Wolves' Queen (The Royal Heir Series Book 1) Read online

  Wolves’ Queen

  The Royal Heir Trilogy

  Jen L. Grey

  Copyright © 2020 by Jen L. Grey

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

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  About the Author

  Also by Jen L. Grey

  Chapter One

  Twelve Years Ago

  “We’ve got to leave now.” Kassie pressed the button that opened the garage door as her short black hair bobbed in the back.

  “Mommy?” I cried as Mona lifted me in her arms, running toward the black Mercedes.

  “I’m right here, honey.” Mom ran through the garage door, almost tripping over her long gown as she glanced behind her. “We’re going to be okay.”

  “Get in the damn car.” Kassie opened the back door and waved for us to hurry.

  Mona slid into the seat and scooted over to the other side of the car. She placed me in the middle seat as Kassie climbed in on the other side. They both pulled out guns.

  “Get in the damn car, Serafina,” Dad’s regal voice yelled as he ran and jumped into the driver seat. It was strange with him wearing his royal cut for him to be so informal. “We’ve got to get the hell out of here.”

  “Don’t harass me.” She slid into the seat, yanking at her golden gown. “I’m in a freaking gown, for Christ’s sake.” Her long red hair was pulled into an elegant French twist.

  It was my favorite hairstyle of hers because normally I could climb in her lap and play with the ends when she was putting me to bed before having to attend some royal event or party.

  As soon as Mom’s door shut, Dad pressed the gas pedal hard. “I can’t believe Darren would do something like this.” He grabbed his cell phone and pressed the button. “Open the gates immediately.”

  I wanted to ask questions about my uncle—Daddy always taught me to be curious—but right now didn’t seem the time. In times like these, he said a six-year-old didn’t need to understand quite yet. That I should still have some time left as a child before completely training to be Queen.

  “He’s wanted the crown ever since you were little boys.” Mom’s jade eyes glowed. “He’s not half the leader you are.”

  “That may be fact, but he doesn’t see it that way.” The gates were open, and Dad pressed the pedal even farther down.

  I turned around and looked at our Southampton home. I’d expected to be there a few more days before heading back to our apartment in New York City. This was our nice getaway place to leave the hectic city behind. Daddy always said that a wolf should spend more time with nature. Our lot was over ten acres with the house surrounded by woods. He and Mom would shift every day and go run for hours. I couldn’t wait until I had my first shift and joined them. The years seemed so far away.

  “How did you find out about the plans?” Dad glanced in the rearview mirror, focusing on Kassie.

  “Well, you know how it was odd that he planned on coming?” Kassie sighed and shook her head. “He never leaves the city, but he called me when he found out that you were meeting with the heads from the United Kingdom. He said he needed to be there or something dumb may happen.”

  “Yes, I already know this.” Dad punched the steering wheel. He ran his fingers through his short dark hair. “I’m sorry. It’s just… he’s my brother.”

  Kassie frowned. “I know, but when I saw him pour the wolfsbane in both yours and Elena’s drinks…”

  “They were trying to kill my baby too?” Mom turned around and touched my leg. “He’s been getting worse and worse over the years. When we had Elena…”

  “As King, I should’ve noticed this before now.” He focused his eyes on the road as he took the sharp turns.

  “It must be a mistake.” My uncle wouldn’t try to kill me. He used to give me extravagant presents when he traveled. I still had my favorite kangaroo animal from Australia. “He gives me presents.”

  “Oh, baby.” Mom’s shoulders slumped. “I know.”

  A car raced up behind and blew its horn.

  “What the hell is going on?” Dad turned his head, and his eyes widened with fear. “No, this can’t be happening.”

  The car rammed into the back of us, making me lurch forward and hit the seat. “Ow.” Why would that person do that?

  Our car skidded into the oncoming lane, but it was dark and thankfully empty. The car behind us sped up and moved into the other lane, driving so fast it was reaching us again.

  “Hurry, Corey,” Mom yelled as she turned to look at me once more.

  I jerked forward, trying to get to her. I needed her. I needed Mommy.

  There was a lurch as the car rammed into our side. We fell over on the side Mommy and Mona were sitting on and then began rolling over and over. The front windshield broke and crashed all around us. The front of the car slammed into a tree before we tipped over the side of the road and dropped into water.

  My head was dizzy, and my arm hurt. I needed my mommy right now.

  “Roll down the window before we can’t,” Mona yelled as the engine still roared.

  “I’m trying.” Kassie groaned.

  I unbuckled my seatbelt, needing my parents. I needed them to hold me and tell me everything was going to be all right. When I broke free and leaned over the seat. Our car was in the water, floating. “Mommy, I didn’t know cars could do this.”

  When she didn’t answer, my heart took off. She always answered me. She told me I was her joy. Something had to be wrong. “Mommy? Daddy?”

  “My window is down. Let’s get out of here,” Mona yelled. “Your highnesses, can you get yours down too?”

  Once again, there were no answers.

  “No.” Kassie grabbed me and shoved me into Mona’s arms. “Go now. They’ll come back.”

  “But Mommy. Daddy.” I couldn’t leave them. She had to be out of her mind.

  “Take her now, Mona.”

  I didn’t understand. Kassie was looking strange. She was so pale, which didn’t make sense. Wolves in our pack had olive skin.

  Mona released me and climbed out of the window. “Here, hand her to me.”

  “No, Mommy.” I tried climbing over the center console, but Kassie yanked me and placed me in Mona’s hands.

  “Come on, Elena.” Mona nodded toward Kassie. “She needs to help your parents.”

  “Oh, okay.” She was going to help them. “Please keep them safe?” My eyes locked onto Kassie’s as a tear trailed down her cheek.

  A car’s doors slammed up above, and Mona placed her hand on my head. “Remember the game you like to play with Daddy in the pool?”

  “Yes.” I smiled. “Are we doing Marco Polo?”

  “Kind of like that, so we need to swim a long way so it’s not easy to find us.” Mona winked at me, but her smile seemed different.

  My spine prickled, but it didn’t make any sense. I mean, we were playing a game. Daddy always foun
d me so easy. Maybe this would be the first time that I beat him. “Okay.” I smiled as I glanced back at them one more time. “But if they can’t find us super-fast, we have to let them know we’re okay. They might be scared.”

  “You’ve got it.” Mona patted my cheek. “On the count of three. One, two, three.”

  She submerged us in water as the car exploded and everything went dark.

  Present Day

  My eyes popped open, and I sat straight up in bed. That fucking dream was back. I didn’t know why my wolf wanted me to relive that memory over and over. I needed to go visit that witch again, pronto.

  I glanced at the clock. Great, six in the morning. I still had an hour before the stupid alarm was supposed to go off. There was no way in hell I was going to try to go back to sleep after that nightmare.

  Signs had started to show last week that the magic that hid my wolf was wearing off. I should’ve gone then, but I had college orientation that felt like it lasted forever, and a group wanted to go out for drinks afterward. So after my classes, my ass would entail going to hunt the witch down. Most of the time, I found her at her store in town, but witches were unpredictable. They usually did as they pleased.

  As I scratched my nose, my hand touched wetness on my cheeks. I’d been crying again just like every other time I had my dream.

  My parents died by my uncle’s hand. It was still hard to believe after all this time. You’d think that the hurt would ease over time, but it hadn’t. Right before I turned sixteen, Mona and Kassie helped me find a witch that would suppress my wolf. At first, they’d been hesitant since I told them I never wanted to be Queen. They put up a fuss. But after I pointed out that if I shifted, my asshole uncle would feel me and know I was alive, they got onboard faster. At that time, we still weren’t quite ready for that.

  It still rocked me the way wolf hierarchy worked. Since my uncle was considered King, he felt every wolf shifter on North America’s continent.

  Had they known my other main reason for wanting to keep my wolf contained, they probably wouldn’t have helped me. When they realized my true intent, it was too late.

  I wanted to be human.

  What did being a supernatural get me? Dead parents. I didn’t need karma to remind me again of why being human was what I needed to do. If my uncle being a power-hungry asshole wasn’t the wakeup call I needed, then I’d have to be an idiot.

  That’s why today was so important. It was my first official day of being a freshman at the University of South Carolina. It was a decent school and not too crazy-expensive since we lived in town. It would be the first time I wasn’t homeschooling in the last several years, which unnerved me. But hell, if I was going to be a human, I had to learn how to be around them.

  Forcing myself out of bed, I stood and made myself head over and turn on the lights. It was stupid since I didn’t need them, but I had to remember I was human; not half-wolf, so I needed to use them.

  I learned early on, if you don’t get in the habit of doing things the ‘normal’ way, then humans looked at you strangely and pulled away. That was what happened at the last place we moved before here. I had just started third grade. I hadn’t noticed how different I was until then. I could see so much better than the others and was more connected with nature.

  When I’d tell them a storm was coming, they’d laugh. However, it all blew up when I smelled death on the librarian. I had told the teacher and classmates that they needed to say their goodbyes, and they all looked at me strangely. Kassie and Mona got called in as my guardians, and the school told them I needed counseling. When the librarian died two days later, even the teachers were scared to talk to me.

  It was as if they thought I caused her death or something. So, it killed my social life, and because of that, we moved away, ending up here. I quickly learned to follow the crowd and not stick out, which was everything opposite of what my parents stood for.

  But, at the end of the day, they were dead, and I wasn’t, so I figured I should live life by my own rules.

  I removed my pajamas and pulled on a snug, black tank top and jeans. I grabbed my hairbrush and looked in the mirror that hung on the back of my closet door. My eyes had dark circles under them, which made my blue eyes stand out more. I was going to have to wear makeup today.

  That was one of the worst things about looking in the mirror. I had my father’s crystal blue eyes and my mother’s long red hair. It was a painful reminder of them.

  Not wasting any more time, I grabbed the concealer and rubbed some under my eyes. The last thing I needed was to worry both Kassie and Mona, which would have them making a huge fuss about what was going on. In the past few months, I’d had to go to the witch every other week instead of monthly like I used to do.

  They kept telling me that I was an alpha and that if I didn’t embrace my wolf, the wolf would take over. I didn’t believe them. As long as I went to the witch, I shouldn’t have had any major side-effects. I arrogantly pushed this time to three weeks, and I already regretted it. The one nice side-effect of it all was that though other supernaturals couldn’t sense me, I could still sense them, especially with my own kind.

  After finishing my makeup, I grabbed the brush and ran it through my long red hair. I wore it down all the time. I never wore it up. That’s how Mom liked her hair, so I tried to do everything possible to numb the pain.

  I tiptoed down the stairs, hoping not to wake the ladies. The past twelve years had brought us closer. They took on raising me, and now they were family. I didn’t know where I’d be without them. Probably dead.

  “You had that dream again, didn’t you?” Mona sat in the den’s recliner with a cup of coffee in her hands. Her dark blonde hair was sticking up in various places, and she yawned.

  “Uh, no.” I hated to lie to them, but they’d only worry more.

  She snorted. “I’m not stupid.”

  “Could you start being just a little bit for me?” The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my feelings and hug it out.

  “We raised you well.” She lifted her coffee cup in the air in a toast. “But no, you were screaming again. So even if I was stupid, I think I’d figure it out.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” I pointed at her mug. “You make any more in there?”

  “It’s a Keurig.” Mona arched an eyebrow. “Make it your own damn self.”

  “I at least had to try.” They usually would do stuff like that for me. Yes, I was spoiled. “You know how it is.”

  “Go get you some caffeine.” She waved me away. “I was up extremely late, and I’m so tired I may fall asleep sitting here.”

  “Now, that’s not my fault.” She was terribly addicted to Candy Crush. “You just need to remove the app from your phone.”

  “Hey, I didn’t ask to be called out.” Mona chuckled and shook her head.

  I rolled my eyes at her and walked into the kitchen. I made my way over to the Keurig and hit brew. I grabbed my phone and unlocked it; I had a text in the middle of the night. It was strange that it hadn’t woken me.

  Hey gorgeous. I can’t wait to see you in class today. Hoping we can catch more drinks later. – Connor.

  Great, this guy was texting me again. He should’ve had a clue if he felt compelled to include his name.

  There was no telling what he’d say when he saw me again. The last time we saw each other I was drunk and lost my mind. Shifters, in general, have a huge sex drive, and well, he was hot but a clinger. I hated clingers. Now, there was no telling what would happen once I got to school.

  Chapter Two

  I’d been running the obstacle course at the back of the house, so time flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to head to class.

  “Are you running to or from something?” Kassie stepped out onto the back porch and took a sip of the coffee she held in her hand.

  “Funny.” They weren’t completely thrilled with my decision to pretend to be human.

  “You’re getting faster.” H
er eyes landed on the course.

  Our course had similar items to what a military base had for their cadets that were training. There were several tires lined up that I had to sprint through, a large rope climbing station, a monkey bar station, a net climbing, two tall poles, and a huge wood tower that I had to climb over. And the other half of the yard was a homemade shooting range. “I should be. I’ve been running it for the past two years.” Before that, they had me focus on learning how to fight. Once I had that down, they said I needed to build muscle and learn endurance.

  They wanted me battle-trained in case someone ever found us. I didn’t mind. It kept me busy, and honestly, I loved that I’d been trained to protect myself. I refused to end up like my parents.

  “Very true.” She sat in the wooden chair that overlooked the balcony. “I’m going to have to reset some things to make it harder.”

  “I’m down.” I glanced at my watch again and cringed. “Hey, gotta go to my nine o’clock class, and afterward, I’ll be hunting the witch down, so don’t be surprised if I get home a little later than you expect.”

  “Fine.” She scratched the side of her face, which was her tell. She was contemplating whether she should bring something up or not.

  The longer she thought about it, the harder the conversation was going to be. “Spill.”

  She snorted. “We’ve trained you too well.”

  “Hurry, I’m going to be late.” The last thing I wanted to do was stay here and hear this again, but it would save me annoyance in the long run.

  “You’ve been going to the witch so often. Are you sure…”