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Julia hopped out of her seat and rushed it to the injured wolf, helping her sit while the male healer stepped back.
As my muscles finally thawed, I bolted up and ran toward Fane. My fingers encircled his arm, and he let me draw him from the table. His gaze peeled away from Marissa, softening as he studied me.
“Do you have something to tell us, Mina?” Camus asked the pale, gaunt shifter.
She nodded and tucked strawberry strands of hair back into her messy ponytail. “When I woke up, I was told what was happening here.” She swallowed thickly and wiped a layer of sweat off her forehead. Several bandages littered her frame, and dark circles bruised beneath her eyes. “I don’t particularly like Tate, but I wouldn’t feel right without saying my piece.”
Dorian slowly lowered to his seat, ignoring Marissa who tried to keep him standing. His chest moved up and down as he breathed rapidly, panic setting in.
Would Mina out him?
“Thank you for coming, Mina.” Camus motioned his hand toward her. “Please, go on.”
“Tate fought the sub-demons off from the beginning,” Mina said. “She even gave me her other sword because she knew we’d have a difficult time taking those things out with their hard exteriors. I watched her kill as many as she could. And when the upper-level demons came…” Mina looked in my direction, Fane still attempting to shield me from the council.
Camus flicked a glance at Dorian as his shoulders dropped and curled in. Anger flashed in the alpha’s eyes. And disappointment.
Mina cleared her throat, her voice weak and raspy. “I saw what they did to her, but I was surrounded. I couldn’t help.” She rubbed her forehead as if the memories caused her physical pain.
“And Dorian?” Camus stood, grabbed a water from the mini fridge hidden in the corner, and brought it to her. “Where was he?”
“Thank you.” Mina had trouble opening the water with her trembling hands, so Camus kneeled on one knee to help her. After she took a small sip, she passed the bottle to Julia who remained by her side. “Dorian was there when the attack started, but I was too busy to keep track of everyone the entire time. He could have been there the whole time or not. All I know is that Tate was prepared to die for us, and she almost did.”
My fingers, still curled around Fane’s forearm, tightened as I breathed through the emotions. I could count on one hand the number of people who stood up for me. I never expected Mina to be one of them.
Fane pried my grip off and then wrapped his arm around my shoulders, drawing me into him. The display of affection almost had my knees buckling.
Camus nodded toward Mina and stood, his alpha power infiltrating the room. “Thank you so much for coming here. You’ve been a tremendous help. I’m glad you’re awake, and I’m sure your brother will be right behind you.”
She gave a strained smile and let the older male healer lead her from the room while Julia carried her chair back to the table and sat. After Mina’s speech, everyone waited for Dorian to refute her claim.
He remained silent.
The veins in Camus’s neck throbbed while his irises took on an eerie gold sheen. He marched back to his seat at the far head of the table but didn’t sit as he turned to his daughter. Her lips thinned the longer he stared.
She knew something bad was coming.
After several tense moments, Camus finally cleared his throat. “Dorian, since you have nothing to say, I can safely assume that you lied about Tate, which means you could be lying about abandoning your pack when they needed you.” His nostrils flared. “It makes me wonder what else you’re lying about.”
“You can’t be serious, Camus.” Amelia flicked her hand in my direction. You can’t—”
Camus cut the woman off with a deadly look. “Dorian, you are stripped of your beta title, and you will not be taking over as alpha when I step down.”
I expected some kind of outburst from Dorian, but Marissa was the one who sprang to her feet, the chair toppling over behind her.
“You can’t do that!” she hissed. “He’s my mate. He’s supposed to be the future alpha.”
Power pulsated from Camus as his muscles swelled, threatening to tear right through his clothes. “My decision is final.”
She lifted her arm and stabbed her finger in our direction. “You.” So much hatred wrapped that one word it threatened to choke me. “You wanted this, Fane.” Her hands shook, and her skin twitched as she marched in our direction, her raven locks bouncing from her jerky movements.
Dorian stood from the table. “Marissa, stop,” he demanded. “You’re only making things worse.”
Marissa ignored her mate as she sneered at Fane. “You did this to become alpha and win me back.”
A barking laugh burst out of the demon shifter. “I don’t need to strip Dorian of his title to be alpha. I could take it if I wanted it. But I don’t.” He bared his teeth in a menacing snarl. “And I don’t want you either, Marissa. You broke our bond a long time ago and mated with someone else. We’re done.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “Up until a few months ago, you were still coming around for any chance to see me. You would do anything to have me back, you pathetic half breed.”
