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I kept a passive, disinterested expression on my face, refusing to acknowledge his not-so-subtle dig. Mina, however, took that as her moment to step in.
“Of course, and as I was saying before Liam arrived so dramatically,” she said, giving me an unimpressed look. “We are happy to offer you a safe place to rest and eat before your return journey.”
I scoffed. “Like fuck we are. Say what you came to say and get the hell out of the Pack Lands.”
“Liam,” Mina hissed. “You are acting like a child.”
I growled warningly at her, thickening the air with my Alpha power until she reluctantly dropped her gaze to the floor. The witch’s eyes darted uncertainly between us, swallowing hard as he clearly decided I was a genuine threat and hurried to deliver his message.
“Her serene majesty, Queen Melania, sends her warmest regards,” he announced, puffing his chest out proudly even as his eyes remained wary. “However she is greatly concerned by reports of trouble between our races, and requests a meeting to discuss a review of the peace agreement.”
I snorted. “The peace agreement that she broke, you mean.”
The witch’s eyes flashed in anger. “No, the peace agreement that your pack flouted by walking onto our territory and attacking local villages.”
A growl rumbled out of Zeke. “We followed through on our end of the last agreement. We took Cordelia into the pack, mated her to the Alpha, protected her, and your Queen marched down here to kidnap and attack us.”
I couldn’t contain my vicious snarl as I rounded on him. “Don’t you dare say her name, let alone claim that you protected her.”
We glared at each other until Mina cleared her throat pointedly, drawing my attention back to the witch.
“Is that it?” I bit out.
He nodded, darting a worried look around the gathered crowd. “Yes, the Queen requests that you meet her at the traditional meeting place at sunset on the next new moon.”
Mina gave him a small, gracious bow. “We thank you for the message. You can tell the Queen that we look forward to the meeting.”
I shot her a glare before nodding my head at the messenger. “Get out of here. If you’re still on Pack Lands by nightfall, expect to be hunted down.”
I turned my back on him, leaving myself open to attack but trusting that he would stick to his precious rules. True enough, I heard him scurry away, noting Zeke’s gaze follow him out of the clearing and into the forest.
“Pack meet!” I barked suddenly, attracting the full attention of the gathered crowd. “Spread the word. I expect every pack member to be here within the hour.”
Approving nods met my eyes from many directions. I might be Alpha, but I would never make a huge decision like this without their input. If nothing else, they all needed to be fully informed. There was too much gossip and rumour going on at the moment anyway.
I turned to my mother with that thought, anger simmering in my veins.
“What the hell was that?!” I asked in a low, furious tone. “How dare you question me in front of an enemy.”
She lifted her chin defiantly. “I know how to deal with these situations, and the way you were acting could have started a war.”
I scoffed. “The war is already happening. We can’t just let witches walk into the village, no matter what they claim.”
“He was a messenger, darling, not a danger,” she answered, waving a dismissive hand that made my jaw clench.
“He was a Queen’s guard,” I grated, sensing Zeke drawing close as he noticed our argument. “If his hands are free to wield magic, he’s a danger.”
She laughed lightly. “He wasn’t here to attack us, Liam, stop being so paranoid!”
I clenched my fists in an effort to reign in my temper. I was used to my mother being disrespectful of my position, but her attitude was bleeding out into the pack and her opinions on the Queen had been a constant source of tension between us.
Zeke silently folded his arms, giving me a not-so-subtle reminder of who he would support in this argument. Mina had my brother firmly wrapped around her little finger.
I nodded my head at the forest as I held Zeke’s eye. “Go and check he’s gone. I’m going to the cabin to tell Noah about the pack meet.”
He gave me a small nod of assent before I turned and strode away, ignoring Mina completely. I was too close to snapping with her, and that would only cause more problems. It wasn’t only Zeke and our father who seemed to be more willing to listen to her than to me.
I pushed through the heavy front door of the cabin a few minutes later, grabbing a quick shower before heading down to the kitchen. I found Noah eating a sandwich at the counter, the smell of bacon making my stomach growl.
