Page 148 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“What… no… but…” Rona looks to the ground and gets back up on her feet. “He is my mate,” she whispers.
“No, you are his mate,” Penelope corrects her. “Witches don’t have mates. They make choices.”
“But he-” Rona’s face flushes a bit.
“Oh, by Cerridwen,” Penelope groans. “You fell for the werewolf dunce.”
“Cerridwen?” I hear myself ask before I can stop myself. When Penelope turns to look at me, I bow my head in fake submission. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s our goddess,” she explains before turning back to her sister. “Really, Rona, are you that pathetic?”
“But he is so… nice… and…”
“Do you truly think your heroic and honorable werewolf mate will accept you now that he knows whose sister you are?” she asks. “Do you think he will sweep in here and save you like some hero? Wake up, Rona. You betrayed him, and he knows it.”
“No! He still trusts me,” she blurts out. “He still wants me.”
Penelope raises her eyebrows. “He still wants his mediocre little witch, with her mediocre looks, despite her having ridden his dick just to get information from him.”
“You used me!” she exclaims.
“Wake up, Rona,” she snorts. “You took advantage of him, not me.”
“He does still want me,” she yells. “He told me…”
“Told you what?” Penelope asks sharply.
“Nothing,” Rona mutters.
My god, she is unbelievable. I can’t tell if she is really that stupid or if she truly has her morals twisted all over.
“Oh Rona,” Penelope steps closer. Rona flinches away when she reaches out, but instead of hitting her, she takes her face between her hands and makes her look at her. “Wasn’t it always the both of us? The two cursed and shunned sisters? Didn’t I protect you from all the evil? Didn’t I let our father beat me so you would be safe? Didn’t I sacrifice everything to prolong our lives and receive so much power, so that we could get our revenge?”
“You did,” Rona whispers. “I’m so sorry, sister.”
My heart sinks at her words. She is still using Royan. Now, to an extent, I can sympathize with her wanting to be loyal to her sister if what Penelope just said is true, but that doesn’t excuse her proceeding with hurting her own mate. She is making poor decisions over and over.
“What did he tell you?”
“He told me about his pack, or rather his informant,” she says.
My heart sinks even further at her words.
“He is from a secret one in the north… in the Silent Forest. He even gave me a name I should seek
out.”
What? I hide my confusion, but meanwhile my mind goes in all kinds of directions. A secret pack in the north? Never heard of it. Royan grew up in the royal pack. His father was a warrior there. He is now retired. I even met him once.
Where is he sending them to?
My lips tug, but I suppress the smirk. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Good thing Royan didn’t let himself get fooled a second time.
“Very well, Rona,” Penelope coos. “Go and gather a few warriors and tell them what to look for.”
“Are you teaching me about dark magic later?” Rona asks hopefully.
“Yes, dear,” Penelope says.
