Page 150 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

My soldiers are right behind me when I finally do reach the lake. I stop while we’re still in the woods, shifting back and catching a variety of different scents in the area. I hold up a hand, and all the wolves following me come to a halt. They, too, shift into their human forms, treading carefully behind me as I reach the tree line.

As soon as the lake comes into view, I see Alice, and I sigh in relief. She’s okay. There’s someone else with her, plus at leastten white-cloaked figures surrounding them. Only white witches wear such cloaks.

A few feet away, near the edge of the lake, is a small child. Mira. She’s not alone; she is surrounded by white witches, as well.

A growl leaves my throat.

Alice is struggling to stand as the witches chant something. The last time I saw them doing something like this to Alice, it caused her excruciating pain.

I stride out from among the trees, quietly motioning for my men to stay hidden.

“Step away from my mate.”

The white witches surrounding Alice go still, and the single uncloaked individual standing close to her turns around to face me. “I hope you are referring to me, Darian.”

“Willow,” I snarl. “How did you get out of the dungeon?”

“It wasn’t that hard. The white witches came for me.” Willow smiles at me. “Are you surprised to see me? You must be happy.”

I bare my teeth at her. “I should’ve ripped your head off when I had the chance.”

Willow’s expression doesn’t flicker. “I doubt you’ll be singing the same tune in a minute. And if I were you, I’d call off the divorce.”

“Why would I do that?” I ask, noticing that Alice is remaining silent. She has not turned around to look at me, her face remaining toward Willow.

“If you don’t, you will never see your daughter again. You can choose.” Willow gestures toward both Alice and Mira. “Which one do you want to keep alive? If you choose Alice, then you will lose the throne. The witches will replace you with my father. And if you choose Mira, then you will take me back. The witches will keep Mira, and you will give me a mating mark and have children with me. Your life will stay the same. Don’t make the stupid decision, Darian.”

I study Willow, her calm behavior quite disturbing to me. “What makes you think you have the power to give me such a choice? You seem to forget your place, Willow. You are a disgraced and divorced queen. And as for the white witches, who claim to have the authority to interfere in the royal family, they will be dealt with, as well.”

Willow looks amused. “You will deal with the white witches? They’re witches, Darian. They’re more powerful than you.”

“The only power they should have is healing magic, but it seems that the information I’ve recently gathered is correct. The white witches have been using the dark witches in rituals to steal their powers. Isn’t that right, Serena?”

My head swivels to the right, and after a moment, a woman walks out from the trees, taking off her hood as she does. Like Nara, Serena has a youthful appearance: maybe in her mid-twenties, her eyes a beautiful shade of amber, her lips a deep red, and her long, dark hair tumbling around her shoulders.

She is the leader of the white witches’ coven, one of the oldest living members.

Chapter 30

Darian

“You seem to be well informed, Darian.”

“It’s King Darian,” I tell her coolly. “And I know a lot more than that. I also happen to know your kind framed the dark witches out of greed.”

Serena laughs lightly. “Is this what you’ve been doing all these years? Trying to dig into the past?” Her laughter fades. “It doesn’t matter. The truth is that the white witches are now far more powerful than you could ever imagine. There was indeed a time when our kind was very weak, relying only on our ability to provide excellent healing magic to give us some level of importance. Times have changed, young king. It is our time now. And unlike the Wolf Kingdom, we don’t plan to rule from the shadows.”

“Rule?” I sneer at her. “The white witches sure have grown ambitious. You are healers, nothing more. Do you really think a handful of you can overthrow the Wolf Kingdom?”

Serena’s eyes glitter with anger. “The white witches have stayed a minority for long enough. We possess far more intelligence than you animals. We deserve to rule.”

“Animals?” I give her a cold look. “At least animals protect their own. You tortured the dark witches, drained them of their powers. You didn’t even spare the children! We are not the animals here. But I’m certainly looking at one.”

Her eyes narrow. “Ambition is not a crime. And you have been a thorn in our side for far too long. I have never met a king so stubborn in his refusal to cooperate with us. It is because of your refusal to bend that things have come to this point.”

“No,” I scoff. “It is because you cannot stop drooling over the first-born daughter of King Edward. You want her powers, and you want those of her child. I refuse to give up either. That is what has brought us to this point.”

Serena looks surprised. “You know about your mate’s bloodline? I have to say I’m impressed. I underestimated you.”

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