Raven's POV
"Long live the Queen. Long live Queen Raven!" The crowd shouts from below me.
As I stand in front of the hundreds of people that showed up for my coronation nerves flutter through my stomach. I don't know the first thing about being a Queen; there has never been a Queen like me. The first Queen of the werewolf species. A single Queen to rule until the Moon Goddess sees fit to replace me.
Plastering a fake smile on my face, I wave to the crowd and prepare to give my speech. I must have practiced the speech in my hands a thousand times but my hands are still sweaty. Nervously, I wipe my hands on my purple dress as I step to the podium.
"I want to thank everyone for coming," I begin my speech but before I can continue a loud shout comes from the back of the crowd.
Before I realize what is happening, everyone is running for the exit. Screams echo throughout the massive ballroom. My eyes search through the crowd, trying to figure out where the chaos is coming from. I see an old woman running toward me. Her face is covered in burn scars and an evil grin is spread across her face. With a snap of her fingers, a hoard of warriors steps out of the crowd and stands behind the old woman.
Half of them have begun to shift into their wolf form and the other half are advancing with weapons drawn. The closer the woman gets to me the brighter the smile on her face becomes.
My warriors jump to my aid and try to protect me but they are no match for the hoard. I back away from the podium with my speech clutched to my chest. Suddenly, the old woman is standing in front of me with a silver knife drawn.
"Long live the Queen," she says with an evil smile on her face just before she plunges the knife into my heart.
A loud scream escapes my lips as I sit up in my bed. My eyes snap open and dart around in the darkness. I look for any signs that the old woman covered in burns is near me, but I am still in the safety of my bedroom.
My body is covered in sweat, just as it always is after this dream. It is the same dream I have had since I turned sixteen. My parents are constantly reminding me that it is just a dream and I shouldn't be concerned, but it feels like more than that. It feels like a warning.
The glow of my bedside clock lets me know that it is just after midnight. It is officially my eighteenth birthday. Quietly, I climb out of my bed, making my way to the bathroom. I turn the shower on cold and step inside. Goosebumps raise on my skin and I shiver under the freezing water.
My ears perk up as the sound of my bedroom door opening and shutting catches my attention. My wolf, Rose is always on edge after we have that dream.
'Did you hear that?' She whispers inside of my mind. 'Someone is in your room,'
'I heard it,' I tell her as I quickly rinse the sweat from my body.
Flipping the handle to the shower, the cold water stops spraying overhead and I listen carefully for any sounds that are coming from my bedroom. But I don't hear a sound. Wrapping a towel tightly around my body I grab my curling iron. It is the closest thing to a weapon that I have in the bathroom.
I try to control my breathing. In for three counts, out for three counts; I repeat the mantra silently in my head. I have never been taught how to fight. In fact, I have never been taught anything that a regular werewolf would learn. I was named the future Queen of the werewolf packs when I was just a few months old because of a crescent moon birthmark on my shoulder, the mark of the Moon Goddess.
Ever since then, I have been learning about werewolf lore and how to be a proper lady. I have received the finest education a werewolf can get. But yet I still don't know how to take down an enemy. I don't know what in the hell I am going to do with this curling iron, but any weapon has to be better than no weapon at all. Right?
'You can do this,' my wolf, Rose cheers me on in my mind. 'Just listen to your instincts. You are the daughter of the Moon Goddess for fuck's sake.'
I take in a deep breath and swing the door that separates my bathroom from my bedroom. I charge into the room waving the curling iron over my head like a mad woman and scream at the top of my lungs. The towel begins to unwrap itself from around my ample breasts and I quickly try to recover it before I flash my intruder.
Loud laughter comes from my bed. In my hurry to enter the room, I had run right past it. Spinning around where I stand, the curling iron slips from my hand and hits me on the top of the head. Gripping the top of my head with both hands, my towel drops to the ground.
"Mother fucker that hurt," I swear as I rub the top of my head forgetting completely about the intruder.
"For Goddess's sake cover yourself," my twin, Kieran yells loudly.
My eyes grow wide with shock as I stare at my brother for a moment. Realization hits me that I am standing in front of him buck naked and I let out another scream.
"What are you doing in my room?" I question him loudly as I scramble to pick the towel back up off the floor.
"Can't a brother want to be the first to wish his sister a Happy Birthday?" Kieran says with a sly grin on his face.
"Oh no," I say as I walk into my closet. "You aren't pulling me into another one of your troubles. What is this time? Another night out with a she-wolf. Gabbie is going to kill you." Gabbie has been Kieran's girlfriend for as long as I can remember.
"What Gabbie doesn't know won't hurt her," Kieran waves his hand in the air like he is bored. "Now, I was here with you all night. We wanted to spend one last night together before you go on the tour. You know, like we used to."
I crawl into bed next to my twin. We couldn't look or behave differently. He is tall and muscular with a head of messy brown hair. While I am short and curvy with black hair that hangs neatly down my back. Kieran has a carefree attitude that I suppose comes from a lack of my parent's authority. All of that authority was spent on me. Making sure I turned out to be the perfect Queen.
Kieran lays on his side and brushes a strand of wet hair out of my face. "You had another dream again didn't you?" Kieran can't hide the concern that is written all over his face. "Maybe this tour isn't the best idea."
"Let's just pretend like it isn't happening tomorrow," I yawn.
"Maybe I should come along with you," Kieran says sleepily.
"The pack needs you," I say and the corner of my lips turn upwards. "Alpha Kieran."
"Get some sleep, Queen Raven," Kieran says jokingly. "I will see you in the morning."
