Regina Dominum

Dragana POV

Gamma Aldar’s wife, Rose, looked bewildered and her face was a river of tears. A petite brunette with beautiful, amber-colored eyes, she held his body as if it were a baby, her sobs piercing my very soul. I knew they were fated mates, and I knew they had children. In fact, I remember delivering one of their sons many years ago, a chubby blonde boy with his mother’s eyes. I could not imagine or fathom the pain she was going through, and my heart went out to her. I was still in shock that somehow the dead man’s hand had the piece of my dress, covered in blood, but that was not my main concern. It should have been.

“IT WAS HER!!!! SHE KILLED HIM!”, came the screeching voice of Alice, storming with purpose from a corner of the circle, her eyes flaming with fury, her hand outstretched and pointed at me. Everybody’s eyes turned toward me, confused and insecure, doubt in their eyes, yet nobody said anything. Rose lifted her eyes up to me, puffy and red, looking between me and Alice, pain and confusion etched into her face. Alice meanwhile, marched toward me, pointing her manicured finger at my chest. “YOU KILLED GAMMA ALDAR!!! IT WAS YOU!!”, she continued to scream, sounding every bit as deranged as she looked. “Everyone needs to calm down”, Solomon spoke in his strong voice, gently holding my shoulder in support.

“Calm down???? What do you mean calm down??? My husband’s Gamma and a childhood friend have been murdered in cold blood, and gruesomely, may I add. He is a father and a husband! We do not need to calm down!! WE NEED AND DEMAND JUSTICE!!!”, Alice screamed again to a growing murmur and a chorus of people in the pack agreeing with her. Solomon took a deep look at her and spoke again. “I completely agree that your FUTURE husband’s kingdom and all of the people in this pack need protection. These are dark and dangerous times. However, we should not be making serious accusations about a situation unless we have proof”, he stated calmly, to another wave and murmur of agreement from the pack wolves. Pack rules were swift, and justice was based on the old traditions – eye for an eye, sort of an approach. However, one needs proof of wrong doings of any sort. Werewolves believed in honor, you could not simply go around accusing people of horrible and unspeakable acts, like she had just done to me. He was right, and she knew that. For a moment, a shadow passed over her face but she very quickly recovered her composure.

“Well, let's examine the situation, shall we???Dragana’s morals are questionable at best. In fact, I caught her trying to seduce MY MATE, a man who has a destined woman, a man who had announced me as his mate and Luna Queen and chosen me!!! Surely, we should not believe such adulteress!! Yet, what is more, how did HER DRESS end up in a dead man’s hands after all???? Did he rip it off you as you killed him???”, she spoke again, placing her face on level with mine, her hot breath close to me, her whole persona ready for a battle. The pack members hearing this were starting to rumble. Mate bonds were sacred and those who tried to mess with them were shunned at best. I could see that now, even Rose, Gama Aldar’s wife, was now paying close attention to our interaction, as did everybody else. “Do you wish to explain how YOUR DRESS ended up in his hands Dragana???”, she asked again, and I was quiet, not knowing what to say. “Answer her!!!”, came a soft, yet determined voice of Rose, her eyes now locked on mine, hate filled and empty.

“I do not have an answer, Rose… I do not know how this happened”, I spoke softly, trying to be gentle with her, understanding that she was in pain and needed answers. It hurt me that she doubted me, but I knew she loved her husband and was desperate to understand what had happened. “So, do you DENY, that in his hands is YOUR DRESS??? IS IT NOT???” Alice continued. “Well….. I mean.. Yes.. It does look like the fabric of my dress…” is all I managed to say before outbursts from the crowd and shouting of “KILL HER… EYE FOR AN EYE…. SERVE HER JUSTICE.. GAMMA ALDAR DESERVES JUSTICE!!!!” started booming all around. I was met with hateful growls and if looks could kill, some people would have already killed me.

Alice looked very pleased with herself, walking around as if she owned the place, her energy pulsating with something I had not seen in the past. I did not have time to dwell on that now, I had to see what she was really up to, and why I was all of a sudden blamed for Gamma Aldar’s death. I did not know who killed him, but somehow, I suspected that it had something to do with Alice, and that she was setting me up. I just could not prove anything at this moment, not right now anyway. “So… Not only are you trying to seduce my husband and break MATE BOND, but you also kill off my confidant and a protector, Rose’s husband and father of her children, a devoted member of Rising Moon???!! One can say that you have really attacked me too, your Luna Queen, through your actions! And we know what the punishment for that is!!!!” she seethed and I could see that, unfortunately, the majority of people gathered there agreed with her, regardless of the fact that she really had no evidence.

“Hold up, right there Alice”, Alpha King Jonathan came into the picture, his stoic, chiseled face unreadable, his dominant energy making him the immediate focus of attention. “We have no evidence that Dragana did anything, anything at all! We do not punish people based on conjecture and somebody’s opinions, regardless of who they are. We have always been a proud and just pack, and that is not about to change, not now, nor ever, regardless of who the Alpha King or their mate are!”, he said poignantly, his eyes fixed on hers. I thought that she may have faltered, but I was wrong.

“It is sad that the FORMER Alpha King does not protect his own people. Sad, and very disturbing in fact”, she said slowly, making her way towards him as if she was evaluating every step, stalking her prey. “Pack deserves protection, and there should be no favorites Alpha Jonathan, no matter the circumstances!! Or perhaps, just perhaps, you are saying that you value Dragana over your Gamma, over his family, and over other pack members???? Hmmmm…” she spat, again to murmurs and agreement from the crowd. The air was feeling strange, and the mood was twisting all in her favor. I knew that something needed to be done, but I did not know what.

“Alice, I have served this pack for many decades. Your accusations are unfounded”, Alpha King Jonathan said defensively, and as the words left his mouth, I knew that was a mistake. She had him where she wanted him. “Very well…. Then allow me to execute justice and give Rose and her children closure..” she said sweetly. “You have no evidence, Alice. All we have are YOUR accusations and YOUR opinions, based on a piece of cloth! We do not kill people simply because of that!!!”, he now roared, using his Alpha command and energy that washed over everyone. Even though he was no longer an Alpha King, he was still a very powerful being, and as a former Alpha King, the pack still answered to him.

I could see that she was none too pleased with the turn of events. I did not know how she thought this was going to work out, but somehow, I sensed she had a plan, something horrible which likely involved my death. I was thinking of ways to help Rose and the children. Somebody killed her husband, and I knew they needed closure, needed answers. But right now, apparently, I have had to worry about being executed for the crime I did not commit. Alice circled Alpha King Jonathan, in slow, calculated moves, making contact with pack members and the crowd, positioning herself as a savior in fact. I did like where this was going, but at that moment, I was helpless to stop it. “So, ladies and gentlemen, here you have it. Your lives are not important to Alpha Jonathan. Your loved ones, or your family, their blood and sacrifice, are not important. He only cares about those he loves, and the pack is NOTHING TO HIM!" she screamed. Everything became silent, eerily in fact, and you could hear a pin drop. She chuckled and spat out "Since you are of no help and have your judgment clouded by your feeble emotional attachments, Alpha Jonathan”, Alice's voice echoed wickedly, “.. it rests on me, as a future Mother and protector of this pack, to protect MY PACK and MY pack members. I invoke the right of Regina Dominum!”