Page 151 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

“And you continue to do so,” I respond grimly. “Your kind may have managed to learn to use different kinds of magic, Serena, but the wolf shifters are greater in number. We can hunt you down to the ends of the Earth.”

“Hunt us down?” Serena laughs. “Without us white witches, your kind will not survive. Your actions over the past seven years have already caused enough conflict within the kingdom. You think your people will believe you or obey you when you tell them to hunt down the white witches? They would never. All I have to do is make an announcement that the king is under the influence of dark magic, and they will turn on you like rabid dogs.” She lifts her hand and snaps her fingers, her lips stretching into a wide grin. “I can topple your kingdom like that. You are nothing before me.”

“The white witches are still subservient to the Wolf Kingdom.”

“Subservient?” Serena has an amused gleam in her eyes. “You have always been our pawns. All we ever needed was one weak link, and it existed within the royal family. After we found it, we had your kind by the throat. The white witches have controlled the royal family for centuries now. You have always been our pawns, young king. We have manipulated everything, right down to the mates you choose.”

My eye twitches. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Serena laughs again. “I guess there’s no harm in telling you this now. Like all other beings in this universe, your kind has evolved. Your fated mate bonds don’t exist simply to tie two souls together. They form perfect combinations. The offspring produced from these bonds are stronger and more intelligent. There never used to be a ceremony for fated mates. There was no mating gathering. We incorporated that because we needed a way to control how the wolf king evolved, and the royal family was aware of this. For centuries, we have been manipulating the fated mate bonds. We witches have the ability to sense a fated bond between two shifters. With all of you together in one room, we are able to assess the couples. You see, there are often times when two individuals are bound to one another and become incredibly strong. The kind of strength we cannot afford for them to have. We cut those ties before they can form. The red threads that you see are merely a result of our magic. We decide with whom you mate. We have made your kind completely dependent on us.”

My stomach twists at this new bit of information. Such deception! Did my father know about this? If the royal family was aware and still let it happen—

Something suddenly strikes me. “Do you intend to tell me that Alice and I were declared fated mates because of you?”

Serena’s eyes flick toward Willow, and I see a hint of anger in them. “She was weak, and we have always chosen weak females for the royal family. Of course, I wasn’t aware at that point that we had been deceived.”

I don’t believe her.

I felt a connection to Alice long before the white witches came into the picture. Serena may think she’s able to influence fated mate pairs, but maybe her control isn’t as perfect as she believes. I have heard of some fated couples being unhappy, but it’s hard to believe that Serena’s influence ran so deep. Even if I am wrong, and she has been manipulating fated pairs, I don’t think she had anything to do with Alice and me.

“You sure are talkative today.” I glance toward Alice, who is standing in an unnaturally stiff position. She has not spoken a word or even moved. From the way she’s standing, it looks like she’s paralyzed.

“It’s seldom that I can bask in the success of my people so openly.” Serena’s smile is soft, but her eyes hold a smug satisfaction in them. “You have been a worthy foe, young king, but you lack my years of experience. Now it is our turn to rule and control this world. The white witches will be the ones whose names will invoke fear and awe in the hearts of—”

I don’t have time for this. I take a step back and allow my wolf to take control. As the change washes over me, I glare at her. “Keep my family out of your delusions of grandeur.”

In my wolf form, I jump forward, ready to shed blood.

As soon as I leap, my soldiers come pouring out of the woods. However, my attack is thwarted by an invisible shield when Serena lifts her hand. Her eyes darken with anger as she sees my men attacking the other witches.

“You are going to regret this,” she hisses as she waves her hand in a circular motion, creating what looks like a portal of light. To my surprise, more witches start emerging from it.

So that’s how she got Mira here so fast.

The new witches begin to assail my soldiers, and I growl when I see their vicious attacks. My soldiers start to fall, one by one, wounds appearing on their bodies. They can’t even get close to the witches.

Howling, I leap at Serena.

With her free hand held out toward me, she chants something loudly, and I suddenly feel a burning sensation in my chest. The smell of my own blood doesn’t deter me, though.

I keep pushing forward, but Alice is now moving. From the corner of my eye, I can see her struggling.

They’ve done something to her.

“Give it up, Darian!” Willow screams. “It’s over! She’s not so important that you should sacrifice everything for her. I’m still here. I’m still willing to take you back!”

Thankfully, Willow’s grating voice distracts Serena enough for me to land a scratch on her shoulder. The coven leader stumbles backward, howling in pain and anger. I hear a snarl of rage from Alice and realize that Serena had been controlling her.

Alice tries to move out of the circle that I’ve just noticed is drawn around her. Before she can do so, Serena aims her fingers at her, forcing my mate back into her original position.

“Do it now!” she yells at the witches who are surrounding Alice again, and they begin chanting quickly. I hear my mate cry out, and I dart toward the closest witch. But I can’t get to her. There’s some sort of invisible shield surrounding them all.

My wolf keeps hurling itself at it in a desperate attempt to get to its mate. More and more white witches are arriving, and I know that we are grossly outnumbered. I fear Serena is calling every single white witch in her coven. My men will be slaughtered.

I should have brought more soldiers with me, but I hadn’t anticipated—

A high-pitched scream draws my attention to the lakeside. Mira is crumpled on the ground in the fetal position, howling as the witches surrounding her create an even tighter circle, chanting loudly, their hands stretched out over her body.

---