched what is mine.”

“It was my fault. He didn’t know, your majesty.”

“Cassius, I am your mate. Call me, Cassius.” He sighed. “I won’t punish Paul. He is too good of a warrior.” He looked at my father. “But I don’t want him anywhere near you for the foreseeable future.”

My father nodded. “He will remain here.”

Cassius turned his gaze back to me. “So, I hear you have something to say to me.” He paused. I tilted my head in confusion and opened my mouth to say something. “Say it, Jemma. Reject me. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

I trembled as I tried to speak.

He laughed coldly. “You can’t say it, now?”

Taking a deep breath, I looked him in the eyes. This was my opportunity to free myself from him. I could make up with Paul, and we could resume our relationship. I could remain here in my pack. “I, Jemma Sky MacKenzie, reject you, King Cassius Fury, as my mate.” There should have been pain from the mate bond-breaking, but Cassius merely laughed. I looked at my father, who had his face buried in his hands.

“Jemma, you cannot reject the king.” He said quietly.

My mouth fell open. “But you can reject me, right?” I asked Cassius, who nodded. “Fine. Reject me. Trust me. You don’t want me. I am not queen material.”

Cassius laughed again as he pulled my chair towards his. I trembled as he leaned towards me and grabbed the arms of the chair, and stared at me dead on. “I will never reject you, Jemma MacKenzie.” He brought his lips close to mine. His scent overpowered me, making my stomach flutter. My heart raced as he brushed his lips against mine. The sparks that flew through my body made me shudder with pleasure. He then pressed his lips to mine, and the whole world spun as my body betrayed me and leaned into the k**s. “Tell me you don’t feel that.” He whispered to me. He pulled away, and his lips were against my ear. “The Goddess chose you for me for a reason. And unlike you, I do not question her wisdom. You are mine!” He stood up. “Now, go pack your bags. We leave first thing in the morning.”

I was momentarily frozen in place. Then I remembered. “I can’t leave, Cassius. I don’t want to take my son away from his father.”

Cassius glanced at my father. I followed his gaze as my father looked at me sadly. “Jemma,” He said my name as my mother squeezed his shoulder. “Nicholas is staying here.”

“What?” I asked as tears fell down my cheeks. “What do you mean?” The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I glared at Cassius. “I can’t leave Nicky!” I nearly yelled.

“I can’t have the result of your infidelity running around my palace, Jemma,” Cassius explained to me.

“Infidelity? I didn’t cheat on you. That was before we knew we were mates.” I cried as the tears flowed freely out of my eyes.

“In the eyes of the, our Goddess producing a pup with someone who is not your mate is infidelity. I will forgive that indiscretion along with the others because I have slept with women who were not my mate. But the child stays here.”

“NO!” I sprang to my feet. “Mom! Dad!” I started sobbing. “Don’t make me leave, Nicky! I can’t leave Nicky.”

My mother walked over to me and attempted to wrap her arms around me. I pushed her away and glared at her. “Jemma, Nicky will be well cared for.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it. Not only was I being taken from my home. I was being forced to leave my son. Sobs racked my body. “Please, Cassius. Please don’t make me leave him. I can’t leave him.” I grabbed Cassius’s arms and ignored the sparks. I looked him in the eyes. “Please!”

Cassius pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, Jemma.” He spoke out coldly.

Leonora growled in my head. Even she didn’t like the idea of leaving our pup behind. My heart shattered as I continued to sob. I needed to get out of this office. I opened the door and ran out, ignoring Cassius and my father calling to me.