Sasha

For a moment, I gazed at the woman who just barged in my room. But she didn't look like any ordinary woman. She was tall with velvety skin and silver hair flowing down her back. Her ears were a bit pointed, and her wide green eyes sparkled with an unusual light.

"You have no right to gaze directly at the Fae princess of Jihun! How dare you disrespect my presence in such a manner!" she exclaimed, fisting her hands. The wind around us even seemed to respond to her anger, swirling the curtains around the room. "Bend a knee and apologize for your insolence, slave!"

I was startled, not knowing how to react to her sudden outburst. But just by her attitude, I could now tell who she truly was.

"So you are Princess Gaia," I whispered, completely ignoring her initial demand that I must apologize. How would I? Although I knew that she was known for her temper and arrogance, I wouldn't ever bend a knee as I was a queen and she was in my kingdom. Maxus had planted in my head countless times that my title granted me power and respect, and I wouldn't let anyone, not even a princess, diminish that.

"I understand now why you are feared by all," I said, caressing my baby bump, which was starting to contract again . "But know this, Princess Gaia, I will not cower before you—not when you are in my territory and boastfully trying to assert dominance over me."

"What did you say?" Her mouth parted, and her pale face turned red with anger. "No one ever talked to me in such a manner before. Now prepare for your initial punishment."

With a single flicker of her fingers, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my body, causing me to collapse to the ground in agony. It wasn't from the laboring contractions, as the pain seemed to creep up from within my very bones.

"Ah!" I couldn't help but scream as the sharp pain redoubled to the point that my body shook uncontrollably. I tried to mind-link Maxus, but my thoughts were too clouded with pain to form a coherent message.

"Now let's start by asking who you really are." Gaia walked around me, circling me as though she were a predator ready to strike, arms folded across her chest as she shot death glares. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I looked up at her, but my lips were shut, doubting whether I would reveal my true identity. Since Maxus and I had agreed to delay the details about me until I gave birth to my child. But since this brat princess was demanding answers, I said, "Why don't you ask the Lycan king himself?"

"Wrong answer!" She snapped her fingers, and I screamed, feeling the cracking of my bones as she used her powers to inflict pain on me. My eyes were burning, and I could tell that my wolf was more than furious as we were being provoked in such a way.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to shift into my wolf form until the pregnancy was over, so I had to endure the torture in my human form.

"You will regret this, Gaia," I warned her through gritted teeth. "I will ask Maxus to give me the right to punish you, and you will pay dearly for hurting my baby. I don't care how powerful you think you are. You will not get away with this."

"What did you call the Lycan king?" Gaia leaned in closer and pulled my hair back, forcing me to look her in the eyes. I winced in pain as I looked directly into her eyes. "Why are you calling him only by first name while he's prohibiting me from calling him anything other than 'Your Majesty'?"

I screamed again as my scalp seemed to be on fire from Gaia's tight grip. Unfortunately, my body was still paralyzed. It seemed like she was still controlling my body with her powers, leaving me helpless.

"I'm demanding answers, slave. Who in the hell are you?"

"I'm Maxus's mate!" I gasped out. "I'm the Lycan queen!"

Sasha

"The Lycan queen?" Gaia tilted her head as she stared down at me with all hatred and contempt. Her grip on my hair tightened even more, causing me to cry out in pain—to cry Maxus's name. She laughed. "The audacity of you to claim such a title in front of me? I will make sure you suffer for your haughtiness."

"I am the Lycan queen!" I shouted firmly, unwilling to tremble in front of her.

Gaia's eyes burned with rage as she raised her fist to strike me across the face. "As far as I know, you are just a random slut who was impregnated by those filthy werewolves. You will never be able to rule over anyone, let alone the Lycans!"

"I don't care if you don't believe me or accept me," I spat, blood dripping from my lip. "But I want you to leave. The last person I want to encounter during my labor is you!"

"Disrespectful whore!"

She kicked me in the stomach, causing me to double over in pain. I wanted to fight back, but I still seemed to be under her spell. My body was distorted, but I could feel every ounce of distress she poured on me.

"I can't think I'll come across a slave on my visit here, but I should denounce you to my Lycan king husband. I am certain that he will punish you in ways you cannot conceive."

She stood up and stepped back, and that was the moment I felt my body again. But now that she lifted the dark magic from me, I could feel myself floating weightlessly in the air.

I glared at her. "What are you doing to me?"

Her arm was raised, and every time her fingers snapped, I was pushed against the four corners of the room, like a rag doll being hurled around by an invisible force. The agony was so intense that all I could do was scream.

"Please, let me alone. My baby is hurting!"

She could hurt me all she wanted, but not my unborn baby. Maxus and I had waited for him to be conceived for so long, and now I couldn't do anything to protect him other than beg for mercy. The room was spinning, and I could feel myself losing consciousness. But then I was back in the middle of the room. My feet were still hovering above the ground, but drops of blood were now splattering on the floor.

"My… my baby." I cradled my belly as his pulse began to weaken. "Hold on. Please hold on for a little while. Your father will come and save us."

"Tell me the father of that bastard, and I will not hesitate to heal you," Gaia said. "I can do that in a wave of my fingers. But if you continue to claim that the Lycan king is the father, then you will receive the opposite of my help."

I was trembling as I raised my chin. My eyes couldn't open properly as I tried to focus on Gaia's face. Blood streamed down my legs, and I could feel my life slipping away. But I refused to give in to fear, knowing that my mate would come for me soon. I have to be alive so he can heal me and our baby.

"I said the father of my baby is Maxus, the Lycan king himself. I am pregnant with the future heir to the Lycan throne," I managed to gasp out, hoping my words would reach Gaia before it was too late. "Please, spare me for the sake of our child."

Her face turned red with rage. In that same moment, some spheres of light popped from the window and surrounded her. I shut my eyes as the light blinded me. And when I looked up again, I found three women with the same features as Gaia staring back at me.

"Who is this woman, Princess Gaia?" the one dressed in almost nothing but a few scraps of fabric, asked with a sneer.

"Is she pregnant?" another fae asked, who was covered in leaves and flowers. "She looked awful. I can't even gaze at her without feeling nauseous."

"What's her crime that you have to punish this woman, Your Highness?" the third fae in a flowing gown inquired, shaking her head at me.

The three fae continued to ask questions to the point that their voices irritated Gaia's ears, causing her to snap back at them. "This woman claims to be the Lycan queen, pregnant with their child, so I have to punish her for ambitioning for the position that belongs solely to me!"

Sasha

The faes gasped and shot a death glare. One of them said, "But she looks like a commoner. Is she even a Lycan?"

"No," Gaia replied with a smirk. "She's an omega werewolf, and I can sense that her baby is the same species. So she is clearly deceitful and only wants to be like me."

"No way!" the first fae laughed, but her eyes narrowed as she continued, "This omega werewolf wants to be the Lycan queen? How absurd! We must put an end to her delusions at once!"

"She can't even fight and has no divine powers like Princess Gaia. How could she possibly think she has a chance?"

"If you are a Lycan queen, show us your strength and power, not just empty words!"

"Her crime is deception and treachery. She must be disciplined accordingly."

"She is subject to punishment by death. We must get rid of this impostor before she causes any more trouble in other territories."

Gaia nodded with their suggestions as she stared at me, folding her arms across her chest. "Prepare the execution immediately," she commanded. "Drag her out of this palace. I don't want her remains to be anywhere near my future kingdom!"

"No!" I screamed, forcing my feet to touch the ground. But they only made me stumble forward, my hands reaching out in desperation. The faes grabbed me roughly, dragging me down the grand staircase and out of the palace, ignoring my pleas for mercy.

Before I knew it, we were by the quiet river.

"We can just actually snap our fingers, and viola! You'll be gone," one of the faes sneered, a cruel smile on their face. "No one will even remember you were ever here."

But we want you to suffer a little longer," another fae sneered, pushing me towards the edge of the water.

"Now Go!" Gaia yelled. "Get your ass back to Sepher and never return here again!"

I turned around and noticed one fae whispering to Gaia. Though I could hear the words, saying, "Aren't we going to torture her more? Why banish her just like that?"

"What? No?" Gaia laughed. "This whore will not get away easily."

"Then what are your plans, Your Highness?"

Instead of answering, Gaia stepped towards me. Her eyes were wide as she raised her hand, and my body instantly elevated and hovered above the river below. "You will suffer a fate worse than death, sweetie," she said, and in one click of her fingers, I fell into the water below."

"Help!" I screamed as I struggled to stay afloat, but the icy water pulled me under. The faes' laughter echoed in my ears as I fought against the current, desperate for air.

Then one minute, I was above the water only to be pushed downward once again, the darkness closing in around me. My mind raced with thoughts of escape as I fought against the suffocating pressure of the river's grip.

It was then that some eyes emerged beneath me, blazing in the dark. My dread increased as I realized I wasn't alone under the water, and I really prayed they'd bring me up again.

"Help, please! At least save my baby!" I cried in my thoughts. My arms flailed wildly as I struggled to break free from the unseen force pulling me down. The eyes continued to watch, unblinking, as I felt myself losing strength.

It I felt some warm water gushing out of my womb.

"No. No, not here!" I wanted to control giving birth in the water, but the next thing I knew, the baby was already detached from my body, and was suspended between my legs. I tried my best to grab him, but the yellowed eyed monster swam upward, and in one swift motion, he was eating my baby whole.

"No!" I coughed, feeling my lungs filled with water.