Nick drove me to the large building where the Alphas Council met, waiting until the others had arrived before we got out of the truck. I still felt awkward around him, as if a highlights reel of our wild times played across my face, but Nick seemed oblivious. I led the way into the building through the back entrance, keeping an eye out for any of my former bodyguards. But Kaiser confirmed that Cassidy arrived as the hyena queen, so I knew she was inside. It was just a question of how and when I wanted to confront her.

We waited in one of the side rooms, listening to the goings-on in the actual chamber from the cell phone Nick carried; Kaiser left his on the table, the call established well before the alpha bear went in to meet with his fellow alphas. I hated being on the other side of the meeting, although I’d hated the meetings themselves when I was queen. Too much talking, not enough action.

Nick didn’t seem the least bit concerned, yawning as he stretched out in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the room. “Our meeting with the witches is at midnight, in the old cemetery. So regardless of what happens, we’ll meet there.”

“I’m not going to lose,” I said, staring at the phone as if it would make the voices less muffled.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said. When I looked up sharply, I found Nick watching me with a curiously blank expression. He rubbed the back of his neck. “What happens when you win, Lacey?”

“I go back to being queen,” I said. “That’s the point.”

“I meant between us. And for the djinn. How long will it take for you to consolidate your power again?” He didn’t look happy, and I felt all that pleasant afterglow wisp away like morning fog. Of course. We slept together and he got a taste of control, and it went straight to his head. “We have work to do, and a delay could be costly.”

The unfortunately familiar bitch-mask of the hyena queen slipped back into place as I looked at him. “I set my own schedule.”

His eyes narrowed. “Lacey, come on. Two hours ago you didn’t even know if you wanted to be queen again. If we want to crush BadCreek once and for all, we’ve got to get the witches to help free Ray and get rid of that genie. Spending a couple weeks crushing skulls in your pack is going to waste time we don’t have.”

“My cackle comes first,” I said, and hardened my heart. “You can do what you want.”

His eyes flashed gold but Nick just shook his head. Disappointment made him look grimmer still, and I shielded myself from any regret or guilt. It wouldn’t have worked anyway. I saved us both a lot of time and wasted emotional investment by severing the ties sooner rather than later. It was all for the best.

Nick turned his attention back to the phone, clicking the volume up louder still. “You won’t get rid of me so easily, Your Highness. But good effort.”

Before I could reiterate that things were over, he pointed at the door. “I think your girl just claimed your throne for herself, so you might want to bust in there and make your point. If you still want to crush someone’s heart tonight.”

I gritted my teeth but didn’t waste time arguing with him. Action spoke louder than words, and he’d get the hint eventually. I took a deep breath and shoved through the door and into the main chamber where the Council met. A circle of heavy tables allowed the various alphas to face each other, and kept anyone from seizing the head of a table and stealing rank from someone else. All men, except for the hyena queen and Ruby O’Shea, the co-alpha of BloodMoon pack.

And there was Cassidy, standing behind my table and speaking for my pack.

The door slammed behind me and all eyes landed on me. Only Kaiser didn’t look surprised, so maybe Benedict Chase kept his mouth shut for once and didn’t tell his brother, the lion alpha.

Cass’s expression would have been comical if I’d been in a laughing mood. Nothing else moved in the room as I walked to the center of the circle to face her, ready for anything she might throw at me. “Hey Cass. Fancy seeing you here. Care to explain what happened?”

The blood drained from her face as she stared at me. “You’re dead.”

“No, just disappeared for a bit. I’m surprised you’re still with us, considering most of my people looked like they were fighting for their lives against BadCreek.” I folded my arms over my chest. “This seemed as good a place as any to make sure you step aside. I was a little surprised to hear you’d declared yourself queen only a day after I disappeared.”

“You were dead,” she repeated, as if saying it again might make it so, or would at least convince me of the fact. “I didn’t want there to be a long, drawn-out challenge. It made sense.”

“Then thanks for taking care of the cackle while I was gone.” I wondered if she’d been well-intentioned after all, and I’d misjudged her. It could have been an accident, and she did what she thought was right to protect the family. “But I’ll be taking my throne back.”

She looked at all the waiting alphas, then straightened her shoulders and dropped the pretense of caring. “Tradition is tradition, Lacey. The next queen only rises when the old one falls. I’m not going to abdicate my throne. You’ll have to take it back.”

“Oh, I will. Just answer one question first.”

Cass arched an eyebrow, beginning to take off her watch and a necklace. “Anything for you, cuz.”

“Did you set it up?” I pulled my hair back into a ponytail to get it out of the way, and handed my engagement ring to Ruby for her to hold. “Have BadCreek grab me so you could seize power?”

She hopped over the table to stand in the center of the room with me, expression betraying nothing. “Does it really matter?”

“To me? Yeah.” And I really meant it. Accidents could be forgiven. Plots, on the other hand... There was only one outcome for that.

Cassidy cracked the vertebrae in her neck and rotated her arm. “Not at first, no. I knew they were ready for us because that creepy genie warned us to stay away, and I saw the opportunity to get rid of some of your enemies.”

“So that was why you brought two teams with you.” I shook my head. “That’s fucked up. They could have ended up prisoners of BadCreek, tortured with some weird breeding experiments.”

She shrugged, and I didn’t recognize her as my former security chief who dismissed the lives of her cousins and family as if they were strangers. “They plotted against you. And then you insisted on coming on the raid, like I couldn’t handle it on my own, so I thought... if it happens, great. I’ll be queen. If it doesn’t, then I’ll just bide my time and find another opportunity. Win-win.”

Win-win. Right. I clenched my jaw, wishing I could just punch her already.

Miles Evershaw, his feet up on the table and his hands laced behind his head, snorted. “That’s cold. Impressive, but cold.”

“Shut up,” Cass and I said at the same time, both of us glaring at him. At least we still agreed on that—Miles Evershaw was a dick.

I glanced behind her at a few of the bodyguards who appeared, and wondered if they would intervene. None of them cared for me when I was queen, and no doubt they’d fear being imprisoned if Cass lost, so it would be in their best interest to make sure she won. “Okay then. We fight. No one intervenes.”

“Agreed,” she said, though her eyes narrowed as she looked at someone behind me. “Make sure your boyfriend knows the rules.”

“My bo—?” I glanced back and found Nick prowling the perimeter of the room, looking a half-second away from killing her for me. “He’s not my boyfriend, and he won’t interfere.”

Cass’s eyebrow quirked, an ugly look on her face as she surveyed me. “If he’s not your boyfriend, why do you smell like him?”

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as rage took over, and the hyena jostled for control. “Because I kicked his ass this afternoon. That’s it. Stop delaying and let’s get this over with. I hope you didn’t redecorate my room.”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Kaiser beat her to it with his irritated bear voice. “There are better ways to resolve this than fighting in the middle of the Council.”

I straightened, furious that he’d try to intervene, and took my attention off Cass for a split second. “Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, bear.”

She took the opportunity created by my stupid, rookie mistake, and charged. She hit me at full speed and with full force, and we both flew into the lion’s table with a snarl.