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“You swore,” she whispered, low but clear. “You said you wouldn’t hurt them if they submitted to you.”
I felt shock reverberate down my bond from Liam, who had managed to open his eyes and was staring up at his mother in horror and pain as she reluctantly revealed her betrayal.
“You’re admitting it, then?” Noah called, making all eyes snap to him as he glared across at Mina. “Are you going to admit you attacked me too?”
Mina narrowed her eyes at him. “Everything I’ve done has been for the good of my pack, you’ll be fine.”
Low murmurs were running through the watching shifters as they warily glanced between Mina and the Queen. Donn stood stiffly with a pained look on his face, unmoving even as his son lay prone at the Queen’s feet.
Zeke also seemed conflicted, though he had yet to fully look at me. Hurt twisted through my chest but I squashed it down, still sure that magic was at play here. I refused to believe our relationship was all lies until he said it directly to my face.
My mother, however, burst into peals of laughter.
“You little idiot,” she said, pointing the tip of the dagger at Mina as she chuckled. “I was never going to let any of them live.”
A cage burst into existence around Liam as the Queen walked towards Mina, surrounding him in a glistening lattice of thick ice that wouldn’t allow him to stand. I sensed Noah take a step forward behind me, itching to get to his Alpha, but he stuttered to a stop as I tugged hard on our bond in warning. It was all I could do, trapped as I was, but there was no way I was letting him near her without backup if I could help it.
The Queen was now addressing the pack, sweeping a regal hand towards Mina, who’s fearful gaze was locked on Liam.
“You all walked so eagerly into this meeting,” she called. “Thanks to your trust in your packmate.”
She tutted patronisingly. “But trust is a tricky thing. A bad idea in general, don’t you think?”
She spoke the last few words directly to Mina, reaching out and snapping a thin metal chain from around Mina’s waist. She lifted it high, showing the pack the few glimmering gems that hung from it.
“This chain was full when I gave these spells to her, after all.”
A stunned silence met her words, all eyes on the evidence that Mina had betrayed them. The Queen turned to face Mina again, dropping the belt to the floor at her feet with a sneer.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mina said with a small shake of her head, lifting her chin defiantly. “It doesn’t matter that they know. The reason is still the same. We need to reach an agreement between us all which allows the pack to live in peace. Like we’ve always done.”
An awful smirk crept across my mother’s face again. “Always? Child, your people may have had a little more freedom in recent years, but you’ll always belong to me. What can you possibly do against a witch’s power, hm?”
“But… you swore,” Mina stuttered, her shock and disbelief so genuine that I felt a spark of pity for her. “I agreed to help you if the pack stayed safe. I made them forget anything about your daughter, that prophecy, or fighting against you. I led them here to submit to your rule. That was the deal. They will kneel and agree to your terms, I know they will!”
Another low murmur ran through the crowd, making it clear that submission would not be as simple as Mina claimed. The Queen raised a knowing brow and reached across to brush a fingertip across Mina’s cheek, making her flinch a little.
“You’re beautiful, I’ll give you that, but you are a fool. Your pack will never truly submit to me with the leaders and dominant ones alive. I couldn’t break into the pack bonds through you or my daughter with the bonds so resilient. I need the strong ones gone to truly take control of your power.”
She cocked her head. “Why do you think I asked you to bring the strongest ones here? They have to die.”
“Mina, what have you done?” Liam growled from his low cage, fully conscious now and clearly furious. He could also undoubtedly feel my pain from the anxious glances he kept darting my way.
“Don’t worry,” the Queen continued, ignoring his outburst completely as she held Mina’s chin in her long fingers. “You have been helpful to me. You can live, and that broken mate of yours too. As long as you kneel, of course.”
Mina’s eyes widened, pulling free from the Queen’s grip and darting her gaze around the pack and back to her mate. Donn remained behind her, motionless apart from the tight clench of his fists by his sides, his knuckles white from the pressure. He returned Mina’s gaze but said nothing, his lips pressed together into a thin line as his brow creased.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice full of emotion as she turned back to the Queen and began to lower to her knees.
A choked sound escaped my throat as I tried to struggle against the trap I was in. It was futile, only making the pain worse, but I couldn’t just watch this play out without trying. My mother’s head whipped around at the noise, her gaze falling back to me briefly, and in the moment that she was distracted Donn suddenly burst forward to grab his mate.
Mina squeaked in horror as he dragged her a few feet back, spinning her around to face him and grabbing her upper arms.
“What are you doing, Mina?!” he rasped, his voice full of fear and pain. “What have you done?”
She gaped at him for a long moment. “How did you break the spell?”
His expression darkened. “Your control wasn’t as strong as you thought, no matter how many of those gems you dosed me with. Do you really think I can stand aside and let this happen? How could you do this to me? To our pack?”
