WHERE'S THE QUEEN

For the first time in history I finally got the boldness to face the elders.
I straightened, glaring at the elders with all the strength I could muster. "You dare blame me?" I spat, my voice shaking with rage. "You have no idea what I've been through. You sent me to the vampire kingdom even when I'm not fully a werewolf, I never came back and none of you even bothered to check on me! Not once! You left me there to fend for myself, knowing how dangerous the vampires are."

The room fell silent, the elders exchanging uneasy glances.

"I know you never wanted me here," I continued, my voice breaking. "I know you see me as a burden, a half-wolf who doesn't fit in. Well, guess what? I'm done trying to fit into a world that has no place for me. You can find someone else to blame for your shortcomings."

I turned on my heel, my heart pounding in my chest as I walked out of the hall. The silence behind me made me proud, yes i can stand for myself for once.
I feel Satisfied.
I had spoken up. For once, I had refused to be their scapegoat.
Immediately I stepped out of the hall, my father rushed to catch up with me. "Freda," he called, his voice strained. I stopped but didn't turn to face him.

"I'm leaving," I said flatly.

"To where" he asked. My silence gave away the answer. I wasn’t sure of where I was going but surely won’t be going back to the vampire kingdom

"Just as I thought, you don’t have anywhere to go and I can't really help but there's something you should know before you go."

I looked at him, my eyes burning with unshed tears. "What is it?" I asked, my voice lower than I wanted it to be.

"Your mother," he began hesitantly, "she's alive. She's with another pack. If you go to the northern border, precisely the moonblade pack, if you can find them. You will find her. I feel inform the Alpha that you are coming, so they won’t see you as a threat"

My breath hitched. I stared at him, I can’t believe this. After many years I would be meeting my mother once again. “Why didn’t you ever tell me where she is?” I asked with a shaky voice.
He looked away, I could see this was something he didn’t want to talk about. "I thought it was for the best," he said quietly. "But I see now that I was wrong."

I had nothing to say, All I did was nod my head. I turned away from him. I quietly left to the pack hall heading towards the pack house to get my things.

DAMIEN'S POV

I woke up from the little sleep I could get. Last night was rough. Freda never came to the room. I've gotten so used to her sleeping by my side that I could hardly sleep without her.
I wanted to give Freda the space she deserves but right now I can't, it's killing me. I quickly got up from the bed and left the room after putting on a sweatpant and shirt.
I headed to Freda’s room first, the doors were closed and no guards were in front, which was definitely weird. I made a mental note to talk to Volkov about it. I knocked on the door and after a few seconds of no reply, I opened the door and entered the room. The room was empty and the bed neatly laid. Where did she go? I turned to leave but stopped when I spotted Christy leaving the bathroom, looks like she just washed it.
“Where is the queen?” Christy jumped at the sound of my voice, guess she didn’t see me there.
“Your majesty, I thought the queen is with you, I haven't seen the queen since she left me to look for you at the festival last night,”
“What do you mean you haven’t seen her since the festival? She left me at the stairs yesterday, So where is she?” I shouted.
After a few minutes of no response from Christy who was staring at me with a confused look I left the room. I have to find Freda.

"Have you seen the queen?" I asked Rena, one of the maid, as I found her arranging flowers in the hall.

She looked up, startled. "No, Your Majesty. Not since yesterday evening. Is something wrong?"

I didn't answer her, moving on to the next corridor, then the library, and finally to the grand hall. I cornered every maid, every guard, and every servant I came across, asking if they had seen her, but all their answers were the same. No one had seen Freda. No one knew where she had gone.

A terrifying thought crept into my mind: I know she overheard my conversation with the elders and she must have felt betrayed and frightened.

I stumbled into the war room, leaning against the cold stone wall to steady myself. How could I have been so careless? How could I have let her slip away?

One of the guards entered, his face pale. "Your Majesty, the queen is... gone. She’s nowhere in the castle."

I closed my eyes, fighting the panic rising in my throat. She had escaped. Freda had just left me, and it was my fault. My hands balled into fists at my sides. I had to find her. I couldn't let her think that I would ever allow the elders to turn her into something she wasn't.

The hours passed in a blur,. I sent out guards to search the surrounding forests and the towns nearby. I instructed the servants to search every corner of the castle, but they returned with the same news: no sign of Freda.