Chapter 1: Lennon's P.O.V.

~ This chapter takes place later in the day back when Acaisia and Ahkari were safe. If you remember, or would like to go back and read, Lenny was talking to Queen Annag about finding her lost son. This chapter is picking up from right there. ~ ********************************************************************************************************** "Alright your majesty, where would you like to start?" I asked as I plopped onto the sofa. "Aunt Lenny, you could more... graceful in front of the Fae queen." Max grumbled. I just rolled my eyes at him. Since when did Max get so serious? Reika asked. Since he mated to our little Sour. I replied. Reika snickered in my head. "It's quite alright," Queen Annag said, waving Max off. "It's different in this realm, I understand that. Lennon should make herself comfortable." I smiled when Queen Annag patted my knee. She's sitting on the sofa with me, facing me. We're in Tia's office for some privacy. Me, the queen, Tia, and Max. Not that those two need to be here, Tia is just nosy. She likes to know everything to better protect everyone. Reika told me. Well I am her aunt. I can handle myself. I replied. "Uhm, well," Max said awkardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "W-would you like something to eat or drink?" "Some of that delicious sweet tea you have in this realm would be lovely," Queen Annag replied. "Oh, lots of ice and a lemon wedge please, thank you, Max." Then the queen turned to me, completely dismissing Max. I snorted as I watched him mutter under his breath as he walked to the door. Max just isn't used to this life. I mean, none of us are. Queen Annag is the only... real queen. Of course, we have rulers here in our realm. Charolett is the leader of the Fury's, Ryce the leader of the Werewolves, Jasper is the leader of the Vampires, even the Mermaids, Witches, and other supernaturals here have leaders. Of course, all those creatures live in this realm. Then we have rulers like Queen Annag of the Fae realm, or King Cadmus of the Dragon realm. They live in a different time altogether. Like back in the Middle Ages. I hear that the Dragon realm is more laid back than the Fae realm though. Although, I do love the Fae realm. I've only been there a few times. I can't teleport like my nieces and nephews, so I'm limited. Still, the Fae realm is so breathtaking. Everything there is full of life. Especially at night. The entire world glows in the darkness. It's breathtaking. However, I have seen how that world works. Men are everything and women are nothing. Thankfully, the Fae creatures didn't seem to be a very aggressive kind. Most of them were considerate and friendly. The helping your neighbor type. But only to their own species and only to the light or dark, whichever they pledged to. Still, I didn't like it. I think that strength and power should be won and proven. No matter what you are or what gender you are. Maybe that's the Werewolf in me though. I did come from Alpha blood technically. My father might have labeled the Beta of his pack, but I know the truth. Mom wanted us to know that we had Alpha blood. So, maybe that's why I think that everyone should fight for their roles. May the best fighter win. That's definitely the Werewolf way. Or maybe I just know that I could take them all down. Not that I want to be the ruler of anything, but it'd be nice to put some of those people in their place. There's nothing better than the look on a misogynistic man's face after you- a female kick his a.ss. Despite all of that, Queen Annag is different. For a realm that doesn't approve of women in power, she's managed to rule for the last few hundred years. All by herself too. I know very little about the Fae queen's past, but the few things I do know are... tragic. Queen Annag lost her mate and eldest son about 400 years ago. They were out on a hunt when they went missing. After weeks of searching... Queen Annag felt her bond snap. Her mate was dead. However, her eldest son remained missing for all these years. They've searched their entire realm, but have yet to find anything. Queen Annag hasn't given up though. I know it's been a fight for the queen to keep her throne. It helped that her second-oldest son and youngest daughter helped advise her on decisions. However, they cannot take the throne. The Fae crown will only be passed down to the firstborn. The other siblings do not have what it takes to rule. Or something like that. I'm not privy to the details. If I had to guess though... I'd say it's something to do with the power only the firstborn possesses. Which is strange. Who could even take the crown if only the firstborn is allowed to have it? Were they planning on draining the kid's power? Did they already do that? Queen Annag also had one other daughter. Her third born. She was kidnapped about 70-ish years ago. They found who had kidnapped her, and taken care of it. However, it was a little too late. The queen's thirdborn had already created her own life. I think Queen Annag would still have tried to talk to her daughter though. If she were alive when they found her. Unfortunately, the lost princess had already passed. However, she left behind a daughter. One that had grown up with a rough life. That life led her to a very powerful Alpha who turned out to be her mate though. A very powerful couple to have some of the first Fae-Werewolf Hybrid children. Powerful children. And those are Nix's parents. The Fae queen has been through a lot in her years. It breaks my heart. I know what it's like to live a long life of tragedy, but Queen Annag has a lot of years on me. Queen Annag is also one of the kindest people I know. She's fair, stubborn, graceful, kind, caring, and funny as hell. I really, really want to give her back her son if I can. "I'm not sure where you want me to start," Queen Annag said. "Well, what happened the night your son went missing?" I asked. "Did you have any suspects at all?" "Emrys and his father, Frode, went out hunting. They did this at least once a month, always hunting bigger and bigger pray." She said, her accent making her words sound light. I love that British accent. I don't know how most of the Fae people got that accent, but I'm not complaining. Especially with those se.xy, buff Fae guards. Yum. Gross. Reika disagreed. "When did you realize that something was wrong?" I asked, ignoring Reika. "Well, it was the bond. Everything was fine one moment, and then I felt pain. Like my mate was hurt. I knew that it wasn't something simple, like an accident during the hunt. It was serious. I had this... awful feeling in the pit of my stomach... They had only been gone for a couple of hours." A couple of hours, huh? Sounds like someone knew they were gonna be huntin'. Reika commented. "Was it widely known for them to do these hunts? Who all knew they were going?" I asked. "Well, the entire castle," Queen Annag told me. "He was the king. It was great preparation for them to go." "But they never took guards? Security?" Tia asked. Finally, Max came back with a pitcher of sweet tea, and a few cups filled with ice. He set everything down and poured the queen a glass. She happily thanked him before gulping down half her glass. "They never needed to," Queen Annag said. "The Fae king is immensely powerful. Powerful unimaginable. Plus, they could both teleport and were trained to fight. Not even an army there to ambush them would have taken Frode down. He would have at least teleported Emrys back to me first." Definitely sounds strange. Reika muttered. "And you had no suspects at all?" I asked. "Many people were questioned, but it seems that no one knew a thing," she replied. "To be honest, I can't think of a soul that would want to do something like that, let alone that someone was powerful enough to kill Frode." That's true. Something is weird here. The Fae people are all so loyal to the king and queen too. They treat them more like Gods than kings and queens. It's hard to think that someone would want to assassinate them. Maybe someone from a different realm? Reika suggested. It definitely seems that way, doesn't it? I replied. What should we do? She asked. "Is there anything else you can remember? Anything at all?" I asked the queen. Queen Annag thought about it for a moment. "Neither of them reached out to me." She mumbled. "What?" I asked. "Fae... we don't communicate with our mates through our minds like you do. However, we can call to our mates. No matter how far away they are. It's like a sense. Something that we know is happening. Even if it's a simple call or a distressing one," Queen Annag told me. "This applies to our children as well. We share a special connection. Neither of them reached out to me though. I could have helped them." Maybe someone knocked them out. Reika said. Must be. I replied. "I know that I felt my mate die, but I know deep in my heart, with my entire being, that Emrys is still alive." Queen Annag said. "Please, I swear it. I'm not crazy. He is alive." I reached out to pat her hand. "Don't worry Queen Annag," I replied. "I believe you, and I'm going to find your son for you."