"Lady Isabel? Lady Isabel? Isa—oh hell."

Ugh. I blink, slowly turn my head towards Kaia's voice—and immediately regret it. Every part of my body has stiffened like plaster overnight.

"Why are you sleeping in the bathtub?"

My joints scream in protest as I extend my right arm. "Because—" The word comes out as a barely-intelligible croak. Have I turned into an old human overnight? I swallow once, twice, and try again. "Because Lord Bluefire hogs the bed."

Once it became clear the enforcer would not be waking up for another round, I gathered as many free pillows and blankets as possible and brought them into the bathing room. I briefly considered the settee by the window, but it was too narrow. Granted, the bathtub wasn't much better, but at least I could shut the door on Lord Bluefire's snores.

Kaia sighs and crosses her arms. "My lady ..." The way she tucks her chin in is so reminiscent of my mother, I feel contrite.

"Don't worry," I say, "I won't be repeating that mistake—he's not still here, is he?" I tilt my head back, grunting as my vertebrae creak and groan. Blast, I can't see past Kaia.

Kaia shakes her head, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "No. The guard on duty told me he left hours ago."

What a relief. I've had my fair share of inadequate lovers, but they've been at the behest of Morgana. This one, unfortunately, I chose myself. I recall staring at the enforcer, reflecting on how I entered the liaison with one mindset and emerged with a completely different one.

I push myself into a sitting position and toss tangled hair away from my face. Up until last night, I had no issue doing what Morgana wanted. We are friends, after all. But I can't get the image of her flashing eyes out of my mind as she used compulsion to round my shoulders.

What kind of friend does that?

I sigh and stretch out my legs. "Is the queen up?" Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding. But I won't know until we talk.

Kaia shifts. "I saw her dresser enter her room when I came to wake you."

I take that as a "yes". "Good."

"I've laid out your hunting outfit," Kaia says, reaching for a pillow. "Do you need help bathing?"

"No." I roll forward onto my knees and stretch, feeling my bones pop. "I think I can manage."

A wry smile crosses the omega's lips as she bends down to collect more pillows. I carefully exit the tub, rotating my limbs until all the stiffness is worked out. We clear the claw-footed vessel of bedclothes, then Kaia leaves me to scrub all memory of Lord Bluefire from my skin.

Once sufficiently clean and dressed, I leave the room in search of answers.

Two betas stand guard outside of Morgana's suite. They stare—simultaneously scrutinizing every detail and looking right past me. "I'd like to see the queen," I tell them, folding my hands respectfully.

There's a slight pause—just long enough to make my heart skip a beat. Then, the one on the right gives a subtle nod and turns the doorknob. "Lady Isabel," he announces.

"Thank you." I glide past them and into the queen's room.

My eyes dart from corner to corner, afraid Lord Blackwood will emerge and we will have an awkward encounter. Thankfully, like the enforcer, the alpha's nephew is nowhere to be found. Morgana, on the other hand, is sitting in front of a mirror in a dark blue dressing gown, two maids working on her hair.

"Your Majesty," I greet perfunctorily, dropping a slight curtsey.

Morgana's blue eyes meet mine in the mirror. "Issa!" she exclaims, waving the two omegas away.

I flinch at her enthusiastic tone. It's as if she's conveniently forgotten everything that happened last night.

"Sit, sit," Morgana says eagerly, oblivious to my inner thoughts. "Get Lady Isabel a chair," she calls to the omegas.

One of the girls grabs a plain ladderback chair from the other side of the room and positions it next to Morgana. "Thank you," I murmur and sit down.

"So." Morgana spins around to face me, pushing her half-plaited hair over her shoulder. "I heard you took Lord Bluefire to bed."

I blink. Not exactly how I wanted to begin the conversation. "Well—"

"I'm surprised he didn't crush you. What possessed you to choose that mountain of a beta?"

I lick my lips and smooth the creases of my trousers. Morgana doesn't wait for an answer. She reaches out and taps my knee as if we're back in Stormrider Pack, sitting under the trees by the river, gossiping. "Well—"

She interrupts me again. "He must've been good enough to get you screaming."

My eyes widen and heat fills my cheeks. Had I truly been so loud the servants heard? Morgana giggles and rocks back and forth. "Oh, Issa. Look at you blush!"

"Yes, well ..." I say, glancing around the room and coughing. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the two omega maids attempting to look busy by folding Morgana's sheets. No doubt this conversation will make its way around Crimsonshadow Pack and Daroonga.

"Don't worry," Morgana says, patting my knee. "I'm sure I drowned you out."

My eyes stop roaming and zero in on her face. Morgana grins. "I should thank you for bringing Lord Blackwood to my attention," she tells me, misreading my expression entirely. "He is quite the extraordinary lover." She glances at the omega girls, then leans forward conspiratorially. "So adventurous too! He let me use the harness on him!"

A tendril of unease worms its way through my belly. I swallow hard, trying to get the image of Morgana penetrating the alpha's nephew out of my mind. "You—you brought that?" I manage to say, nails clawing at my trousers.

Morgana's grin widens and she leans back, tossing her hair. "Why wouldn't I? One never knows when a lover will drop in your lap."

The unease forms a knot, which tightens. Why am I so afraid of speaking my mind in front of her? "Can I ask you something?"

She arches a pale eyebrow. "What?"

"Why Lord Blackwood?"

Morgana's expression shifts from amusement to guarded. Her eyes narrow slightly. "What do you mean, Issa?"

"You saw that I was speaking with him. Surely you—"

Two pale amber rings emerge to overshadow the blue in Morgana's eyes. "What are you insinuating, Isabel? That I stole Alaric from you?"

Faint crackles of power reach out to lick my skin. "Yes." Warning bells ring in my ears, but I ignore them and breathe deeply. "What I don't understand is why." I fidget in the chair, my voice rising. "And you used compulsion on me! Me! Your best friend!"

The two omega maids rush out of the room, closing the door harshly behind them.

Morgana stares at me, stone-faced. Power swirls around her like a storm cloud. My very bones tremble as I feel my shoulders rounding in submission. I can only look up at her as she slowly gets to her feet, tears forming at the corners of my eyes.

"I am your queen," she grounds out, canines flashing. "Who I bed is none of your concern. Your place is by my side, doing what you are told, is that understood?"

Each word is like a thunderbolt to the brain. My face is practically pressed into my knees. Tears of frustration roll down my cheeks and fall to the warm wooden floor.

Something shatters in me as Morgana stands there, wielding her power like a whip.

Were we ever friends? I wonder, hands curling over the edge of the ladderback chair, digging into the polished wood. Was it all a lie?

"Isabel?" Morgana grounds out.

The command lances my soul. "Yes," I whisper, defeated.

"Good."

She releases her grip on me and I sag in the chair. I draw a heavy breath and slowly sit up, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my hunting jacket.

Morgana turns in a swirl of blue silk and settles in front of the mirror. "You can go now," she tells her reflection, brushing back a white lock. "And tell those stupid girls to get back to their posts."

My body feels as if it has been run over by a four-in-hand carriage. I gingerly rise and stiffly make my way through the suite. I pause by the door and glance over my shoulder. I can see her sitting there, body partially obstructed by a wall.

My hand rests on the doorknob, but I pause and take a deep, shuddering breath, dashing the remnants of tears from my face. I hope she's happy with what she just did.

I hope it was worth it.

Straightening my shoulders, I twist the knob and bury our friendship in the coffin that is the room.