The Gold Queen (Prequel)

***Sofia***

“Have we confirmed Julian has taken over Luna Mayor?” Mateo demands, glaring at the Pack leaders of the Kingdom.

It’s been 4 days since the death of his parents and Mateo has stopped at nothing to gather all the intel he needs to strike back at Estella del Monte.

Luna de Jade’s Alpha, Hector, stands and bows before us as he answers. “All six of my scouts have confirmed the acquisition of the pack. There is no doubt, your Majesty. Estrella del Monte has more than doubled its size and its army, and from what we know, he’s now working for Señor Cardenas and the Cartel del Golfo.

A frustrated growl escapes Mateo’s lips and he slams his fist on the table.

“How fast can we get our troops to Veracruz?” He asks, his breath growing ragged with anger when no one answers him.

“Y-your majesty. You must understand, Julian taking over Luna Mayor changes everything. We can’t just invade their territory!” Alpha Hector exclaims. “We’re outnumbered and outgunned. It would be a death sentence!”

Several of the Alphas agree it’s too much of a risk to send our troops to battle without first assessing our team and drafting up a plan.

“Two of our own were killed!” Mateo growls. “Doing nothing shows weakness and we must demonstrate that we are not to be trifled with!”

“I agree,” Celeste, Alpha of the Orozco Clan says.

She was Mateo’s aunt and Luna Valeria’s elder sister. Valeria’s family had no male heirs so naturally Celeste took command. It was nice having another female leader at these meetings. I didn’t feel so outnumbered with her here.

“My sister and her husband were murdered in cold b***d. Our King’s family was killed right outside his home!” She snaps. “We cannot just sit here and do nothing!”

Before I know it, the entire room erupts in arguments between the Alphas and Mateo, neither side able to agree on their stance on the attack.

Fed up with the yelling, I rise from my chair, the room falling silent instantly. Mateo is panting with rage and I gently place a hand on his shoulder. I feel his muscles begin to relax beneath my touch but I knew the anger still lingered beneath the surface.

“Teo,” I whisper, hoping to get across to him. “Teo, I know you’re in pain. I know you’re hurting… but we need to plan-“

“Fine!” He snarls, pushing my hand off of his shoulder and storming out of the meeting room.

I let down my walls and become overwhelmed with his sadness. He was in so much pain and I just shot down his plan of getting back at Julian. But he had to understand. We could not go in blind. It would end in slaughter.

I turn to the silent alphas in the room, all of whom watched me with worry.

“My uncle, King Ángel of the Luz Marina Kingdom, has agreed to lend us some of his warriors to help us fight, but it will unfortunately not be enough against Estrella del Monte now. If you have any connections with packs outside this Kingdom, make contact and offer an alliance. We’ll need every soldier we can get,” I sigh and turn to Alpha Hector. “I want all the intel you and your scouts can get on the former Luna Major pack and it’s territories by the end of this week. I want to know their movements, their businesses, their allies, everything.” I step towards the door. “You’re all dismissed.”

Danny accompanies me out of the room.

“How is Valentina?” I ask, worried that in her state, the stress would be too great for her body to handle.

He sighs, keeping his eyes on the ground. “She’s with Emi. He hasn’t left her side since,” he pauses for a moment, blinking away tears. He loved Manuel and Valeria. They were family. “Since it happened,” he shrugs to himself. “He’s keeping her in a state of calm for now. I-I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

I offer a tiny smile at this. In the midst of his own grief, Emi was still looking out for his little sister, making sure she and her baby would be okay. It reminded me that I had done well to pick him as my gamma.

“I’m going to go look for Mateo,” I sigh, dreading the argument ahead. “Please keep me posted on Valentina’s condition and let me know if the Alphas come up with anything soon.”

He nods and disappears down the hall to his office . Mentally preparing myself for the argument of the century, I sprint down the halls of the Hacienda and head for the training grounds knowing Mateo would be there to let off some steam.

As I approach the edge of the grounds, I hear his wolf howl from within the forest so I knew he had gone for a run. I sit near the boxing rings and wait for his return. I would wait all night if I had too.

I concentrate on my bond with him, letting his pain become my own. The pain in my heart intensifies as his howls grow louder and stronger. I hated that I could not soothe it or make it go away. I felt so useless as I sat there waiting for his return.

A few hours later, I see Mateo’s wolf emerge from the forest, covered in mud and forest debris. He shifts back to his human and slips on a pair of shorts before heading for the boxing rings.

He finds a punching bag and goes off, punching, and kicking violently until the bag flies off its chain. He moves onto the next bag, doing the same until he breaks it too. When he gets to the fourth bag, rain begins to pour over the lands, drenching all in sight.

“Teo, let’s go inside,” I whisper, hoping he might be done with his anger. “Let’s go home.”

But he doesn’t reply, continuing to punch and kick the bag as if it were Julian himself.

I get to my feet and timidly walk towards my angry mate, cautiously placing a hand on his shoulder. It’s a big mistake.

He spins around on his heel, pure rage in his silver eyes. He grabs my wrist, a tiny whimper leaving my lips as he crushes it.

“You and all the other Alphas can go home like the cowards you are if you want,” he snarls. “I’m staying here.”

He doesn’t mean it, Solana whimpers. He’s just hurt , she says but his words sting nonetheless.

“I’m not a coward, Teo. I just wanted to-”

“You are a coward,” he snaps, his body trembling with fury. “You’re afraid, Sofia. You’ve always been so afraid. You were afraid when I challenged Julian for you. You almost gave me up to your fears. You’re afraid to have pups, you’re afraid to go to war, you’re afraid Damn it! You’re a spineless coward who wears a crown on her head and calls herself Queen,” he says through gritted teeth. “You are a coward.”

I shrink back as tears spring to my eyes with his cruel words. Blinking them away, I stare back at my mate, unable to string together a sentence.

“Go home if you want,” he says, throwing my arm back at me. “Just leave me alone.”

I cradle my arm as I watch him turn back to the punching bag without so much as a second glance at me. But I don’t leave. I knew it was the pain talking, my Mateo would never speak to me that way. I curl up on the muddy floor and wait. Wait until his pain lessens so I can bring him home to rest.

The day spills into night and Mateo goes from the rings to the weights to the obstacle course. The rain doesn’t let up and I begin to shiver in my wet clothes.

Seeing that Mateo was not coming home anytime soon, I finally get up to go. My clothes cling on to my skin as I waddle back to Hacienda.

Cassandra and the maids look absolutely horrified when I walk through the door, my dress covered in mud, my hair matted to head, and my teeth chattering from the cold.

I’m scolded for staying out in this weather and Cassandra sets up a bath for me. I sink into the hot water, letting the heat penetrate my bones. My walls are still down and I could still feel Mateo’s agony and guilt. I let my mind drift off to his words and come to a conclusion.

I was not a coward. I simply did not have the luxury to take risks without careful calculation.

Growing up, I was taught to be meticulous, to think before I acted because every action I took could have dire consequences. Mateo wanted war for what happened to his family, but war should not be your first instinct as a ruler. My father taught me that. We could not go in blind no matter how angry we were. We had to plan an attack to minimize the damage to our people and ensure justice for him and his family. We could not screw this up.

Was it wrong to want to think this out?

I sit in the water for a while longer before drying myself off and going to my bedroom. A hot soup is waiting for me on the dresser and I slurp up its warmth.

My wrist is sore when I move it and when I look down at it, I see Mateo’s fingers imprinted on my skin in bluish-purple hues.

A bit of anger bubbles in my chest. Even in his pain, Mateo had no right to hurt me.

I finish my meal and curl up under the covers, finding it hard to fall asleep without him. I had grown so used to his scent and warmth lulling me to sleep that I now found myself tossing and turning in bed. The clock marks the hours off and around midnight, I hear the door creak open.

I sit up to find Mateo standing at the door. The moonlight shines on his withered body, cuts and bruises covering his skin. My eyes search his hands and find them torn open at the knuckles from all his punching at the bags.

His silver eyes are red and swollen from all the tears he shed alone.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

But sorry was not enough for being cruel. I storm up to him and slap him across his face, my l*p quivering with frustration for what he had said to me.

“Don’t you ever …” my voice breaks as I stare at his solemn eyes. “Ever call me a coward.”

He gives me a knowing look and accepts his punishment without a fuss.

With my anger out of the way, I bury my face in his chest, not caring that he was covered in mud. Tears spring into his eyes and he leans against me for support, his legs giving out from exhaustion. He was heavy but I didn’t mind bearing his weight for him. I was strong enough for both of us. I wrap his arm around my shoulder and guide him to the bathroom.

I start a bath for him and shove him into the shower to hose off the mud and dirt first. When he’s free of muck, I help him into the tub and use a small rag to wipe the b***d from his wounds, taking special care of his hands. I loved his hands. They caressed my face in the mornings, fought hard to keep me safe, worshipped my body under the sheets, held me when I was afraid or in need of comfort.

I loved this i***t, even when he was a jerk. No matter the circumstances, I would never leave his side.

He watches me as I k**s every knuckle to soothe the pain. I don’t realize how close he is until I look up at him, my nose nearly bumping into his.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, his lips brushing up against my own with every word he breathes.

My lips meet his for a tender k**s and for just a brief moment, all the evil in the world melts away, leaving only us two in this bathroom.

I climb into the tub with him, needing to feel his body pressed against mine. He helps me remove my nightgown and I sit comfortably on his lap. I dip the rag into the water and bring it up to his skin, cleaning a cut in his shoulder.

He leans his forehead against mine, closing his eyes as he speaks.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispers.

I wipe his eyes with the pad of my thumb and k**s his nose.

“I know you are,” I murmur back.

We don’t say anything else as I finish cleaning him off and help him dry off. I bring him a pair of fresh boxers while I change into a new night gown.

I help my mate into bed and run downstairs to get him a hot cup of tea. As I bring the water to a boil, an idea pops into my head.

I rush to the phone and dial a number, waiting impatiently for the call to connect.

“H-hello? Who is this?” A soft sleepy voice mumbles

“Lorena?” I ask, hoping I dialed the correct number.

“Queen Sofia?” She squeaks, Lorena now fully awake. “W-what is it? What do you want?”

“How soon can you meet me?” I ask, ignoring her question.

“What’s this about?”

“How soon can you meet me?” I almost growl.

She goes quiet for a moment and I fear she’s hung up but her voice comes through again.

“D-does Wednesday work?” She asks.

“Perfect. Meet me at the quiosco de la Plaza de Armas in Tampico. Noon,” I hiss into the phone. “And not a word of this to your husband.”

I don’t give her any more details and hang up the phone.

If anyone knew Julian’s workings, it would be his wife and given how he’s treated her, perhaps I could persuade her into giving me all the information I would need to bring her husband to an early grave and give her back her freedom.

Let’s just hope Lorena wasn’t a goddamn idiot.

I hurry to make Mateo’s tea and bring it back to our room only to find him fast asleep. He looks so angelic as he snores into oblivion. I place his tea by his nightstand and climb into bed next to him. I curl up on my side when I suddenly feel his arms wrap around my waist and pull me to his chest.

“I love you,” he murmurs, nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck.

“Me too.”