The Gold Queen (Prequel)

***Emiliano***

“Karina, that’s enough!” I snap, slamming the door shut behind me as we enter our bedroom. “You have no right to forbid our child from being near our King and Queen. They are our family!”

“They are your family!” Karina hisses back. “But they killed mine!”

“Karina!”

“How many more Emi?” She cries, putting Chava on the bed and turning her back to me. “How many more will die because of them?”

“Kari…” I soften my voice when I hear the sob caught in her throat. “I know you’re still hurting about Penelope…But Sofia and Mateo are not to blame…”

“If they had just rejected each other, everything would be different,” she protests, turning to look at me with tear filled eyes. “If they had just done the right thing-“

“What right thing?” I yell back, throwing my hands up in frustration. “Reject each other?” I ask. “How can you expect them to reject each other knowing they belong to one another?” I grab Karina by the wrists and despite her protests, manage to hold in front of me. “How could I ask my brother to reject the woman he loves when I have the one I love in my arms?”

She glares at me as she yanks her arms out of my grip.

“Well you sure have a funny way of showing it,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

I knew exactly where she was going with this.

“Kari, not this again…” I g***n.

“I needed you!” She screams, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. “But you helped her first!”

I stare at her, completely dumbfounded by her lack of empathy. “What the hell was I supposed to do, Kari? Let my Queen die? That is not what I signed up to do! I’m her Gamma. It’s my job to protect her.”

“And what about me?” She screams. “I’m your mate! Not her! I come first and I needed you that day! I needed you to hold my hand while I fought for my life and the life of our baby!”

“I was there!” I snarl. “I was there fighting like hell to save you two!”

She looks ashamed, but I could still see the resentment in her eyes. Chava bursts into tears as we argue.

“I will always be second place to you, won’t I?” She sighs, reaching over to the bed to soothe Chava’s crying.

She holds Chava in her arms, kissing his head and whispering sweet and gentle words of love in his ears.

I close the gap between us, cupping her cheeks and wiping the angry tears that glisten on her pale skin. “You and Chava are two of the most important people in my life, Kari, but you are not the only ones I care about. You own my soul… But you share my heart with my family. You have to understand that, mi amor. I love my twin sister… my brother… and my Queen.”

“And I only love you,” she whispers, shaking her head at me. “How is that fair? You get all my love… and I only get a part of yours…”

“It’s not a competition,” I sigh, leaning my forehead against hers.

“Then why does it feel like I always have to compete for you?” She murmurs before stepping away from me and walking out of the bedroom with Chava.

—

Sept 2001

—

Things between Karina and I have been a little rocky these past few months. With the tension running high between Karina and everyone else in the Hacienda, l made the decision to move us into the guest house so we could have our own space away from Sofia and Mateo. Karina seems happier with this arrangement and it definitely made me feel a lot better knowing that she would no longer fight with Valentina, as my sister never missed an opportunity to pick a fight with my wife.

Karina, however, was dead set on never allowing Chava near Sofia or Mateo and even hired one of Cassandra’s nieces, Leslie, to watch Chava while we were both at work. Karina’s instructions to Leslie were clear: Chava is not to set foot in the Hacienda.

It didn’t matter how much I argued, Karina would not budge on the issue and so my son was now missing out on part of his family. Chava’s birthday came and went and I hated not having Sofia and Mateo present.

Our house was very lonely with the lack of visitors and I knew it was hurting Chava. He needed to be around other people and children. He needed his family.

Today is Sofia’s birthday. My little boy adores his Tia Sofia so I’m hoping Karina will at least let me take our son for a visit to the Hacienda.

Karina is out at an early morning training session but will be back within an hour to have breakfast with me before I go to work. I wake up my sleepy boy and prepare a bath for us, taking special care to get him nice and clean. We play with some of his boats until it’s time to get out. I dress him in a button up shirt, suspenders and a bow tie before combing back his little hair.

“Quedaste bien chulo, mi niño (You look so cute, my boy),” I laugh as I spray a tiny bit of my cologne on him.

I hurry to get myself dressed and find a vase for Sofia’s birthday flowers. She loves sunflowers. For her birthday gift, I got her a sunflower necklace with amber petals to match her amber eyes. I hope she likes it.

As I’m wrapping up Sofia’s gift, Karina walks in. Chava runs to greet his mother, eager to be in her arms.

“Why are you both so dressed up?” she smiles, kissing Chava’s cheeks. “A donde van? {Where are you going?}”

I place a bow on Sofia’s gift before turning to Karina. “It’s Sofia’s birthday… so we’re going to drop off her gift.” I gulp. “Would you like to join us?”

I watch the smile on Karina’s face falter and morph into a scowl. “You’re not taking Chava,” She snarls, clutching our son close to her chest. “I won’t allow it.”

Stand your ground, Estevan snaps.

“Would you like to join us?” I repeat, reaching my arms out to take our son.

Before Chava can reach for me, Karina backs away, turning her body slightly away from me.

“I said no, Emi!” She snaps, Chava jumping in surprise at the harshness of her voice.

“Papi,” Chava whines, wriggling helplessly in his mother’s arms. “Papi…papi.”

I’m trying hard to be a compassionate mate but she makes it so hard to love her sometimes. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

Feeling frustrated, the flowers in my hand feel heavier than before and I toss them on the bed. My shirt suddenly feels tighter and I feel as though I’m suffocating. I unbutton my shirt in a desperate attempt to get some air in my lungs and take long deep breaths. Tears roll down Karina’s face and I feel my heart constrict. She was so frightened.

I remind myself that my wife had never known love as a child and force whatever anger I held in my heart out. I stare into her beautiful green eyes. She was scared out of her mind and right now, she didn’t need an angry mate. She just needed me.

Karina shakes her head furiously as I slowly walk up to her.

“We’re not letting them hurt Chava,” she whimpers as I cup her cheeks and lean my forehead against hers.

Our lips meet for a tender k**s, Karina melting right into me. She fits perfectly against me, her body designed to be with me forever. I search for her hand and interlock our fingers, Karina shaking her head once more.

“Come on, Kari. Let’s go visit Penelope today,” I murmur against her lips.

A small sob escapes her throat. “No,” she whispers, attempting to get out of my grip. “No, I don’t want to see her.”

“Let’s go see your sister,” I repeat sternly, tucking my fingers under her chin and forcing her to look up at me.

She searches my eyes and when she finds nothing but my love for her, she nods quietly and hands Chava over to me.

Karina hops in the shower and gets dressed while I prepare us some breakfast, cutting up fruits, brewing coffee, and storing the food in a basket. I have the stroller set up by the time I hear her footsteps climbing down the stairs.

My heart begins to race, a tiny summer dressing clinging to her body, showing off her beautiful figure. She blushes as I follow her with my eyes until she’s right in front of me.

“What?” She says, tucking some hair behind her ear.

My lips curve into a smile as I pull her by the waist towards me and k**s her. She squeals as I lift her up in my arms.

“I want you,” I chuckle, feeling heat flow throughout my body.

Her blush deepens as she protests. “But Chava…”

I shut her up with a k**s. “He can hangout for three minutes while I have my way with you.”

“Emi!” She laughs as I carry her to the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

I sit her on the sink, pulling the skirt of her dress up past her h**s and pushing aside her panties. She unbuckles my pants, both of our hearts beating uncontrollably. I push her thighs apart and thrust into her, Karina moaning against my ears as I nibble on her mark.

She wraps her arms around my back, holding me close as I pump into her at a steady rhythm.

“Yes…” she whimpers, digging her fingers into my hair.

I crash my lips onto hers, devouring her m***s with every thrust I give. Suddenly, we hear banging on the door and a tiny voice calls out to us.

“Daddy?” Chava shouts, hitting his fist against the door. “Dada! Dada!”

Karina holds back a m**n while I fight back laughter. We hear Chava get on his knees and peek through the bottom of the door.

“Quedaste bien chulo, mi niño (You look so cute, my boy),” I laugh as I spray a tiny bit of my cologne on him.

“Dada?” He giggles.

“Daddy is coming soon, Chava,” Karina pants, moaning into my shoulder as she cums.

I thrust a little harder, unloading my seed inside Karina.

“Daddy came,” I sigh, Karina throwing her head back in laughter.

“You are such a goddamn i***t,” she giggles as I pull out.

“And yet you still married me,” I laugh, helping her off the sink so we can clean up.

We open the door to find Chava sitting on the floor, a bowl in his lap and all of his dry cereal on the floor. He smiles up at us and runs into my arms. Karina finds the broom and tidies up the floor while I tuck Chava into his stroller. I grab one of the sun flowers from Sofia’s bouquet and hand it to Karina as she enters the hall.

“For Penelope,” I whisper, leaning in for a k**s.

She smiles at the flower and takes my hand, leading me out of the house and towards the cemetery.

The cemetery was on the northern side of the territory. It was a long walk but neither Karina nor I seemed to mind. We could use the fresh air and quiet. She picks flowers along the way and I help her carry them. Chava points and laughs as we make our way to the cemetery and I realize my son had never really seen all of the Kingdom before. I would have to change that soon. He should know what his home looked like.

As we approach the graves, I sense Karina’s anxiousness. She didn’t like to come here. I reach out and hold her hand, reminding her that she had me to lean on. She would never be alone as long as she had me.

Penelope is buried in the warrior section; she was the youngest person laid to rest there. She was given a white tombstone, a reminder that she was just a child when she died. A tiny wolf is carved in the center, forever howling at the moon. Tears spring to Karina’s eyes as she places the flowers at the foot of the grave and I give her a moment to speak with Penelope alone.

Chava begins to fuss and I unbuckle him and let him out of the stroller to stretch his legs. He finds a nice patch of grass near another grave and plops down on his butt, pulling at the blades of grass. I give him a few toys to keep him entertained before I rejoin Karina.

Sensing my presence, Karina leans back into me and I wrap my arms around her waist to hold her steady.

“She was so young,” She whimpers after a long pause. “She had her whole life ahead of her and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.”

I say nothing and just hold her, letting her know that I was here to listen.

“She didn’t get to enjoy her childhood,” she cries. “I-it was always just train and work…” She snaps angrily. “She didn’t get to be a kid… We can’t do that to Chava,” she adds.

Her fears suddenly make sense to me.

“We can’t let Chava become some Keeper like that book says,” she pleads, turning to face me. “H-he needs to enjoy his childhood. He needs to be a boy. I just want him to be a boy. Nothing special, just a boy. Is that too much to ask?” she cries.

I understand her now completely. Cupping her cheeks, I pass along a soothing energy to calm her down.

“Chava is a boy,” I smile. “And he will always be our little boy.”

“But the prophecy…”

“We can’t run from it,” I interrupt, shrugging my shoulders. “We just have to take things one step at a time.”

“But what if…”

“There will always be what if’s, Kari,” I sigh, leaning my forehead against hers. “But we can’t always live in fear of the what if’s.”

“I’m scared,” She sobs, gripping my shirt and trembling. “I’m so scared. I can’t lose another person. I’m not strong enough. I-I won’t survive.”

“You won’t lose Chava,” I soothe, wrapping her up in my arms. “I won’t let that happen. He has you and he has me… And together, we’ll keep our baby safe.”

“Pinky promise?” She asks, pulling away and sticking out her pinky to me.

I stare at her pinky and then at her eyes. She looks so innocent as she waits for me to complete the promise. How could I possibly deny her?

I interlock my pinky with hers. “Pinky promise.”

She lets out a sigh of relief and buries her face in my chest. I hold onto her, squeezing her tightly as I stare at Penelope’s grave. She was a sweet girl… and she deserved better.

“Goodbye Lele,” I murmur as Karina pulls away to find Chava. Left alone with the fallen warrior, I place a hand on her tombstone and whisper a promise to her.. “Don’t worry… I’ll take care of Kari for you. I promise.”

Karina suddenly screams, looking around frantically at the patch of grass where I had left our son.

“Where’s Chava!”