The Unexpected Queen 2: His Hunted Luna

I run down the grand staircase, panting and pulling open the big golden gate, throwing myself out of the castle. I hear footsteps behind me catching up, so I push myself forward, my thigh muscles burning from the effort, but I refuse to let myself be caught.

“Stop!” I hear him yell after me as I make my way past the bush maze. He’s close now, but I’m going to go all the way to the forest, that’s my goal. If I could get there, the trees would help me get away from him. With only a few yards from the forest line, I am pulled backward by a strong hand. I scream as we fall over, and he grabs my body tightly.

“Ha! I got you!” He laughs, and I push him away from me angrily.

“Damn it! I was so close!” I roll away from him.

“Forget about it, Your Majesty, no matter how much you practice, you’ll never get away from me,” John says with a smirk, holding out his hand and helping me up. I brush away the leaves and branches stuck in my sweatpants.

We walk back to the castle while John teases me for my failure. This has become a tradition between us ever since I started combat training. Both Maria and I had suggested bringing women into the trainings. Ares opposed it at first, but after much persuasion, he allowed the two of us to join the trainings. My argument was that if women could defend themselves, it would only strengthen our pack. My ambition was also to become so badass that the events from last year would never repeat themselves.

“Your Majesty,” Maria greets us as we approach the entrance. I smile big at her and give her a long hug.

I put my hand on her growing belly. “How is my godson?” I ask, and she beams at me. She has only two months left until she is due to give birth. Mateo is very overprotective, so Maria is rarely far from the castle. He comes around the corner and puts his arm around her waist.

“Your Majesty,” he says, bowing. I roll my eyes; still disliking when my friends are so formal with me. Just as I am about to point it out, I feel the energy shift around us, goosebumps spreading across my arms, and I turn around. My stare meets his golden-brown eyes instinctively. I smile and run toward him. He holds his arms apart and catches me as I throw myself against his hard body.

“Leah,” he groans and buries his nose into my neck, the heat from his body is intoxicating. Our lips meet in a hungry kiss, his tongue begins to explore my mouth instantly. When we let go of the kiss, he sets me back down on the ground. He lets his gaze travel over my face and then over my body.

“Are you okay?” His dark voice has a glimpse of worry in it.

“Yes, I’m okay. I was just training and tried to escape John.” I give Ares a big smile.

“You didn’t make it?” He raises an eyebrow.

I shake my head. “But I’m close, in a few weeks I might make it.”

Ares laughs, takes my hand, and leads me toward John, Mateo, and Maria who all bow down as we get closer. I see his gaze quickly go over Maria’s belly, and I look away. We continue past and into his office. He sits down in the chair behind the large desk as I walk over to one of the bookshelves at the far end of the room. I let my hand slide over all the books on one of the shelves.

Ares had been away for a week having meetings with the nearby packs. Several rogue attacks have been recorded, something that is becoming a problem even for the royal family.

“It went well.” He leans back in his chair, never looking away from me.

“Have you thought more about letting all the women practice combat training?” I choose not to meet his eyes as I ask the question. He sighs heavily.

“I don’t understand why you’re so against this,” I continue irritably, now turning to face him. “We don’t live in the Stone Age anymore; women are at least as capable as men!”

“I know, Leah, but it’s also my job to take care of all my pack members. We have a long tradition of women and children hiding in bunkers if something should happen.”

I roll my eyes at him. “I’m not saying it should be mandatory for all women. I’m saying everyone should have a choice! The training has given me much greater confidence; I feel stronger, and if I had trained like this last year, they might not have been able to take me.”

Ares gets up from his chair abruptly. He walks up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder and pulls me into his arms. “I hate myself for letting them take you,” he whispers against my head.

“It wasn’t your fault, Ares. I don’t blame you.” My voice breaks at the end of the sentence, my mouth immediately dries with thoughts of how Jake tried to have his way with me in the woods.

Ares places his hands on my cheeks and angles my face up so that our eyes meet. “I will never let anything happen to you again, okay? I know you are stronger now and can take care of yourself, but I will never let anything happen to you again.” His voice is dark, his gaze steady. I nod, and we embrace each other.

“I hope you reconsider about women in the army.”

“I’ll think about it, okay?” He caresses my back with his hand. “Have you thought anything more about my suggestion?”

I stiffen instantly, and I know that he notices it too. I glance over to the door, contemplating if I would be able to just run away from this discussion. Just as I lift my eyes and meet his, I hear Maria’s voice echo in my consciousness.

“Leah, can you meet me in the kitchen? I need help with one thing, please?”

“Excuse me, Ares. Maria is calling for me. Can we talk about this another time?” Saved by the fucking bell.

He sighs, nods, and walks back to his desk. I leave the office quickly and almost crash into John and Zeke who are waiting for me outside the door. After last year, they follow me wherever I go. I don’t get a single second by myself if I’m not in my and Ares’s room, something that frustrated me tremendously, but I’ve learned not to waste energy trying to get them to leave me alone. We walk in silence down to the kitchen and I widen my eyes at the sight of my best friend. She is standing at the kitchen counter covered in flour, pans, and bowls scattered everywhere.

“Hey…,” I say as gently as possible because I can feel her oozing with anger.

She throws a bowl that passes me, and I wince at the loud noise as the metal hits the tile floor.

“It’s disgusting!” she screams, turning frustratedly toward another form. Cautiously, I approach her, aware that her pregnancy hormones make her go crazy sometimes.

“What’s wrong, Maria?” I put a hand on her shoulder and feel her body relax. She sobs and looks at the floor.

“I’m trying to bake a pie, but every damn pie turns out horrible! How am I supposed to take care of a baby if I can’t even bake a fucking pie?” Her tearful eyes meet mine, and I smile reassuringly at her.

“Please, Maria, you will be a wonderful mother,” I say, putting my arm over her shoulders. “In addition, the baby will not be alone—you will not be alone! You have Mateo, me, and Ares watching over him and helping you with everything you need. John and Zeke will probably also help out, especially with changing poop diapers.” Zeke laughed and John puffed loudly. Maria giggled and I smiled big at her. She leans toward me and sighs heavily.

“Okay, you’re right… Forgive me, it’s a mess in here.” She puts her hands on her stomach. “The baby makes me feel a bit crazy sometimes…”

“I understand that, but don’t worry. I’ll ask someone to clean this up, go rest, and maybe I can ask Rocco or Jeremy to teach you how to bake a pie?”

“Do you think they would do that?” She sobbed and pulled her sleeve under her nose to wipe away any snot.

“Yes, I definitely think so! Don’t you, what do you think?” I turn to my tenacious bodyguards who nod, afraid of making the pregnant woman sad again.

Maria puts her hand on mine and smiles. “Thank you,” she whispers. I follow her back to her room and gently close the door behind me.

“Your Majesty?”

I turn to Zeke.

“The head guard has notified me that we have a breach in the security system. I have to take you to safety.”