5

Elias clinked his fork against his wine glass, summoning the members of the courts to take their seats at the dining table. Barion represented Daybreak, while Giles and a few other wolves were there to speak for Duskmoon. Marget of Starcrest was in attendance, as well as Isalde of Duskmoon. All of them had brought a handful of servants and advisors, some who sat at the table with us, and some who lingered at the edges of the room. Fina was in attendance, seated with Isalde of Duskmoon, but Adora was not. I hadn’t expected Fina to be a part of the discussions, but from across the room we locked eyes and smiled. As I looked around the intimidating table, I was grateful for her familiar presence to take the edge off my nerves.

And I still had Elias at my side. As if he could read my mind, he reached under the table and smoothed his hand over my knee, settling my nerves further with his touch.

“As you all know,” Elias said in greeting, “we’ve discovered many portals opening and closing on the south edge of Efra. The return of the portals is a clear indication that the barriers between our realm and Faerie are weakening. The Fae Queen Corinne could return to strike at any moment, and we all need to be prepared for that.” He cut into the meat at the table, which prompted the guests to fill their plates as well.

“What exactly do you mean by prepared?” Marget of Starcrest asked. She was an older woman, with fine silver-blonde hair and eyes clouded milky white with blindness.

“We need to find where these portals lead,” Elias said. “We need to learn why they’re appearing, who is creating them, and what she’s planning.”

“Mm,” Marget murmured. “You’re like your father. Eager for a battle.”

“Eager to defend my pack,” Elias said.

Marget sighed. She set her fork down and turned her sightless gaze to Elias. “You know this is not the kind of ‘defense’ the Court has discussed.”

“Now isn’t the time, Lady Marget,” Elias said, low.

“But these kinds of discussions are key to the future success of the pack,” Marget said, undeterred, “and if these are the kinds of risks you see, we should be having these talks now.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What discussions?”

“The King and Queen of Nightfall should have an heir,” Marget said. “Continuing the royal bloodline was one of the key purposes for arranging the King’s Choice, and I believe it’s high time the two of you made that happen.”

I snapped my mouth shut. Lady Marget’s forwardness stunned me. I suddenly felt small, seated at the table next to Elias — small, and young, and unimportant, just the way I had often felt in the Court of Daybreak.

“That was your purpose for arranging the Choice,” Elias said. “Not mine.”

Marget waved a hand dismissively. “Regardless of intention, it still stands that the royal couple should have an heir. I don’t understand why you’re eager to investigate these portals when your attention should be focused at home.”

“If we ignore these threats, the Fae will make sure we no longer have a home,” Elias said.

“Do you agree, Queen Reyna?” Marget asked.

“With Elias?” I asked.

“No, about bearing children,” she said. “Is that something you want?”

The members of the Court stared at me. I felt like a butterfly pinned to canvas. Under the table, I curled my hands into fists on my thighs. I hadn’t thought seriously about children at all — despite how much I loved Elias, we had only just been married. There was still so much I wanted to do with my own life. I wanted to travel, and map as much of the realm as I could, and I still wasn’t confident as a leader. And now I was supposed to leap straight into motherhood? It wasn’t even something Elias and I had discussed.

“That’s not why we’re here today,” Elias growled. The air crackled with magic as his wolf rose to the surface, turning his eyes gold. “You can leave private manners alone or be dismissed from this meeting.”

Again, Marget sighed. “You really are just like your father.”

“That’s enough,” Giles said. He drummed his thick, knobbly fingers on the table. “Now, Elias, about these portals. You’ve said yourself the portals are unstable and transient.”

Elias exhaled through his nose, then sat back in his chair, calmer now. Under the table, he folded his hand over mine, gently encouraging me to relax my fingers from the death grip I still held. “Correct,” he said.

“If we start sticking our noses around them, we might draw unwanted attention,” Giles said. “Our investigation could easily be read as provocation. It’s wiser to wait and see what the Fae are doing — they might not be doing anything at all.”

“That’s quite a risk,” Elias said. “Should you be wrong, we’d be caught off-guard.”

At his side, Fina took a sip of her wine and then pressed her lips together. I was glad Fina was here as part of the Duskmoon pack, as she’d surely be able to convince Giles that the risk of provocation —unfounded, I thought — was far less than the risk of doing nothing.

“Duskmoon lacks the military might of Daybreak, Dawnguard, and Nightfall,” Fina said. “But if the investigation does provoke some sort of retribution from the Fae, the Duskmoon lands will surely be some of the first attacked.”

“Then Nightfall will come to your aid,” Elias said.

“That’s no promise of success,” Giles said. “If the Fae do come from the south, Duskmoon wolves will suffer.”

“All the more reason to prepare for an attack,” Elias said. “Perhaps it’s best we provoke the Fae to ensure Duskmoon is not the first point of attack.”

“Now, let’s not get reckless,” Barion said. “Daybreak has suffered mightily in recent weeks, and I must admit I’m unsure if the pack has the fortitude to jump immediately into a war effort.”

“I speak not of a war effort,” Elias said. His voice was steady, but I could hear the frustration beginning to creep in around the edges. “I speak only of being aware of what could happen.”

“Daybreak needs time to rebuild after the Duke’s betrayal,” Barion said. “Surely you understand.”