Page 53 of Make Me

“I have the Queen’s blessing,” Bethany shot back, her lioness’s hackles raised at her mom’s threatening tone. No one threatened her mates.

“Well, the Queen isn’t crowned yet,” Sadara growled.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Bethany’s eyebrows shot up.

Sadara continued, as if Bethany hadn’t spoken. “As long as I am Alpha, I won’t allow this.”

“Allow this?” Bethany sputtered. “You don’t need to allow anything. I claimed them. It’s done.”

Sadara waved her hand. “Claimings can be undone. I’ll speak with Alpha Bryson. I’m sure he’ll agree with me.”

A threatening growl ripped from Bethany’s throat. “Over my dead body. I will exile myself before I let you do that if you’re so determined to follow the law and not give your blessing that we don’t need.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sadara said. “You’re the Alpha Heir and my daughter. You can’t leave. The pride needs you.”

Don’t be ridiculous? Did her mom hear herself right now?

Bethany took a deep breath, trying to relax her muscles. “If you can’t see that I am happy, that I have mates who love me, if you can’t be happy for me, then I don’t want anything to do with the pride.”

As Bethany said the words, a weight lifted off her shoulders. Deep down, she realized that she had always wanted to say those words but never had. In the past, she never wanted to abandon her mom, to hurt her like that, and there were so many changes she wanted to make to the pride. But Bethany didn’t want to subject herself to a life of misery if her mom refused to be happy for her. And if that meant she was exiled from the pride, then so be it. She could help Claire rebuild the Realm full-time instead.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” Bethany said firmly. “I recognize this is a lot to take in at once. I’ll give you some time to think about this, but, Mom?” She waited till Sadara’s eyes met hers, and she held her gaze in a challenge. “This is happening whether you’re on board or not.”

“The pride will never accept it,” Sadara hissed. “They’ve been in an uproar ever since word came yesterday of you sporting their marks. The pride wants their throats.”

A cold chill ran through Bethany. “And what did you say to them?”

“Nothing,” Sadara spat. “I assured them it couldn’t possibly be true, and if it was, I would handle it. But then you walked in here with those marks on your neck, and I don’t know what they are feeling.”

But Bethany knew. She had seen Alonzo in the crowd as she had been escorted to her mom’s office. Had seen the dark look on his face. Fuck. The damned tiger was crazy enough and stupid enough to do something drastic. Like go after Zack and Mylo on neutral grounds.

Her shift ripped through her as her lioness roared at the threat to her mates. Ignoring her mom’s shouts, she raced out of the office and through the village. Her legs ate up the ground as she closed the distance between her and her mates.

“Cody!” She yanked on the bond, unsure if it would carry over the distance. “Mylo and Zack are in trouble.”

He didn’t answer her, and she didn’t waste any more time trying to contact him as she entered the neutral grounds. The pride Delta who had stayed with Zack and Mylo was leaning against a tree as he watched Alonzo’s tiger and three other lions pace in front of Mylo and Zack. Zack stood with his back against the house’s wall, magic sparking at his fingertips. Mylo was in his panther form and crouched in front of Zack. He was silent except for the swishing of his tail as he watched the male cats in front of him posture.

Bethany leaped over the closest male lion and landed in front of Mylo. She spun and roared at Alonzo and his friends, warning them to back off. A wolf howled close by, and Cody burst into the clearing, teeth snapping, as he stopped at Bethany’s side.

Alonzo, being the dumbass that he was, didn’t back down and instead snarled at Cody. He charged at the wolf, and Cody met him in a clash of teeth. One of Alonzo’s friends sprung for Cody’s back, and Bethany pounced on him, batting him out of the air. She latched onto his throat and shook him until the lion whined in submission. She let go of him and whirled on the others, letting out a loud snarl and forcing all her dominance into it. The lions cowered and tucked their tails, her dominance too much for them. Huh, that was new. She could usually get them to back off but not submit like that. She turned back to check on Cody.

Alonzo was bleeding from several places, but Cody didn’t look like he had a cut on him aside from a small one above his eye. The wolf looked like he was playing with Alonzo, and Bethany would have rolled her eyes if she wasn’t still so pissed that Alonzo went after her mates. Alonzo and Cody squared up again, and Bethany leaped at Alonzo, rolling him. He got to his feet, and she placed herself in front of Cody, snarling a challenge at the tiger.

Before he could respond, her mom ran into the clearing in human form, the rest of the pride following behind her. Bethany huffed. Cats were unendingly curious. She shifted back.

“Stop this, Mom, before anyone else gets hurt.”

The only way Alonzo and the others would truly back off was if their Alpha ordered them to, and even then, they wouldn’t stop until Sadara publicly gave her blessing.

Sadara’s eyes flashed. “I cannot give a blessing to what I don’t approve of. I do not recognize your choices.”

Gasps rang out around the clearing as Sadara confirmed that Bethany had mated the men behind her. Bethany fumed, her hands in fists at her side. She hadn’t wanted it to come to this.

“Fine. Then I, Bethany Thorncrest, revoke my position as Alpha Heir and member of the Thorncrest pride.”

More gasps rang out, and Sadara’s eyes glowed angrily. “I forbid you from doing that.”

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