Gerald turned down Kade’s street, heading toward the gates to his huge estate. “Winnie is safe on the Island, running the bear house like it’s her own. She has staff at her fingertips and she’s with some of the other bear children. Both parties have agreed to the Island being neutral ground. The pregnant women and children have all been moved there.”
A surge of relief pretty much knocked me back into my seat. Selene might have a sliver of decency after all. Of course, a sliver wasn’t enough to make up for all the damage she had caused, and I would not soften my stance on her one bit. The gates to Kade’s estate opened and the car pulled slowly in. As we got closer to the house, we saw the grounds were littered with a bunch of tents and RVs. A low gasp slipped out as I again leaned forward in my seat, trying to see everything.
Wolf shifters!
There were wolf shifters milling around the camp.
“Are they prisoners?” I murmured. They didn’t look like prisoners, but it was the most logical thing I could think of in times of war.
The car parked and Gerald turned back to look at me. His normally hard eyes seemed softer. “No, Queen Arianna. They’re defectors. Said they will only fight for you. There are more too. Many have remained in the boroughs, but have pledged to fight for the resistance. You’re not alone.”
A sob rose in my throat but I pushed it down. Now was the time for strength, but still … my people were here. They’d risked their lives and went against all of their traditions to come to bear territory. Just to be by my side in the dark days ahead. Gerald reached over and patted my hand. “We get more and more every day. They’re camping on the beach, in our rental homes. We actually can’t house them all. There are hundreds.”
I let out a steady breath, still working hard to keep the tears at bay. I would exit this car and be the queen they expected, not a blubbering mess. Kade’s hand came up to wrap around my shoulder, his strong fingers gently rubbing my tense muscles.
“Let’s do this,” he said.
Sucking in a deep breath, I nodded a few times, calming and centering myself. I could do this. I was the queen they wanted, and I would take Selene out so I could unite my people again and fight against the real threat. The winter fae.
My car door opened and I stepped out. I was covered in dirt and dried blood. I had pointy ears and foreign features, but when my people saw me they fell to their knees, bowing in respect.
I slowly walked past each and every one of them, shaking the men’s hands and hugging the women. I looked each one in the eye and thanked them for supporting me. I promised them I would fix this and get our home back.
An alpha wolf stepped forward then, bringing with her a strong aura of mecca power. I recognized her immediately: Bianca, the alpha of Boston. The one with more than a little influence in the shifter world. She gave me a low head nod, and then stepped closer. “I am very pleased to see you returned safely, and with our stolen magic born no less. You have proven to be the very leader I anticipated and hoped for, one who could do great things for our packs.”
I returned her nod, mine subtler. “Thank you, I appreciate your support. I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent this war. I will remove Selene from power and I will take back my crown.”
I was channeling Calista with my positive affirmations for the day.
Bianca’s large eyes were very dark, almost reflective. She turned to gaze at the many wolves standing close by, listening to our words. “A queen is only as strong as her people, without support any leader is weakened. Selene is weak right now. Do us proud, and we will carry you through the toughest of battles.”
She reached out her hand, adorned in many glittering jewels, and I didn’t hesitate to clasp my own to it. With a shake I let my happiness spill across my face in a broad smile. “I will do you proud. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a battle to prepare for.”
A huge cheer went up, and Bianca seemed pleased as she stepped back, allowing me and the others to pass through.
Once we were through the crowds, making our way to the mansion, I noticed that Kian’s expression was quite emotional, his eyes looking lost as he stared up at the house. The look on his face was a mixture of sadness and unbridled joy.
Annette, who had not moved very far from her returned son’s side, wrapped her arms around him and said something quietly that I couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, Kian seemed happier as he pressed a kiss to his mother’s cheek. Kade and I were the first up onto the porch, everyone else following close by. I felt a sense of home wash over me, I loved this estate so much.
Gerald brought me back to reality by saying, “We have readied the war room.”
Just like that, expressions sobered, shoulders straightened, and we were in warrior mode. It was time to plan Selene’s demise and fix the mecca before it tore both of our worlds apart.
Chapter Thirteen
Why do the best plans always end with a murder?
“No! I refuse to let my people be slaughtered.” I stood in the war room with Kade, Gerald, Violet, Annette, Nikoli, and Kian. We were surrounding the round table with the boroughs map. Nix and Jota were on the men’s shoulders; Finn was standing tall at my side, offering his support as I pressed my point further. “We want minimal casualties. This isn’t a real war. My people are being used as pawns by Selene and the council.”
Violet had been quiet during most of the arguing and discussion. I recognized her expression, the one she used when she was deep in thought, calculating something huge. So far tons of ideas had been thrown around, but they all involved brute force and the possibility of massive casualties on both sides. I had to worry about my own people and Kade’s.
It was stupid and frustrating trying to deal with this fake war. If I were still queen, none of this would be happening. Meanwhile, we were not even remotely prepared to face the fae, who would be true enemies in every sense of the word.
Violet finally stood, interrupting our arguments. “We’re going about this all wrong. The only thing in Arianna’s way is Selene.”
“What are you saying?” Kade asked, more gruffness than usual in his voice. It was near midnight and the terms of war were that by 5 A.M tomorrow morning all bets were off. Word was that Selene had her army camped out at the vortexes, and that she was going to openly attack at first light. Kade’s people were ready on their side of the magical discs, but I wanted a solution that didn’t result in mass casualties.
Violet shrugged. “This war doesn’t even need to happen. What needs to happen is Selene gets gutted with a dull knife.”
I was torn between smiling and worrying. Violet had always been brutal and reckless in her own way, but it felt like she was ten times worse now. I feared she would do something to get herself killed because she was trying to assuage the pain inside of her.