Chapter 155 A Bargain With You
Ash burst through the open door, furs flashing with a faint glow. He planted himself between Althea and the intruders and let out a long, protective howl. The sound put everyone on edge, Althea knew at once something was very wrong.
“My lady,” Melva gasped, stepping forward to shield her.
Althea rose quickly and moved in front of Melva. “Stay behind me, Melva. That’s an order,” she said, voice low and steady. The Queen Mother filled the doorway, her face black with fury. Two women trailed behind her.
The Queen Mother’s claws were elongated, stained with blood. Beyond the doors, three of her warrior guards lay on the floor, wounded, bound and struggling against a mage’s restraints.
The message was clear. The queen was here to punish and she was furious.
“How dare my son bring you here?” the Queen Mother spat, eyes bloodshot. She stalked across the room, spotted the gown laid out for the party, and a cruel smirk twisted her lips.
With a single, angry motion she seized the fabric and tore it to shreds.
“And he wants you to attend the party with him?!” she sneered.
Althea bowed her head in the formal greeting, then looked up at the Queen Mother. As she met those blazing eyes, thoughts surged into her— anger that weren’t spoken aloud.
‘I will kill you now!’ the Queen Mother’s mind screamed. ‘How dare you manipulate everyone? Riela is suffering because of you. You witch—try to kill my Riela with your spells! Gavriel may be blind, but I will make him see what you are.’
‘Princess Riela is getting worse?’ Althea frowned at the thought. That shouldn’t be happening.
“Queen Mother, please… the Alpha King will be furious,” Rudy begged, his voice trembling as he strained against the mage holding him. Ben and Trudis were restrained as well.
A harsh laugh escaped the Queen Mother. “You’ve bewitched them all. Even my son is desperate to protect the traitor’s daughter!”
Trudis, fighting the mage restraining him, forced out, “Queen Mother, there are rumors that Lady Althea may not be Alpha Cain’s daughter. You could be blaming the wrong person and hurting an innocent.”
Althea bit the inside of her cheek. Trudis speaking up surprised her and filled her with a sudden, grateful warmth.
“And you believe such rumors?!” the Queen Mother shot back. Her eyes flicked to the two women beside her, then narrowed.
A sharp voice cut through the tension—Gavriel’s, low and worried in the bond. ‘I’m on my way.’
Althea answered immediately, pleading in the bond, ‘Please, no. Your mother will only get angrier if you come. Let me handle this, Gavriel.’
She turned her attention to the older woman in the queen’s retinue, one was dressed in the same robe as the royal healers. A thought floated from that woman like a poisonous whisper.
‘Hah, this will be easy. The traitor’s daughter will take the blame for Princess Riela’s decline to recover well. Lady Ava will be pleased when I report how well the plan worked.’
Althea steadied herself and spoke aloud, voice calm but firm. “Your Highness, please—tell me what I have done to deserve this. Even criminals deserve to explain themselves. If I have harmed anyone, tell me now. I will accept the consequences. But I have done nothing to hurt anyone else.”
“Since you touched Riela that night with your magic, she’s gotten worse. Even Uriel can’t figure out what happened. You and your father are monsters—both harmed my daughter!” the Queen Mother snarled.
The older woman in the healer’s robe stepped forward and handed the Queen Mother a small potion bottle.
“Queen Mother, here—” she said, and the Queen Mother snatched it from her hand.
Althea stared at the healer. The woman met her gaze with a slow, satisfied smirk. Her thought slithered through Althea’s mind, ‘The matebond between you and the Alpha King will be severed, and my mistress Ava will finally have her way. Once you’re out of the picture, Princess Riela will be returned to normal. My mistress will get all the credit she deserves…’
So the healer and Ava were working together. And that potion, would it sever her bond with Gavriel?
“I am innocent. I did not harm Princess Riela, Your Highness, and I can prove it,” Althea said, voice steady.
“You witch!” the Queen Mother hissed, clamping a hand over Althea’s mouth.
“I am not a witch,” Althea answered calmly, meeting the Queen Mother’s glare. “I am a mage-healer. I swear to you, Your Majesty, I have never harmed Princess Riela. I can help her.”
“Help?” the Queen Mother spat the word like it burned her tongue. “You’ve already done enough! My daughter suffers because of you!”
“Then let me make a bargain with you,” she said quietly.
The Queen Mother’s brows furrowed. “What could you possibly offer me?”
“My life,” Althea directly said. Her voice did not shake. “If I fail to heal the Princess, if her condition worsens under my care, you may take my life in return. I won’t resist.”
The Queen Mother blinked, caught off guard by the quiet conviction in Althea’s tone.
‘What kind of game is she playing right now?!’ the Queen Mother thought, confusion flashing in her eyes. Her grip on Althea’s chin tightened, her claws grazing the skin of her face.
Althea winced slightly but didn’t move away. She could sense the Queen Mother’s turmoil—the disbelief, the anger, the doubt.
Althea continued, “You have every reason to hate me, but please don’t let that hate blind you to your daughter’s chance to recover and get back to normal. I am willing to risk everything for her.”
For the first time, the Queen Mother’s eyes softened. She looked at Althea closely, searching for deceit and found none. What she saw instead was a young woman with eyes full of resolve.
“You would truly give your life for her?” she asked, her voice low.
“Yes,” Althea said simply. “If that’s what it takes.”
The fury on the Queen Mother’s face began to drain away, replaced by a hollow exhaustion and a well of grief. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter. “Then prove it,” she said.
She released Althea’s face and pushed the potion toward her. “Drink this. I will sever your matebond with my son so that, if you fail, I can end your life without stirring his emotions.”
“My lady!” Melva burst out.
Althea stared at the bottle, then at the Queen Mother.