The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 66- Brody's POV

Shock and fear filled my body when a lot of people appeared in front of me and the little group that were waiting for Kat to reappear from doing whatever the hell it was she wanted to do alone, but I didn't expect her to be passed out and unresponsive to anything or everything around her.

"What happened?!" I asked, shocked and appalled while I tried to get to my mate only to be held back by Trevor and Ro, who had decided to join us a little while later without his sister in tow. "Katherine!"

"I am sorry!" a girl, Ray, sobbed. "I am so, so sorry! This is my fault. I should've known. I-I-"

"Hush, Raylen," Carver said, interrupting her, earning a small sob from the other girl. "This is not your fault. You were only following orders."

"Orders?" Ro asked from where he kept me at bay, looking between Carver, Ray, and me. "What orders did you have to follow? Did you know?" He looked at Carver, but I had a feeling that he was asking me as well.

"I did," Carver confirmed and slowly nodded. "Brody did not."

Ro growled and gritted his teeth while he narrowed his eyes. He stopped trying to stop me from getting to my mate and turned his whole body to Carver. "How dare you," he snarled, baring his teeth. "Did you know that this would happen?" He gestured to my mate and then toward his sister.

"We did not," Carver said and shook his head. "None of us did, Roland. Amity included."

"Then why did you do it?" Trevor asked, and there was this small gasp that we seemed to ignore while we stared at Carver. "What could have possibly been so important that you would risk your queen and risk losing the lion clan if Raylen were killed?"

"To get your parents and her mother back to safety and for Amity to be fully under the control of the throne and the one that rightfully sits on it."

Trevor blinked and blinked again while he stared blankly at Carver, and I did the same thing while I stopped fighting to get to my mate. He didn't say a word while he did so, and I had no idea what was going on in his brain.

"Trevor?" a female voice asked, her voice barely above a whisper a foot away from where my mate and Amity were. "My baby Trevor?"

The hair on the back of my neck stood up at attention while we turned to look that way to see two people kneeling on the ground while one sat there looking vaguely like my mate.

Trevor loosened his grip on me as well while he looked that way with wide eyes on his face. "Mom?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper before he looked toward the male beside her. "Dad?"

The female that was kneeling beside the other seemed to burst into tears and placed one hand over her mouth. She nodded, taking a deep shuddering breath while she gulped. "Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's me. Oh my poor boy, it's us."

Trevor hesitated and looked toward Amity, who seemed to be working on my mate, trying to do something to help my mate before he looked at me. He didn't say a word while he did that, and I could see the debate and doubt in his eyes as if he didn't know what to do.

Carver pressed his lips into a thin line and looked at me with a stoic look on his face. "This is the time to act like a king," he said. "As much as I hate to advise this, you need to panic later. She is alive, barely, but she is alive and is being taken care of."

"As much as I can," Amity said with pain and sadness filling her voice. "Nothing I know is working. I-I can't help her, Carver. I'm sorry."

I licked my lips and gulped while I nodded, knowing full well that Carver was telling the truth. I took a deep breath and released it with a small whoosh, slowly but failing to relax. "Are you able to contact King Philip, Amity?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question. "Maybe he might have a suggestion or something."