2

“You don’t seem to be treating him like a partner, either,” Fina said gently. “He wants to have dinner with you. He knows if it’s a question, you’ll say no.”

“Well, that’s my right,” I said.

“Sure, it is,” Fina sighed. Amity and Rue busied themselves cleaning up my quarters and ensuite, purposefully distancing themselves from our conversation. Fina scooted her chair closer to the table. “Reyna, can I speak to you as your friend? Not as a member of the court?”

“Of course,” I said, even though I was sure that meant I wasn’t going to particularly like what she had to say.

“Giving the king the cold shoulder isn’t going to change the fact that you married him,” Fina said.

“What am I supposed to do, then?” I asked. “Just forgive him for everything he did? Be his happy little trophy wife?”

“No,” she said, “that’s not what I’m saying at all. But I do think you’re blaming him for things that aren’t really his fault.”

“Like what?” I shot back. He was the one had brought me here, he’d led the Choice, he’d killed Griffin, he’d chosen me. It was all him.

“Well,” Fina said, “He’s not the reason your ex showed up here to challenge him.”

I pressed my lips together and said nothing.

“And it’s also not his fault that the Duke of Daybreak was in on it. And I can’t tell you not to grieve.” She sipped her coffee and gathered her thoughts. “It’s just—I don’t see what you gain from pushing him away. You’re stuck with him. And keeping the king at arm’s length is just going to make everyone miserable, including me and Adora.”

I glanced up as a new bolt of guilt cut through me. “What do you mean?”

“People are starting to wonder if everything is all right between you two,” Fina said. “Adora and I have been smoothing it over, but there’s only so much we can do. If you two seem weak, it could cause problems for his reign. Both internally and externally.”

“...What do you mean?” I asked again.

“I mean if rumors start, someone might come knocking for another challenge,” Fina said. “Nothing has happened yet, but I’m trying to be honest with you.”

I picked at my breakfast, my appetite suddenly gone. Was that true? Was my disdain so obvious that it could threaten his rule of the kingdom at large? I was grieving, true—but I didn’t want anyone else to suffer because of me.

“It’s just so frustrating,” I admitted. “Everything is decided for me in this life.”

“You can change that,” Fina said gently. “But not without the king.”

I leaned back and dramatically flung my arm over my eyes, cutting the tension between us. “Ugh. I hate this.”

Fina laughed at my theatrics. “Is it really that bad?” she teased. “Being queen? Having a super gorgeous, powerful husband who wants to have a nice dinner with you? A great breakfast brought to your quarters every morning?”

“You’re right,” I said. “I’m being childish, aren’t I?”

“Just a little bit,” Fina said with a smile. “It’d serve you well to look forward instead of backward.”

“All right. I’ll go to dinner. I’ll be nice to him. But I’m not apologizing.”

Fina laughed again, bright and surprised, then leaned forward conspiratorially. “You know, that’s very Nightfall of you.”

“What?” I balked.

“Nightfall wolves never apologize,” she said. “At least not with their words. It’s all action with them.”

I sniffed and said nothing.

“Just saying,” Fina said. “Maybe you fit in here a little more than you think.”

The rest of the day, Elias was in meetings with his generals down at the barracks near the manor. I spent the day reading in the solarium, and on the grounds with Amity and Rue, gazing at the tree line to the forest as I turned over Fina’s words in my mind. As much as it pained me to admit it, she was right. I couldn’t undo what had been done—I was queen, regardless of what I wanted. And if I wanted to carve out a life of my own, I had to do it with the king. He’d extended the olive branch multiple times, only for me to knock it away.

I could be his queen, and his partner in leading Frasia. But I didn’t know if I could be his wife, or—a shiver ran down my spine at the thought—his mate. What my wolf wanted and what I needed were two different things, and I was still figuring out how to negotiate them.

But we could start with dinner.

When the sun began to set, I made my way back to my chambers to prepare as the king had ‘requested,’ first with a hot bath.

“What will you wear tonight, milady?” Amity asked as she helped me, freshly scrubbed and soaped, out of the enormous tub. “Has the king asked for anything in particular?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “You and Rue choose for me, please?”

Amity lit up with glee, then composed herself. “Of course, milady. We’d be happy to.”

I smiled at Amity in the mirror, then took the towel from her hands and gestured for her to leave the ensuite. I’d let the girls choose my outfit while I dried and styled my hair. I knew what I was doing at this point; their care was helpful but not a requirement. They both seemed to enjoy the fine gowns a lot more than I did, and admittedly I enjoyed seeing their delight when they were allowed to dress me like a doll. All the pieces in my wardrobe were provided by Nightfall, anyway—and plenty of them had been given to me by the king himself in the days after our wedding. The girls would gain more pleasure out of choosing one than I would.

I braided my hair in the mirror, so it fell in a long blonde plait over my shoulder, then sighed and peered at my own reflection.