The Gold Queen (Prequel)

***Sofia***

“Get to the safe houses!” Emiliano screams as he sprints. “We’re under attack!”

My hand holds my belly protectively as I look around in hopes of seeing Mateo.

“Teo?” I mind-link him.

No response.

“Mateo?” I try again. My heart falls to the pit of my stomach when I again hear silence. “Mateo!!”

“I’m fine baby,” he finally responds a bit breathlessly. “Just get to a safe house,” he adds. “And Sofia?

“Yes?”

“I love you,” He whispers.

“I love you too,” I reply, relieved to hear his voice.

The Lunas frantically gather their pups and look to me for guidance.

After the last attack on the Hacienda, Mateo ordered the safe houses to be built for emergencies such as this. There was a network of small tunnels throughout the territory that led to underground compartments which could be sealed off from the inside. Each compartment was big enough to hold four people, no more, in order to avoid a major m******e should a compartment be discovered. The omegas working in the house and the guards knew where each compartments were located so they too could protect themselves during an attack. I gather everyone in the middle of the driveway and give out instructions.

“The guards will lead groups of four to the different safe houses located all around. Pair up with your gamma and get moving. We don’t have a lot of time!”

We hear howling in the distance, several of the Lunas clutching their pups to their chests. Their gammas attempt to calm them down, licking their faces and nuzzling up to them.

Karina hands me her son as Emiliano lowers himself for Valentina and I.

“Here, take Chava with you. I’m needed at the battle front,” she says before sprinting in the direction of the training ground and jump-shifting into her wolf.

Valentina helps me onto Emi’s wolf, handing me Chava and Diego before climbing on herself.

The medallions…Solana whispers, reminding me that I was likely the primary target of the attack. There’s a compartment underneath the house, remember? Solana adds. Get the medallions and hide!

“Emi, take us upstairs to my room. I need the medallions Moon Goddess gave us to hide the scent of my pups. We can reach the house compartment from there.”

He nods and sprints off in the direction of the house, three guards charging after us for extra protection. Chava laughs hysterically as his father races up the stairs to my bedroom.

“I’ll get the medallions. Where are they?” Valentina asks, jumping off Emi and looking around frantically.

I point to the bed. “Under the bed, beneath the floorboards.”

Valentina and a guard move the bed off to the side and she gets on her knees, feeling about for the loose floorboard. Finally finding the loose plank, Valentina fishes out the wooden boxes, handing both to me.

I place my hands on the lids of both boxes and pop them open, the beautiful medallions sitting quietly within. Taking the medallions, I hand the boxes back to Valentina for her to put back in the floor while the guards fix the bed back in place.

Chava reaches a small hand and touches the medallions, almost as if admiring his work. I k**s the little boy’s head, thanking him for his gift.

“Okay, let’s get out of here!” Valentina says as she scrambles to climb onto Emiliano’s back.

Emiliano, however, starts to whine and whimper, his wolf moving about anxiously and making it hard for Valentina to get on.

“Emi, stop it!” Valentina snaps, smacking Emi’s wolf butt. “I can’t get on like this!”

Something must be bothering him, I think to myself.

“Emi, what’s wrong?” I ask.

“Kari…” he whimpers. “S-she’s been hurt.” His wolf’s turquoise eyes fill with tears. “She’s calling to me…I-I can feel her pain…”

The desperation in his voice breaks my heart. He was honoring his duty to me by staying by my side but failing his duty to his mate. Valentina and I exchange looks and she shakes her head at me but I’ve already made up my mind.

“Go,” I whisper, instructing a guard to help me and the boys off of him.

He shakes his head. “No… s-she’s strong… She can hold on a little longer.”

“That’s an order, Emi,” I murmur, scratching his ears and caressing his snout. “I have three guards and Valentina here to protect me. You go.”

He looks me in the eyes, an internal war waging between him and his wolf.

“Go,” I say, kissing his snout. “I’ll be okay.”

He thanks me with a slight nod and runs out of the room.

“Mateo is going to kill him,” Valentina mutters, collecting Diego in her arms.

He probably will…

“Let’s go,” I sigh, putting on the medallions and taking Chava’s hand.

“S-somebody ….” We hear a quiet voice call out from the hallway. “P-please help me!”

I recognize the voice immediately, my heart nearly skipping a beat.

“Cassandra!” I gasp, two of the guards racing out of the room to go help her.

A loud scream echoes down the hall, Chava whimpering at the cruel sound. I quickly lift him into my arms, the remaining guard closing the door and standing in front of Valentina and I protectively. We hear a dragging sound accompanied by heavy panting. A sudden knock at the door makes my heart leap into my throat and I hold Chava for comfort.

“P-please,” Cassandra wheezes. “S-she killed them… She’s going to kill me…Please, please… let me in…”

The guard turns to look at me, asking for the okay and I give it to him. He cautiously walks to the door, Cassandra desperately crying and banging on the door. He opens it slowly and to our shock, there’s no one at the door, just a long trail of b***d. The guard walks into the hallway, looking left and then right. He turns back to look at us and shrugs in confusion when in a blink of an eye, a black blur flies past him, the guard collapsing onto the ground.

Valentina and I both scream as b***d pours out of the guard’s neck, a red pool of b***d quickly surrounding him. We back away towards the window as Cassandra limps into the room, her arms and head covered in b***d but not an injury in sight.

“Please help me,” she grins, her once brown eyes glowing bright red. “Help me! Help me!” she mocks, her voice morphing into one I recognized. “How pathetic.”

“You’re not Cassandra,” I whisper, holding Chava tightly. “Y-you’re that witch..” I gasp, remembering the witch who tried to poison me two years ago.

“Awww, you remember me,” she giggles, a black owl swooping into the room and perching on her shoulder. “Glad I made an impression.”

“What have you done to Cassandra?” I growl.

She rolls her eyes in annoyance and studies her fingernails. “Unfortunately, there’s no time for questions,” she sighs, stroking the owl’s head. “I’m on schedule.”

The Witch narrows her eyes at me and nods towards me, the owl flapping its wings and taking flight in the center of the room. It’s golden eyes turn bright red and it gives a harsh flap, glass shards speeding towards me.

The shards however, never make it to their destination, a Valentina clone stepping directly in front of me to shield the pups and I. The witch glares at the real Valentina as she hands Diego over to me.

“Run!” she hisses, creating a small army of herself.

A few clones step around me like a shield, protecting the boys in my arms and the pups in my belly with their bodies. One clone even takes Chava from me to help lessen my burden.

The Owl flaps its glass wings at us while Valentina and her clones charge at the witch. My clone companions clear a path for me towards the door and I race out with the boys in search of the house compartment. Chava and Diego burst into tears at the gory site in the hallway, the three guards who had protected me earlier all dead on the ground.

“Shh.. It’s okay,” I murmur as I tiptoe over the bloody bodies and down the stairs

I don’t even make it past the kitchen when the two clones who had accompanied me suddenly vanish, Chava colliding onto the floor and bursting into tears.

An awful thought fills my head and I fight back tears as I crouch as low as possible to scoop Chava up, wobbling a little on my feet.

“Oh Sofia…” Cassandra sings, her giggle sending shivers down my spine as she climbs down the stairs. “Where are you?”

Come on Sofia, think! I scold myself, looking frantically about the kitchen. I would never make it to the compartment with the boys and my pups, I know that for a fact. The entrance was simply too far for me to get to in this state.

From the corner of my eye, I see the pantry and an idea pops into my head. I run over to it and gently put Chava and Diego inside, Chava refusing to let go of me.

“Come on, Chava,” I hiss, panicking as I hear the witch’s footsteps approach. “You need to stay here.”

He shakes his head at me and I k**s his cheek. “Shh it’s a game, Chava. Hide and seek. Do you want to play?”

He wipes his eyes and nods his head slowly. “Si,” he whispers.

“Okay, I need to count,” I smile, removing my medallions and placing one on each boy’s neck.

If worse comes to worst, at least with the medallions the witch would have a hard time finding the boys in here, giving them a fighting chance to get rescued.

“Okay, 1, 2, 3,” I count, closing the pantry shut. “4, 5, 6.”

My eyes search for weapons as I stop counting and I find the knife drawer, pulling out the largest knife I could get my hands on.

“Oh, what do you plan on doing with that?” Cassandra laughs as she stumbles into the kitchen, a huge bite mark on her shoulder courtesy of Valentina. “Stab me to death?” she giggles.

I turn on my heel and point the knife at her, snarling at her to back away.

“By all means, go right ahead,” the witch smirks triumphantly. “I’m just borrowing this body.”

“Step back,” I growl, desperately trying to hide the fear in my voice as I feel my pups kick against my belly.

“Or what?” She grins, raising an eyebrow in amusement as she steps closer. “What will the little Queen do to me?”

To my dismay, Chava and Diego start pounding on the pantry door, wanting to get out. The witch’s eyes zero in on the pantry, evil mischief lurking within her bright red irises.

“I was wondering where you put those little rascals,” she chuckles.

She makes a step towards the pantry and I panic, aiming the knife at her and throwing it at her arm. The knife hits her just below the shoulder and she snarls in anger. The witch wraps her fingers around the handle of the knife and yanks it out, a river of b***d gushing out of her torn flesh.

She once again smirks and continues to walk toward the boys.

She can’t touch those boys, I tell myself, mentally preparing to shift. I won’t let her…

But our pups! Solana cries, refusing to shift

I will never forgive myself if those boys get hurt because of me, I argue back. I have to protect them. Karina and Valentina gave them to me to protect.

Solana howls in agony as I come to my decision and lean back on my legs in preparation to shift.

As the witch turns the handle, she suddenly gasps for air, clawing at her throat. The scent of raspberries and pine fills the room and I turn to see Mateo glaring at the witch, his eyes narrowed in concentration on her neck. Danny emerges from behind him in his wolf form, snarling viciously at the witch.

Mateo twists his head and I hear the loud crack of Cassandra’s neck snapping. Her limp body collapses onto the ground with a thud, a red mist leaving her body. Relief fills my chest as Mateo rushes towards me, embracing me in his arms.

“You okay, baby?” He asks, looking me over from head to toe while Danny rushes to the boys and takes them out of the pantry.

I nod my head but my body trembles from the adrenaline rush and I burst into tears as I realize I almost gave up my pups for Chava and Diego.

“It’s okay,” Mateo murmurs into my hair. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

He whispers soothing words while I explain through tears what happened. His gentle scent relaxes me but my heart beats uncontrollably as I remember Valentina and Karina.

Were either okay?

“Where’s Emi?” I ask. “Did he heal Karina?”

“Karina and Emi are fine. Emi is upstairs healing Valentina,” he whispers. “She’s the one who called for help.”

I sigh in relief knowing Valentina was still alive and burst into tears once more.

“I thought the witch killed her,” I cry, shaking my head.

“She came close,” Emi says as he enters the room, Valentina riding his back piggy back style. “That owl did a number on her.”

Valentina jumps off Emi’s back and races towards her crying son, kissing his cheeks and sending thanks to Moon Goddess.

“Thank you, Sofi,” she murmurs. “Thank you for protecting my baby.”

“You have nothing to thank me for. You did the same for me,” I sob as she hugs me.

She holds me tightly a little longer, both of us relieved for the other’s safety.

“Where is the owl?” I ask, remembering the witch had not been alone.

“It disappeared as soon as it thought I was dead,” Valentina shrugs, placing Diego in her h*p. “It just vanished into a portal.”

“And the attack?” I ask Teo. “How was it?”

“It was strange,” Teo says, furrowing his brows in thought. “They came out of nowhere and fought us like hell. I thought we would need back up because they just kept coming. But the strange part was, they suddenly all stopped fighting at the same time and immediately began retreating back into the jungle. We ran after them but they were gone. That’s when Valentina called and we came rushing back.”

“That’s so strange,” I whisper. “The witch said she had a schedule to keep… perhaps the attack was just a distraction to get to me?”

“Well distraction or not, those witches and Julian know you are pregnant,” Mateo sighs, pulling me close to him. “Which means you are no longer safe here. We’re leaving Mante. Tonight.”

.

.

.

***Ira***

My eyes burn as I release control of the maid and gain back control of my own consciousness.

“You stupid b***h!” Tais snarls at me when she realizes I failed my mission. “I practically served you the Queen on a silver platter and you go for the worthless pups?!”

“I was trying to get her to shift!” I snarl back. “I needed more time. You retreated too quickly!”

We go back and forth, placing blame on the other for failing to get rid of the pups.

“Not so easy now, is it?” Julian snickers, enjoying our bickering. “And now, not only do the Mutt and the Queen know we know about their pups, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Mateo will want to move Sofia. They have property all over México.”

“Ugh!!” I g***n in frustration. “We’re going to lose this f*****g war!”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Julian grins. “I said they have property all over México but I know exactly where Mateo will want to take her.”

“And where would that be?” I ask impatiently.

He smirks as he leans back in his chair as if reminiscing a memory. “To the place where it all began.”