"You're…you're lying," Janet stammered.
"And why would I waste my time lying to an insignificant bug like yourself?" Queen Eliane responded.
"I don't believe it," Janet choked out as Queen Eliane's grip tightened around her neck.
"Of course you don't but it doesn't change the truth," Queen Eliane continued, "Just like you, your father had wasted potential. He could have been so much more if he had come to my court, but he wanted to be the Lycan King and rule over all. And in his foolish quest for power, he sealed not only his fate but that of your entire family."
Janet looked at Ethan, who looked at her blankly. "But... why? Ethan's father apologized to me on his deathbed. Why would he lie to me?" she managed to ask, her voice cracking.
Queen Eliane's laughter filled the room again. "Oh, you poor, misguided creature," she purred, releasing her grip on Janet's neck. "Ethan's father, bless his noble heart, didn't want you to know the truth. He thought it more... acceptable for you to hate him than your own father."
"It is true," Ethan finally chimed in. "I was sworn never to tell the truth unless Janet asked me and she never did."
"You didn't come here out of the kindness of your heart. Are you here to gloat?" Janet stated. She could feel the wolfsbane and the truth serum leaving her body, giving her the courage to be bolder.
"Look at you. You still have some bite left, but no I've come to take you back to my court," Queen Eliane explained.
"She is under my protection and I will not let her go with you," Ethan growled. "She will be punished by me."
"How very Alpha of you to protect your own, but I promise you she is not worth your mercy," Queen Eliane spat.
"What do you mean by that?" Ethan asked.
"Ask Janet. She knows exactly what I mean," Queen Eliane responded, pointing at Janet who looked shocked. "You thought no one knew, didn't you? I am sure you were thinking that even now you could weasel your way out of this," Queen Eliane teased.
"I told you there was no reason to make alliances. It was only a means for them to spy on us to get the upper hand," Janet argued.
"Oh, don't try to change the subject dear," Queen Eliane hissed. "And you, Alpha King, should be wondering why she is deflecting? Everything has been revealed, correct? So, what are you missing? I wonder if it is about her little secret."
"Shut up!" Janet snapped, causing Queen Eliane to grin maliciously.
"What secret? What are you talking about?" Ethan demanded.
"You can come with me, dog, and face the consequences of your actions in my court. Or you can stay here, and I reveal your dark secret," Queen Eliane explained. "Make your choice.
"What… what would your court do to me?" Janet asked.
"Justice, my dear. True justice. Something you've long since forgotten," Queen Eliane replied. "Make your choice."
Janet weighed it over in her mind. If she kept them talking, the truth serum would be fully out of her system in a few more minutes or so. Queen Eliane's eyes glittered with malicious glee and she abruptly said, "Is that your plan? To keep us talking until you won't be forced to tell the truth? How laughable that you still believe that the Alpha King would trust you over me."
Janet paled at the realization that Queen Eliane had been reading her thoughts. Before she could say anything, Eliane continued, "The former Alpha King was a great man. His loyalty to his people and his family was admirable, especially to the ones that didn't deserve it. He was a great strategist and planned everything out the best he could with the information he had at his disposal. But there's one thing Ethan's father didn't plan for, wasn't there, Janet? He never imagined you, his niece, woul'd kill him."
"No," Ethan growled, his deep voice resonating through the room. "Janet didn't kill my father. He died of a heart attack, brought on by the stress of fighting rogues."
Queen Eliane scoffed. "Oh, sweet Ethan," she cooed, her eyes glinting with amusement. "When has a Lycan, or even a mere werewolf, ever died from a heart attack?"
Doubt crept into Ethan's expression, his brow furrowing. Queen Eliane could almost see the gears turning in his head, struggling against the truth he didn't want to accept.
"Don't be like this fool," she sneered, gesturing dismissively at Janet. "Open your eyes to the truth that's right in front of you."
"I'll ask the question, then," Lana volunteered.
"I like this one. She takes the initiative," Queen Eliane smirked.
Swallowing hard, Lana turned to Janet. "Did you kill Ethan's father?"
Janet now seemed lost and vulnerable. Lana could see her struggling against the truth serum, her lips quivering as she fought to keep from responding. Queen Eliane's smile was beginning to fade, and Lana knew she would force the answer out of Janet if she had to.
"Yes," Janet whispered, the single word hanging in the air like a death sentence.
Ethan's alpha aura surged, filling the space with an oppressive energy. His eyes flashed dangerously, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Lana felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her instincts were screaming for her to run out of the room.
Queen Eliane tsked, her voice eerily melodic. "Now, now, Ethan. Calm yourself, or you'll have another flare-up. We wouldn't want that, would we?" Ethan's fists clenched at his sides, his jaw working as he fought to control his anger. He slammed his fist through the wall leaving a sizable hole.
Turning her attention back to Janet, Queen Eliane's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You foolish girl. You killed the very person that saved you from your fate. It was your father who instigated the whole massacre with the humans. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were related to Kenneth. Perhaps he reincarnated as that fool."
Janet's eyes widened in disbelief. "No... that can't be true. The fae and vampires-"
"Never attacked," Queen Eliane interjected, her voice sharp. "It was all a ruse, orchestrated by witches under your father's command. It was all smoke and mirrors, courtesy of some easily manipulated witches. When the witches realized they'd been used, they'd been bending over backward trying to atone. Pathetic, really."