"You know, you do not think with your mind nowadays, Theron. What is going on with you?!" the Queen Mother said, her voice sharp as she paced in front of him.
Theron stood motionless, staring at the floor as though he were deaf to his mother's words, his expression unreadable.
"Your Grace, I think if—" Morgana began, but was quickly cut off.
"Shut up! Shut up now!" The Queen Mother's voice rang out, her fury rising with each word. "You had this in the palm of your hands! You had two of these crackheads together in your place, and you failed to make them fall in love! Or at least pretend!" The Queen Mother's final words were directed at Theron, and she approached him, her eyes flashing with frustration. "Do you even know what this means? Do you even understand what will happen without her in this castle? What were—"
"She has discovered her powers." Theron interrupted, his voice low but laced with urgency.
"What?" The Queen Mother froze, her brow furrowing as she processed his words, the same shock in her eyes that Morgana shared, but no reaction beyond that. Theron turned toward them, his eyes almost glowing with intensity. It was as though a plan had formed in his mind, and he was already steps ahead.
"I felt it," Theron continued, pacing in quick, controlled strides, his hands clenched tightly at his sides as if holding back an untamed force. "I felt the raw strength inside of her. She looked at me as though she could shatter my body into pieces with just her gaze." He stopped and turned to face them, his voice calm yet tinged with something darker. "She has regained her power."
The Queen Mother rolled her eyes. "Ridiculous. How can she regain her powers when she's been drinking the tea? If she had regained her powers, we'd all be fighting for our lives right now! That would mean her memories are back. There's no way that—"
"She hasn't been drinking the tea," Theron cut in.
The Queen Mother blinked in disbelief. "What do you mean, she hasn't been drinking the tea? Tell me now." Her voice was rising in pitch, a mix of anger and panic creeping into her tone.
"She fell from the balcony," Theron explained. "The tea shattered in the glass when she fell. That's what the guards told me. But what I don't understand is why she headed straight for the dungeons. It could only mean she was going to see the Alpha Lycan... but why?" He looked at them, his thoughts clicking into place. "That's right. Only because she has regained her memories, and she remembers the love of her life. But then—" Theron stopped, a realization dawning on him. "You said if she regained her memories, we would all be dead by now. So, she hasn't fully regained them. She's still trying to piece them together, and her not consuming the tea, has only given her faint glimpses of them. But her powers... I don't know about that , maybe they are fighting to come back."
Theron's voice trailed off, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the door. "That's why I'm going to ask Hilda."
Before Theron could step toward the door, the Queen Mother's voice froze him in his tracks.
"Theron!" she snapped. "What do you mean you're going to ask Hilda?"
The air in the room shifted, thickening with tension as the Queen Mother's eyes darkened. "Theron... Who is Hilda?"
Her voice trembled with fury as she turned to Morgana, who only lowered her gaze in response, uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. The Queen Mother's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Do not tell me... it's that witch?! I told you long ago to execute her! She will do nothing but get into your head and use you!"
"Mother, stop!" Theron shouted, his voice strained with frustration. "We need her."
"We needed her!" The Queen Mother's voice was hard, unyielding. "Morgana has already found the receipts and ingredients for the tea—she can brew it herself. We cannot afford to trust any of these supernatural beings."
"Supernatural beings?" Theron's voice cut through the tension. "My two children are supernatural beings. One that I birthed, who you insisted be turned to avoid death... And you invited these supernatural beings under our roof? Don't lecture me about trust."
The Queen Mother was momentarily speechless, her lips parting as though she wanted to retort, but couldn't find the words. She stared at Theron's eyes—his watery gaze filled with a mixture of pain and resolve.
"But Theron," she whispered, almost helplessly. "We murdered her coven, her whole family. She will want revenge."
Theron's gaze softened slightly. "She doesn't care about that."
The Queen Mother shook her head, her expression softening for just a moment before she steeled herself once more. "Remember who we're doing this for. For your sister, for your father, and for the mother of your children."
Theron's voice dropped, a dark confidence edging his words. "I am the one manipulating her."
"No, you're not." The Queen Mother's voice was firm, her hand clutching her chest. "The girls miss their mother. Their true mother , your wife ."
"I'm not blind, Mother. She's in love with me." Theron's voice was low, but there was a sharpness to it.
"No, she's not! She -" The Queen Mother's denial was fierce, but before she could continue, the door swung open with a loud bang.
Harrison rushed in, his face filled with urgency. "Her Majesty is back."