the appeal must be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. “This Court may raise the question of subject matter jurisdiction on its own motion, even if it was not argued by the parties in their briefs.” Ramsey v. Interstate Insurors, Inc., 89 N.C. App. 98, 102, 365 S.E.2d 172, 175, disc. review denied, 322 N.C. 607, 370 S.E.2d 248 (1988). Only a “party aggrieved” has a right to appeal. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-271 (1996). A “party aggrieved” is one whose legal rights have been denied or directly and injuriously affected by the action of the trial court. See In re Application for Reassignment, 247 N.C. 413, 421, 101 S.E.2d 359, 366 (1958); Freeman v. Thompson, 216 N.C. 484, 5 S.E.2d 434 (1939); see also U.S. Fidelity and Guaranty Co. v. Scott, 124 N.C. App. 224, 226, 476 S.E.2d 404, 406 (1996) (<HOLDING>); Insurance Co. v. Walker, 33 N.C. App. 15, 234
holding that a party does not automatically qualify as a real party in interest merely because it has been named as a defendant in a declaratory judgment action holding that attorneys fees are not recoverable for a nonprevailing party in a declaratory judgment action holding that the injured party had standing to appeal the declaratory judgment in favor of the insurance company and noting that it was decisive to the holding that dairyland named the injured appellants in its declaratory judgment action holding that the declaratory judgment act is remedial only and the party seeking declaratory relief must have an underlying cause of action recognizing that where insured has been paid in full insurer is the real party in interest