Page 1 of The Queen

Chapter One

Saphyra

My heart surged in a torrent of panic as the whir of air scrubbers woke me from a fitful sleep. Bile rushed up my throat with memories of that stale, recycled smell. But when my eyes opened, I remembered. Those weren’t air scrubbers, and this wasn’t the Hive.

I took a deep breath of the fresh forest air, trying to calm my racing pulse. Even after a week in the underground capital of Verden, I was still sometimes caught off-guard by my surroundings.

There was no need for air scrubbers here. Vast ventilation systems circulated air from the surface through the heart of the hollow mountain. My lungs filled with the sweet scent of warm oak trees. It reminded me of Lex, and my chest ached at his absence.

This place was quite different from the space station prison I’d lived on for the last ten years, but there was no escaping the haunting reminders stamped all over the underground city. Dark metal floors and industrial walls that looked the same as those on the Hive. At least the rooms were mostly square, and not the cell like hexagons I’d grown used to. There were some drawbacks, though. Most places here had low ceilings and felt claustrophobic with the weight of the mountain pressing down from overhead. I missed the clear glass roofs I once took for granted.

I was lucky. The suite I’d been assigned was near the top of the mountain, with a skylight carefully hidden on the surface. It bathed the room in natural light from the suns, filtered by the swaying boughs of old oak trees. The tiny sliver of a view was lovely, a blue sky peeking through green-gold leaves calming my wayward fears. Not everyone had it so good.

Dappled sunlight danced across my empty bed and my heart sank at the sight of the undisturbed sheets beside me. My alphas refused to stay with me, and Grey followed their lead. A heaviness sat on my chest and loneliness crept in. I had a deep yearning to be near them, but they were keeping their distance. The longer they stayed away, the more restless I felt.

I wasn’t allowed time to wallow in self-pity. Before I’d even wiped the sleep from my eyes, a stream of maids scurried in, arranging plates of food on my sitting-room table and pulling clothes from my huge walk-in closet. No longer did I have a single cupboard with one change of clothes. Now I had an entire room full of gowns of my own.

I flopped back onto the thick pillows and dragged the plush coverlet over my head. The loneliness was bad, but it didn’t mean I wanted to be fussed over by strangers.

“Now, now, Your Majesty. It’s time to get up and greet the day.” Violet tugged the blanket from my face, and I grumbled.

Her misplaced cheer reminded me of Lyrah’s warm greetings every morning back on the Hive. I missed my friend and hoped she was holding up somehow.

I was never an early riser, which made the task ahead even worse. It wasn’t a reluctance to do my duty. I very much wanted to learn to be the queen I was meant to be. It was the fussing and primping and propriety that I shied away from.

A tap came at the door and another of my industrious maids opened it a crack to maintain my modesty, of all things. That thought brought a smile to my lips, considering what I’d already been through with all four of my men. There wasn’t much modesty left to have.

“It’s Lord Greylan, to see you, Your Majesty,” Hazel said from the threshold, barring the way.

I smirked at the honorary title that Grey, my once handler, had been given for his assistance in saving me from my imprisonment on The Hive. Some of Verden’s customs seemed silly and antiquated to me, but it made the people more comfortable, so I went along with it for now.

My smile grew as I scooted from under the covers past Violet, who gave me a cheeky grin. She did a good job at playing prim and proper, but her true personality was starting to show. I might even like her a little.

“Send him in,” I said, and all the maids, except Violet, turned scandalized looks at me.

“But your dress, ma’am.” Hazel scowled and blocked Grey’s view with her small body.

Grey was too much of a gentleman to do so, but he could’ve easily seen into the room if he’d tried. Not that he’d have anything to see. I was covered neck to toes in a soft cotton sleeping gown. There were less of my assets on display than the staff in their black uniforms. I glanced at Violet for direction, and the corner of her periwinkle eyes crinkled with restrained mirth. Her personality cheered me, and I had started to hope that we could be friends.

I did my best to hide my return smile, for the sake of the other maids, and threw my hands up. “Fine! Help me get dressed first. Tell him to come back in five minutes.”

Hazel muttered my reply to Grey, and the door clicked shut. The women jumped into action. Aster bringing me a pitcher of water and a bowl where I could wash my face, and Violet hauling a dress from the closet. The lush green brocade gown held the scent of long storage. I wondered if this was my mother’s, packed away from before the fall of the old capital, and kept safe in case the promised queen was ever found.

Their quick fingers undressed and washed me, which had been embarrassing at first, but when I tried to decline on the first day, Hazel cried for an hour straight. It was going to be a slow process of wrestling alone time away from my maids without hurting their feelings. It didn’t take long, but finally I was cinched into a dress that was just a bit too snug for comfort, and seated at the breakfast table.

As Hazel opened the door, Grey pushed off the wall he’d been leaning on and came into the room, his gray eyes crinkling in amusement. When the maids made no move to leave, I waved them away, and they filed out with polite curtsies.

I crossed my arms on the wooden tabletop between platters of fruit and cheese, and rested my forehead on them. I’d been awake less than an hour and was already exhausted.

Grey sat across from me and steepled his hands, observing my frazzled state. “I see you are handling your new role well.”

I huffed out a laugh and sat up to look at him. Stormy gray eyes, shaggy brown hair, and his comforting smile greeted me. Oh, how I missed him. He was the stability in the turbulence my life had become since our escape.

I slid from my chair, approaching him almost shyly. I needed to be near him, but the anxiety of rejection churned in my gut. “Why must you stay in another room? Why do we have to be apart?”

“You know why, Saphyra.”

I’d expected it, but my stomach dropped at his words. “I know why, but it’s stupid. Am I not the queen? Can’t I change the rules?”

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