Macy POV
I sit quietly with my hands in my lap. My fingers trace the edges of the iron brackets that line my wrists. I let the metal burn my fingers as I count them. Moving them around on my wrist, I plan my revenge. Ten iron bracelets line my arm, and one silver, for good measure.
I started out with two bracelets, expertly disguised as jewelry so no one would know I am a prisoner: one silver and one iron. Then, my magic began to manifest. Visions, keeping me awake at night and causing me to awake screaming. The symbols from the mate bond have traveled over different parts of my skin. With each new vision and symbol, Raven added another iron bracelet in an attempt to suppress my powers.
It has been two months since I was brought to the Royal Mansion. I have given up all hope of being rescued. Part of me never thought the twins would leave me behind, but as the days passed, I realized I was alone.
Raven has become increasingly bitter and cruel. The loss of her sons has taken a toll on her mental state, and she will not listen to reason. Leo and Oliver cannot look me in the eyes. They are too afraid to stand up to her. They avoid us both, only checking on her as her pregnancy progresses.
"Macy," Raven calls out my name.
I look up from my hands and attempt to keep my face neutral. "Yes?"
"These past two months have been hard on us all. I thought you might like some company," she says, as if we have been friends all this time.
"I am fine by myself," I respond curtly.
"Nonsense," She says chipperly. "My brother and his wife will be visiting from the North Pack. Their son is coming with them. I thought he could keep you company."
"I have no interest in hanging out with an unmated male," I respond through gritted teeth.
Raven's smile falters for a moment. "Don't think of it like that. He will be family once my sons return."
"May I be excused?" I ask. I am in no mood to entertain whatever cruel plans Raven has for my day.
"No," Raven growls. "You will greet them as a member of the Royal Family. You will explain that your mates are traveling and they will be home soon."
I click my tongue to the roof of my mouth, but I don't argue. I don't want another iron bracelet. Instead, I nod and turn my attention back to my plate. I have barely eaten a bite. It has been this way for several weeks, but no matter how hard I try to die, my body won't give out.
'You might as well eat,' Nyx groans beside me. 'You will not die. No matter how many iron bracelets she puts on you. You will be in pain, but you will not die.'
I try not to glance in her direction. It only angers Raven more to know that Nyx is present.
A loud commotion grabs my attention, and I turn to the door. Suddenly, Edward bursts into the dining room, and Winston is right behind him. Edward's eyes narrow as he looks at me, and a growl rumbles in the room.
I stay seated, but Raven hops to her feet and rushes to her sons. "Goddess, where have you been?"
They aren't paying their mother any attention. Their eyes are glued to mine. Winston looks me up and down and scowls. I swallow hard. I know I do not look the same as I did two months ago.
"What the fuck did you do to her?" Winston finally growls.
Pushing Edward and Raven to the side, he comes to my side. Kneeling down beside me, he fiddles with the iron bracelets, and I hiss as the metal moves against my skin.
"Take them off," he demands.
"I can't," I whisper. "They are soldered on."
After a growl fills the room and Edward disappears, tears fill my eyes. I can feel his anger through the bond, but I try not to let it hurt me. He never cared for me the way Winston did. I turn my attention back to Winston.
"You came back," I whisper to Winston. "You were gone for so long. I had given up hope."
Confusion wrinkles his brow. "We were only gone for a week," he says gently.
I shake my head. "No, you were gone for two months."
Winston takes his hands away from mine. "That is not possible. We didn't enter the portal."
'Cassian's magic,' Nyx says weakly. 'It changed the progression of time.'
"I demand to know where you have been!" Raven interrupts.
"No," Winston shouts at her. "You don't get to demand things from us. Not after the things you have done to us and Macy."
"After the stunt you pulled at the South Pack, you don't get to make decisions for yourself anymore," Raven screams. "I am not just your mother; I am your Queen."
"You are not our Queen," Edward says as he storms back into the dining room. He points in my direction. "She is my queen."
He holds a pair of bolt cutters in his hands. He gestures to my arms, and I hold out my wrists, eager to be free of this prison.
"Don't free her," Raven warns her sons. "She will kill us all."
There is command behind her voice, only this time, the twins do not bend to her will. Edward slips the blade under the metal and cuts one bracelet off. A strange feeling overcomes me. I feel powerful. He tries to cut off the next one, but Raven tackles him to the ground.
The blade twists against my skin, and blood pours from my wrist. Winston is trying to pull his mother away from Edward without hurting her, but Raven is clawing at her sons. With each strike, she leaves deep gashes along their faces.
I wrap my wrist with a napkin and try to help, but someone grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me back. Leo jumps into the fight, trying to pull Raven away from their sons. Oliver is demanding everyone stop while he tries to shield me from the fight.
"What the fuck!" Someone screams from the doorway.
I have only seen him once or twice before, but I know who he is. Alpha Kieran steps into the dining room, and the fighting ceases. His mate Luna Mae and his son are standing in the doorway with shocked expressions.
Mae rushes to Raven's side and helps her to her feet. "Have you lost your mind? She is pregnant."
Edward wipes the blood from his face and glares in his mother's direction. "She is the one that tackled me."
"They were trying to free her," Raven cries into Mae's shoulder.
"Who?" Alpha Kieran asks.
I step forward and raise my hands. Blood is oozing down my arm, and the bracelets gleam in the light. A tiny gasp comes from Mae. "She has my mother's wolf, and you are suppressing it?"
"She is evil," Raven glowers. "Why am I the only one that sees it?"
Edward grabs me by the wrist and pushes the bracelets away from my wound. He runs his tongue along the gash, and I bite hard on my bottom lip. I had almost forgotten how good the mate bond feels.
He scoops me into his arms and grabs the bolt cutters off the floor. He has every intention of freeing me, but his mother stands in his way. I do not wish for more fighting.
"Put them down," I whisper. "I don't need to be free. Not now that you are home."