The royal coronation was coming soon and yet nothing was happening. Isolde knew that she couldn't entrust the role of the Alpha to her son's hands. He was easily affected by his mate and refused to move when their victory was already so close.
For someone like Isolde who was already used to getting everything that she wanted, the rejection that Leland, her eldest son, gave her was unacceptable and she wanted to take control.
The former Luna wanted to regain the same authority she had back when she was still the mate of Alpha Leon. If Leland was going to continue to act like a miserable and pathetic fool, then he was really not fit to rule the Blood River Pack.
"If only my second son was alive," Isolde sighed as she remembered her second child, her beloved Lowell. "I wouldn't have had to worry about anything and could have abandoned that abhorrent Leland long ago. He could have died with the Hansleys for all I cared."
Isolde met with Brin, the older lycan working with her, and spoke to him in private.
"You must do something about this," Isolde snapped at the man. "If my son isn't going to move, we will still have the backing of the witches and can still take over the kingdom of Riga."
"Are you sure, Isolde? Sophia is still alive." Brin warned her. "The witches are no doubt still unhappy with the results based on what you told me."
"Hmph, so you are also relying on them, old fool?" Isolde gritted her teeth. "Are you actually competent or not? If that young beta of my son wasn't so loyal to him, then I would have worked with him instead of you."
The elder's gaze sharpened and he snarled at her. "If I succeed on this, the council of elders will retract Leland from being the Alpha and I can propose to take over for the good of the pack. Are you prepared for that, Isolde? You will no longer have any place of power once I take over."
Isolde snorted at the threats of the older lycan. This old dog was nothing more but a second fiddle when her husband, Alpha Leon, had been alive.
"Do not threaten me with anything, Brin." Isolde threw the man a murderous glare. She was surrounded by wealth and power all her life. Her pride and self-confidence wouldn't allow her to bow down to anyone she deemed beneath him. Over her dead body.
Brin involuntarily stepped back. Even though Isolde was a woman, she was scary and intimidating. Her ruthlessness and cold countenance were almost as bad as her son.
"I was just stating fact," Brin tried to look nonchalant before Isolde. However, his tone changed by a lot. He no longer sounded boastful.
"Idiot." Isolde scoffed. She knew she could put this stupid elder in his place. The former Luna of the Blood River looked at them demeaningly, up and down, and said, "Just do as I said. I will deal with Grand Witch Elaine to hold back her daughter Eloise from her tantrums if you succeed."
"Very well…." The elder nodded obediently. "I will take over the mission if the Alpha back down. I know these young lycans like the back of my hand. They only need a little more agitation and restlessness and then we can attack the coronation and finish this for once and for all."
"You better." Isolde sniffed and then got up. She wanted to go and find that that bitch Dinah who still ended up betraying her. If Isolde had been near that female Lycan's brother, then she would have long ended that pathetic lycan.
Thankfully, it was still Isolde's words against Dinah's so the evidence was scarce. Who cared if Leland still thought his mother was the one at fault? Isolde could point out that he was only attempting to ruin her because he hated her and had biased judgment toward his own mother.
However, when Isolde stepped out of the room, she didn't expect that Leland was waiting out of the door.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with your mate?" Isolde haughtily asked. "Please don't tell me that you've lost strength and have come here for advice?"
Leland was only silent.
Isolde rolled her eyes at the lack of response, opened the door, and went toward her room. As soon as she opened her door, out of nowhere, Leland grabbed his mother by the throat and walked inside of the room, and shut it behind them.
"W…what are you doing, you fool?!" Isolde choked and slashed her claws at Leland's arms. She was losing air and started to snarl at her son. "So you're really going to kill your own mother?"
"Where is the cure?" Leland narrowed his eyes. "You're the one who poisoned Sophia, aren't you?"
"You're accusing me again when I've never even laid a single finger on your mate!" Isolde growled at him and choked a little. "I'd rather bite my nails off than touch that filthy woman with my own hands."
Isolde tried to kick her son in the stomach to let her go and yet he was unmoving. Even a powerful slam of her feet against his chest didn't make the Alpha move an inch as he was relentless.
For once, Isolde started panicking and thrashing about in Leland's grip. She didn't expect her son to actually lay a hand on her at all. Yet, she turned out to be wrong.
"Let me go, you ungrateful brat!" Isolde swatted at Leland's face and slashed her fingernails across his cheek. "I gave birth to you and this is how you treat me?! You unfilial son!"
Leland was silent and unmoving. Since Sophie wasn't waking up yet and all of the doctors who kept coming were incompetent, all he could do was confront the person who likely had the cure.
"I won't hesitate to kill you," Leland said and continued to squeeze together. He watched his mother's face turn blue from the lack of air. "I should have done this long ago."
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m