Page 10 of The Queen

“I don’t have any intention of doing that, Violet,” I said as I fluffed a pillow.

“Of doing what, Your Majesty?” she asked.

“Of choosing only one to bond with.” I smacked the pillow a little harder than was absolutely necessary before putting it back in its place.

“Well, if not one of them, perhaps you’ll meet someone at the coronation ball that you’ll like better. That reminds me. There’s a dress fitting tomorrow, and Alexi delivered a special soap you are to use prior to the event. There should be more than enough until you’ve bonded and your scent changes. I left it in your bathing room.” She gave me a warm smile as we finished making the bed. “There now. All clean.”

It might be all clean, but I missed the heady scent of ocean fog that the old blankets held. Now that the soiled bedding had been taken, it was drifting away, and I was sad to have it go.

As appealing as pining over men all day, holed up in my room, sounded. I wasn’t going to let Aster’s bad attitude ruin my mood. I had an idea.

“Violet?” I waited until she looked up at me. “If I asked you to take me somewhere, would you do it?”

She gave me a wry smile. “I really shouldn’t, but you are the queen. It’s my job to do what you say.”

That’s how Violet and I ended up scurrying through corridors and service hallways, exploring maintenance closets and every other nook and cranny on the top level of the capital. The place was nearly deserted, and we had free rein of the royal wing. The administration ward had a few clerks walking between offices, but we made a game of dodging them.

There was little to fear here. The administration staff were mainly betas, unaffected by an omega’s scent. The alphas were all housed in the levels below, and only a very select few had clearance for this section of the city. So, our antics were unlikely to be discovered.

Exploring with Violet was an entertaining diversion from the boredom of sitting in my room, studying out-of-date history books. I didn’t really think I’d get in trouble for it, but the rush of sneaking around was exhilarating.

I stopped in my tracks and Violet stumbled into my back, barely catching herself before falling. The sound of footsteps had me spinning around to face the frazzled maid. “Hurry, hide!” I giggled quietly as we rushed to a maintenance closet, and she punched in her code just in time for us to slip inside before whoever was coming saw us.

I held my finger to my lips, shushing my co-conspirator. We were both smiling like maniacs, struggling to contain our laughter.

The deep voice drifting down the hall and under the door we hid behind was unmistakable. I recognized it immediately. It was Lex.

“Now that the queen is in place as a figurehead, the Pharanax Alliance will have to listen to us. We need more military support, and they have it. Omen won’t be enough. They haven’t listened to the Regent, but an emissary from the legitimate queen will get their attention.” Lex’s voice trailed off as he moved past our hiding place and down the hall.

Figurehead? Emissary from the queen? I had no such emissary. What in the Stars was going on with military alliances that I knew nothing about? What was Lex doing? I wasn’t smiling any longer, and a weight settled in the pit of my stomach.

“Violet, do you know what he was talking about?” I asked in a hushed tone. I didn’t think anyone was in the hall anymore, but right now I especially didn’t want to be found.

“I’m not entirely sure. I know the Regent had been trying to contact the Pharanax Alliance about a partnership, but they wouldn’t speak with him. They have unique views on, well, a lot of things,” she answered in an equally quiet voice.

Not for the first time, I wondered if Lex had saved me because he cared, or for a more political reason. Aside from the picnic, he had paid me very little attention, and after what I’d just heard, it made me wonder if he had any feelings for me at all. It hurt to consider I might just be a pawn in his game, or a stepping stone to elevate his status.

The near miss with Lex and my runaway thoughts soured my mood. “Let’s go back. It’s almost time for dinner.” Not that I had much of an appetite, but I didn’t want to run into anyone else in the corridors, especially Lex.

We took a shortcut through a service hall and arrived back at my room in record time. I’d memorized Violet’s security code during our adventure, and was looking forward to being able to navigate the upper level quickly now that I knew where everything was. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I was sick of feeling like a prisoner in what was supposed to be my home.

No one joined me for dinner in the dining room, not even Grey. I picked at some sort of stringy game meat and root vegetables that Violet had brought from the kitchen. It made me wonder where everyone was, and what they did while I sat alone.

I needed some answers, and I knew there was only one alpha who I might be able to convince to tell me. I just had to find him.

Chapter Eight

Saphyra

Iscrubbed my scent away with the neutralizing cleanser Lex had provided and put on the plainest outfit I could find. There was a hooded jacket by the door that smelled like Ghost, so I threw that on over the top. Five sizes too large, it hung off me absurdly, but it covered my hair and face, and further masked any remaining scent.

It was easy enough finding my way back to the blast door with the stairwell on the other side. I held my breath as I punched in Violet’s code, waiting for an alarm to sound and guards to descend from the sky to capture me. Nothing happened, and the light clicked green as the lock disengaged. I was taking a risk leaving my sanctuary, but it was better than sitting in my room by myself without anything to do. The distraction of classes and schedules on the Hive made so much sense now. I’d have laughed if it wasn’t so sad. I hoped everyone was okay, and that Omen could help the people imprisoned there.

My feet rang hollowly on the metal rungs as I descended the steps. The only thing above my level were empty storerooms and the exit, which I’d already seen. What I wanted to know was what else was further inside this mountain.

At the next landing, I came to a door that looked very similar to the one I’d just come through. My fingers punched in the code, and the light turned green again. Still no alarms or guards, so I slipped through and into a hallway that resembled the corridors on the floor above. The maintenance closets and service passages were all labeled the same way, so I felt confident I could navigate this level, too.

As I crept toward the Pit, my nose twitched at the rising odor of alphas. I was going to have to be careful, but I was reasonably optimistic that my disguise would fool them. With my neutral scent, everyone should assume I was a beta.