The Queen Within

Chapter 4

Alandra

“You look absolutely fantastic dear.” Jonathan’s mom said to me for the tenth time in the past hour. She was helping me into my party dress. Yes, Party dress. To my surprise, his mom planned the entire party in the three days that she said she would. It would’ve been two, but I was indecisive about the menu. Everything else, she picked out and organized.

Even the dress I was wearing. It was a beautiful pale lavender. The dress itself was backless with straps that tied at the back of my neck. The dress flowed down in layers that reminded me of something you’d see tinker bell would wear. It was very elegant yet oh so comfortable. She even chose flats that strapped up my leg so I wouldn’t have to spend the entire event in heels.

Since this was a formal event, I did have to wear my crown, which was heavy in my opinion. I looked at the mirror that Jonathan’s mom had me in front of and tried to not let my nerves get the best of me. All the pack Alpha’s were here. Plus the council and elders. Personally, I felt that this was a little much for just a baby announcement. Sighing, I gave a small smile to my mother-in-law.

"Dear, you are a Queen. This is important to all of them." She, and everyone else in this pack, has been telling me this for the last few days. I have definitely been outspoken about my disdain for a party. But, they all remind me about what this baby means. Not just to me, but to this pack and apparently all of the wolf shifters. I know how important it is, that didn't mean I wanted this party.

"I know. Just want this to be over with so I can lay down with a pint of ice cream."

Jonathan's mother chuckled as she placed the finishing touches on my hair. She was right though, I was stunning. "I can promise a pint of cookies and cream with brownie pieces will be waiting for you when this is all over."

This woman knew exactly how to get me. I smiled at the thought and relaxed some. If ice cream was waiting for me, then I will be good and smile all the way through.

We chatted for a little bit until we were interrupted by Jonathan and Charlie barging in and arguing about who knows what. Charlie came back yesterday from his expedition and we immediately told him the good news. He was so ecstatic you would've thought his mate was pregnant. Of course, he declared himself the godfather as quickly as he could.

Denise came in behind them in a red dress that went to her knees and had golden sparkles. It looked more like a short tunic. She also had on gold heels and her hair was as wild as ever. Denise and I have become close since she is Charlie's mate and we both have to put up with the boys.

I ignored the boys as they argued about what sounded like some weird custody agreement between them. "Danny, you look amazing!" I said as she embraced me.

"Alandra, you look drop-dead gorgeous. Jonathan is a lucky guy."

I felt Jonathan snake his arm around my waist and kiss my cheek, "That I am." He smiled down at me and I blushed from the intense look in his eyes. No matter how long we are together, he still gives me butterflies and makes me feel flustered. Charlie draped an arm over Denise's shoulders and pulled her in closer to him.

"Luna Landra," An annoying nickname Charlie came up with, "Tell Jonathan that as The Godfather, I have rights to have the baby at least three days a week."

I laughed at Charlie. "I don't think that's how it works man." Charlie muttered something that sounded like 'conspiracies.' We all laughed at that.

Charlie and Jonathan both wore tuxes that coordinated with Denise's and my outfit. Jonathan's mom excused herself stating that she needed to check on the guest and make sure no one was misbehaving. I thanked her again for helping me get ready. Taking another long look in the mirror I sighed at the sight of the crown.

It was just so heavy. Figuratively and literally. To be honest I still wasn't sure what all a Queen is supposed to do or if I was even doing it right. I have been to a few packs sure, but I still don't really know these people. I just know what they send in terms of paperwork. Would they all be as accepting of the announcement as everyone says they will? Or will they reject it?

I know it's probably a silly thought but I'm still so new to this. It was times like this I wished my mom and dad were around. They would be so much better at this than me. At this point, I wished for any kind of lycan royalty. Unfortunately, Charlie's expedition came up empty-handed. The lead we thought we had turned out to be a false one. That didn't damper Charlie's spirits though. He says he feels we will find answers soon.

I have faith in him so I try to believe too.

"Ready to face the wolves?" Jonathan said with a smirk. Was that a pun?

I smiled and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Jonathan smiled and placed his hand on my belly momentarily. It made me feel warm inside when he did things like this. Seeing him filled with joy over this pregnancy, made me happy about it too.

We all headed out to the main hall where the party was being held. Everyone had already arrived and was basically just waiting for me. I tried to go over the speech I was going to say in my head with hopes that I wouldn't trip up on stage. This would be the second time I have to speak in front of everyone at once. The last time was at my coronation.

When we came up to the double doors, Charlie and Denise went in first to take their spots to announce us. I took a few much-needed deep breaths. After a few moments, I could hear Charlie's voice over the microphone welcoming everyone to the event. I took Jonathan's arm as the doors swung open and we were announced. "Please welcome Alpha Jonathan and Queen Alandra."

There were claps and cheers as we made our way to the stage. I plastered on the best smile that I could and nodded my thanks as I passed by. Jonathan waved to those he was close with. As we stepped onto the stage, the room grew quiet. This was definitely nerve-wracking.

I walked to the center where there was a microphone set up. Jonathan stood beside me as he kept his hand on the small of my back. I tried to nonchalantly clear my throat but it ended up being louder than I expected. How embarrassing.

"Hello everyone, thank you for coming out today on such short notice. I uh... I... want to thank my dear mother-in-law for planning this gathering." Was it always so hot in here? Was the room spinning? My heart was ramming against my rib cage and I was sure everyone could hear it. Jeez, it's just a speech. Just calm down, take a breath, and just tell them.

I closed my eyes for a moment and took several deep breaths trying to calm my nerves.

You can do this Alandra. We are royalty.

Onyx is right. We are royalty. They look up to me. I need to be worthy of that. Looking out at the crowd, I gave everyone a small smile.

"It has been some time since we were all gathered like this. I hope the future has more opportunities that allow us to gather and truly get to know each other. Today, we are gathered for a grand announcement that Jonathan and I wish to share with you." Jonathan went from having his hand on my back to interlocking his fingers with mine. "It is with great pleasure that we announce... that we are..."

You can do this.

"Jonathan and I... are expecting. I am pregnant."

It was so quiet you could hear an eraser drop. Then suddenly there was an eruption of cheers and everyone was talking over each other. I felt panicky but I had to get this under control.

"Everyone," I waited for the noise to die out, "I know you all have questions, but it is still early on. I hope you all will care for our child as you would me. I know I'm still new to all of this, but let's go on this new journey together.”

Everyone clapped I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Jonathan squeezed my hand and I looked up at him. He had a proud look in his eyes and he kissed my forehead. I felt so lucky to have him next to me. He took the microphone from me and cleared his throat, “Please, enjoy the festivities, everyone. Let’s celebrate this joyous occasion.”

With that, we made our way off the stage and his parents, Charlie, and Denise were waiting for us. They all had enormous smiles and Denise ran up to me and gave me a hug.

“You looked like you were going to throw up. But that’s ok, I’m sure they will think it was morning sickness.” She said and chuckled as she let go. I rolled my eyes at her but smiled. Denise was something else but I always enjoy her company.

“Yes, it was a wonderful announcement! Now, we must mingle. Alandra, try not to overdo it ok?” Jonathan’s mom said as she took his father's arm. They both smiled at us and went off to talk to the other Alphas and Lunas. We decided we should probably do the same so Charlie and Denise went to where the betas were hanging out as Jonathan and I started on our rounds.

The first people we ran into were Alpha Demetri and Luna Lucil. They both looked to be dressed straight out of a magazine for the rich and famous. Alpha Demetri had black hair that swept back and Luna Lucil had her hair braided back. They were both tall and looked like models.

"Queen Alandra," Alpha Demetri said in a husky thick accented voice, "It is a pleasure to meet you, and congratulations on the little one." He held out his hand and I took it.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you both as well officially."

"It's an honor. We want to be first to say that we are loyal to you and to the future heir."

I thanked them though I found it weird that they were already claiming loyalty to an unborn baby but maybe it's normal for them.

It went on like this for a long while. Every Alpha and Luna pledged loyalty to the baby and I just smiled and nodded thanks. I didn't know what else to say so I just went with it. A few Alpha's offered to send their best warriors to guard me but I politely declined. We have our own and I didn't feel it necessary to be guarded.

Every now and again, Jonathan would be pulled away by an Alpha to discuss business and I would be stuck making small talk with the Luna. Sometimes it was fine, but I realized really quickly that not all the Luna's were nice or even worthy of being a Luna. For example, I was stuck talking to Luna Camille and she just went on this little rant about how her Alpha wasn't making enough and how she wished she had a mate who made more money. She even went as far as to say that the gamma was better in bed.

I looked at her dumbfounded but she didn't seem to notice or care. Maybe she thought I was just as shallow as she was? When Jonathan came back I was all too happy to leave that couple. I wanted to question him on why he kept getting pulled away but before I could, an elder-looking man came up to me.

He had a sly smile and teal eyes that reminded me of the ocean. His skin even looked like the color of sand. He was tall and on the heavier side. He had short-cropped grey hair and wrinkles around his eyes. Jonathan stood stiff when the man approached us.

"Alandra, this is elder Steven Smith." Jonathan said to me as he maneuvered me to be slightly behind him. What is going on?

"It's a pleasure to meet you queen Alandra." The man said as he bowed slightly. You could tell it took everything in him to do it. Maybe it was because of his old age?

"It's nice to meet you, Mr.Smith." I said as I made my way from behind Jonathan. I could tell he didn't like it by how he was trying to tug me back behind him, but it would be rude to try to have a conversation from behind him. The man stood up and I noticed he stood hunched over slightly.

“I suppose congrats are in order.” He looked down at me like I was the lowliest creature in existence.

“Thank you…” I was starting to feel uneasy talking to this man. Jonathan kept his hand in mine, holding it tightly.

“I said I suppose. Not that I actually congratulate you. Some of us have bigger issues to deal with than getting knocked up.”

Ok, what was this guy's problem? Did I do something to upset him personally? Or does he just not like babies?

“Elder Smith, that is your Queen you are talking to.” Jonathan said pulling me behind him. This time I didn’t fight him on it. Elder Smith laughed hysterically and it was causing those around us to now pay attention to our conversation.

“My Queen? This child a Queen? She barely knows of our ways and we are expected to let her lead us?”

There was mumbling going on around us and my face felt hot. This man had it out for me and I didn’t even know him. I didn’t want his unyielding loyalty, but I didn’t want him to be rude to me either.

“This woman was too busy getting knocked up to even deal with the growing rogue problem. She is not my Queen."

There were a few gasps and hushed whispers. I could tell some of the Alpha's were ready to pounce on this man and I knew I had to do something before a brawl let out. He may be rude but he is old. Last thing I want is for someone to be hurt on my account. If he felt I wasn't queen material that was on him, and I can't really blame him.

"Smith is it?" I said as I stood in front of Jonathan again. The man sneered down at me.

"What? Am I wrong? Your 'subjects' are in need of help and you only care about popping out babies. A woman isn't fit to lead."

"Excu-"

"Why do we even bow down to you anyway? Because you're a lycan? Last I checked, you're the last one around. YOU should bow and grovel to US."

That's it. This man clearly had issues and it was clear he was sexist. I wasn't going to deal with it. Not at my party. I held my hand up to stop the approaching Alphas. The atmosphere in the room shifted to that of blood lust and the old guy didn't seem to care. I had to take control of this situation. I squared my shoulders back and plastered on the biggest smile I could muster. I was NOT going to let this old bag intimidate me.

"Smith, I'm sorry you feel inferior to the point you are lashing out this way. I'm sorry, I meant unheard. I may be young and new to all of this, but I pride myself on being there for my people. We can't handle a rogue problem overnight. It will take time and coordination."

"Inferior?! Now you see-"

"No. I won't 'see here'. I don't want anyone's unyielding loyalty. I don't want people to blindly follow me. I want people who will hold me accountable and who expect nothing but the best from me. That doesn't mean that I will stand for disrespect. You don't have to bow or follow me. But you WILL NOT disrespect me."

Elder Smith glared daggers down at me and I glared daggers back at him. When it became clear I wasn't going back down, he grumbled something about teaching me a lesson but walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief when he did.

"My Queen," An Alpha by the name of Harvey approached me, "Shall we capture him?"

As nice as that sounded, I shook my head. "There's no need. Let's go back to enjoying the festivities."

"Yes, my Queen." Everyone said in unison. Something in me told me it wouldn't be the last time I would deal with Smith. In fact, there probably were others who felt the same way he did but were too afraid to speak up. For now, I just had to show that I was worth following. I just had to believe it myself.