The Incredible Queen Luna

Chapter 6 Memories

It was 11 years ago. On the day she turned 14, her father held this big ceremony for her to officially declare her as the entitled heir of the Kingdom.

It was one of the biggest events in the country. All the alphas and their families were invited to attend. Leona was supposed to feel rapturous that day, but instead, she was in a low mood the whole time.

By then, her mother, the last Queen of the Kingdom, had been ill for over two months. Doctors had tried everything, but they couldn’t find out the reason why she was sick.

“She will die, Your Majesty. There’s nothing we can do.”

Her father tried hard to keep her from knowing how severely ill her mother was. Still, Leona overheard their conversation.

Before the ceremony started, Leona went inside her mother’s bedroom to visit her. The Queen smiled at her and apologized.

“I am sorry, sweetie,” she said. “I can’t make it to your ceremony today. But I am sure you will be a great Queen.”

Leona cried without making any sound, just letting tears run down her cheeks. The Queen dried them for her using her sleeves. She then said to her, “You’re the best child I could ever dream of, Leo. I am so proud of you. I know you will be just fine on your own.”

Leona didn’t reply. She just put her arms around her mother and hugged her. She had become so thin and weak by then. After accompanying her mother to sleep, she went to the ceremony and let her father put that crown on her head.

All those people, Alphas and Lunas from wolves, dragons, serpents, birds, and fays came to congratulate her. She wore a fake smile and camouflaged herself throughout the dinner. When people started to dance in the hall, she fled to the garden.

Sitting against the big fountain, Leona hid her face on her knees and started to cry again. She still restrained herself from making any sounds as she was trained not to reveal too much of her emotion. Which might weaken her prestige as the leader.

Right when she drowned herself with tears, a little boy’s voice came into her ear.

Before he came close to her, he coughed a little politely to alarm her about his presence, and then he stopped in front of her and asked her carefully, “Are you alright, Leo?”

Leo. Only her parents could call her that. Leona didn’t like that boy.

She dried her tears with her hands before she raised her head, and then asked him, “Who are you?”

The boy standing in front of her was in a formal tuxedo with a little bowtie on his neck, which suggested he was one of those Alphas’ sons. But he was too young for Leona to recognize him.

He was only 5 or 6 years old. Leona would say. And he hadn’t reached even half of her height. It felt stupid to have a conversation with such a little boy.

The boy didn’t think so. He acted mature and confident.

“I am … Alpha’s…son,” he said. “We met before at my sister’s birthday party.”

Leona knew that Alpha’s name and that birthday. But that was 2 years ago. She was amazed that the little boy could actually remember that. He gave her a weird impression.

“No matter what, you can’t call me Leo,” she frowned. “I am the heir of the kingdom, the future Queen. It was disrespectful.”

The little boy pressed his lips. He looked aggrieved.

“But I am your mate,” he argued. “Mates are allowed to call each other by nicknames. I can call you Leo. You can call me by my nickname too.”

Leona laughed out. She was amused by this weird little boy.

“You must have been dreaming,” she pointed out. “Royals don’t get mates.” It was true. Wolves with royal blood won’t get mates. They only marry what’s best for the kingdom. That was one of the reasons why she later chose Austin.

“But I am,” the boy insisted. “Since I first saw you two years ago, I've felt it. I am your mate. We are fated. I love you, Leo. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I swear I will protect you with my life.”

Leona pressed her lips. It was not the first time she had heard such a statement. Her peers from the schools and some Alphas’ sons about her age had tried to ask her out using the same excuse. Leona rolled her eyes at all of them. How stupid did they think she was?

But it was different to hear it from a 6-year-old boy, especially when there were aggrieved tears sparkling in his cute chestnut eyes. Leona bet if she denied him on the spot, he would cry out.

“You couldn’t have known,” she said. “You must wait until you turn 18 to find out. That’s how the Moon Goddess arranged it.”

The boy puckered his lips disapprovingly this time, but eventually, he agreed.

“Fine,” he said. “I will wait until I turn 18 to claim you, but you must wait for me too. You can’t marry anyone else before that.”

“That's not something I can promise,” Leona wanted to say. But the look on the little boy’s face was too serious. She didn’t want to disappoint him. He might actually cry in front of her.

“Fine,” she compromised with a slight sigh. All of a sudden, she didn’t feel that lonely and sad anymore.

“I will wait for you,” she said. “But you’d better grow up fast. I am not a patient person.”

That made the little boy grin. He held out his little finger to her. “You promise,” he requested.

Leona held out her little finger too. That was the first time they touched each other.

“I promise,” she said with a smile.

**

Then what happened after that?

It was the most painful and dark memory Leona didn’t want to recall.

Her mother passed away after only three days of that ceremony. The whole country went into mourning. And after another seven days, when she came back from her mother’s funeral, her father got an accident report referring to one of those important wolf Alphas.

A well-respected Luna and her two lovely children were killed in a car accident. Which was very rare in the wolf world. Leona didn’t realize the victims were that little boy and her mother and sister until she saw their pictures on her father’s desk.

She felt her heart get fractured, but she didn’t cry this time.

Even if she did, there wasn’t going to be a pair of arms surrounding her and telling her everything was going to be okay. And there wouldn’t be a little boy who swore he would protect her with his life anymore.

It was ridiculous that she felt grieved about that little boy’s death.

She couldn’t have fallen in love with him because of what he said. He was at least 7 or 8 years younger than her. His height couldn’t even reach her waist. Leona doubted if he could even remember her words at the fountain after he came back home.

But, still, she couldn’t help but hold hope. Maybe because she really wanted a mate.

Royal wolves were deprived of the rights for mates. That was the price they had to pay for being overwhelmingly powerful and ruling the Kingdom. Still, she wanted every normal wolf could have. A person she could truly love and connect, and a partner could share her sadness and joy with.

She didn’t want to become a soulless machine who only knows about work and ruling like her parents. She wanted something real. She wanted to live as a real person.

But the Moon Goddess wouldn’t even let her have some fake hope. She took the little boy’s life away before Leona could even get the chance to know him.

Leona locked that little boy’s picture into the office’s drawer along with all her hope and love. After that day, she completely forgot about him.

She went to a human's college. She met Austin there. She got married and she grew up. She had never expected to meet that little boy again.

But here he was, after 11 years, when she had been betrayed by her husband and he had grown up. He resurrected from her dead memories under a different name and came to her side to carry out his promise.

Leona couldn’t verify if he was her mate or not, because she couldn’t get in touch with her wolf. But one thing she knew for sure was that during the past 11 years, he had never stopped loving her even for one single day.