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The doors to the queen’s chambers are opened, and Atlas steps through, the motionless body of Syn in wolf form carried through behind him. My emotions threaten to take over as my eyes run over him, and guilt makes my chest tight as shame presses heavily on me. This is all my fault. He’s here because of me, and I have no idea what the queen is going to do with him.
Throat tightening, I begin to feel overwhelmed when the goddess’s presence brushes over me. It’s barely more than a gentle passing breeze, the magic on the sanctuary blocking her full presence, but I feel it all the same. I take a deep breath and hold it in for a few moments, letting her presence linger over me and remind me that she’s always with me, even when I’m in the darkest and most hopeless of situations.
“Are you ready?” Luna asks quietly from my side, and I realise we’re the last to enter the chamber, hovering just outside.
I hadn’t even realised that I’d stopped, and as I glance over, I see the concern she’s trying to hide. Normally I’d try to reassure her, my nurturing nature taking over, but I can’t take on her emotions right now, not when I’m on the brink of losing control. Instead, I turn away, facing the open doors that await us. There must be some sort of magic over the room to stop sound from escaping, because I can’t hear anything from within, and if I hadn’t just watched the others enter, then I would have thought it empty.
Letting myself sink back into the numbness, I slowly release my pent-up breath. “Let’s get this over with.”
I’m aware that Luna is still watching me with concern, and from the corner of my eye, I notice her mouth open like she’s about to speak. However, I’m already stepping past the guards and into the queen’s chambers. A tingle of magic passes over me, and my eyes flit around the room as I take everything in.
The room looks the same as usual, with stone walls covered in dark fabric drapes, richly upholstered furniture, and a huge fireplace which takes up a whole wall. A fire roars in the hearth, the temperature blistering and designed to make anyone who visits uncomfortable.
Syn’s unconscious form has been dumped unceremoniously in the centre of the room, causing outrage to flicker in the back of my mind, but I don’t allow it to pierce my numbness.
The other witches file out behind me, leaving me with Luna, Star, and Atlas, who stands to the side with his arms crossed over his chest. His emotions are a mess. I can sense that even through our muted bond, and I know I’ll have to face those at some point. However, now is not the time, and I don’t have the capacity to worry about it now, not with the gravity of the situation hovering over us.
Ivar sits in the same dark corner as the last time I was here, only this time he’s staring at Syn with the expression of a starving man who’s just been brought to a banquet. Feeling my stare, he looks up and dips his head to me in greeting, his lips tilting up in a way that makes me shudder. The dark witch gives me the creeps, but he knows about the dark presence that I carry within me and has kept it a secret from the queen. I’ve still not quite worked him out yet, but there’s a fragile trust between us.
Finally, my gaze falls on the last person in the room—the queen. As usual, she’s calmly leaning back on the couch facing the doorway. She looks fairly casual compared to the formal gowns she usually wears, with a simple, black silky dress covering her thin frame. There’s lace trim around the bust, and the straps crossing over her chest have small silver chains dangling from them, drawing the eye to her breasts. The slit in the skirt goes from ankle to knee, but otherwise, it’s unadorned. Her golden hair is pinned up, making her sharp cheekbones standout all the more.
Her face holds a look of superiority as she looks me over, scanning me from head to toe. Whatever she finds is clearly lacking as her lip curls up, and she gives a slow shake of her head as her eyes snap to mine. She’s loving every minute of this, being able to lord this over me and having something else to use against me if needed.
“Well, well, well, this has been an interesting evening,” she purrs, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, her posture casual, but the sharp look in her eye is anything but.
She’s clearly waiting for me to comment and explain what’s happened, but I let it wash over me, not playing her game. My only concern is keeping my mates safe. Thanks to our connection, I can tell Nicolai is raging and trying to reach me, attempting to break free of his room, but he’s safe and unharmed, which makes Syn my priority. I will do whatever I need to make sure he is okay.
When it becomes clear to the queen that I’m not going to speak, her gaze slips down to Syn. Her disgust is clearly written across her face as she looks over the sleeping wolf. She doesn’t seem to be afraid of him, nor is she looking at him like the huge threat she keeps preaching that the wolves are to the witches. Instead, it looks more like she’s sizing him up, deciding how she can make this situation work to her advantage.
She purses her lips, returning her sharp eyes to me, and anger ripples from her. “You have nothing to say for yourself?”
Her question is loaded, and there’s no right answer, so instead of rising to the challenge, I simply roll my shoulders in a light shrug. “What would you like me to say, Your Majesty?”
I add the honorific just a second too late, making me appear disrespectful, when really, I’m just asking what she wants from me. If it’s going to keep Syn safe, I’ll say whatever she wants. Hell, I’ll dance and sing if I have to.
She narrows her eyes on me, but I don’t have it in me to feel victorious for annoying her when I wasn’t even trying. Face pinched, she gestures towards Syn with a sharp motion of her hand. “Take him to the cells. I don’t want to see wolf scum for a moment longer.”
Her words aren’t aimed at me, yet she doesn’t look away for a second, wanting me to feel the full impact of her words. Despite my best efforts, I can’t keep my fear for Syn locked down.The cells. They are going to take him away and lock him up. The queen was very deliberate with her words. Nicolai was given a room when he was brought here as a hostage, but that was because they removed the very thing that made him a threat—his wolf. There is no way Syn would stay in a guarded room while I was elsewhere in Haven. Even before the madness, he wouldn’t have been parted from me. Not to mention that by taking him to the cells, she’s not bothering to sugar-coat what Syn is—her prisoner.
Someone strides forward from the back of the room. Frowning, I look over and meet their gaze, my emotions jumping forward unbidden as I stare in surprise at my half-brother, Kano. If he was in the room the whole time, then why couldn’t I scent him? Had he been hiding, and if he had, then why step forward now? Suspicion starts to creep its way into my thoughts. If he didn’t want to reveal himself to me, did he have something to do with all of this and is feeling guilty?
Looking over at him, I catalogue his body language and expression. He doesn’t look like he feels guilty. In fact, he looks like he’s trying to hold back anger, his movements stiff. I’m so confused and overwhelmed that I’m struggling to tell friend from foe. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my thoughts, reminding myself that Syn is the most important thing to focus on.
Kano kneels beside Syn’s wolf, and Luna mirrors his movements, moving to his side. Her face is still set in concentration as she keeps him asleep. Then, as the scent and static feeling of magic permeates the room, I remember a specific skill that my brother possesses. He can teleport.
His expression is intense as he looks up at me, trying to silently communicate something, but I don’t have the brainpower to decode it. Before I’m able to even try, Kano disappears with apop, taking Luna and Syn with him. Startled, I suck in a breath as I glance around. I know it’s futile, because they are no longer in the room, and my connection with Syn tells me he’s much farther away, yet I can’t stop myself from searching for him. Star dances around my feet, her head turning from side to side, and her low whine of confusion tears at my heart.
My breathing speeds up, my heart thundering as the pull in my chest begs me to follow it. I need to be there when Syn wakes up, otherwise he could hurt himself while trying to get to me. I can feel several sets of eyes on me, but it’s the weight of Atlas’s gaze that’s the heaviest. Turning, I begin to walk towards the doors, intent on following the feeling in my chest until I find Syn. However, I’ve barely moved when the queen clears her throat.
“Oh no, my dear, we have more to discuss before you can leave.” Her voice is sickly sweet, but it carries a note of warning that I know better than to ignore. I turn to face her, taking in her openly smug face. Desperation and frustration burn inside me, but I hold them with an iron grip, not letting her see she’s rattled me. Despite this, my hand begins to twitch at my side, the need to dosomethingdriving me crazy.
The queen doesn’t seem to notice this, thankfully, and a frown replaces her smug smile. “Did you concoct the situation tonight so you would be allowed out into the forest to meet yourmate?” she asks, obviously done with playing around. She says the last word with disgust, as though being fated is something ugly and to be scorned.
“No.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Ivar comments quietly, speaking up for the first time since I arrived.
The relief I feel in my chest is so strong that for a moment, I think it belongs to me. However, when I follow the feeling, I discover that it actually belongs to Atlas. Hurt floods me as I realise that he suspected I would manipulate him like that to meet with Syn and escape. Did he think I was somehow deliberately slowing the healing of my wound so I’d have the excuse to run under the moon? It’s laughable that he would believe that, but as our eyes meet, all humour drains away. How could he think I would do that, and I would leave not just him, but Nicolai?
