Moving back to her hometown after years on the road, Phoebe just wants to live a normal, stable teenage life: school, friends, boys, pizza. But after meeting handsome and mysterious stranger Silvic, it’s clear that life has other plans for her. Phoebe finds herself irresistibly drawn to the werewolf alpha, but he is haunted by memories of another woman. As danger threatens the pack, Phoebe has to come to terms with her past—and her feelings—in this new world.
Age Rating: 16+
The King Without a Queen by Hope is now available to read on the Galatea app! Read the first two chapters below, or download Galatea for the full experience.
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1
I could feel myself smiling when we drove by the field that I was so familiar with. But I couldn’t stop and appreciate the area where I spent most of my time as a kid.
Soon the scenery was replaced by another and then I found myself gazing at the neighborhood where I spent ten years of my life.
I was finally home, and more than happy about it.
One by one, the houses passed by. Some I was familiar with, others not so much. I noticed some were redecorated. Soon, the car slowed down and I came face to face with our house.
Our real house.
Home.
I giggled excitedly and my mother chuckled at my reaction. “You seem ecstatic, Phoebe,” my mother announced, taking off the seatbelt.
I followed her actions and said out loud, “Yes, mom. Look.” I pointed out to our house, “We’re finally home.”
Home.
Growing up, I always wanted to stay somewhere and make memories.
Of course, I had made many memories while traveling with my mom. I’d met many people, but they were all strangers.
I always had this feeling that I didn’t belong with them and, of course, I didn’t. They had their own life before I came into theirs and I only got a brief glimpse of how they lived.
They were what we called meeting halfway through the journey.
I wanted to be with someone who knew me from the beginning.
My mother smiled at me. “Come on, let’s go inside.” She pressed a button and unlocked all the doors.
I nodded eagerly, opened the door, and jumped outside.
The cool air kissed my skin as soon as I was out of the car. I loved it.
I didn’t wait for too long outside as I was too excited to see our house again.
I followed my mom to the house and waited patiently as she unlocked the door. I looked around the lawn and wondered if my mom would plant flowers over there again.
I remembered my mom was keen on gardening once. That changed when she decided photography was her true passion and took me out on the road with her.
Last week, she suddenly decided that she had enough and wanted to return. I was dumbfounded when she told me, but I kept my feelings at bay and didn’t ask her many questions.
I was afraid that she might change her decision.
My mom was impulsive. That was the explanation for most things in her life, including me. I wasn’t exactly planned-
On her twenty-first birthday, she decided she wanted to hook up and as a result, I was born. I never knew who my father was and neither did my mom.
She’d told me she was too drunk to even remember his voice.
She only remembered his name.
Aaron.
That all I knew about my father.
I looked like my mom. Short, barely reaching five-foot-five, with curly hair and a small nose. My eyes were gray, and I guess that was the only thing I got from my father, whoever he was.
The sound of the door squeaking loudly penetrated my thoughts and brought me out of my reverie.
I tended to zone out a lot.
My mom stepped inside the house, and I followed. The smell of dust hit my nostrils and I covered my nose immediately.
There was light sneaking in through the windows and I smiled as I saw the empty living room.
I was finally home.
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2
The next day, I decided to go and have some ice cream. Even though the October air was anything but hot, I was still craving ice cream.
Badly.
I decided not to trouble my mom and went out without disturbing her. She was still tired from yesterday’s work. She stayed up till 2 a.m. rearranging the rooms.
I had offered to help her, but she declined, stating that I’d only cause more trouble.
I didn’t argue with that.
I slid the hoodie over my body and put on a pair of light blue jeans before heading out. I closed the door lightly behind me and sighed.
I wondered how long this would last before we would be moving again. I loved my mom, but sometimes I just felt like letting her go alone and staying at home by myself.
I never made friends for long. How was it even possible when we were always moving?
It was only a matter of time before long-distance became tedious. Though I did manage to keep in touch with a few.
I couldn’t even focus on my studies. I was already behind, and I wasn’t a great student to start with.
Thinking about the future scared the xxxx out of me. I couldn’t picture myself being around successful people.
I bent down and tied my shoelaces before walking toward the shop I remembered. I hoped it was still around.
***
I opened the door and dangling bells on the other side made a melodious sound to announce my entrance.
I looked around the shop, contented to see that no major change was done inside the shop. It felt familiar. And I loved it.
Not that I was a familiar face around here. I noticed that people in the shop were looking at me strangely. I immediately looked down, feeling like a stranger in my own town.
I’m home. It’s not supposed to be like this.
I took a deep breath and headed toward the counter to order.
When I gave my order, I realized that everyone in the shop was staring at me.
Most of them had expressions of disbelief on their faces. I pursed my lips. I knew that our town was small and close-knit, but they were acting as if they’d seen an alien!
Something in my gut told me that I was missing something. Like there was a puzzle I needed to solve.
There’s more here than meets the eye.
I shook my head, letting go of these paranoid thoughts.
By now, most people were going about their own business. I scanned the crowd for an empty seat, but my eyes caught a familiar face instead.
Beatrice.
I stared at my old friend. Her eyes widened when they caught mine, and I gave her a small smile. I walked toward her.
“Hi.”
She blinked, momentarily dazed. “Hi? Yeah. Sit down.”
I did as I was told.
“God, I really can’t believe it’s you, Phoebe.”
I laughed. “Better believe it.”
She had changed so much. If it would not have been for the gray eyes and brown hair, I would have struggled to recognize her.
She studied my face for a moment. “You look…old,” she finally said, a smirk visible on her face.
Yup, still the same Beatrice.
“How old are you, again? Thirty?” I joked, rolling my eyes at her.
She cleared her throat. “For your information, I’m gonna be eighteen next month.”
I gave her a mocking grin. “I’m already eighteen.”
She rolled her eyes, but then her expression softened. “How are you?”
“I’m okay,” I sighed. I hadn’t thought about it much. “You?”
“I’m great. I heard you’re moving back to your old house. It’s been abandoned for years!” she told me, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I know!”
***
“Yeah, I’ll be starting school from next week.”
Beatrice snorted. “Good luck with school. It is a miracle I’m surviving school.”
“Aren’t we all?”
We both asked each other questions and filled each other in on our lives as we walked toward my house.
We were so absorbed in our conversation that we didn’t notice the man that started to walk beside us.
“Are you new?”
I shivered when I heard that voice. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out to whom he was asking that question.
I met the stranger’s piercing stare and instantly wanted to bow down. He radiated an aura of confidence and danger.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Beatrice hurriedly bow her head in his direction.
Weird.
When I didn’t answer the question, Beatrice decided to answer on my behalf. “Yes, she is.”
Her answer was blunt, but I could sense the fear and respect in her tone.
I blinked. “Oh, yes.”
He seemed satisfied with our answers. “Great. I’m visiting this town too,” he said, meeting my eyes and holding my gaze.
The urge to bow down in front of him suddenly intensified. I immediately dropped my gaze and blinked.
Okay. Something weird is definitely going on.
The way he said town made me want to go and hide in the hills. It felt almost sinister.
“Great,” I said.
“Alright, see you both.”
And then he was gone.
I let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Beatrice. “Who the xxxx is he? I don’t wanna say this about a person I have just met but he is so creepy!” I whispered to her.
Beatrice’s eyes widened at my words, and she frantically shook her head. “Uh…he’s just a little intimidating.”
I nodded uneasily. I wanted to ask more questions, but the frightened look on her face stopped me.
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