THE ROGUE QUEEN

I didn't go back to Lyra's shelter that night.

I couldn't face her. I couldn't deal with the questions why I looked so broken, why my eyes were red.

So instead, I ended up sitting at the far edge of the camp, where the firelight barely touched and the forest felt close and heavy. I sat with my back against a tree, hugging my knees to my chest, trying to breathe even though it felt like the air itself was pressing down on me.

That you're cursed. That you'll bring death to everyone here.

Was it true?

My mother had died trying to hide what I was, protecting the secret of what i was. The Council had wiped out every Shadow Wolf they could find, saying they were too powerful, too dangerous to live. And now here I was, untrained, unstable, surrounded by people who had taken me in without question..

What if I lost control? What if the shadows came out when I didn't mean it to? What if someone got hurt because of me?

Stop, my wolf snapped, her voice low and firm. You're spiraling again.

A child is afraid of me, I told her.

A child who was taught to fear what she doesn't understand. There was anger in her voice. That's not your fault, that's not on you

Isn't it, though? I thought bitterly. I'm exactly what her mother warned her about. The thing she was told to fear.

You're a wolf, she growled. A strong one. That doesn't make you a monster.

How can you be sure?

She didn't answer.

Because she wasn't sure either.

I buried my face against my knees, my whole body shaking. Maybe I should just go. Slip away into the forest before morning. Before I brought the kind of trouble that got people killed.

"You're doing it again."

I jerked my head up to find Zara standing a few feet away, her arms crossed, her expression somewhere between concern and mild annoyance.

"Doing what?" I asked, my voice rough.

"Trying to disappear." She moved closer and sat down beside me without asking permission. "I saw Mira run past crying. Then I saw you standing alone looking like the world just ended. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Too bad. I'm nosy." She stretched her legs out in front of her, completely at ease. "What did she say to you?"

I swallowed hard. "That I'm cursed. That Shadow Wolves are monsters. That I'll bring death here."

"Ah." Zara nodded slowly. "Elena's been filling her head with stories again."

"Are they stories? Or are they true?"

"Does it matter?" she said. When I looked at her, she gave a small shrug. "I don't know much about Shadow Wolves. Hardly anyone does. They've been gone for hundreds of years. But I know you. And in a short time I've known you, you've been terrified, exhausted, and so desperate to be helpful you nearly passed out chopping vegetables."

"That was just one day-"

"One day is enough to see who someone really is, to see someone's character." She turned to face me fully. "You know what I see when I look at you, Selene? Someone who's been through hell and is still trying to be kind, still try to be good. Someone who's afraid of her power because she doesn't want to hurt anyone. That's not a monster. That's a kind girl who's just scared and needs friends

Tears burned behind my eyes. "What if she's right though? What if I am dangerous?"

"Of course you are. You're a wolf. We all are, We're all dangerous. " She gestured back toward the camp. "Marcus could snap someone's neck without breaking even trying. Old Thomas was a pack executioner before he went rogue. Maya's killed more wolves than I can count. But we're also family. We protect each other. And being dangerous doesn't make you a monster, it just means you know when to fight and when to hold back."

"I don't know how to control it," I whispered. "The shadows. My wolf. What if I hurt someone by accident?"

"Then we'll teach you how to control it." Zara bumped her shoulder against mine lightly. "That's what we do here. We help each other survive."

"Why?" The word came out before I could stop it. "Why would you help me? You barely even know me."

She went quiet, staring into the dark.

"Two years ago, I came to this camp half-dead," she said softly. "My pack betrayed me. Sold me to hunters for money. I escaped, but I was a mess. I didn't trust anyone. Didn't want to live around anyone. I was broken."

I stayed silent, not daring to interrupt.

"Lyra caught me trying to steal medicine from her supplies. She could've killed me, or thrown me out, or turned me over to whoever was looking for me. Instead, she helped me, treated my wounds, fed me. Let me stay." Zara's voice cracked slightly. "She didn't ask for anything in return. Didn't demand I prove myself or earn my place. She just... helped me. Because that's what we do here."

"Zara..." I whispered

""So yeah, I don't know you that well. But I know what it feels like to think you don't deserve help. To think you're too dangerous, too damaged, or too broken to be worth saving." She looked me straight in the eyes. "But you're wrong, Selene. You do deserve help. You're worth saving. You just have to let us show you."

A sob caught in my throat. I tried to hold it back, tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn't.

I broke.

Eighteen years of pain, fear, and loneliness poured out of me in rough, shaking sobs. Zara didn't say a anything. She just wrapped her arms around me and held me tight while I broke down

When I finally stopped crying, the moon had risen fully, painting everything in silver light.

Zara was still beside me, one arm around my shoulders, quietly humming something under her breath.

"Sorry," I whispered, my voice cracked.

"Don't be sorry for crying," she said gently. "You've been through enough to deserve it."

I wiped my face with my sleeve, embarrassed at how red and swollen my eyes must look. "Does it get easier? You know... being a rogue?"

"Some days yes, some days no." She stood and offered me her hand. "But it's better than being in a pack that doesn't value you or see your worth. Trust me."

I took her hand and stood up.

"Come on," she said with a small smile. "Let's get you back to Lyra before she panics and sends out a search party. Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to throw a proper punch. Deal?"

"You're going to teach me to fight?"

"Someone has to. Kael's too soft when it comes to training. He'll spend days just on stances and balance. Me? I'll just hit you until you learn to hit back." She grinned. "It's faster and more fun my way."

Despite everything, I found myself smiling. "That sounds terrifying."

"Good. You need terrifying. Being nice all the time is what got you hurt in the first place."

As we walked toward camp, something shifted inside me. It wasn't the shadows or the wolf. It was something new.

Hope.

Maybe I could handle this. Maybe I could learn to control my power. Maybe I could finally belong here.

Maybe-

"Selene."

The voice came from the dark trees on our left. Zara froze and moved slightly in front of me.

A figure stepped into the moonlight.

Maya. The suspicious woman from earlier, the one with the scar across her cheek.

She looked at me, her expression unreadable. Not angry, but not warm either.

"We need to talk," she said flatly. "About what you really are."

My chest tightened. "I don't-"

"I know you're a Shadow Wolf. Everyone in camp knows by now. That's not the issue." She crossed her arms. "The problem is that you don't seem to understand what that means."

"I'm trying to learn-"

"You don't have time to learn slowly."She cut in. "The Council isn't just going to let a Shadow Wolf exist, they won't just ignore you. They hunted your kind to extinction for a reason. And the moment they confirm you're alive, they're going to come for you with everything they have."

Zara stepped forward. "Maya, don't-"

"Don't what? Pretend she's not in danger? Pretend we're not all in danger just by having her here?" Maya's voice rose slightly. "I like you, Selene. I do. But I need to know that you understand what you've brought to our doorstep, the danger you bring to this place."

Her words sank deep into me, heavy and cold.

She was right. The Council would come. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon. And everyone here would be in danger because of me.

"I understand," I said quietly. "And if you want me to leave, I will. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

Maya studied me for a long moment.

Then, surprisingly, she smiled, sharp and fierce.

"I don't want you to leave, girl. I want you to get strong." She took a step closer. "Strong enough that when the Council does come, you can make them regret it. Strong enough to protect the people who protected you. Strong enough to be what your ancestors were."

"I'm not a weapon," I said softly.

"No," she said. "You're a survivor. But you can be both." She glanced at Zara. "Training starts tomorrow. At dawn. I won't go easy on you just because you're new."

"I wouldn't want you to," I said.

She nodded once, then turned and disappeared back into the darkness.

Zara let out a breath. "Well. That was Maya's version of a welcome speech."

""She's scary," I admitted.

"Yep. But she's also right." Zara started walking again, and I hurried to keep up. "You need to get strong, Selene. Not just for us, but for yourself. Because the life you had before? That was you being prey. And out here, you can't be prey anymore."

"What do I need to be, then?" I asked.

She looked at me, her eyes catching the light of the campfire in the distance.

"A predator."