Chapter 11

Aleena’s POV

My mother’s face was exactly how I remembered it. She hadn’t aged a bit. Elegance and beauty radiated from her in waves. There was no living being who could deny how stunningly floorless she was. Floor-length silver hair that shimmered like the sun hitting the sea. Large violet eyes like mine, and my sisters and I possessed the same slender frame as hers. Queen Nyeri was nothing short of gorgeous.

“Aleena, is that really you?”

“Yes, mother, it’s me”, I tentatively reply, not trusting my own voice.

Before the last words left my lips, I was crushed in the most enormous embrace I had ever received. The scent of lavender and cocoa butter invaded my senses, throwing me instantly back to my childhood. Memories of my mother hitting me one after another. If I weren’t already crying, I would have been from that.

“I can’t believe it’s you, I have hoped for this day for so long now, but I had begun to give up hope,” she sobbed on my shoulder whilst still rubbing my back; she was forever a mother first, a queen second.

“I am so sorry to have hurt you by not returning sooner, but it wasn’t a choice for me”, I began to say before my father’s booming voice filled the room.

“Why do you bring a filthy dog into my hall,” his voice echoed off the walls.

“Father, let me explain” I rushed to answer and not force my mother off of me too forcefully; I knew how sensitive she was.

“Guards arrest that dog,” he bellowed.

“No”, I screamed, rushing to Michael’s side. “If you arrest him, then you will have to arrest me” I stared the man I called father right in the eyes, never faltering. I meant every word I said.

“So be it, how am I to know if you are now a friend or foe, aligning with the wolves?”

“Aldon, no, she is our daughter. You will hear her out,” my mother retorted. It was very rare for anyone to speak out to my father. But if anyone was to get away with it, it was my mother.

“Nyeri, she abandoned her people for so long, only to align with them”, he pointed to Michael with disgust.

“Abandoned our people”, I practically shouted, “You need to take a good hard look at your so-called people before you accuse me of such things” I didn’t give him time to shout at me for my insolence. “The whole reason I was gone was because of a few of your so-called loyal people”, I shouted, hurt evident in my voice.

“How dare you speak to me like that, he spat at me, but I didn’t let it affect me; I had not been close to my father, only my mother.

“Aldon, hear her out for me, please,” my mother reached over and placed her hand on her husband’s arm. She spoke so softly to him.

The atmosphere in the hall crackled with my father’s fury; I was always his least favourite child. I never toed the line as my siblings did; I always wanted more from life. Not just to be a member of the royal family.

“Okay, fine, you have five minutes to explain yourself”, father growled, as good as I had heard my werewolf friends do. I smiled inside. I have waited a long time for this. Finally, I was going to expose my so-called old friends for what they were.

“The day I went missing wasn’t by choice; I was out with Myla and Piper”, I started.

“Yes, we know; they told us you disappeared when their backs were turned”, my brother cut in, which annoyed the living shit out of me; of course, they would lie about what happened. But for my brother to believe them was a slap in the face.

“That is not what happened,” I shot him a look. “I thought those two were my best friends, but I was wrong. They wanted the power my position held; well, one of them did anyway, the other just did as she was told she always did” I could hear the venom in my voice; I wasn’t aware I would be so bitter about it still, but I was, and I was okay with that.

“That’s absurd,” Iven spat “you’re accusing my wife of this” The shock that shook through me at that new bit of information was surprising, to say the least.

“Yes, I am Iven; I was beaten and left for dead; that is when Michael found me,” I pointed to the man being held by two of my father’s guards, they held tightly to him as if their lives depended on it, even though he wasn’t resisting in the slightest. My chest swelled when I looked at him. He was here for me, regardless of the danger to his own life. He sent a smile my way without moving a muscle, trying his best to show he was no threat whatsoever to my people.

“Rubbish,” Iven scoffed, but I could see sweat beading on his forehead.

“I’m guessing you only briefly questioned Myla and Piper. Yes? you didn’t do a mind search by any chance, right? You just blindly believed them” I stood with my hands on my hips, staring my brother out, knowing he had fancied my old friends for so long that now he was married to one of them, he was getting worried, and he would have failed at his job.

“Well, no, but why would your friends do that to you, whereas you were always reckless and wanted nothing to do with our traditions, so it’s more logical for you to run away with those filthy wolves than stay with your rightful people,”

I couldn’t control my laugh from escaping; I knew I was pushing my luck with my father’s patience, but I couldn’t help it; I couldn’t believe my family were so stupid; how could they honestly believe this rubbish?

“I see; well, why don’t you do a mind search on them now then? I’ll even consent to one on myself also” I smiled, refusing to drop my brother’s gaze.

“How do we know your mind hasn’t been altered or brainwashed by the wolves” Iven spat out, sounding more like a sulking child than he ever had before.

“I’ll do a mind search also”, Michael spoke up. Silencing the room. He had spoken without being spoken to first. Usually, this brought unmeasurable pain down upon a person, especially a wolf.

To my surprise, nothing happened; my father looked him up and down as I held my breath, praying to the goddess that he would be spared.

“That sounds like a great idea,” my mother voiced, drawing my father’s gaze away from my wolf. When did I start thinking of him as mine? I was going to have to revisit this at a later date. Right now, I have one of the most invasive procedures heading my way.

“I really don’t think this is at all necessary,” Iven called out as two guards were sent to fetch Myla and Piper.

“Iven, we need to see if what your sister says is true, either way, someone is lying here, and we need to know who it is” My mother tried to soothe her only son.

“Well, if she was such a great seer like everyone says she is, then she should have seen this coming, shouldn’t she” Iven huffed. My father had been silent the whole time, quietly watching his son. Dread marred his usually strong, stern eyes.

“Oh, come on, Iven, even you know I can’t see my future and things that may happen to me” something was up; I just knew it.

“The question is, who will perform the mind searches; you and our mystic seer are in question, so neither of you can do it”, my sister Alysia asked.

The room was thick with anticipation. She was right. Both of us were unable to perform them. I caught my mother’s eye. I knew she wasn’t meant to get involved with things like this, being the queen and all, but she also had the sight; she knew it as well as me; I could see it all over her face. It had to be her.

“Mother will do it”, I stated plainly, with finality.

“It’s against the rules,” Iven said, he thought he had me there; the smug look on his face said it all.

“I’ll do it, just this once, there is no one else to perform the mind search, and I long to know the truth about my daughter,” she told him; my father didn’t even move to stop her; he wanted to know as much as she did.

Iven wanted to respond again, but the doors to the grand hall were thrown open, stopping him before he could speak. Turning with everyone else to see who was entering, I already knew by the way they walked. I didn’t need to see their faces.

“Aleena, oh, thank the goddess, you’re okay”, a screeching voice filled the space between us. My skin crawled, and hatred for this woman was deep inside me. Once I called her my friend, but now, I held no love for her.

Arms wrapped around me with such force, as if they were trying to choke me. she probably was knowing her.

“I have missed you so much, my dear friend; not a day has passed that I haven’t thought of you” she spoke her lies so convincingly, even throwing a tear or two in there for good measure. Yet I still refused to respond.

All eyes were watching us. I had to control how I reacted; reaching up and clawing the eyes out of this lying, deceitful, selfish bitch wouldn’t go well for me. So, I opted for nothing.

“I see they have your captor in hand already, I’m so thankful you are home safe and sound now and away from those savages”, she continued, and my blood boiled.

A faint growl admitted from Michael’s chest; my eyes snapped to him, hoping I could calm him before he got hurt. Catching his eye, I shook my head; he forced himself to be still. The effort was great; I could see it etched on his face. He hated this as much as I did.

“Get off of me, Myla”, I growled, rivalling Michaels’s growl. She fell still, arm still wrapped around me; I felt her pulse quicken as she stepped back. Her perfect pouty-lipped face went pale.

Myla had shoulder-length chestnut-coloured hair and silvery eyes; she was a pretty girl with full lips and a beautiful smile. She was the type of girl who knew they were good-looking and didn’t mind making sure everyone else knew it too. She had scores of men after her for as long as I remember. So I wasn’t surprised when she caught my brother’s eye. Piper was very similar in height to Myla, with light blonde pixie cut hair, pretty blue eyes and a narrow face. She was Myla’s biggest fan and would do anything she said whenever she wanted. Piper was a sweet girl but simple. She always took the fall for Myla regardless of what it cost her. When I was the target, Piper was swept up in it for Myla’s sake once again. From what I have seen, she has not gained anything from my absence, unlike her best friend. Yet still, she did not question it.

Iven rushed to his wife’s side; how did I know it would be Myla he was married to and not Piper? I shouldn’t have doubted it for a second.

“Iven, what is all this?” she demanded, and my brother’s face paled.

My mother stepped forward, cutting my brother off before he had a chance to start drivelling to his deceitful wife.

“Myla, Piper, thank you for coming so quickly; as you can see, my daughter Aleena has returned; thank the goddess”, my mother smiled at me. “We need to clear up a few things surrounding her disappearance, and Aleena cleverly suggested a mind search” I watched my mother as she spoke but switched my gaze to my frenemies’ face as she said the last words. Never had I seen someone’s face change so quickly, from open and lovingly relieved to see me to instant dread and hate.

“That is silly; we already told you everything we know years ago,” she forced a strained laugh, eyes darting everywhere. I stood still watching, never taking my eyes off her.

“Then it should be quite simple, my dear; your memories will show us the same as you told us, I’m sure,” my mother said sweetly, but I knew that voice, she didn’t believe her, and the joy that granted me was unmeasured.

“But your majesty, that kind of procedure could damage my sight, and I am the village’s mystic seer; surely I need to be protected”, desperation laced her words.

“Aleena has agreed to one also, and her sight is stronger than yours, so, I wouldn’t worry my dear” my mother wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Mother, I will go first if that will help for Myla to see her sight will not be harmed” I offered a false smile; I had to control myself; my family needed to see these people, more so Myla for what she is, they needed to expose their selves without my help.

“Very good Aleena, someone get me a chair for my daughter, please, place it right here,” she pointed to the centre of the room. Guards rushed off as soon as my mother finished speaking.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward; I knew this would hurt. But it was worth it, showing my truth and exposing the girls who had nearly killed me. If I thought about it too much, it ate at me, for If they had succeeded, I would never have met Michael, and that thought killed me.

“Okay, my dear, are you ready?”

“Yes, mother”