Broken Queen

2. Rebirth Of The Beta Princess.

The thunderstorms that had been plaguing the Dyson Kingdom for the last forty-eight hours had finally stopped but left the small dark prison cell eerie. A young woman stood by a makeshift bed carefully wiped the sweaty forehead of the woman laying on it. She went to refill the pitcher, but realized there was only a small amount of water left in it.

"Olivia," a man called, his voice muffled. She turned to look at the handsome face of the young man.

"Jake," Olivia's blue eyes brightened. She dashed towards the silver-coated iron gate, where they met despite the dangerous silver that separated them.

"I asked you to get me the flowers as soon as possible because the Princess doesn’t have much time left but you took three hours?" She chastised keeping her voice barely above a whisper. He turned his head from side to side to make sure that no one was watching them.

"The garden is being more heavily guarded than ever before. Even the servants are being interrogated and searched. They almost caught me, then you would’ve only received my severed head if I’d acted recklessly. I had to bribe one of the guards in order to get these flowers for you," Jake put his hand under his shirt, pulling out five red roses that he handed to Olivia after making sure no one had followed him. He had almost been caught when he entered this forbidden area, but due to his fighting skills, he was able to knock out the guards.

"Oh my Goddess, there were guards in the garden too? I don't know what those evil people are planning. I’m sorry I put you in this dreadful situation, Jake," she apologized when she spotted his bloodied hand. Her hands slid between the bars to touch his wounds before he grasped her hand.

"Yes, I put my life in danger for those stupid flowers, just like you are for Princess Regina," his hands gently pushed her away. Even though it was strictly prohibited for Princess Regina's people to mind-link any of the other pack members, Olivia chose to violate the order and asked Jake to retrieve a few roses so that she could prepare rose water to cleanse her Princess's body to avoid infection from the poisonous environment in the room.

"She is my mistress and our Princess, Jake. She needs me now that everyone has shown their true colors," Olivia explained.

"But she’s dead, Olivia," he interrupted her as he glanced over her shoulder at the prone figure on the bed. “You’re serving a corpse.”

"The Princess isn’t dead yet," she argued.

"Stop lying to yourself, Olivia. When will you see the truth? When her corpse starts decomposing? I can't even hear a heartbeat. The pack Doctor has already announced to the whole pack that Princess Regina is dead. What more is there to argue?" He shook her a little, trying to knock some sense into her. "Don't you know what the pack law says? A servant will be immediately beheaded if the servant's master or mistress dies? And you’ll be easily removed after what has transpired over the past few days. The Princess will be wrapped in a royal robe and buried in an elegant wooden coffin, but your corpse will be left in the woods to feed the wild animals." He placed his hand over her cold one.

For the sake of their childhood friendship, Jake had taken a big risk in helping Olivia. His main reason for coming here was to persuade her into changing her mind and save her from this hell.

"There's an intruder!" One of the guards’ voices boomed down the stairs. However, they were unable to find anyone. Jake vanished the instant the commotion began, while Olivia hurried back to Regina's side only to discover her eyes were open.

“Princess…” Olivia gasped, her eyes grew larger. Not once over the last three days, had she made any moment. “Please let me help you,” Olivia placed her hand gently on Regina’s back to help her sit up. “Let me get you some water,” she ran to the pitcher but the glass slipped from her hand crashing to the floor in her haste.

Regina slowly looked around, taking in her surroundings. She heard the entirety of the conversation between Jake and Olivia.

“This place?” Regina wondered looking around the dark cell she woke up in instead of the cold river that she was left to die in.

“Have some water,” Olivia passed her the glass but Regina looked intently at her friend. This dream of hers felt so real. She even saw her maid Olivia. She wore the clothes that had been in fashion when she was young. Regina looked down, her two month pregnant belly had disappeared like it had never existed.

“Princess, what's wrong?” Olivia asked worriedly.

“Wounds…” Regina murmured, noticing her body wasn’t mottled red and purple, it was free of pain as well as the horrible wounds that had been inflicted on it. Her eyes slowly made their way to her legs, that she could now move freely.

“Wounds? Thankfully there are none as they haven’t punished you yet,” Olivia began to explain as she watched Regina slowly getting up from bed and walk over to a hand-sized mirror. She used her hand to wipe the dirt from it only to find her smooth honey-like skin was wound and scar free.

“My scar…” Regina roamed her finger over her right cheek.

“The scar that the mysterious rogue gave you when you were fifteen?” Olivia c****d her brows. That day in the woods no one could tell where the rogue had come from or disappeared to but the huge ugly scar had turned Regina’s life into a living hell. She became the laughing stock of the Kingdom without Jermaine and her brother's protection. Laila and Violet used it to torture and humiliate her by using their friends. That was when she started to cover her face with a veil. “Your scar disappeared two years ago. Did you forget you obtained the help of a powerful woman who owed Beta Jermaine a favor,” Olivia whispered as other than Olivia no one knew Regina’s scar had been removed. Due to the tales of her ugliness that were spread throughout the Kingdom, wearing a scarf had become her habit.

“My scar healed two years ago, Olivia is alive and I’m in a prison cell…” Regina said as she scanned her beautiful young fair skin and large black eyes for a couple of seconds in amazement. Her cheeks were slightly chubby, she wasn’t overly pale nor did she look like a living skeleton. Her black hair was long, healthy, and attractive, not rough and dead. Unlike when she was held prisoner by Alpha Adonis, then returned to Grant. Those two months had stolen everything from Regina, her body, beauty, even her will to live.

“Regina what’s wrong?” Olivia asked nervously.

“How old am I?” Regina’s voice returned to normal. Her voice was no longer raspy, from the abuse committed to her throat. She didn't feel any pain when she spoke either. She touched her lips that weren’t dry or cracked. Olivia blinked at the unexpected question.

“You’ll be turning eighteen soon,” Olivia replied, suspecting that sleeping for three days had affected Regina's memory.

“Eighteen?” Regina blinked at Olivia’s answered.

Only a few moments ago she’d been motionless in the river and now she’d gone back in time. She was reborn into her body right before her eighteenth birthday.

She had been murdered when she was twenty-two. The Moon Goddess had heard her dying wish and sent her to the past. She’d regained her beauty, body, and innocence.

Regina took a deep breath when she finally realized that she had been brought back to the moment her life had turned upside down. It was the hallmark of her destruction. She hadn’t yet become Grant’s mate. She wasn’t Luna Queen Regina or Vayu’s Mother. She’d yet to face Grant. She’d yet to watch her son die or lose all of her family and friends. They were still safe but not for much longer.

“Princess, you shouldn’t be moving around so much,” Olivia led Regina back to cot before handing her the glass of water. Regina’s black eyes studied her. “What’s wrong, Princess?” She gave a nervous smile. She’d a feeling that the woman sitting before her was Regina but somehow different than the one that’d fallen sick three days earlier. “It’s me, Olivia,” Olivia reminded while hesitantly holding her hand.

Regina's most trustworthy confidant during her previous life was this eighteen-year-old maid, her best friend, Olivia. Olivia had never left her side until the day she was slain.

Olivia had followed Regina to the place after she was married. When she clued Regina into the drug that Violet had been giving her to kill her baby, Olivia was trapped.

“The Luna Queen’s maid is having a s****l relationship with a mated and marked palace guard,” the rumors were spread. Seducing a mated wolf was a serious crime. Regina knew that Olivia had been framed, so she tried to protect her to the best of her abilities, but things were never that easy in the palace.

Olivia was humiliated, stripped nude while on the trial as they lashed her entire body with silver whips. If she had been able to survive the whipping, she would have had to spend the rest of her life in a brothel. Olivia's soul abandoned her body after thirty lashes. She could no longer withstand the humiliation and anguish.

Regina had sought to stop the cruelty. “Grant, Olivia is accused. I know her better than I know myself.”

“If you say that then people will misunderstand why you’re supporting a servant and have a friendship with her. I couldn’t bear that kind of humiliation on the Royal Family’s name.

Being friends with servants or low ranking wolves was disgraceful. He tied Regina’s hands with appearances and the law. Grant refused to accept the evidence that she presented in favor of Olivia's claim.

“A maid is interfering in our relationship, so she will be removed,” he gave as an excuse. It was easy enough to figure out that Laila had fed him those exact words.

“It’s me, Oli…” Olivia repeated out of worry, she earned a smile from Regina.

"I’ve always asked you to call me Regina, Olly," Regina reassured her friend by using the nickname that only she’d used since they became friends. Olivia smiled brightly with a nod. “Regina, you…” Olivia put her hand over her mouth, flinching in fear when a threatening growl echoed in the prison.

“What was that?”

"Don't worry. They can’t come in here. I’ll protect you with my life," Olivia grabbed Regina's hand tightly with the promise. Regina’s eyes stared down at her. Olivia spoke of protecting her but she was shaking like a leaf. Regina followed her gaze to the door of the cell. The sound leaking through the bars was reminiscent of a rabid beast that’d come to break in and devour them.

"Protect me?" Regina got up just to look out of the cell.

“Princess, you shouldn’t look at them,” Olivia begged, continuing to hold her hand but Regina ignored her. The other cells held deadly criminal wolves who’d been growling and reacting to the sweet scent of Regina.

The naked rogue growled, slamming his hand against the bars, wanting to break them.

Olivia's gaze flicked between Regina and the rogue. Any female could read his dirty mind, but the Princess did not flinch once under his filthy gaze. The Princess looked like she was accepting the rogue’s challenge and would pluck his eyes out with her claws. She gave the impression that she had seen and handled countless of them before.

“I don't know how we’ll manage to live among them from now on,” Olivia murmured, avoiding the gaze of a rogue in another cell.

“Are you planning to live here for the rest of your life?” Regina asked, causing her maid to panic.

"I would rather the Moon Goddess take my life, Princess,” she gasped at the mere thought of staying in this hell.

“Then?”

“But we’ve been down here for three days. No one from the pack has come to check on you. When I asked for food, water, and a blanket during the rainy nights for you, they refused. They didn’t even allow me to fill the water pitcher. Then Luna Alvara sent her Doctor who refused to prescribe any medication, saying that it wouldn’t work on someone who was about to die. Did you know he didn't even check your pulse? The Doctor came an hour ago and immediately pronounced you dead. I was terrified over his statement as they were going to start your burial ritual in a few hours.”

“My burial?” Regina asked in amusement, remembering that the Doctor was a loyal dog of Luna Alvara’s, Laila's mother. He satisfied her enemies with the good news that their ears yearned for.

“I’m afraid that no one will come, Regina. I wonder if they would’ve treated you so poorly if the Royal Beta Jermaine was still around,” Olivia wondered under her breath.

When Regina was twelve, she received news that her Grandfather and two brothers had disappeared into the Maze Forest. The Maze was already notorious for taking people's lives as no one had returned from it. Regina kept waiting for her brothers and Grandfather but they never returned.

“After their disappearance, Luna Alvara and the others had their chance to bully you,” Olivia gritted her teeth. Even though she was a maid she could see they never harm Regina directly, they were all sweet to her face so that Regina mistook it as love. They took advantage of Regina in every way. Now she’d been thrown in a cell among rogues like a common criminal.

“My Grandfather and brothers aren’t dead. They’ll be back one day,” Regina corrected Olivia without sparing her a glance. She was quite surprised to witness this new found confidence. Regina, who’d lived through all of this before knew what lay ahead.

“How can you be so sure, Regina? Royal Beta Jermaine, Stone, and Arnold disappeared into the Maze Forest. It’s been six years.”

“My heart says that it's true,” Regina smiled.

“Then I hope that the Moon Goddess hears your prayers, Regina,” Olivia returned her smile but it was weak. Regina knew that she didn’t believe her and was taking what she said lightly. “I’m sure if they were here Royal Beta Jermaine he wouldn’t approve this punishment for a scandal that wasn’t even witnessed by anyone," Olivia remarked.

“What scandal are you talking about?” Regina asked Olivia even though she knew what happened in the past and which scandal it was but she was curious to see if the past was really the same or not.

“Do you remember the grand party that was held in the palace? Due to all the bullying you have received you refused to go at first,” Olivia reminded her.

Regina remained silent recalling how Laila and Violet had manipulated her, mentioning Grant’s arrival in the party. But Regina was unwilling because of Grant refusing her acknowledge her as a mate. At the age of sixteen Regina had no wolf but she had strongly sensed Grant was her mate even though she had no wolf. She had even called him her soulmate in front of others but he hadn’t wanted an ugly mate.

“I do.”

“Well, at the party one of Laila's friends pulled your veil off to humiliate you,” Olivia said in a quiet and sad tone knowing how Regina had run out of the party crying. Regina remained silent as she remembered how later she was trapped in a dark room in the palace. The door was locked from the outside and she collapsed to the floor after she blacked out from a panic attack.

“I remember,” Olivia was slightly stunned seeing how dry Regina’s reply was, it made her think that she did not care whether or not she was humiliated.

“You were accused of being alone in a room with a man, Regina. They found you lying on a bed and said that you had been sullied. That you had lost your innocence to that mysterious man. The scandal has spread throughout the Kingdom. Your punishment was to be locked in this cell for ruining Dumas Moon Pack’s image,” Olivia quietly explained, expecting Regina to have a fearful expression. Instead, the young Princess looked as calm as ice. If a woman was accused of this kind of scandal the first step she took was usually to commit suicide in order to prove her innocence, but Regina looked like she was listening to a repetitive tale from a story book.

“I never knew that my innocence cost so little, only a prison full of rogues. Too bad my expectations were so high,” Regina murmured, loving that the past really was repeating itself. She was going to relive the same events over again but this time under her own conditions. The game would still be theirs but the final outcome would be hers. She had been given a second chance, she would protect everything that she’d lost. She would pay back those who caused her pain and death.

“Regina, what’s wrong?” Olivia gasped at the coldness in Regina’s eyes. “You seem different from before. You’re scaring me,” Olivia swallowed hard, noticing the changes in her innocent mistress.

“Let’s go,” Regina said, letting her hair cover her face like she usually did. Whenever she didn’t wear her veil in the packhouse she would let her long hair replace it.

“Go? Where?” Olivia was left stunned when Regina opened the cell door and walked out. The door of Regina’s cell had never been locked as they were confident that the timid Princess would never try to escape, but Regina wasn’t escaping. Olivia’s jaw dropped at her gall. “Princess, you’ve been punished. You aren’t allowed to step out of the cell, if you’re caught then the consequences will be horrible,” Olivia reminded her.

With her head held high, taking firm measured steps, with an aura radiating strength the Princess left the confinement of the cell and her old life behind. The surprised maid followed closely behind the Princess. Regina walked past the rogues’ cells without sparing them a glance or flinching like Olivia did.

When the exit of the prison was near, Olivia finally let out a huge sigh of relief. The rogues’ growling was still audible but they left it all far behind them. When Regina placed her hand on the handle to push the big metal door of the prison open that would lead her outside, Olivia’s heart rate increased.

“Back to the packhouse,” Regina replied.