The Broken Queen

Chapter 24: Stew?

Hulu's POV:

I can't see anything, but our Alpha is certain there's something right here. She keeps linking with someone, but I have yet to figure out exactly who because it isn't any of us, that's for certain. I hear her hum quietly and it catches my attention. She puts her hand gently on my shoulder and her claws and fangs extend. It gives me quite the fright because I simply don't expect it. I feel an intense power shift in the air around us and while nothing happens to me, I hear the others drop. I look back in confusion to see the rest of the pack on their knees, eyes on the ground with their necks bared in submission to Dani. My eyes widen involuntarily as the realization hits me. She had let her power out into the atmosphere for some reason and had protected me from it.

I shriek when something grabs me and Alpha Brown and harshly pulls us forward as if reacting to her release of power. I look around panicked to see we have been pulled into a small birch cabin, and the air has this strange sparkly dust of some sort floating through it. I raise my palm in front of me and the gold and blue dust gathers around my hand. I stare at it fascinated, what is this? We are now standing in front of this beautiful young girl. She has long golden curls with striking green eyes. She has a youthful, innocent appearance, but her aura and eyes say otherwise. She has a sort of wisdom that none of the rest of us possess.

You can just tell that she has seen a lot in her lifetime. I can smell a stew brewing on the stove.

It smells absolutely delicious, and my stomach grumbles in longing. My cheeks grow hot as a wave of embarrassment comes over me, hoping they didn't hear my stomach's betrayal. Though I notice Alpha's ear twitch and a hint of a smile dancing on her lips. So... she did hear it, damn it. I smile sheepishly and look towards the floor to hide my reddened cheeks as the witch addresses Alpha Brown.

"Hello dear, I have been expecting you. An 'old friend' told me you would be coming. I needed to see you in the flesh before getting down to business and may I say Dani that you are the spitting image of your mother." She cups Alpha's cheek with a loving smile. So, this witch knew Alpha's mother, the long-lost royal princess? Interesting...

"Anyway, your pack may come inside now darling. We have got a lot to talk about" the witch says with a smile before turning to me as Alpha Brown goes to fetch the others. "Are you hungry dear? I will dish you up a bowl of my homemade Irish beef and chicken stew. You see I'm originally from the Emerald Isle, and stew was my mother's absolute favourite dish. Here you go, tell me what you think.' I thank her as she places the bowl down on the table and gestures for me to sit. My stomach starts rumbling again at the sight of the meal. Yum..

Quinn's POV:

We all begin to worry, looking around trying to figure out where they had gone. After a few minutes or so of us panicking, I hear footsteps and glance in their direction. It's Alpha Brown, alone. Where is Hulu? She stops walking and links us. 'Hey guys, Erin is in a cabin behind me, which is invisible to the naked eye. She is going to help us find Bree, and rescue him, wherever he is, as it's looking more and more likely that he was taken against his will, there's simply no other explanation. Bree is loyal, devoted to his responsibilities, and one of my best friends. He wouldn't just up and leave, especially not after becoming my Beta. You can all come inside now at Erin's invitation, so follow me but stay quiet' she says looking heartbroken. We murmur amongst each other for a moment before following quietly behind her. I can't see anything out of the ordinary around us when Alpha stops after just a hundred feet or so, but she raises her hand and suddenly we hear a door open somewhere in front of us and we are all yanked inside, one by one. I am the last one to be pulled into the small building. We all stumble to catch our footing in surprise at the sudden movements before huffing a breath and looking around. We are in the cabin that Alpha had previously mentioned. It's warm with a small fire burning and cozily decorated. There's plenty of soft throw blankets and pillows everywhere. On the left of us as we stand in the living area, is a black lace table runner adorned long dining table with ten chairs. Ahead of us is a bright colourful kitchen that continues around the corner behind the staircase. We all find a seat either at the table, on the sofa, or on the floor as this beautiful young woman stands in front of us. She eyes us intensely, making eye contact we each of us, tutting when her eyes land on Fionn, frowning for some reason.

She starts whispering something I can't quite catch while holding her palm out in front of her. "What is she doing?" I whisper to Ethan. "I have no idea mate" he replies with a confused expression, that matches my own. "All traces of your presence have now been erased" she casually informs us. Watching her cast some sort of spell is truly mesmerizing. I have never had an encounter with a witch before, so this is all new territory for me, and I have to say it's pretty exciting.

"Is anyone else hungry? There is a lot of homemade stew to go around" Erin asks. We all gather around the long table with hot steaming bowls being served to each of us, as Hulu slurps the last of his bowl, licking his lips. He stops mid slurp as if noticing our presence for the first time. "Oh, em, sorry, I was just so hungry, and it's delicious!" We all laugh at his embarrassed justification before we fall into a painfully awkward silence, unsure of how to act around this new person who we are cautious of trusting. Fionn opens the pack link, grabbing our attention.

'What the hell are we supposed to do now? We don't know this woman, how are we supposed to trust her? What if this is a trap and this stew is poisoned or something?' I join in adding 'Well if that's the case, then Hulu is a goner" snickering. 'Be quiet, that isn't funny' Fionn snaps angrily, making me frown. Why is he so paranoid? I get being cautious and all, but this witch has been nothing but kind thus far, and it was just a joke. Alpha Brown enters the link irritated by our conversation.

'Shut up the lot of you and eat your damn food. We need her in order to find Bree so we have no choice but to trust her. Besides, I owe Erin a debt for helping my mom all those years ago, so I trust her and you need to trust me so either deal with it, or take a hike. I am all for hearing your opinions, but we are working with her whether you like it or not. End of story. My friend and your Beta is missing, so grow up and take this seriously. I will not tolerate dismissal of this situation in this pack. If you have problem with what I am doing here, you are welcome to disconnect from the group"

She pauses to look around at us all. 'And you can go back to being a rogue without my protection if that's what you'd prefer.' And just like that, we all shut up, bowing our heads in shame and reluctantly eat the stew. Once we have all eaten, the witch gets Alpha Brown to lie down on the sofa with her eyes closed and arms by her side. Erin whispers an enchantment of some kind under her breath in some foreign language we can't understand while waving her hands all over the place like someone from a scene in a musical above her body.

We all just stand silently and watch, intrigued, but as the minutes tick by, we start to feel very weak and nauseous. Hulu drops to the floor, unconscious, then down goes Fionn before everything goes black and I feel my body drop.