I am going to her

I am going to her
SERENA’S POV

“Come in,” I cooed.

I knew the person who knocked on the door was none other than Alpha Bernard. The only reason I allowed him inside was because he might be here to discuss something important.

Without hesitating, he sat next to me on the bed. We both looked straight ahead and I waited for him to tell me what had brought him here.

I heaved a deep sigh that was not one of relief. I was on the verge of losing the two werewolves who mattered to me. Actually, I had already lost one, but not to the cold hands of death.

“You do not look okay. Is there a problem?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

If he had not knocked when he did, I might have been in tears at that moment. Raising my chin every minute helped me hold back tears.

I was not wrong. Shaun had only hurtful words for me and I had made the right decision by reading only one of the letters. I still had no idea what I had done wrong.

It would take me months to recover from those words and I might never even heal. He had written that I should not think of returning to him or I would be killed.

“Let’s go to the Witch Queen,” I broke the silence. It seemed he had nothing to say to me.

“I was actually here to tell you something about her,” he said.

My mind was already made up; I was willing to do whatever it took to save my brother and, after that, I would focus on plucking the eyes of the Witch Queen.

I did not like that he was putting me in suspense. I expected him to get on with what he wanted to say the minute he finished speaking.

“I’m all ears,” I told him. Perhaps he did not know he had my attention already.

“The Witch Queen sent for you. She...” he began.

“I think you need to go see her,” he resumed after a second.

“Is there a problem? Why did she send for me?” I could not help asking. I could not comprehend why she would summon me.

“Like she did to Dean, is she planning to cast a spell on me also?” I bombarded him with another question before he could answer the first.

“I think it’s best you go see her right away,” he urged.

I did not think going to see her was the right thing to do. What if she had not-so-great plans for me? I looked at him but there were no answers on his face.

There was something he was not telling me and I did not think pressuring him to talk would be the best thing to do right then; it would only be a sheer waste of time.

I wanted to know how he had reached out to her but that was by the way. Since I had already made up my mind to go before he showed up, I would go.

“Is he coming with you?” Aria inquired.

“I don’t know about that,” I replied after standing to my feet.

His being present with me on my way to the Witch Queen’s abode was something I would really appreciate but not push for; the Witch Queen wanted to see me, not him.

If I eventually found a solution to Dean’s predicament, he would not join the pack soldiers in fighting the witches again. I was immune to the spell, so I should avenge our parents’ death.

“Can I come with you?” he asked.

“I would appreciate that,” I did not hesitate to respond.

“Some pack soldiers will be coming with us.”

“No, I don’t want them to die just because of me. They’re not immune to the spell,” I protested as our eyes locked.

I had more words to say to him but I could not. He wrapped himself around me when I least expected it. I had never known I needed a hug until he gave me one.

He must have seen how exhausted I was by looking into my eyes. The thought of Shaun and Dean had begun to affect me even though I kept pretending to be okay.

“Everything will be fine,” he whispered into my ear.

“Everything had better be fine,” I told Aria inwardly.

I batted my eyelashes a few times while my hands remained by my side; his arms were wrapped around my body. I did not like Alpha Bernard, but his hug somehow comforted me.

His scent filled my nostrils and, if I had not been careful, the mate bond might have done its thing with us right there and then, and that was the last thing I wanted.

“We should go now,” I muttered. I still wanted his arms around me, but it was important for us to leave.

“You have to be careful with her when you go inside her hut, and if anything goes wrong, reach out to me using the mate bond,” he remarked.

“I don’t think the Witch Queen will hurt you; she needs you and for that reason she won’t hurt you,” Aria growled. She might just be right.

She needed me to help her get rid of any of the Alphas, and I did not know why. She could have asked one of the witches to get the job done, but she did not.

Alpha Bernard held my hand and we sauntered at the same pace. I knew I should not allow him to get closer to me, but I might need him at that point in my life.

I knew Aria had given me a reason not to be scared of meeting the Witch Queen, but I still could not help being afraid. What if she held me hostage?

“Where are you both off to?” Alpha Basil asked from the dining area.

“You did not tell us where you were headed when you left the mansion,” Alpha Bernard replied to him. I did not think he could be petty.

“Don’t forget that she’s also my mate,” Alpha Basil stood and mentioned.

“I can’t remember saying she’s mine only,” Bernard answered.

Alpha Bernard resumed motioning after saying those words to his twin, and because he had my hand, I followed his lead.

Alpha Basil had words to say, but I refused to pay attention to him. His twin’s ears must have caught his words even though Bernard pretended he heard nothing.

“Why does the air in here feel toxic?” Alpha Bernard asked after we stepped out of the compound.

“What made you say that?” curiosity made me ask.

“Wait,” he ordered.

We both stopped walking and I waited for him to tell me what was going on. He kept looking all around as though he suspected we were not safe.

If he did that when we reached the Witch Queen’s abode, I would be more worried than I already was. I watched him do his thing and did not ask questions.

“Let’s go,” he murmured after taking his time to search for whatever I had no idea of.

“Are we safe?”

“Yeah,” he responded.

“There’s a problem,” he said. We had barely taken five steps when he spoke.

“What?”

“The guards watching over Dean told me he had been lying in one spot doing nothing for twenty-four hours,” he said.

I pondered his words and did not think there was a problem. He might have been tired of throwing tantrums and decided to be still; that was what I wanted.

“Is that the problem you spoke about?”

“Yes. For a werewolf on whom a witch had cast a spell, he’s too calm,” he muttered.

“What are you insinuating?” I asked.

“He’s either dying or slowly turning into something more dangerous, something that will shake the pack. I’m afraid the Witch Queen wants to use him as her instrument,” he mentioned.

I did not know the right words to say or how to react. The thought of Dean becoming something scary terrified me; if it happened, it could be the end of him.

The Witch Queen must have cast a spell on him because she knew we would not kill him. She had planned all this out and her script had been playing as intended.

“If he ends up becoming something dangerous, I’m afraid I will not be able to protect him any longer.”

I knew what he meant by Dean becoming dangerous. A werewolf in the pack had once turned into something terrible and I knew how it ended.

“Alpha Basil and the elders will have him killed and I’m afraid I might not be able to stop them even if I tried.”

“Dean can’t be a victim. What do I do?” I paused and inquired, making sure to look into his eyes while I did.

“I might have a solution, but...” He swallowed the rest of his words abruptly.