Long Live the Queen

*Hezzlie*

I spent the rest of the night talking to my brother, Aiden. It’s difficult for me to even comprehend that word–brother. I’ve never had a sibling before, and when I first met him, I didn’t leave much hope that we would be close.
It seems there’s a chance we might be united by a common goal of sorts, though. After he explained to me how he fell in love with Mara well before either of them realized they were mates, which happened recently upon her birthday, I began to understand the dynamics of my family are not quite what I thought they were when I first got here.
My brother hates my father.
It’s not just because he apparently weaponized Aiden’s mate but also for a few other reasons. Aiden is bitter that Solomon cheated on his mother. He has known about Solomon–I hesitate to call him my father–having extramarital affairs and women that he’d hook up with all the time before he knew about me. He has always hated that about his father. He said once he even tried to talk to him about it but didn’t.
Then there’s the fact that the king is incredibly selfish and bossy, and Aiden, by nature, is not. Solomon is constantly chiding him about it.
We talked about all of that until I realized the sun was coming up. We decided to get some rest and see if we could come up with something to do about it later today, but I haven’t told him any of my secrets.
I still can’t trust him, even though I want to.
I lie in my bed and stare up at the ceiling, wondering what’s going on across the valley, back at Moonstryker Mansion. I know the queen is dead. I know Mara killed her. I want to speak to Rowan, but I haven’t tried to reach him yet. At this point, I’m probably the last person he wants to speak to.
I’ve just managed to fall back to sleep when there’s a soft knock on my door. I get up and pad over, pulling it open to reveal Abby. Her eyes are wide as she slips inside, closing the door behind her. “Hezzlie!” she says in a half-whisper. “Do you have any idea what happened in Moonstryker Mansion last night?”
I nod and invite her to come sit with me by the window. Even though I can’t see the place we’re talking about, it’s the only place in the room to sit comfortably, and I like to see the sun’s first rays as they climb above the distant mountains. “I know,” I tell her. “I was up talking to Aiden about it for most of the night.”
Her eyes widen at my admonition. “You know Alistair made Mara do this, right?”
Again, my head rocks back and forth. “That’s what my brother said.”
A small smile pulls at the corners of her mouth. “I’m glad the two of you are talking.”
“Me, too, but I wish it wasn’t because of this.” I shake my head and fold my arms. “I’m not sure what to do, but Aiden is very angry at his Father. My father. The king.” My mind is fuzzy from a lack of sleep, and it still feels weird to call the king my father.
“We have to do something,” she whispers. “Alistair is probably trying to use you in the same way. I don’t know what he has planned, but we can’t let him brainwash you.”
“I’m sure that he can’t,” I tell her. “I go to his office, but he’s not trying to hypnotize me or anything. He thinks I might have magical powers. For some reason, he’s gotten it into his head that my mother is a witch or something, but she doesn’t have any magic, and neither do I.”
Again, she stares at me, dumbfounded, before she asks, “Why would he think that?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you know for a fact that your mother isn’t a witch? There are witches in these parts.” I can tell how invested she is, and I want to think it’s genuine, but just like Aiden, I’m not completely certain I can trust her.
“I know about the witches. I don’t think my mom has any powers,” I tell her. Of course, I do have them. But Abby isn’t going to find out about that until she absolutely has to.
“Well, your mother might not know that she has them, so there’s a possibility that Alistair is trying to teach you how to use them, even though your powers are dormant.”
I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “Yeah, I don't doubt that, but I’m not too worried about it since I can’t do anything he asks me to.” Not in front of him anyway.
Abby sits back in her chair and thinks for a moment before she says, “You have to be careful. He could be doing something else to get into your brain while you’re distracted.”
I never thought about that, but then, it’s not like I have a lot of experience with magic. “I’ll be careful,” I tell her, “but I don’t think there’s anything I can do to get out of going to his room. He calls me in every day.” And then leaves me to wander around until she finds me and escorts me back to my room.
“I know. I don’t trust him, Hezzlie. I don’t trust the king either. I think what they’ve done to Moonstryker is awful.”
While I find it a bit startling that she cares about what I assumed would be her enemy, too, I nod along. “I feel bad for Mara.” That’s enough for me to show our agreement.
“What are you going to do?” she asks, leaning toward me, like it’s a secret. I guess it is.
I can’t tell her what I spoke to Aiden about because it’s his story to tell. “I don’t know.” That’s the truth. “But I want to help her.”
“Me, too.” She lets out a sigh and then says, “Well, we better go.”
Confused, I stare at her for a moment, my eyebrows furrowed. “Go where?”
“Breakfast, silly.” She stands and walks toward the door.
“I had no idea it was that late.” I look down at what I’m wearing. This will not do.
“Well, go get changed. Trust me. You don’t want to miss this.”
She’s not wrong. I rush into the bathroom and wash up, throwing on an acceptable outfit, and then follow her out. We’re probably going to be a few minutes late, and then we’ll both be in trouble. Abby is a good friend to wait for me.
We rush down the stairs together. Everyone is already seated except for Aiden. I look back down the hallway but don’t see him.
Abby’s father gives her a look that says he’s not only unhappy she’s late, but he wishes she wasn’t with me. I take my seat, expecting the king or queen to say something rude, but they’re both in a jovial mood.
I hate that.
As if reading my mind, the king lifts his glass. “To the queen of Moonstryker pack,” he says. “May she rest easy on the arms of the Moon Goddess.”
A few people chuckle, and everyone raises their glasses and clanks them together, including Abby.
I don’t move.