The Alpha King's Rebellious Queen
The Alpha King’s Rebellious Queen Chapter 15

“Call me Izzy, dear,” Isabelle said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and led me towards the elevator. Her embrace and warm and inviting, a lot like my own mother.

“Mother,” I heard Cassius mutter to her. “Don’t overwhelm her.”

“Shut up, Cassy,” She lodged a glare at him. She leaned into me. “It’s cute that he thinks because he is King that he can tell me what to do.” All I could do was laugh as we all walked into the elevator. Once the doors opened, Isabelle dropped her arm from my shoulder and led me towards the dining room while Cassius muttered to his father close behind us. I just giggled.

We entered the grand dining hall. White and gold marble columns lined the wall with portraits of the royal family and various warriors. Isabelle lead me towards one of the larger pictures. It was my grandmother, Victoria. I knew she had been one of the top warriors, but I hadn’t realized how much she was honored and remembered.

“You look just like her. And from what I hear, you are just as much of a fighter. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me feel to know that the Goddess has finally seen fit to unite our families in b***d. It tells me that your and Cassy’s future pups will be destined for greatness.”

I cringed when she mentioned pups. Right now, I could not think of myself having pups with Cassius. He had taken Nicky from me. I would deny him an heir. I kept a fake smile plastered on my face as Isabelle spoke. The sound of a clearing throat made us turn. Cassius was standing at the head of the long elegant table with his arms folded. “Mother, you can finish your history lesson later. My queen needs to eat breakfast.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, your majesty.” She replied sarcastically. I giggled as she took my hand and led me to the head of the table. Throne-like chairs sat at the head. “Your seat is here beside Cassius.” She released me and then walked to the left of Cassius to sit beside Terry. I glanced around the table of bowed heads. There was a brown-haired female looking at me with a smile. She resembled Isabelle. I assumed her to be Cassius’s younger sister.

“Good morning, everyone.” Cassius began to speak. “Today is a momentous occasion as I have finally found my other half. My mate. My queen.” He gestured to me. “Meet Jemma MacKenzie, daughter of Phillip MacKenzie. The Goddess has truly blessed us all with such a strong queen,” He looked at me with a hopeful smile that made my heart race. This a*****e was making it very hard to stay angry at him. Not wanting to create conflict, I smiled back. He took a deep breath and faced everyone. He clapped his hands. “Let’s eat. I can hear all of your stomach’s growling in anticipation of breakfast.” He sat down and light chatter spread through the collected bodies. The omegas walked out of a door with plates of food.

I felt a hand on my arm as I looked over at the one I assumed to be Cassius’s sister. She beamed a brilliant smile at me. This family was so willing to some kindness that I couldn’t help but embrace it. “Hello, Jemma. I am so glad my brother finally found his mate. I have always wanted a sister. I am Ainsley.”

Smiling at her as the food was set before me. “Nice to meet you, Ainsley.”

She clapped and squealed. “You are so pretty. I can not wait to get to know you.”

I nodded. She reminded me of Tiffany. It made me a little sad. As annoying as she could be, I missed my younger sister. My stomach growled as the smell of food hit me. My heart sank when I looked down at the food. It was french toast with strawberries and cream, Nicky’s favorite. There was also bacon and sausage with scrambled eggs. I gulped as I picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled it. I suddenly lost my appetite. I had to fight the tears.

“Jemma,” A man sitting beside Isabelle had said my name. He had dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes with a brilliant smile. “I am Deke Shade, Cass’s right-hand man, and best friend. It’s great to meet you finally.”

I nodded at him. I had heard stories about Deke. He was a fine warrior. He gestured to a beautiful raven-haired woman with green eyes sitting beside him. “This is my mate, Audrey.”

She smiled warmly at me. “It’s my pleasure to meet you, Jemma, finally.” I nodded an acknowledgment to her. She seemed friendly enough. Everyone here seemed friendly and warm. I glanced at a short-haired, muscular woman sitting beside Ainsley. I recognized her. She was another that I had heard stories about.

“You are Maria Hall,” I said to her. She nodded tersely.

“That I am, your highness. I am Cass’s third in command and head of security.”

It was rare for a female to be third in command. But Maria had more than proven herself on the battlefield. My father spoke of her often. She had adopted a lot of the fighting techniques that had made my grandmother famous. “You can just call me Jemma,” I said to her. I was met with a curt nod. She didn’t seem hostile but didn’t come off as friendly as the others.

I turned my attention back to my food. I had only nibbled at the bacon and sipped some orange juice. I felt Cassius’s gaze on me. “Are you not going to eat French toast?” He asked.

I shook my head. “It’s Nicky’s favorite.” Tears flooded my eyes as I mentioned my son.

“Nicky?” Isabelle asked as she glanced at Cassius with narrowed eyes.

“M-my, son,” I mumbled as a tear fell down my cheek that I quickly wiped away.

“Right, I remember now. Where is he?”

I gulped down a sob. “Ask your son,” I growled out.

She glared at him. “Trust me. I will.”

Cassius shifted in his seat. “We can get you something else to eat, Jemma.”

“No, that isn’t necessary. I can eat.” I cut up the French toast and took a few bites when a small child’s laughter was heard entering the dining hall. Maria turned to the blonde male pup that was being followed by a beautiful red-headed she-wolf. The pup, who resembled Nicky, ran over and climbed onto Maria’s lap. The redhead glanced at me for a moment. She had the most beautiful forest green eyes I have ever seen. I was mesmerized for a moment. Maria growled lowly as the redhead laughed. “Oh, calm down, Maria.” She leaned down and kissed Maria on the lips.

“I’m sorry for staring,” I said, looking away from her. “I was just mesmerized by your eyes.”

The redhead sat down beside Maria and clasped her hand. She laughed lightly. “It’s alright. I hear that a lot. You must be Cass’s mate and queen. I am Angela, Maria’s mate, and this is our pup Nicolai.”

My heart tightened at the mention of the pup’s name. Why did he have to have such a similar name? I felt the tears welling up again. I didn’t want to be rude towards Angela, so I gulped down another sob. “Nice to meet you, Angela. I’m Jemma.” I said quietly and then looked away from her. I took another bite of the French toast, which now tasted like ash. I pushed it away and took a long drink of water. I closed my eyes.

“Are you alright, dear?” I heard Isabelle ask gently.

I shook my head. “I-I’m just-” I trailed off as the little boy was talking to his moms. He giggled loudly while bouncing on Maria’s lap. It made me long to have my Nicky in my arms. Taking a few deep breaths, I had to look away from him. “I’m alright, Isabelle.” I nearly whispered.

She tilted her head. She frowned as she observed me. “Tell me what is wrong, dear.”

“I’m fine.” I knew I was not convincing anyone. Cassius tried clasping my hand under the table, which I pulled away from him. I didn’t want his comfort. I wanted to run away from him.

“Mama,” Nicolai said to Maria. “Can we go to the park today?” He asked. He appeared to be around Nicky’s age, maybe a little older.

Maria looked at her mate. “Maybe later, Mom and I have work today. You will be going to pupcare today.”

The pup squealed. “Will Tommy be there?”

“Probably. His mommy and daddy have to work today also.” Maria said to him.

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, so I looked at the table with my eyes closed. The pup continued his conversation with his moms. I had to tune them out. It was too much for me. I shouldn’t let it affect me, but it was. Even Leonora was whimpering sadly in the back of my mind. She missed our pup too.

“Don’t play with your food, Nicky.” Angela scolded the pup.

‘Nicky.’ The stifled sob erupted from my chest as tears flowed down my cheek.

“But Mama,” The pup started to whine.

“Don’t but Mama me, Nicky,” Angela was saying, but I couldn’t wait to hear more. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I stood up and ran out of the dining room with tears streaming out of my eyes.

“Jemma!” I heard Cassius calling to me.

I ignored his voice and the flurry of growls and other voices that came from the dining room as I ran. I wasn’t looking. I just needed to flee. Finally, I stopped and leaned against a wall, and sobbed. I sunk to the ground and pulled my knees to my chest as I cried loudly. I didn’t care who saw and heard. Someone approached me and knelt in front. Arms embraced me as a female scent reached me.

“Oh, dear. What is wrong?” Izzy’s gentle voice flowed out. I fell into her embrace, and she helped me to my feet. I let her guide me to a room, and then she sat us down on a couch. I just sobbed into her shoulder as she rubbed my back. “Shh, there, there. Tell Izzy what the matter is.”

I sobbed a little longer before I could get a hold of myself. I pulled from Izzy’s embrace. She handed me a tissue, and I wiped my nose and looked at her. “Cassius made me give up, Nicky. H-he took my baby from me.” I sobbed again as the words fell out of my mouth.

A low growl came from Izzy. “He did what?” She looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

“H-he said he couldn’t have the result of my infidelity running around his palace. B-but I was eighteen when I had him. I didn’t know Cassius was my mate.”

Izzy patted my back. “Well, of course not. How could he do that to you? Stupid men.” She snarled. “It wasn’t infidelity.”

“He said, in the eyes of the Goddess, it was.”

She sighed. “Well, I suppose. But he isn’t exactly a virgin himself. He shouldn’t punish your pup like that because he can’t handle the fact that you had other men before him.”

I nodded. Izzy was my saving grace. I could see why she and my mother were such good friends and not just because their mates were friends. “I don’t understand why the men think it’s alright for them to sleep around, but god forbid if we do.”

She laughed, which made me laugh through my tears. “It’s their nature, I am afraid. They are possessive of what is theirs. And alpha males are the worst, especially a royal alpha.” She pulled me into another hug.

“How can I ever forgive him? I can’t even look at him without hearing my child screaming for me in my head.”

She took a deep breath. “Cassius is a good man. You have to give him a chance.”

“I don’t think I want to. He made me leave my baby behind. Nicky thinks it was his fault that I had to leave. He thinks he did something wrong.” Fresh tears flowed out of my eyes. “I mean, he isn’t alone. He has his father, both sets of grandparents, my siblings, and lots of friends, but he doesn’t have-“

“You.” Izzy finished my thought. “No one is ever you in the eyes of your pup. Oh, my dear Jemma. I couldn’t imagine what I would have done if Terry had taken one of my pups from me. But I need you to have faith.” She pleaded with me. “The Goddess paired you with Cassius for a reason. This kingdom needs a strong woman to rule at his side.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think I can do this, Izzy. How can I rule at his side when I can’t even look at him?” I said through the tears.

“The kingdom depends on the two of you to work through this.” She sighed and gently grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “You are the strength he needs, Jemma. Look, I’ll talk to my son, and when I am done with him, he’ll be on his knees begging you for forgiveness. When I get back, we’ll call Melinda and see if we can set up a Skype chat with your pup. Okay? Please trust me.” I nodded and managed to smile. Isabelle was like a gift from the Goddess. She made me feel better. I hugged her. She rubbed my back. “Wait here for me. Alright?” If anything, I was already in love with my mate’s mother.

“Okay,” I replied as she stood up. She squeezed my shoulder before leaving the room. I sat on the couch and looked around. I appeared to be in an extensive library. It had to be at least two stories tall and filled with shelves and shelves of books floor to ceiling. I heard footsteps approach me. I turned to see Angela with Nicolai in her arms. She smiled weakly at me.

“Jemma?” She approached. “Are you alright? You seemed upset by Nicky.”

My heart clenched when she repeated the name. But I couldn’t be mad at her. She seemed very nice. I patted the couch beside me. “No, it’s not your fault. Really.” I managed to smile as she sat with Nicolai beside me. “I just had to leave my son behind at my old pack. His name is Nicholas, and I call him Nicky.”

She held her pup tighter. “Oh, I am so sorry. If I had known-“

I held up my hand. “Don’t feel bad, please?”

The little boy snuggled into his mom’s chest and looked me over. “You have purple eyes.” He said, which made me smile wider.

“Nicky-” Angela started to say and paused. “This is Uncle Cass’s mate and our new queen.”

He pulled away from her chest and smiled at me. “She is pretty.”

“Thank you, Nicky,” I said to him and held out my hand to him. “I am Jemma.”

He looked at my hand and then at his mother. He then grabbed my hand and inspected my fingers. “You have very long phalanges.”

I laughed and raised my eyebrows. “What?”

Angela laughed and nuzzled his neck. “I am a doctor at the Royal Hospital. I have been teaching him about anatomy. He seems to be picking it up very easily.”

“I see that. He is very bright. I wouldn’t have learned that word if it wasn’t for one of my favorite TV shows.”

“Bones?” Angela asked brightly.

I nodded happily. “Yeah, I love that show.”

“Me too.” She agreed and stood up. “I’m sorry, but I have to take Nicolai to pupcare and get to work. I hope we can talk again sometime.”

“I hope so too.”

She patted my arm. “I hope Maria didn’t come off as too hostile. That is just how she is.”

“No, Maria is fine. She is a warrior, a strong one at that. Most warriors aren’t exactly the jovial types.”

Angela nodded. “It takes her a bit to warm up to new people. And being close to Cassius, she’ll hopefully come around. I hope. I mean, I barely know you, and I already like you. I hope we can be friends.”

This place was warming up to me. Who knew the royal palace was so full of kind and warm people. It was nothing like I imagined. “I hope we can be friends too, Angela. Thank you. Have a good day at work. Bye, Nicolai.” I waved at the pup.

He waved back as Angela carried him out of the room. I leaned back on the couch and looked at the ornate ceiling, and took a deep breath. Despite the longing I had for my son, I was feeling better. I closed my eyes for a few minutes. After a few minutes, I began to feel thirsty. I spied a maid dusting the shelves. I rose from the couch and approached her.

She stiffened and stopped dusting. She bowed to me. She seemed nervous in my presence. “W-what can I do for you, your majesty?” She asked nervously.

“You don’t have to call me that. I’m just Jemma.”

She looked at the ground and shook her head. “Y-you are the King’s mate, are you not?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then, I must address you correctly.”

I sighed deeply. “Very well. Um, could you perhaps point me in the direction of the kitchen? I am a bit thirsty.” She kept her eyes directed to the ground. “You can look me in the eyes. I promise I don’t bite. What is your name?”

She raised her eyes to look at me. She was a lovely little she-wolf with soft brown eyes. “My name is Suzy. I can get you something to drink, your majesty.”

“I can get it myself. Just point me towards the kitchen.”

“No, I insist.” She said a little too forcefully and quickly covered her mouth and looked at the ground again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

“Oh, Suzy, don’t fret. I’m not upset. If you want to get me something to drink, you may. I’m just not used to being waited on yet.”

She nodded. “I understand, your majesty. Would you like some lemonade? We make some of the finest lemonade you have ever had.”

I smiled at her hoping to ease her nervousness. “That sounds nice. Thank you, Suzy.”

She looked at me with her soft brown eyes and curtsied. “I’ll be right back.” She then flitted out of the library.

I sighed and began to look around. I ran my fingers over the rows and rows of books. It was organized the way you would replace a city library. I found myself in the history section. There were books on human history, and there were books on supernatural history. One caught my eye, and I pulled it from the shelf. It was an entire book about my grandmother Victoria. I opened it up and flipped through it, seeing photos of my grandmother. I heard the clink of ice and looked up to see Suzy walking into the library with a golden tray that held a large pitcher of pink liquid. There were a couple of glasses also. She set the tray down on a table in front of the couch. “Thank you, Suzy,” I said with a smile to her.

She nodded and then picked up her duster and proceeded to start dusting. I cradled the book under my arm and walked over to the couch, and sat down. I set the book beside me and poured myself a glass of lemonade, and took a sip. It was strawberry lemonade with bits of strawberry in it. “Wow, you weren’t kidding, Suzy. This is the best lemonade I have ever had.” I said to the dusting omega. “Would you like a glass?”

She shook her head. “I have to make sure I get the library dusted, your majesty.”

“Oh, well, there is nothing wrong with taking short lemonade breaks while you dust. You need to stay hydrated.” I poured lemonade into the other glass and set it on the table.

“Thank you, your majesty. If I may speak freely,” She paused as I nodded approval. “I am glad that you are the King’s mate.” She turned back to the shelves and continued dusting.

“Thank you, Suzy.” I set my glass down and picked up the biography on my grandmother, and started reading. I sat there reading and smiling whenever Suzy walked over to take sips of lemonade.

Almost an hour passed when Isabelle walked back into the library. The lemonade was about gone as I had invited the other omegas that had come to clean the library to have some. I learned several of their names. I even talked to them. One thing I had learned from my parents was to treat omegas like the people they were.

Isabelle sat beside me and eyed the book in my hands. “Your grandmother was a remarkable woman.”

“It’s strange how I know so little about her. My father spoke about her. But not often. I think he still mourns her loss.”

“Of course he does. He idolized his mother. I remember how upset he was when she was killed. Then his father killed himself a week later. Poor Phil. In a week, he had lost both of his parents and suddenly found himself Alpha of one of the largest packs in the kingdom at the age of sixteen. But he has managed to hold it together, and I believe your pack is even stronger now.”

I smiled at her. “That it is. My father is a great alpha. Or I may be biased because he is my father.”

She laughed. “You biased, Nah. Did your father ever tell you about how he saved my mate’s life?”

“He has several times. It was one of mine and Iain’s favorite bedtime stories.” We smiled at each other for a moment. “Did you talk to Cassius?”

“And then some. Now, I need you to work on forgiving him. This kingdom needs you.” She stood up. “Come with me.” She held out her hand. “I believe we have a pup to go talk to.”

I couldn’t help the broad smile as I clasped her hand and stood up. Tears brimmed in my eyes as she leads me out of the library.