[SAKURA]
Sakura despised Doiwa for the first time since she had left home. She had been so confident about what would happen when she got back but three weeks in and she was back to being the empty girl who didn't know what the fuck she needed to do.
She had tried to be positive, to love the place that had been her sanctuary for years on end. She had tried to love the power that came with being the Lycan queen, but there was nothing interesting about Doiwa anymore.
It was like the life she had been living here had changed, and there wasn't much she could do about it. Of course, there was one option left for her, but it was one she had put as a last resort and right now, she wasn't at that point yet.
She was just missing the woman who made her life better. In fact, she had grown a tad too hostile than the people of Doiwa had ever known her and they knew the woman to be the worst of the worst out there.
Even Otaru had gotten careful around her, which was something that scared people even more.
"What's next on the agenda?" Sakura's cold tone sliced through the council room where her advisors were seated. They were scared of her, worried that she would have their heads off their necks.
It wasn't hard to tell that something was bothering the Lycan queen today; even since she had stepped back home.
Unlike the other times when she had her pets pleasuring themselves on and wrapped around her, today the mad queen's throne was seated singularly on the dais, with the Lycan queen dressed in all black.
She had ditched the royal wear that she had always taken pride in, and people were worried about him. No one knew what had happened to her back in the human lands.
Those who truly knew, didn't have the guts to come out and spell it to anyone, lest their heads be used as examples in the one battle that wouldn't mean much to them right now.
"The Bogdan Lycans, your Majesty," Lola, the palace messenger said as she looked at her queen.
She knew that the queen was not in the right space and she could only hope that whoever tried to undermine the queen wouldn't have their days ending worse than they had been when they came to the mad woman.
Queen Sakura Watanabe was not in the right mind; she wouldn't be, for the longest time.
"Let them in," Queen Sakura said coldly, the emptiness in her voice unwavering.
There wasn't a thing that anyone in Doiwa could give her that would ever be a match to the good doctor she was head over heels in love with. It was something that Sakura would never be able to replace.
She was only trying to come to terms with that possible truth; it wasn't going to be easy, but then what else was there for the queen to talk of at the moment?
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lola said as she ushered the high guards to open the doors for the Bogdan Lycans.
They were the worst breed of Lycans ever, and their compatibility with their queen was something that was expected since the Queen always used the Bogdans to do her dirty work. But then why were they here now?
Was that why as they walked in, some of them wearing smirks on their faces, Sakura was reminded of the Lycans she had murdered at the apartment block she had gifted Kiyomi?
Perhaps that was why her senses were on high alert, and not because she was scared but because she wanted to catch a particular scent, especially the one that had scared her erasthai.
She wanted to single out one of the Lycans who were standing before her, because they had dared to look at her erasthai in the wrong way. And yet at the same time, Sakura knew that she had to keep her cool and act like a queen.
It wasn't supposed to be hard, but fuck the Bogdan Lycans for making her feel like she needed to step up in the worst of ways.
Then again, they were part of the Doiwa Kingdom too, right?
"Greetings Your Majesty. I see you are back from your adventures with the Russians," Cronos, the leader of the Bogdan Lycan, greeted when he reached closer to the queen's throne.
It was a habit for the both of them so no one was worried because even the Bogdans knew they wouldn't ever be able to win against Sakura. It was impossible, whether they were a group and she was alone on her own, without any armies.
She was still more powerful than they ever would be and they all are painstakingly aware of it.
"I didn't realize you were keeping tabs on the men and women I fuck, Cronos. But I must admit, it does suit you, seeing as you are good at looking into the trash after all.
"Tell me, what brings you to my court this early," the Lycan queen stated amusedly, even though nothing was amusing there.
She knew Cronos had to have known the people who had come after her erasthai and the fact that this old bastard had let them proceed with it was something that Sakura Watanabe was never going to forgive.
Maybe she was emotional, but then again, when it came to Kiyomi Kimura, the Lycan queen was the worst of the enemies to be going up against. She would do whatever it took for her Kiki, for the angel she had fallen in love with, and hells be damned if she let anyone near her petal.
"A rogue Lycan, your highness. One that has been on the crown's radar for the longest time… or rather, her last name," Cronos said as he looked at the queen who was staring at him blankly.
She wasn't giving anything away which was interesting to the man standing before her. Maybe Cronos had learned something else from the mad queen.
Maybe he had hoped for a different thing or maybe he was counting on the queen losing her shit with him. With the intent that Cronos had, it was obvious that he knew the woman on the other side of the realm was important to the queen.
That was why he was here; to see for himself what the woman would do and influence her decisions. But could anyone ever be able to influence Sakura Watanabe on any scale?
"You are in charge of dealing with the rogues Cronos. Is this an admission of your inability to do your job? Should I create a different task force for that?" Sakura asked emotionlessly. She wasn't in the mood for anything, not even talking about her erasthai.
She knew they would try to use Kiki against her but she was more than ready. Oh, she was not going to endanger her erasthai; even if she may have already been the danger that Kiyomi should have never once stopped for.
Maybe her mind was finally off the rails. But even if it was so, who would say shit to her about her erasthai and their queen consort this time?
"Unfortunately, it seems like we have trouble getting to her. Her name is Kiyomi… Kimura," Cronos said with a smirk, knowing so well what that would mean for everyone in Doiwa. And expectedly, there were murmurs.
But even then, Sakura Watanabe didn't react.