QUEEN CHRISELDA
"Everything is ruined. The ceremony… Fiona… My son's future bride," I yearned bitterly, holding the wall for support.
After making that announcement to please my people, I ran down to my room to pour out my pain all alone.
After all the struggles and the work I placed into this hunt to make Fiona the right mate for Allen, someone had to step in and destroy it all!
"Who is that fool that thinks they can harm the Royal family and go scot free? Who dares to challenge I, Queen Chriselda of Wolf Fall, and thinks he can escape me?!" I roared, feeling the rage of my wolf ingulfing my system.
"There's a reason why creatures from other lands and werewolves of other packs fear Wolf Fall's Queen. That's because I make sure my enemies are caught and dealt with." I tilted my head, slowly pulling myself away from the wall, with a plan streaming into my mind.
"The video didn't come from Wolf Fall and we can't even trace the source. But that doesn't mean the Sorceress of our land can't fish out clues. Thelma… She's the only one that can help me."
Without hesitation, I stormed out of my room and made my way to Thelma's chamber.
That old woman has made that place her complete home. She hardly steps out to do anything like before. Her body has now become weak, but her skills are still intact. She's still the perfect sorceress who surpasses any other magician, both far and near.
She's my only hope in finding this enemy.
Getting to Thelma's room, I carefully opened the door and found Thelma sitting in front of her steamy pot, inhaling the disgusting aroma that came puffing out from inside.
It looked like a concoction of the portion that keeps her strong whenever she gets weak. She was inhaling it like her life depends on it.
When she opened her eyes and saw me, Thelma sighed out and said, "My Queen, please give me some minute to finish this up. I really need to be alone for now."
"There's no time for that, Thelma," I said strongly, drawing closer with my hand covering my nose from the smell.
"While you were busy in your hut, someone snuck into our pack and took inappropriate videos of Allen and Fiona!" I shared, stunning Thelma at once.
"What?" Her eyes popped a little, as she drew herself away from her concoction.
"Yes, you heard me. The video has been flying around the pack all day and everyone is against Fiona."
"I don't believe this. How come I'm just hearing this?"
That question made me scoff with my right brow lifting at Thelma. Can she hear herself? Someone that kept herself hidden inside for more than twelve hours is asking how come she didn't know?
"Well now you're hearing it from me. Allen and Fiona were almost eaten to nothing by that people. They even questioned and accused me of being a bad Queen! Me, Chriselda, a bad Queen!" My hand against my chest, recalling my people's rage.
"It was so shameful. I couldn't step out to clear things up. But Allen somehow managed to solve the problem, and now I feel so sad about the decision I've made."
"What decision my Queen? What did Allen tell them?" She asked, finally showing seriousness to the matter.
I lowered my head and told her what Allen had said and how he painted Fiona black to the people. Thelma went silent. She must be blown by the things I just told her.
"Now everyone wants a rematch. They don't want Fiona as my son's mate but a different damsel. I had no choice but to agree with their choice, since I am the Queen. I didn't want my people to think I'm unjust. I… I did what I had to do."
"Indeed, it was the right thing, Queen Chriselda," Thelma said, surprising me.
I was expecting her to feel sad for Fiona and suggest a way to help that wonderful copy of mine, but she just agreed like that.
"My Queen, your status is more important than that girl. If this had happened after she got mated to Alpha Allen, then we would have stood against the people and forced them to accept it. But this one… She's not married to your son. Her reputation isn't your problem. Yours and your son's image matters to you."
It felt strange hearing this from Thelma. She isn't against Allen's action.
She drew closer and patted me on the shoulder, saying, "Give the people what they want. Now that there's a rematch, I'm sure you'll find a damsel who's more worthy to be your daughter-in-law. The girls would return to the game stronger and tougher than before. Who knows, she might even be better than Fiona."
"Hmm, I think you're right. This rematch will ignite a new fire into the hearts of those damsels. A second chance to prove themselves to me."
Indeed, this isn't a bad plan. And here I thought everything was lost, but it isn't.
I guess my son wasn't wrong about Fiona. She did act foolishly by going against my rules. It was fun while it lasted.
Despite accepting this new change, I still brought my request to Thelma. "I need to find the person responsible for posting that video. It didn't come from our pack but somewhere outside, and the guards can't tell who is responsible."
"So, you're saying we have an intruder in our pack?"
"Yes, we have a trespasser here in our land! And I have a feeling that it's that Rogue," I suspected, accusing that Dark Blood. "After all, his scent can't be detected. It has to be him."
"We can't be sure until we check," Thelma pointed out, walking back to her mixture, and taking out a scoop to gulp down.
It was irritating, but I watched on, until she was looking better and stronger.
"Before this potion fades off from my body, we better move fast to where the incident took place. Maybe I might find something," she decided, grabbing her cloak and putting it on.
Just as we were about to make our move, Allen stormed in to see Thelma.
"Yuck! What is that abomination?!" He exclaimed, covering his nose.
Looking up, he saw Thelma and I getting ready to leave. Then he asked, "Where are you going to?"
"To the hall where you and Fiona carried out your party," I answered, surprising Allen.
"Really? Does that mean your shield gave you the identity of the culprit that took that video?" he asked, looking desperate.
Thelma hummed at Allen's question, giving him a false answer just to satisfy his needs. "Indeed, I know the person, Alpha."
"That's good. Let me come with you. I need to give that bastard a piece of my mind!"
"No need for that, my son," I intervened, placing my hands on Allen's arms to calm his nerves. "Let your mother handle this herself. You just prepare yourself for the Rematch. You need to relax," I comforted, appealing his heart.
He smiled and agreed to do as I instructed, before leaving the room.
Once he was gone, my Sorceress and I left, exiting the mansion with two guards escorting us down to the location.
On arrival, Thelma began to use her powers to search the building, trying to find traces of this culprit. She did this for three times and came back with nothing, looking disappointed.
Seeing no result, I concluded at once, "It's Cadell, isn't it? That Bloody…"
"Hold on, my Queen," Thelma interrupted, staring at something on the ground right outside the hall.
She walked up to what looked like a stain and went on her knees to sniff it. I watched how she sniffed hard on this stain before flashing her eyes at my direction, saying, "Deer Blood?"
"What? How did a deer's get into our pack?" I asked, finding this off. You can't find creatures like that around Wolf Fall, but far in other parts of the forests.
Thelma took one more sniff and paused, widening her eyes one more time. This time she didn't look stunned, but angry.
"Looks like we might have found our culprit."
"Really? So, it's not the Dark Blood?"
"No," she said, lifting her gaze t me and revealing the enemy, "Vampires."
Bloody Parasites! Vampires in Wolf Fall? This isn't good!
"I can't pick this scent in the pack. They must have fled to report to their Queen. I bet they know the truth about my shield," Thelma reported, pulling out something from her cloak.
She chanted a spell that took part of this stain from the ground magically, and stored the sample into a bottle. Once she closed it, she turned over to look at me.
"Don't worry, my Queen," she smiled, sensing my worry. "We'll surprise those bats before they can do anything to Wolf Fall. We'll find and punish them for thinking they can mess with your home," Thelma assured me.
I nodded, feeling the hatred overwhelming my heart.
First Werecat, now Vampires? You will all learn to fear Chriselda when I start.