Page 88 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

My throat feels tight. The mute spell that Lily has cast on me is physically suffocating me.

I don’t understand. I’m able to practice magic and remove magic cast by others. Why can’t I get rid of the spell that Lily put on me?

Have I become so reliant on visually seeing the threads of magic wrapped around its object that I don’t know how to remove magic I can’t visualize?

Clearly, my education is lacking. I don’t know why I’m surprised, though. By Lily’s own admission, she only wanted me to have the ability to practice magic so that Noah could use me.

I look around the room silently. My mother’s expression is dull as she stares blankly in front of her.

I feel like a failure. I have poured so much of my life force into her, but she’s still not reacting. I wish she would at least look at me. I’ve told her so many times that I am her daughter, but she doesn’t acknowledge my words. There’s not even a flicker of emotion in her expression. It’s like gazing at nothingness when I look into her eyes. It’s almost as if she has locked herself somewhere deep inside her mind where no one and nothing can reach her.

My heart feels heavy, but maybe this is for the best. Maybe it’s better if she doesn’t experience all this pain and humiliation.

The banquet is being held in a ballroom. It’s a large space, and the light from the chandeliers reflects on the surface of the polished marble. Multiple doors open into the room, and people are pouring in. Each Alliance representative is wearing a colored band on their right arm to represent which Alliance they are from. There’s an impressive staircase that divides into winding paths at the top. The staircase would be perfect for making a grand entrance into the ballroom.

My mother and I are dressed in dull, gray dresses, and we are being forced to follow Noah and Lily as they mingle. Most of the people greeting Noah are offering condolences for Robert’s death and congratulations for Noah’s accession to the Alpha position. Lily is glued to Noah’s side; she seems to be the one clinging to him. Noah looks at her fondly, but I don’t see the wild desire in his eyes that I’m accustomed to seeing in Alex’s when he looks at me.

Is Noah even capable of something as simple as love? Or is everyone in his life just a tool for him to use?

A woman scorned is furious indeed. I glance at Lily tensely. She should have said something to Noah instead of taking out her anger on me. She’s punishing me for something her own mate tried to do.

I linger a few steps behind them, knowing that they’re sufficiently distracted and won’t be paying much attention to me. I can’t run away from here because I don’t know how complicated the collar on my mother is. I’m still trying to come up with a way to shatter it or nullify its effects. No matter what Lily says, I refuse to believe that I can’t. I was able to heal Nathan without visualizing any magic; I should be able to do this. But I need time to focus, and I don’t have any at the moment.

Lily is certain that Alex is going to show up today, but he told me he was going to meet with the rest of the pack in the city. Did he lie to me? I can feel frustration and anger fueling me. He should have trusted me with his plans, not Lily. He barely knows her.

As quickly as my anger rears its head, it dies down. Both of us were fools. And I was the bigger idiot. I had experienced firsthand how people pretended to be something they were not. Was I so desperate for companionship that when someone was finally friendly to me, I latched onto her? Have I become too trusting?

I won’t be making that mistake again.

I take my mother’s hand in my own; it’s limp. My heart hates that there’s nothing I can do for her. As I hold her hand, I wish I could shield her from the world using my magic, protect her from every harsh word, every blow, every injustice. As the desire creeps into my mind, so does something else: a spark of an idea. My eyes zone in on her collar.

It’s a risky plan, but I don’t think anybody will notice. Since I practice my magic best by visualizing it, I center my gaze on the thin metal band around my mother’s neck and start pushing my magic toward it, almost as if coating it with my magic. In my head, I can see golden threads wrapping around the collar, one by one.

It’s a very slow process, but if it works, Lily will lose her leverage over me.

I don’t know if it will work, though. Still, I direct my entire focus on it, trying to cover the entire collar with my magic. Then, if Lily tries to use it, my magic will cage her magic and not allow it to affect my mother. This makes sense to me, but whether it willactually work is an entirely different story. The only way to find out is to provoke Lily into using the collar. But I doubt she will use it in a room full of people. Another thing that might work in my favor.

I’m so focused on the task at hand, I don’t notice that someone has approached us until I hear the woman speak.

“I’m so sorry about your father, Noah.”

There’s something about her voice that makes me uncomfortable. My wolf is on edge, and I turn my head to see who’s talking.

It’s a stunningly gorgeous woman who looks like she’s in her mid-forties, with pale skin and dark hair cascading down her back in a sleek waterfall. She’s dressed like royalty: a fur stole draped over her shoulders and a blood red dress that highlights her curves. Her eyes are an icy blue, and although she is beautiful, possibly beyond compare, there’s a cruelty in those eyes that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“Queen Karina,” Noah greets her politely. “As always, you’ve organized a wonderful evening.”

“Thank you.” She smiles at him. “The last time you attended my Winter Banquet, you were quite young. I remember you accompanied Robert.”

Noah’s smile stiffens. “Yes. Unfortunately, now I have to attend in his place. My father has left quite a legacy for me to live up to.”

Yeah, a legacy of pain and suffering for others, I scoff internally. Noah doesn’t have to try to fill any shoes; he’s doing quite well on his own.

Queen Karina looks at Lily and then at my mother and me. “I didn’t realize you were bringing guests.”

“This is my mate, Lily.” Noah indicates the woman standing beside him, who smiles. “It was a last-minute decision for her to come, so I wasn’t able to send word beforehand. She likes to have her attendants with her. They’re mute, so they don’t converse.”

Karina looks us up and down dismissively, then turns her attention back to Noah. She asks, “Did you find the person responsible for your father’s death?”

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