Chapter 19

Sophia

My throat feels tight. The mute spell that Lily has cast on me is physically suffocating me.

I don't understand. I'm able to practice magic and remove magic cast by others. Why can't I get rid of the spell that Lily put on me?

Have I become so reliant on visually seeing the threads of magic wrapped around its object that I don't know how to remove magic I can't visualize?

Clearly, my education is lacking. I don't know why I'm surprised, though. By Lily's own admission, she only wanted me to have the ability to practice magic so that Noah could use me.

I look around the room silently. My mother's expression is dull as she stares blankly in front of her.

I feel like a failure. I have poured so much of my life force into her, but she's still not reacting. I wish she would at least look at me. I've told her so many times that I am her daughter, but she doesn't acknowledge my words. There's not even a flicker of emotion in her expression. It's like gazing at nothingness when I look into her eyes. It's almost as if she has locked herself somewhere deep inside her mind where no one and nothing can reach her.

My heart feels heavy, but maybe this is for the best. Maybe it's better if she doesn't experience all this pain and humiliation.

The banquet is being held in a ballroom. It's a large space, and the light from the chandeliers reflects on the surface of the polished marble. Multiple doors open into the room, and people are pouring in. Each Alliance representative is wearing a colored band on their right arm to represent which Alliance they are from. There's an impressive staircase that divides into winding paths at the top. The staircase would be perfect for making a grand entrance into the ballroom.

My mother and I are dressed in dull, gray dresses, and we are being forced to follow Noah and Lily as they mingle. Most of the people greeting Noah are offering condolences for Robert's death and congratulations for Noah's accession to the Alpha position. Lily is glued to Noah's side; she seems to be the one clinging to him. Noah looks at her fondly, but I don't see the wild desire in his eyes that I'm accustomed to seeing in Alex's when he looks at me.

Is Noah even capable of something as simple as love? Or is everyone in his life just a tool for him to use?

A woman scorned is furious indeed. I glance at Lily tensely. She should have said something to Noah instead of taking out her anger on me. She's punishing me for something her own mate tried to do.

I linger a few steps behind them, knowing that they're sufficiently distracted and won't be paying much attention to me. I can't run away from here because I don't know how complicated the collar on my mother is. I'm still trying to come up with a way to shatter it or nullify its effects. No matter what Lily says, I refuse to believe that I can't. I was able to heal Nathan without visualizing any magic; I should be able to do this. But I need time to focus, and I don't have any at the moment.

Lily is certain that Alex is going to show up today, but he told me he was going to meet with the rest of the pack in the city. Did he lie to me? I can feel frustration and anger fueling me. He should have trusted me with his plans, not Lily. He barely knows her.

As quickly as my anger rears its head, it dies down. Both of us were fools. And I was the bigger idiot. I had experienced firsthand how people pretended to be something they were not. Was I so desperate for companionship that when someone was finally friendly to me, I latched onto her? Have I become too trusting?

I won't be making that mistake again.

I take my mother's hand in my own; it's limp. My heart hates that there's nothing I can do for her. As I hold her hand, I wish I could shield her from the world using my magic, protect her from every harsh word, every blow, every injustice. As the desire creeps into my mind, so does something else: a spark of an idea. My eyes zone in on her collar.

It's a risky plan, but I don't think anybody will notice. Since I practice my magic best by visualizing it, I center my gaze on the thin metal band around my mother's neck and start pushing my magic toward it, almost as if coating it with my magic. In my head, I can see golden threads wrapping around the collar, one by one.

It's a very slow process, but if it works, Lily will lose her leverage over me.

I don't know if it will work, though. Still, I direct my entire focus on it, trying to cover the entire collar with my magic. Then, if Lily tries to use it, my magic will cage her magic and not allow it to affect my mother. This makes sense to me, but whether it will actually work is an entirely different story. The only way to find out is to provoke Lily into using the collar. But I doubt she will use it in a room full of people. Another thing that might work in my favor.

I'm so focused on the task at hand, I don't notice that someone has approached us until I hear the woman speak.

"I'm so sorry about your father, Noah."

There's something about her voice that makes me uncomfortable. My wolf is on edge, and I turn my head to see who's talking.

It's a stunningly gorgeous woman who looks like she's in her mid-forties, with pale skin and dark hair cascading down her back in a sleek waterfall. She's dressed like royalty: a fur stole draped over her shoulders and a blood red dress that highlights her curves. Her eyes are an icy blue, and although she is beautiful, possibly beyond compare, there's a cruelty in those eyes that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Queen Karina," Noah greets her politely. "As always, you've organized a wonderful evening."

"Thank you." She smiles at him. "The last time you attended my Winter Banquet, you were quite young. I remember you accompanied Robert."

Noah's smile stiffens. "Yes. Unfortunately, now I have to attend in his place. My father has left quite a legacy for me to live up to."

Yeah, a legacy of pain and suffering for others , I scoff internally. Noah doesn't have to try to fill any shoes; he's doing quite well on his own.

Queen Karina looks at Lily and then at my mother and me. "I didn't realize you were bringing guests."

"This is my mate, Lily." Noah indicates the woman standing beside him, who smiles. "It was a last-minute decision for her to come, so I wasn't able to send word beforehand. She likes to have her attendants with her. They're mute, so they don't converse."

Karina looks us up and down dismissively, then turns her attention back to Noah. She asks, "Did you find the person responsible for your father's death?"

"We have a lead that I'm following," Noah replies somberly, but I can see the smirk in his eyes.

"I see." Karina doesn't look like she's done with Noah quite yet. "I heard there was some unrest in your pack just after your father died. You captured someone."

That's an odd thing for Karina to say. Is she trying to dig for news about Julia? Doesn't she know Julia is dead? After all, the Queen did attack the village as a result…

I suspect Lily has told Noah about Julia, and I'm proven right when Noah murmurs, "Captured? I'm afraid your information is incorrect. I closed the pack borders, but somehow the culprit was able to flee."

Karina looks disappointed. "I see. That is unfortunate. It would have been a relief to hear that you were able to avenge Robert's death."

She clearly doesn't buy Noah's explanation, although why she would think that Noah would reveal that he captured somebody from the North is beyond me. As she walks away, I see her give him the side-eye.

"Attendants," Lily says, sounding amused. "Now, why didn't I think of that?"

I catch her shooting me an arrogant look. Does she expect me to feel insulted? I have bigger problems on my mind than having somebody call me an attendant. She's distracted soon enough, and my mother and I are pretty much ignored for the next couple of hours. I take that time to work on the collar.

When the festivities finally begin, Karina climbs to the top of the magnificent staircase and addresses the crowd. "Welcome, all, to the Winter Banquet. Now that we're all here—"

"We're not all here," somebody says. "There is one pack missing. The Moonrise Wolf Pack."

Karina doesn't look irritated. In fact, it almost seems like she anticipated the interruption. Or that she planned it.

She taps her fingers on her cheek, pretending to look distressed. "The Moonrise Wolf Pack. I'm afraid you're talking about a pack that has turned its back on the North Alliance. They have chosen to be traitors."

Murmurs erupt in the ballroom.

Karina raises a hand to quiet everybody down, then continues. "As you may know, I had hopes of encouraging a mating between the Alpha of the Moonrise Wolf Pack and a female that I trusted and believed would have been a good addition to his pack. You all have met Julia, my right-hand woman. It pains me to say that she is no more. Alpha Alex Stone, with the help of his pack, killed her. Julia was like a sister to me, and Alex, a son. After all, I felt responsible for his future after his parents passed. I thought he was grateful for my attention. But he killed Julia, a member of the Cross River Wolf Pack, and that is not something I can ignore. Alpha Stone did this deliberately, and he and his pack will have to pay the price for it. I have ordered the extermination of the entire Moonrise Wolf Pack."

Shocked sounds fill the room, and Noah chuckles, glancing at me. "Did you think I was lying to you? Your mate has no chance of surviving. Even if he doesn't show up here tonight, he and his pack will be hunted down like prey. If anything, you should be grateful to me for rescuing you from imminent death."

I glare at him. I know he's mocking me.

Karina is not done. Gesturing with her arms, she announces. "Let us not discuss the annihilation of the traitors any further. I would rather announce that I have come into possession of something so utterly unique that I feel compelled to share it with you all tonight."

This grabs Noah's attention. I don't really care what Karina has to say. All I want is for no one to pay attention to me or my mother so that I can work in peace.

But that is not to be.

Karina's next words have me freezing in place.

"I am in possession of the legendary Silver Wolf."

The whole room is silent except for the members of the Central Alliance, who start whispering among themselves. They look displeased and upset, which is no surprise. After all, the Silver Wolf comes from the Central Alliance. No wonder they're angry about this.

One of them steps forward and demands. "What are you talking about, Queen Karina? The Silver Wolf isn't real."

Now, that takes me by surprise. I did not expect the Central Alliance to deny the existence of the Silver Wolf.

Karina beams. "I'm afraid that is not true. Some time ago, I received a prophecy from a coven of witches in my lands. They told me about the Silver Wolf, whose power was unimaginable. The possession of this wolf would provide the ability to combine all three Alliances under one rule. I have found the Silver Wolf, and I believe that I am best suited to bring about the unification of the three Alliances so that we can all live together as one."

Her words are not well-received.

"We already have a leader in the South," one of the Alphas from the South Alliance shouts over the din in the ballroom. "We do not need a new one. What you are saying goes against all Alliance rules. The three Alliances exist for a reason."

"They existed for a reason," Karina corrects him. "It's time we became one."

"You are not the deciding factor here," another Alpha says.

What I find interesting is that nobody from the Central Alliance is taking part in this discussion. Instead, they're immersed in their own conversation. One of them stands out to me. He's looking in our direction. At first, I think he's looking at me, and I grow stiff. But then, I realize that his eyes are fixed on the person standing at my shoulder: my mother. She doesn't seem to have noticed him.

The man's face is pale.

Drew told me that my mother ran away from the Central Alliance to be with her lover, my father. Has this person recognized my mother?

Technically, my mother is also the Silver Wolf. There are currently two silver wolves in existence, but I have a feeling all my mother's powers were drained by Robert. And even if they weren't, she's not in a position to start any form of rebellion. I guess that falls to me, then.

"Even if what you say is true," somebody says, "we don't want to have you as our leader. We've seen how you treat the packs under you. Why would we willingly subject ourselves to the same?"

I commend the man's bravery in speaking like this to Karina and calling her out. It is obvious that Karina does not like his words.

"And pray tell," she demands sweetly, "how exactly have I been treating the packs under me? They are thriving."

My eyes swivel to the right, and I see the man from the Central Alliance approaching us. He stops next to us and says, "Grace?"

My mother's head lifts.

At the exact same time, the main doors of the ballroom are thrown open. I hear a familiar voice boom, "Why don't I tell you how you've been treating us, Karina?"

My heart sinks and soars at the same time as I look at my mate's hard, unyielding face.

Alex!