12

Elias nuzzled closer then licked my snout, just once, a gentle soothing motion. Somehow, in the quiet of the cave, I was able to fall asleep.

I awoke at dawn, before everyone else, and the world was still. I padded out of the cave and stretched luxuriously, from the tip of my snout to the tip of my tail, then took a deep inhale of the cold morning air. The balds were covered in a layer of pristine snow, untouched save for a few animal footprints here and there. The sky was clear and the sun was shining high overhead, already beginning to loosen the hold the snow had. It wouldn’t be too hard to get the carriages moving in this weather.

I was considering going on a run—a thought I never would’ve considered before this journey—when Kodan stepped quietly out of the cave. She was in her human form and was already leading one of the horses outside.

I shifted quickly back into my human form. “Good morning,” I said.

“Morning,” Kodan said. “Just going to start to hitch up the horses, since I’m awake. We should get moving soon.”

“I’ll help you,” I said.

“That’s not necessary—”

“I’m awake, too,” I said with a grin. “We can let the others get a bit more sleep.”

Kodan nodded. We led two horses each away from the cave and back to where we’d left the carriages in the middle of the road.

“You know,” Kodan said as we hitched the horses back to the carriages, “I’ve known the king his whole life.”

I glanced up at her, fighting down a spike of nerves. I wondered if she might threaten me a little. I’d already gotten the sense that she was quite protective of Elias, like an older sister.

“When his father… When he became king, something in him changed,” she said. “He closed off. He had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and he was young, and the way he ascended to the throne was…less than ideal.”

Less than ideal? What did that mean? All I’d known was the previous king had died, but the circumstances were unknown.

Kodan smoothed her hand down the horse’s neck. “I advised him against holding the Choice, you know.”

“You did?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s part of the reason the council sent me on assignment during the event. They knew I’d cause trouble if I was on site.”

“Why?” I asked. “Were you two ever…?” I flushed. That was none of my business.

“Together?” Kodan asked with a toothy grin that looked a lot like Elias’. “No, he’s not my type. I was against the Choice because I didn’t want to see him give up another piece of his life for the throne. He’s sacrificed a lot, and I wanted his personal life to be his, not another role he had to play for Frasia.”

I laughed, low. “Honestly, I can relate to that.”

“I can tell,” Kodan said. “I’m saying all of this because when he’s with you, I see some of that old Elias.”

My heart beat hard in my chest.

Kodan busied herself checking the fastenings on the horses’ yokes. “You’re good for him,” she said. “It’s not what I would’ve expected from the Choice. But it’s nice to see.”

“Thanks,” I said quietly. A strange warm feeling grew in my chest. I’d spent so much time feeling like a pawn and prize that I hadn’t considered how I might be having an impact on Elias, too. Kodan seemed to think I was bringing him back to who he was before he was king. But I only knew him as the king. I felt like I’d just found a confusing tome in the back of the library, like there was another layer of information I had to uncover.

Maybe there was more to Elias than I’d given him credit for.

By the time we made it back to the cave, the rest of the party was awake and preparing to head out. As the attendants finished taking the horses to the carriages and put out the fire, Elias wrapped his arm around my shoulder and tugged me close to his side.

“I was wondering where you went this morning,” he murmured.

“Just thought I would get some fresh air,” I said, “before we spend another day in the carriage.”

“You could always go on foot if you want,” he said. “As your wolf.”

Briefly, I considered it—but a whole night and day spent in my wolf shape seemed like a little too much. “If I do that, I’ll be too exhausted to play Queen of Frasia for the Shiangan King.”

Elias laughed, low and warm. “Well, we can’t risk that.”

The rest of the travel day passed without incident, and by the time the sun set, we’d already found a clearing to make camp for our last evening on the road. The Shiangan castle was just a half-day’s travel away.

That night, instead of sleeping in a warm pile of wolves, Elias and I had a cozy tent of our own. It was a big, canvas tent—large enough for royals—with thick fabric and a small platform for a bedroll to keep us off the cold earth. I was smoothing out the blankets over the bedroll, wrapped tightly in my cloak when the king stepped into the tent. He’d spent some of the evening playing cards with us, and some in quiet discussion with his attendants. With a small amount of surprise, I realized I was happy to have him to myself.

His eyes flashed gold as he watched me carefully. “Are you cold?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” I said. “Not too cold.”

“You’ve got goosebumps.” He stepped closer and brushed my blonde hair off my shoulder. His fingers trailed over my neck and nape, and my skin did prickle, though not from the cold. “Would you like me to sleep as my wolf again? I run hotter in that shape. It’s like sleeping next to a furnace.”

“No, that’s okay,” I said. “At the Bloody Nightingale… I slept better with you at my side.”