The Wolf Queen (The Queen's Slave, Book 2)

Fifty-Seven: Remembrance

"W-where is Elizabeth?"

"Dealing with his friends." She tipped her head at Adam.

A floorboard creaked and Camille whirled around, a ball of red magic conjured in her palm. But it was snuffed out a moment later as the unmistakable sound of claws clicking across the hardwood floor greeted us. Momentarily forgetting the condition I was in, I leaned around her and caught sight of a white wolf in the doorway. Emilee's forest green gaze snapped to the red-haired witch beside me, something purely wolf forming in her eyes. I tried to reach for her mind through the pack link, but I still couldn't. I growled in frustration. Whatever poison Adam had laced the whip with was no doubt causing this. Emilee's wolf peeled back her lips, baring sharp fangs at the witch who just saved my ass.

"Calm yourself." I warned, putting a little extra Alpha oomph into my words. She turned her gaze to mine, and the pure hunger there had my heart pumping madly.

This was bad.

If Emilee lost control of her wolf now, in the presence of Camille, there was nothing I could do. Not in my current condition, anyway. If Emilee's wolf tried to claim her, I knew it would inevitably be without Camille's permission. The fur along Emilee's back rose threateningly as her wolf reacted to our closeness, not liking anyone close to her mate. I cursed as Camille turned her attention back to me, her beautiful face smoothed into an impenetrable mask.

"Camille....get these chains off me."

I kept my voice calm and collected despite the poison that was wrecking havoc through my blood. I never looked away from the white wolf, every bit an Alpha in her own right. Adam groaned and sat up, and my awareness of the situation skyrocketed. Emilee's lips pulled back further from her fangs, her gaze moving past us to rest on her former pack-mate, now an enemy.

The chains clattered to the floor and not a second later did the room exploded into movement. Emilee leapt, jaws opened wide, aiming for Adam's throat. Liquid amber flashed through her target's gaze as his body shuttered, and then a moment later a raggedy wolf stood before us, his body decorated in horrible scars. Tuffs of fur were missing where the biggest of these scars resided. My heart broke, knowing that his madness was caused by the horrible suffering her surely endured at the hands of Ravenna's men.

Though weakened, adrenaline pumped strongly through my blood. I leapt to my feet, ignoring everything but this moment. I met Emilee in the middle of the room, Camille's shout of warning coming to late as I reached for her neck scruff, tearing the wolf from the air and slamming her back down, holding her there, a snarl ripping from my throat. With the adrenaline pumping through my body, I was stronger. A little more of my power trickled through the cracks of whatever was holding it back. I willed it through my voice, forcing the command to come through loud and clear.

"No." I snapped, snatching Adam's scruff as well in my free hand, pinning him down. It was taking all the strength I had left to force them to do this, but it was necessary. Sometimes being an Alpha meant making choices others can't afford to make.

Sometimes it meant making choices I didn't want to make. I sucked in a deep breath and tried my best to not feel guilty for the pain that I was about to put my best friend and lead wolf through.

"Shift back, now."

I met their eyes and held them until they bared their necks, submitting to me. Gritting my teeth against the pain as the adrenaline began to fade, I waited. And then the sound of bones breaking and muffled whimpers shattered the silence. I released them as the last of their pelts faded into their skin, looking away from Adam and finding Camille, her eyes pinned to Emilee's naked form. Rolling my eyes, I waved my hand in front of her face.