Page 54 of Eclipsed Heart

However, Michael lifted a finger. “Wait. Callie needs to be the one to call her.”

Lowering his phone, Samuel tensed. “Why? Kel thinks that I’m king.”

“Her wolves saw Callie’s mark.” Bodey pinched the bridge of his nose. “The mark was visible on Callie’s fur, and you know that information got back to the queen.”

I blew out a breath, wondering again if I should’ve listened to Stevie that day and not gone to the coronation. But if no one had been marked, then we’d be in even more trouble now.

“Good point.” Samuel placed the phone back on the island. He nodded toward the center where my phone sat. “Janet got these from the car for us when she pulled Bodey’s car in.”

“Here.” Phil tossed the phone over the couch to me.

I caught it and unlocked the screen. There was no way I wanted to make this phone call alone. “I'm going to put it on speaker so everyone can hear what she has to say.”

Samuel pushed off from the island and came into the den to be closer. “Sounds good to me.”

As I hovered my finger over the phone, Bodey put his hand over the screen and asked, “Should we be calling her from your phone?”

“She’s going to want to speak to the person in charge.” Michael pursed his lips. “And be able to contact her directly if needed.”

It’ll be fine. It’s not like I’ll be going anywhere far away from you. If she calls, you’ll know immediately.Despite not wanting Queen Kel to have access to me, that was sort of the point of the entire plan. For the two of us to be able to talk.

His fingers stroked my back.I’d better.

Let’s just get this over with.I had no clue what to say to the queen, but one thing was certain—standing here dreading it would only make the call worse. “What's her number?”

Stevie rubbed her forehead and then rattled it off.

Once I entered the number, I pressed call and put the phone on speaker. My pulse raced, and my skin grew hot.

I’m right here,Bodey linked as he grasped my hand. He stood in front of me, eyes locked with mine.You have nothing to fear.

Our bond jolted to life, and some of my panic eased, loosening the tightness in my chest.

As the phone rang, the thirteen of us glanced at each other. For some reason, I’d expected the queen to pick up immediately.

On the fourth ring, I expected the phone to cut over to voice mail. I was equal parts relieved and terrified since this was our only solid plan, but as I readied to press end call, someone picked up the line.

“Hello.” A strong, clear female voice came over the phone.

A lump formed in my throat, and I couldn't form words.

Bodey pushed some calm toward me through our bond, finally allowing me to saysomething. “Hi.”

I cringed. Okay, maybe saying nothing would’ve been better.

“I think you have—”

She was about to hang up on me. I inhaled, trying to keep my head on straight. “Is this Queen Kel of the Southwest Territory?” I interrupted. The one thing I knew for certain was that I didn’t want to call her Your Highness or Your Majesty.

A momentary pause informed me that I’d caught her off guard. “It is. I assume I have the pleasure of speaking to the surprise heir and new top alpha of the Northwest Territory.”

My gut churned. Maybe I shouldn’t have called her queen. Dammit, Samuel should’ve been the one to speak. Not wanting her alerted to my inner turmoil, I clutched the phone tighter. “Yes, this isQueenCallie.”

“Ah. The ignorance of youth.” She chuckled darkly. “Those are days I definitely don’t miss.”

Don’t let her rile you,Samuel linked as he moved to my other side.

Right, because being forced to negotiate peace with a sadistic bitch during my first twenty-four hours in this role wasn’t pressure enough. Now, I had to deal with the queen trying to frustrate me. Hell, I’d been frustrated before she’d even picked up the damn phone. “I'm not certain what you mean.”

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