The Alpha King's Rebellious Queen
The Alpha King’s Rebellious Queen Chapter 32

Jemma’s POV

As we walked into the mall, of course, there were onlookers. The Queen arriving with a group of men clad in black was something to talk about. We decided to go to the baby store first. “You know this is going to start gossip.” I smiled at Delilah.

She shrugged. “We are just looking.”

We walked into the store and started cooing at baby clothes and toys. Delilah and Ainsley were looking at onesies, and I found myself in the toddler clothing section. I sighed sadly as I missed my baby boy. I picked up a little shirt with a tiger on it. I just had to get it for Nicky. I picked up a few more. I found the girls in the corner of the store looking at blankets. They turned, and Delilah sighed.

“You must miss your son, huh?”

I nodded sadly. “So much.” I held up one of the shirts I found for him. “He loves tigers.” A laugh came out of me. “I know a werewolf that loves tigers.”

“That’s cute. I loved horses when I was little.” Ainsley added.

“I’ll take those to him when I go back to Zephyr Moon.” Delilah offered me.

Ainsley sighed. “I still can’t believe my brother made you leave him behind.”

“He said he couldn’t have the reminder of my infidelity running around the palace.”

“Infidelity?” Ainsley scoffed. “You didn’t even know he was your mate back then.”

I snorted. “I know. But you know how alpha males are. It’s okay for them to sleep around, but god forbid we do it.”

“Iain gets mad if I talk to most of the other males in the pack. Like, don’t they realize we only have eyes for them.”

“Males are idiots.” I laughed, and the girls joined in. We walked over to the check outstand. The clerk bowed to us before ringing up my items. I had picked out a few shirts and some pants for Nicky.

“Not Titus,” Ainsley added. “He is so sweet and caring. Vampires aren’t all possessive like werewolves.”

The clerk’s eyes bugged as she spoke, but she remained silent till she gave me the total. I handed her my card. “I hope everything goes right for you, Ains.” I grabbed my bag of items, and we walked out of the store. “Where to next?”

We went into a high-end clothing store. I cruised through the racks. I was replaceing things I liked among the fancy clothes. “Jemma,” Ainsley ushered me over to her. “I am going to reject Casper.”

“Can you do that? I thought you couldn’t reject an alpha.”

She shrugged. “I am royalty. That outranks any alpha. I hate to hurt him. But I just don’t want to be with him. I feel no pull to him. My wolf went nuts, and he is nice to look at, but I feel nothing for him.”

I sighed. My mind wandered to the night I discovered Cassius was my mate. I felt something for him even though I ran away. But then I had also known him most of my life. “I felt something for Cass at the Mating Ball.”

“But you ran away,” Delilah said as we walked towards the dressing rooms.

I laughed. “I was scared, and truthfully I didn’t want a mate.” Both of their mouths gaped at me. “I didn’t like the idea of being forced to love someone just because the moon goddess paired you with them.”

“But you love my brother, don’t you?” Ainsley asked sincerely.

I sighed deeply. Even though he had taken my son from me, I did indeed love him, and it came easy to me. “Yes. Very much. I mean, he made me leave Nicky behind. But he vowed to make it up to me, and he is trying. I get to talk to my son whenever I want, and he promised after my coronation that I could go see him when my schedule permits.”

“I bet your parents will bring him with for the coronation,” Delilah interjected.

I smiled. “You are right. I should ask them to bring him.”

“He is a sweet little boy.” Delilah smiled at me. “And I just laugh every time he steals cookies from the kitchen for your dad.”

“Yeah, he and my dad have a special connection.” We walked into the dressing rooms. I tried on a couple of black skirts and blouses. One blouse had a dragon design on it. I admired myself in the mirror. This wasn’t my usual style, but it was suited for attending kingdom meetings and office work. I tried on a few more things before deciding on the ones to keep. “You guys want to go get ice cream?” I asked as we were checking out.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Ainsley agreed.

As we were walking to the food court, I spied a familiar face. He smiled as we walked towards him. He hesitated to get too close as the guards weren’t allowing anyone close to us. But I pushed past the guards and returned the smile. “Hey, Paul.”

The large muscled warrior went to hug me but stopped and bowed to me. “My queen.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes at him and hugged him. He stiffened. “Oh, relax. It’s just a friendly hug.” I released him. “And it’s just Jemma.”

“It is good to see you, Jemma. You look happy.” Paul’s deep voice rumbled out. It made me miss him more. I missed spending time in his arms. The last time was the morning of the Royal Mating Ball. We were so sure there was a future for us. I had been adamant about rejecting my mate and staying with Paul. “Has the King been treating you well?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. He has.” Except for when he took my son from me.

Delilah stood on my other side. “Hey, Paul, what brings you to the mall?”

A moment later, a familiar stench of noxious perfume entered my nostrils as I watched Rosalind wrap her arms around Paul and k**s his cheek. She smiled at Delilah and then looked at me with a sneer. “Oh, if it isn’t our queen.” Her voice dripped with disdain.

I felt a tinge of jealousy as I watched her with Paul. I mean, I shouldn’t feel anything. Paul was my ex. I was with Cassius. So why was seeing Rosalind pawing him making me ill? “Well, if it isn’t Rosalind, the Zephyr Moon pack slut.” I folded my arms against my chest. “Paul? Out of all of the females in the pack.” I shook my head.

Paul sighed. “Jemma, Rosalind, and I have been together for months.”

“Wait, months?” I asked, now getting angry. “So, what was I just an easy lay?”

“Of course.” Rosalind snickered. “You thought Paul was serious about your relationship.”

I felt tears threatening to fall out of my eyes, but I repressed them. ‘Jemma, this isn’t worth getting mad over.’ Leonora tried calming me. I looked at Paul. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

He looked at the ground. “I’m sorry, Jemma. But Ros and I have been friends all of our lives. I care about you.”

“Yeah, I get it. I was an easy screw,” I growled as my fists balled up. “You are an a*****e, Paul.”

Rosalind snorted. “Why are you getting mad, Jemma? You are mated to the King, for crying out loud.”

I shook my head. I honestly do not know why I was angry. “You are right. I moved on to something better.”

“Jemma, please.” Paul pleaded with me. “I didn’t mean to-“

“Save it, Paul. I thought we had something special, but you are just another typical male. You and Rosalind are perfect for each other. I just hope you don’t get scabies or gonorrhea from her.”

Rosalind snarled. “Oh, like you are any better. The King is stuck with some slut for a queen. I mean, he couldn’t even handle your bastard whelp.”

I saw red as Leonora snarled in my head. Insulting my pup was over the line. “What did you call him?” My voice was like venom as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Come on, Jemma. She isn’t worth it.” Delilah tried to calm me down. She glared at Rosalind.

“Well, I am not wrong. He is a bastard. You weren’t mated to his father who, if I remember, ditched you as soon as he found his actual mate.” Rosalind knew how to push my buttons. “You know that brat has been calling Jeremy’s mate mommy. Not that I blame him. You just up and ditched-“

She didn’t finish the sentence because I punched her stupid face. She fell backward against the floor. I jumped on top of her and began hitting her face. She cried out as her face became bloodied. Strong arms pulled me off of her. I struggled as Sam, and one of the other guards held me. “Let me go motherfucker.” I growled.

“No, your majesty,” Sam said calmly in my ear.

I struggled to free myself from the guards. I felt Leonora fighting to take control. No one insulted our pup. ‘Let me at the bitch.’

Delilah was kneeling beside a now unconscious Rosalind. “She needs medical attention.”

“Let the b***h die,” I growled, almost using my Queen tone.

“Calm down, your majesty.” Sam pleaded with me as a crowd was growing and taking pictures. I snarled at him but calmed down and stopped struggling.

“Get that stupid b***h medical attention.” I pulled myself out of their hold and stormed away in the opposite direction. I felt my rage building. I needed to be away from others. How could Paul cheat on me the whole time we were together? f**k. Why did I care? I wasn’t with Paul. I was with Cassius. I loved Cassius, but why was I mad at Paul? I felt the eyes of other mall patrons on me. The tears I held back started to fall, so I slipped into a family restroom and slammed the door shut. I slid down the wall and sat on the ground, and sobbed. I suddenly was feeling doubt about my relationship with Cassius. Abut being the Queen. I was only with Cassius because of the mate bond. He had taken Nicky from me. I had vowed not to give in to him. I then broke that vow within days and gave in to Cassius. I was so conflicted. There was a knock on the door.

“Jemma?” I heard Ainsley say from the other side. “Jemma, are you okay?”

I ignored her and kept sobbing on the dirty floor. ‘What is wrong with me, Leonora?’ I asked my wolf. ‘I know I love Cassius. But now I just-‘ I sobbed harder as my wolf stayed quiet.

“You are not going to break down the door, Sam.” I heard Ainsley on the other side of the door. “Just give her a minute, okay.”

My head hurt as I finally finished sobbing. I stood up and hovered over the sink before splashing water on my face. I used a paper towel to wipe off the water and my tears. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and hugged Ainsley, who was standing on the other side. “Sorry I ruined our girl’s day.”

Delilah stood beside Ainsley and laughed. “Are you kidding me? Watching you beat Rosalind’s a*s was the highlight.”

I snorted. “I guess. I thought you liked her.”

“I like Fiona and Lillian. And unfortunately where ever they went, so did Rosalind. I know she is jealous of Iain and Me, so she was always trying to get under my skin.”

“Well, that is what she does best,” I said as we headed towards the exit of the mall. We ignored the onlookers who were pointing and making comments. “I don’t know why Fiona and Lillian hang out with her either.”

“Fiona only hangs out with her because they are cousins,” Delilah stated. “But when I am Luna, I should so banish Rosalind from the pack.”

I laughed. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Jemma!” I heard Paul’s deep voice yell.

I turned to see him standing just behind my guards. I glared at him. “What, Paul?”

“I am sorry, Jemma. I never meant to lead you on and make you think we had something more serious happening.”

I held up one of my hands. “Save it your breath, Paul. I don’t need to hear any more excuses or apologies.” I felt tears threatening to fall again. “Besides, Cassius is much better with his hands than you will ever be,” I smirked and then turned heel and charged out of the mall. Bruce was leaning against the limo and opened the door as I almost ran into it.

Delilah and Ainsley climbed in behind me. Bruce closed the door and rushed to the driver’s seat. He looked back at us. “Where to now, ladies?”

“Home.” I looked at the girls. “Right?”

They both nodded. “Yeah, I think we had enough adventure today,” Delilah replied.

I ran my head through my hair and sighed. “I am in so much trouble for beating up Rosalind.”

“She provoked you,” Ainsley stated.

“But I assaulted her. Cassius is never going to let me leave the palace without him again.”

“We have your back, Jemma.” Delilah tried to reassure me. “She insulted your son.”

I sighed and leaned my head against the window. My mind was a mess between Paul and now doubts I had in my relationship with Cassius. Not to mention the ache in my heart for my baby. “I think I just want to crawl into bed and watch TV the rest of the day.”

“I have to prepare myself to tell my parents that I am in love with a vampire,” Ainsley said with a deep breath. “They are going to be so pissed, especially my dad.”

“Are you going to reject your mate?” Delilah asked.

“Yes,” Ainsley stated with confidence.

“But you would make a good Luna, I think,” Delilah argued.

Ainsley shrugged. “I don’t want to be a luna. Titus promised we would travel. I want to see the world and not be tied to one pack for my whole life. No offense. So, that’s what I am going to do. No matter what my parents say.”

“It’s alright, Ainsley. I want to be Luna to my mate’s pack.”

“You aren’t going to spend all of our money knocking down the packhouse, are you?” I asked her with a glance.

“Well, I am still going to redecorate it and update a few things. Even your mother was on board with that.”

I sighed. “I guess it’s up to each new Luna to make it her own.”

“I’m sorry, my tastes tend to be on the expensive side. That’s just how I was raised. My father always wanted the finest things. He made me and my siblings wear only name brand clothes and act proper at all times. He doesn’t treat the omegas as nicely as your pack does.”

“That must have been a shock to you.”

“At first, it was,” Delilah explained. “But then your mother explained that happy omegas are more loyal, which I get. My dad had problems with leaks and spies in our pack. I now suspect it may have been disgruntled omegas.”

I smiled. “You will make a good luna, Delilah.” I turned to Ainsley. “Do you want me to be with you when you tell your parents about Titus?”

She shook her head. “No, I think I need to do this on my own.”

The limo pulled to the front of the palace, and we piled out. I directed a couple of omegas to take our bags upstairs before turning to the girls. “So, today was fun if not eventful.”

They both laughed. “I am going to take a long soak in the tub,” Delilah said. “And then have hot s*x with your brother.”

“Eww,” I glared at her. “I did not need to know that.”

She just laughed. “See you tomorrow, Jemma.” She hugged me before walking in the direction of her room.

I walked with Ainsley towards the elevators. We walked mostly in silence. I saw Ainsley’s hands tremble. “You will be okay.” I tried reassuring her.

“Ainsley!” A male voice called from down the hall. It was her mate, the young alpha Casper Reynold. He rushed towards us and stopped just in front of us. “Please, I just want to talk to you.”

She shook her head. “No,” She stated confidently.

The young alpha frowned. “Why?”

“I have nothing to say to you.” Ainsley stepped out from behind me. She glanced at me before looking at Casper. “I was going to wait till tomorrow to do this, but I think I should get it over with.”

Casper’s eyes flickered as his wolf was trying to get out. “Get what over with?”

“Look Casper. I am sure you are a nice male wolf, but I am in love with someone else.”

“That filthy bloodsucker!” He growled. “I am your mate, not a f*****g vampire.”

She sighed. “Yes.”

“Y-you can’t. I have waited years for you.”

“You will replace someone else.”

He grabbed her shoulders. “Please!” Tears formed in his eyes. “Please give me a chance.”

Ainsley pulled away from him and backed up. “I, Ainsley Marie Fury, reject-“

“NO!” Casper roared and lunged for Ainsely. Several guards rushed forward and grabbed Casper. He struggled in their hold.

“I, Ainsley Marie Fury, reject you Casper Reynolds as my mate.”

“NO!” Casper roared again. “I do not accept your rejection.” He fell to his knees and clasped his hands together. “Please, Ainsley. Give me a chance. Just-“

Ainsley snarled. “Take the hint Casper. I don’t want you.” The doors to the elevator opened, and she walked on with her back turned to the sobbing young alpha.

I followed her silently and watched as the young alpha collapsed to the ground. I sighed and stepped out of the elevator, and approached Casper. I knelt in front of him. “I am sorry about Ainsley.” I tried comforting him.

He looked at me dead on with eyes full of pain. “Why does the Goddess hate me?” He stood up and then ran down the hall, shifting into a dark grey wolf. A guard opened a door so that he could run outside.

I sighed and looked at one of the guards who had been holding him. “Please keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t harm himself or anyone else.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The guard bowed.

Sighing heavily, I waited for the elevator to return so I could go up to my room and just hide from the world. It opened, and I walked on and slumped against the wall. The heaviness of today’s events was wearing on me. I needed to call the one person in the world that could always make me smile no matter what. The doors opened, and I rushed to my room. I dug my phone out of my purse and sat on the couch, and dialed the number. It rang a few times before being answered.

“Jemma?” Jeremy breathed into the phone.

“Hi, Jeremy,” I said with sadness.

He took a deep breath. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s been a long day, Jeremy. I need to talk with Nicky.”

I could hear my son in the background talking to someone. It sounded like they were in a car. I then heard Mark, Jeremy’s father, say something to Nicky. “We are almost back to the packhouse. If you want, I’ll call back in about ten minutes, and you can video chat with Nick.”

“Oh, thank you Jeremy. I so need that.” I breathed out.

“Are you sure you are alright? You don’t sound alright.” He always seemed to know when I wasn’t happy. “Is King Cassius being an a*****e to you? Because if he is, I will come there and beat his a*s.”

I laughed. “Cassius is fine,” I replied. “It was just a long day, Jeremy. No need to beat up my mate.”

“Okay, Jem. Just checking.”

“I miss you too, Jermy. You always know how to make me feel better.”

He laughed lightly. “It’s almost like we grew up together. So, I’ll call you back in a few. Okay?”

I sighed. “Thank you again, Jermy.” he hung up the phone, and I waited silently for him to call back. It felt like forever before the phone rang again, and I saw my blue-eyed happiness beaming at me.

“Mommy!” My son squealed happily.

I couldn’t stop the tears the streamed out of my eyes. “Hi, Nicky. Did you go fishing with Daddy and Papa?”

“I caught a fish this big.” He spread his little arms. “Papa said he was proud of me.”

I laughed. “That’s great, baby. I’m glad you had fun.”

“Mommy, why are you crying?” His little brows furrowed in concern.

I wiped my tears away. “I am just happy to see you, Nicky.”

“I miss you, Mommy.”

“I miss you too, Nicky. I hope everyone is good to you.” I wanted to be able to hold him. Leonora whimpered sadly. She missed our pup too. “I will see you very, very soon. I promise you.”

“Can we watch Cars together?” He asked.

“Of course we can,” I said to him. He looked away from the camera for a second.

“Coming, Mommy.” He yelled to someone that wasn’t me.

I could feel anger boil within me. “Baby, I’m your Mommy. Who are you calling Mommy?”

He looked at me with confusion as I heard Esther’s voice in the background talking to Jeremy. ‘Oh hell no. He is not calling Esther Mommy.’ I said as Leonore growled.

“Sorry,” He looked down as tears fell from his eyes.

“Oh, no, baby. I’m not mad.” I tried to reassure him.

Jeremy’s face hovered into the frame behind Nicky. “I’m sorry, Jemma. He sometimes accidentally calls Esther, Mommy.”

I nodded. He is only three. I shouldn’t get mad at him for that. It was a very confusing time for him. “It’s alright, Jeremy,” I said through gritted teeth. I didn’t want my son to know that I was upset.

“It’s time for dinner,” Jeremy stated.

“I’m hungry, Daddy,” Nicky said, then turned to me.

“You should go to dinner, baby. I will call you tomorrow.” I smiled at him. “Night, night Nicky. You are my bestest boy. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mommy.” He then hopped out of frame, leaving only Jeremy looking at me.

“Goodnight, Jem.”

“Thank you, Jermy. I needed this.”

He smiled. “He misses you. Don’t let him calling Esther, ‘Mommy’ upset you. I think he is just a little confused.”

“I said it’s alright, Jeremy.” I let a little anger through. “I will call tomorrow. Bye.” I hung up the phone before he could respond. I threw the phone on the cushion next to me. I stood up and walked over to the bed and buried my head into a pillow, and screamed. Then I got up and walked into the bathroom, and stripped off my clothes. I took a long shower. After I got dressed in a nightgown, I crawled into bed with my phone in hand and scrolled through social media, and chatted with some of my friends back home. Then the door opened, and Cassius’s scent filled my senses. I looked up at him and smiled, but he did not smile back.

He looked angry. His blue eyes narrowed in a scowl. “Hello Jemma, mind telling me what happened today.” He said in a jarringly cold tone.