BETA TIM’S POV “She is here, alpha Fred” I announced. I arrived with Mildrid but the alphas did not even bother to take a single glance at us but continued in their discussions. “Yes, he is in a deplorable state. But they said that the queen is doing all she can to save him. It is even believed that she has done the impossible but yet to no avail” alpha Ray revealed. Alpha Fred sighed and thought about what alpha Ray had just said for a while before replying. “That seems to be like our biggest problem. In a situation like this, we are her number one foe. She wouldn’t think twice before she crushes us to the ground” “That is what it looks like, Fred, but I don’t see it entirely in that light. We have the witch that is responsible for her king’s present state. We can offer to save him and that is it” alpha Jake inputs. “And then she will be so happy and decide to let us go. That is what it looks like, but she is a lady that doesn’t forgive, at least not easily” alpha Ray disagreed. “Yeah, I thought as much too” alpha Fred added and turned to Mildrid. “Mildrid” he called. “Yes, alpha” she replied coquettishly. “How are beta Tim’s sons doing, what are the improvements so far?” alpha Fred asked. Mildrid hesitated uncomfortably for a few seconds before she finally looked up and smiled. “They are doing fine, alpha. They will be up soon” she replied. Doing fine? Did she just say that Carl and Hedrick are doing fine and would still recover? Indeed this woman is unbelievable. I was still in my thought when alpha Ray flared up. “Quit playing games with us, witch. There have been zero improvements on the sons of betaTim since they returned, how soon can you heal them” Alpha Ray's outburst caused Mildrid to jerk and take two steps backward. I was startled too, but at the same time, I was happy to see a person who can face Mildrid concerning the health of my sons. “Actually, my alphas, it is strange why they are not dead yet. Maybe the queen intentionally left them alive. They might have to be constrained to a life of endless misery as only the queen can undo this” Mildrid finally revealed, admitting her incompetency. “What!” alpha Fred exclaimed.“I cannot revive them, alpha” Mildrird admitted. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. She is a witch, she claims to be the biggest witch and has always assured us that she was equal to the task. But now... what is she saying? She cannot heal my sons. “I thought as much” alpha Fred said. “So what is the possible solution?” alpha Jake asked. “It is only the queen that can undo this” she replied. “I see... I see...” alpha Fred murmured. “We will go to her and offer to heal her king. In exchange, she will have to heal Carl and Hedrick and also release our land” he revealed. “In that case, only Diamond Cut will be involved in the negotiation. We wouldn’t want to give her the impression that the three brother Packs are involved in this” alpha Jake added. “Sounds too easy if you ask me, but we can give it a try,” alpha Ray concurred. “Of course, she cherishes her Chamlee so much and would do just about anything for him. What does she care about our Packs anyway? If we meant more to her than her king then she would have shown up here long ago” alpha Jake replied. “Yeah, I agree with you in this, a hundred percent” alpha Fred concurred. “In that case, I guess I would have to concur too” alpha Ray murmured. Alpha Fred brought his focus on Mildrid once again. “And about the king, you have to heal him” he ordered. “The king...” she hesitated and this stirred the anger of alpha Fred. “You speak now, witch” alpha Fred growled. It is quite rare for him to command with his alpha voice but he just did so with Mildrid. Now she will have no chance to play any games with him, she must be truthful if she cares for her life. “The spell I used on the king is irreversible. Nothing in this entire world can heal him” she replied. "At least none that I know of" she was quick to add. “What!” the alphas exclaimed. “See you have to go over to Pixolands and heal that damned king. Do that or I will have your neck” alpha Jake screamed. He was already before Mildrid and was pressing her neck. Seeing that alpha Jake has lost control. The other alphas rushed up to him and tried to pull him away from Mildrid but it was not a very easy task. He is an alpha, and I cannot try to stop him the least I could do was to plead. “Please, alpha Jake, let go of her. You don’t want to kill her now” I begged. “To hell, I will kill her and feed her corpse to dogs” alpha Jake retorted. “Let go, alpha, please let go” the other alphas begged while trying to pull him off. “Please alpha Jake, I agree that you can kill her as you deem fit, but you don’t want to kill her here, please...” I tried to beg. “I can do that wherever I deem fit. What mess has she got us into?” alpha Jake flared. Caught up in his grip, Mildrid did not try to pull away, she merely continued to choke and kick her legs in the air. “You have to let go of her, Jake” alpha Fred begged. After a while, the alphas succeeded in pulling alpha Jake away from Mildrid and she continued to rub her hands against her already red neck. “She has only succeeded in taking us a thousand steps backward, that is what she has just done” alpha Jake yelled. “We would have to find a way around this” alpha Ray said. “My alphas, during that time, Mildrid here was only acting in the interest of the Pack, she meant no harm” I pleaded. I have to say something for Mildrid, at least to put her in a good light. Should Mildrid be dispensed with, then it is only logical that they would come for me next. “What can be done?” alpha Fred directed his cold question to Mildrid. Mildrid smiled. She must have believed that my words have softened the heart of the alpha, but I can tell that she is wrong. She must not try to push her luck too far. “My alpha, I already revealed that he will die. This will crush the heart of the queen of the Pixies...” Mildrid chuckled. “Shut up you fool” alpha Fred yelled. Mildrid was stunned, she looked around in confusion. “My... my...” she stammered. “Do you want to put us in an even deeper shit? How long do you think it will take the queen to crush us all once something happens to her Chamlee?” alpha Ray roared. “Do you know how much the king means to her, or you came to see us ruined?” alpha Jake yelled. Mildrid cleared her throat before speaking. “I am sorry for bringing this upon you all. When I did that, I thought I was doing a noble act. At that time when the king of the Pixies lay on the ground helpless, I thought that the queen would become so broken and helpless, giving our men the chance to rip her soldiers apart one by one. I never knew that was going to trigger her anger. I thought she would be lost mourning her beloved...” “And what is your point exactly, we do not have time for this” alpha Jake yelled. I am lost too, what direction was Mildrid taking? We are here to find a solution for this mess that she got us into and not to be reminded of how she led us into the mess in the first place. She better be clever as her charm is not working on alpha Fred or any of the alphas today. In fact, it has never worked on alpha Fred. All this while, alpha Fred has only been listening to me and was not under the influence of any charm. But today, to save his people, he is unwilling to listen to me. “We have no leverage against the Pixies. We are already below them, much more beneath them than we can imagine. Do you think that we still have a right to bargain with them? Even if I can heal her Chamlee, I will only be allowed to do that as her slave, and not as her equal” Mildrid replied. “To hell, a slave you shall remain” alpha Fred spat. “Alpha, we can look for another way out...” she mumbled but the alphas ignored her. “Alpha Fred, we must look for a way out of this. We must be free from the Pixies” I added in support of Mildrid. “We have eyes, and we can look for a way out ourselves. We don’t need you to get us in a deeper mess” alpha Fred yelled at Mildrid, completely ignoring my words. But Mildrid did not relent, she went on. “I can ensure unhindered access to Pixolands. No one will be able to stop you until you see the queen” “You can...” alpha Fred muttered. “Yes, my alpha” Mildrid replied. “Then, I and beta Tim will leave for Pixolands soon” alpha Fred declared.