20. Queen

Few guards came and grabbed Mateo's arms.

Before they could take him out, he looked at me.

"Amaya, please! Forgive me, I'm sorry!" he said with pain in his voice. I knew he was sorry, but I wasn't sure if he was losing me or my title.

Besides, after what he did to me, I will never forgive him.

"I'm sorry too, Mateo! But now is too late!"

Bianca runs to his side, but he doesn't acknowledge her.

"Wait!" I said when the guards started pushing him towards the doors.

"You can stay for the ceremony if you promise you will behave! I have no grudge against you. But do not cross the line, or you will be paying dearly! Both of you!" I said in a deadly voice, looking at Mateo and Bianca.

He nodded his head, and I did the same, letting the guards know that it was ok to release him.

"Amaya, are you sure about this?" my father asks me.

"I am, father. I don't want my reign to start like this." I said with a smile.

He smiles back at me, and I could see tears flooding his eyes.

"You will be a great Queen!"

"Thank you, father! Now, if you don't mind, I want to finish this quickly, as all the rejection stuff exhausted me."

"Of course!" he said and turned back to face the people, our people.

"We will start the ceremony now, so please everyone, be quiet!"

The room went silent as my father gestured for an older man to come closer.

"Amaya, meet Jared. He is my advisor and the one I trust most."

"Good evening, sir!" I said with a small smile.

"Oh, dear! Just call me Jared. In less than twenty minutes, you will be the Queen."

I smiled at him, and he did the same before turning to my father and handing him the black box that he was holding to his chest like it was the essential thing in the world.

My father cleared his throat and grabbed my hand.

"Tonight, my daughter will be crowned. After that, if somebody wants to challenge her for her position, they can speak up their minds. Because from tomorrow, whoever will try to do that will be punished according to our laws!"

I know there might be a few who will want the throne, but I am not sure if they will dare to challenge me. On the other hand, I think they will do it, as they think I'm just an impostor and not an Alpha daughter.

My father let go of my hand and opened the box.

Leon came to my side and smiled at me slightly.

"This is the dagger that all of the Alpha Kings and Queens have used for their ceremony. Tonight we will do the same."

My father said, taking out the silver dagger and handing the box to Leon, who stepped back immediately after.

"Do you swear to protect this Kingdom and your kind even if it will cost you your life?" my father asked, taking my hand in his.

"I, Amaya Ricci, daughter of Talia and Giovanni Ricci, I swear to protect my Kingdom and the ones that live peacefully in it!"

My father watched me proudly; then, he made a small cut inside my palm and one identical in his. He put mine over him, and I felt the surge of power running through my whole body.

"Jared, are you ready?" my father asks.

"Yes, Alpha!" Jared said and went behind the red curtains that I overlooked before.

"I need you to kneel now, Amaya."

"Of course, father!"

As soon as I knelt, Jared came back holding a crown. The most beautiful crown I ever saw.

It was made of gold with petite sapphires encrusted all over it.

"I made this for your mother, but now I am pleased that you will be the one to wear it."

I could feel the mixed emotions in my father's voice, and I wished that my mom was here today.

"I, Giovanni Ricci, crown you Amaya Ricci as the Queen of werewolves Kingdom. May your reign last forever!" he said, placing the crown on my head and holding his hand for me to take.

"I give you your Queen and Alpha of Black Moon Pack! I hope you all will show her respect and support her as much as you did to me!"

The crown cheers fill the air, and I start to hear thousands of voices in my head. Dizziness overcomes me, and I step back, unable to balance myself.

'What is happening?' I asked Ivy, but I could not hear her in that chaos.

I looked at my father, who was holding me not to fall, and I noticed his lips moving, but I could not make out what he was saying. His face had worry and pain, and I knew it was because of me.

Holding my head with a hand that was now aching because of all that voices, I pushed my father aside and closed my eyes.

The pain was unbearable, and I could not breathe properly.

"Stop!!" I yelled, and all the noise ceased to exist.

I open my eyes only to see everyone kneeling before me. They all looked in pain, with their heads down: even my father and my friends.

"I... I'm sorry!" I said, panicked that I had hurt them.

'You don't have to be sorry, Amaya! Is it just your Alpha power making them submit? Just ask them to stand up, and they will do it. Even if the human doesn't want to listen to your command, their wolves will force them!' Ivy said through the mind link.

'But the voices...'

'That was their thoughts. You are now connected to all of them! You can talk to them through the mind link as you do with me. Try it!' she said, chuckling.

I focus for a second before I open the mid link.

To my surprise, it was still quiet.

'Stand up!' I tell them, and they all do, looking at me confused.

"How is she able to use the link so fast?"

"How she didn't faint? She must be powerful."

I heard people murmuring in the crowd.

"Ok, enough! We should all go to eat and dance. This is all new to me, so please try to understand that." I said in a warm but decisive tone.

"Yes, My Queen!" They all said and went about their business.

"I'm so proud of you, Queen Amaya!" My father said, hugging me.

"You are stronger than I thought!"

"Thank you, father!"

"Amaya? Can I talk with you for a second?" came Mateo's voice making my father step towards him with his fist clenched.