Emma: The Silent Queen

Chapter : 2. The beginning..

Sitting on the wet mossy floor of the cold dark dungeon cell, I kept visualising the day my life turned upside down. I still clearly remember how it all started. It’s like I am still living that day again..

It is the day of my 14th birthday, and I am thrilled about it. I finally became a woman and about to start my heats. My wolf is now matured and able to conceive a child. But there is still time for that because I am not going to find my mate for another two years. I can’t wait to find my mate and fall in love. There’s so much I have to say to him. There’s so much I want to do with him. Two more years and I will finally find the one the moon goddess created for me.

“Good morning, my princess. Wake up now.. Oh! You're already awake? You must be too excited about your birthday to stay in bed.” I was already getting ready to go out when my dad came to wake me up.

“Of course. I just turned 14. I am a grownup now. Isn’t that exciting?”

“It is. My princess has gotten so big. You are growing up so fast. It’s like you were born just yesterday. Soon you are going to find your mate too and leave your old man behind to start a family of your own..” He came to hug me, getting emotional at the thought of me moving out.

“Dad. You know I am not going to leave you. Even if I have to move somewhere far, I will take you along. I am not going anywhere without my old man.”

“You are saying this now. When your king comes to take his queen, will he care about his useless father-in-law? But you don’t have to worry about me because I will be looking up at you from far and be happy that my princess is living the life of a queen. I will be at peace to see your smile.”

“Dad! Stop. You are dreaming again. I am not going to become a queen. I am an alpha. So, there’s no way the goddess will pair me up with a lycan. And even if she does, no lycan will accept an alpha because only a lycan can become a king or queen.”

“That’s not true. There’s no rule that says an alpha or a commoner can’t sit on the throne. If you are the mate of a lycan king, you are the legal queen.”

“Yes. But I am not going to be a lycan king’s mate. So, stop dreaming. Besides, I will be happy with whoever my mate is as long as he loves me and agrees to take care of you. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go and meet my friends. They want to celebrate my birthday together.”

“But what about your breakfast?”

“I’m not hungry now. I am taking some bread with me for later.”

“But come back home before sunset, okay? I am making your favorite meals for tonight.”

“Okay..” By saying that, I left the house to meet my friends.

My name is Emerald Hamfax, but everyone calls me Emma in short. I live in the Wolford Kingdom with my father, Alpha Lionel Hamfax, who looks after our little village, Appoline. I lost my mother along with my unborn brother, during childbirth, when I was only four. Ever since then, it’s just me and dad. That is why our father/daughter bond is really strong and we love each other more than anything in this world.

My dad always taught me to be nice and kind to others. He told me that the titles don’t mean anything if you are an alpha, a commoner or a royal, because we all are the creation of the moon goddess. We are all just werewolves. That’s why I never picked any specific kind to become friends with and ended up having a lot of friends who love me for as I am. But it’s strange how the same person who taught me not to judge others by their status, always dreams of me becoming a queen. Why do I have to be a queen to be happy?

I came out of my house early in the morning and met my friends. They all wished me for my birthday and gave me gifts as much as they could afford. We shared the bread I took along and ended up going for a run together. Overall, it was a very good beginning of the day. But it was time for me to go back home because the sun is about to set in half an hour or so. So, parting my ways with my friends, I chose a shortcut to go back to my home.

It was a really secluded part of the forest and I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there at that hour, so I was walking freely when, all of a sudden, I heard a scream. I got startled and stopped to understand what had just happened. Did I really hear someone scream? It was about a minute later when I heard another scream. Instantly, I got worried that someone must be hurt and trying to call for help like that. But I knew no one was around to go and help, so I have to be the one. Whoever that person is, he needs my help.

I quickly ran to the place where I heard the sound coming from and found a man sitting on a log, holding his head with his hands. He was sobbing and seemed to be in despair. Apart from that, there was no sign of any physical injury. So, should I go and help him or not?

“Excuse me? Are you alright? Are you hurt?” I called from afar, but he might haven’t heard me because there was no change in his posture. So, I went a bit closer to him.

“Excuse me? Are you alright? Do you need any help?”

This time, he heard me. He picked up his head and looked at me before turning around again to wipe his face with his hands. Seeing a grown man cry like a child, I felt bad for him. He doesn’t look like a bad guy to me, so I slowly walked near him and took a seat beside him on the log.

“I am really not supposed to talk to a stranger, and especially not sit beside them. But you look really sad. Is everything alright? You can talk to me about it. It will give you some relief.” He looked up at me again and this time I got to have a good look at his face.

Whoever this guy is, he is really handsome. He has deep black eyes, brown hair, tanned skin, and a fit body. He has a look that can make any girl fall for his charms easily. His height is probably taller than my father’s and his aura is stronger like ours. I think he is an alpha too. A young unknown alpha..

“You didn’t give me any reply? I guess you are not comfortable talking to strangers either? If that’s the case, then my name is Emerald. My mom gave me that name because my eyes are the color of emerald. She thought it would suit me very well. I think so too. What’s your name?” I waited for an answer in the hope that this time he would say something. But he didn’t.

“Well. You don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t want to. But trust me. If you tell me what is going on with you and why you are crying, it will help you a lot. You will feel much better. Come on.”

“You do talk a lot..” He finally said something, bringing a smile to my face.

“I know. My dad says so too. Now, come on. Tell me what’s wrong. Open yourself up to me. Once those pains come out of your mouth, it will feel like someone picked up the rock that was pressing on your chest. I have tried it myself and now I don’t keep secrets from anyone anymore. Try it.”

“I can’t. It’s complicated and you are too young to understand.”

“So? Isn’t that a good thing for you? I am a stranger who doesn’t know you and you can tell me about all of your problems and I won’t be able to understand any of it too. Trust me. You will feel better once it’s out. Do it.” He kept looking at me like he was reading my face for more than a minute. Then he took a deep breath before starting with his story.

“I am accused of doing a crime that I didn’t do. And now I am banished by my own people and have no where to go. My mother died, my father died, leaving me all alone in this world. No one cares about me anymore. I am completely useless.”

“I care about you. And you are not useless.” His head snapped the momnet I said that.

“It’s true. If I didn’t care about you, why would I come to sit beside you and insist you to talk to me? And you are not useless. No one in this world is useless because the goddess sent us all with a purpose. We just need time to find it. And what are you even so sad for? Thinking about those who blamed you for a crime you didn’t do? It’s their mistake, not yours. You should be angry at them for hurting you, not cry alone in a forest. Fight for yourself. Make them pay for the wrongs they did to you. Don’t lose hope so soon. You are strong, you are alive. You are better than them.” I saw a smile come to his lips after hearing my speech.

“Aren’t you afraid to talk to a stranger in a place like this? Especially now that you know I am a rogue? What if I am the bad guy?”

“No one is good or bad. It’s the people around us that make us this way. We are all just creations of the moon goddess. We are all the same with flesh and blood. This is what my father taught me all my life. He is a really good man who always encourages everyone to trust themselves and stay strong. And I don’t think rogues are bad either. Maybe they are misjudged and misunderstood like you. I think they only attack us for having a place to call home. Maybe they just want to be accepted by us and live a normal life.” That made him chuckle, forgetting all about his worries.

“You are way more matured than your age. Where did you learn to talk like this?”

“It’s my dad. He always tells me these things whenever I feel low. My mom is not with us anymore. That’s why he always tries to keep me brave and strong with his words. That just reminded me, I am late to go home. Dad must be waiting for me. I have to go. Take care of yourself, okay? Don’t cry. You are a grownup now. Bye.” With that, I got up and started running towards my house. But I just took ten steps or so when I remembered something. So, I went back to him again.

“What now?”

“You know, you need more luck and protection now than I do. So, here. You can keep this with you until you go back to your home.” I took off the necklace hanging around my neck that has a star pendent on it, and tied it around his neck myself.

“This is the only memory I have of my mother. She gave it to me before she died and told me that this was her lucky charm that will keep me safe. But I am safe in my home with my dad, and you are not. So, you need it more than me at this moment. But I would like to have it back once you go back to your home. So, see you soon.” By saying that, I ran back towards the way I was going before.

Don’t know why, I feel really good inside. I am happy that I met this stranger in a very unexpected situation and was able to help him a little. Most of all, I feel like I have a crush on him now and would like to meet him again.