41

“Adora may be weak with a sword, but the resources she would bring to your court would empower you more than any show of strength on a battlefield.” “The council agrees with you,” the king admitted.

I blinked. “They do?”

“It’s an obvious choice,” the king said. “Adora is a beautiful woman with exceptional resources at her disposal. She impressed the council greatly during the first trial.”

“Wonderful,” I said. “So it’s settled.” A strange dark disappointment washed over me.

“The competition hasn’t ended,” the king said. “The council does not make the decision—I do.” I glanced up. “It doesn’t seem right to continue after this.”

He took another sip of his drink. “I am not holding the Choice for purely political means.”

“You’re speaking in riddles.” My head was spinning. Too much had happened in the past hour—I couldn’t keep up with the king’s tendency to talk around things. So the council had a favorite, but the competition was still ongoing, and Rona was dead. Where did we go from here? And strangely—why had the thought of being dismissed not filled me with relief?

Why did I want to stay in Efra, despite my simultaneous, fierce desire to return home?

“I will take the council’s recommendations into consideration,” the king said. “But this Choice is not only for me to find the Queen of Frasia. It’s for me to find my mate.”

Mate. The word sent a thrill down my spine, an electric sensation not unlike the promise of a shift. He sought a mate. My wolf wanted to howl with delight. He didn’t just want a diplomatic partner, a wife, a convenient arrangement to improve his reputation—he wanted a wolf with which to share his entire life.

But I already had that. I had Griffin.

My wolf whined. Griffin had never used the word mate, had he? And neither had I. That wasn’t what I wanted. It was so—animalistic. I wanted someone who appreciated me for who I was, for my mind and my skills and my ambition. And Griffin did.

Didn’t he?

I had to get my head on straight. This competition was making me dizzy.

“Rona knew the competition was more than diplomacy,” the king said. “She wished to skew the odds better in her favor.”

She had assumed that I was likely to win. More likely than Fina or Adora. But she was just a commoner, what did she know? But—she was a commoner of Nightfall.

The king was still watching me.

“I see,” I said. My voice only trembled minutely. “Your Majesty, I’d quite like to get cleaned up.”

12

slept fitfully. My dreams were strange, half-remembered, some nightmarish recollections of Rona’s teeth when she’d lunged for me, and some strange sensual flashes of a broad chest and dark eyes. I was relieved to shake the dream off when I woke up and let Amity and Rue dress me for breakfast. They’d helped me clean up last night, and the memory of that was present in the gentleness of their hands and Amity’s concerned sigh.

“I feel like I should warn you,” she said, low. “The kitchens got word that the duchess will be taking breakfast in the solarium.”

My stomach turned. Somehow, the thought of facing Duchess Alana was more nausea-inducing than seeing the king again. “Thanks,” I murmured.

“You don’t seem to be in a good state to be surprised,” Amity said.

I chuckled, but it didn’t sound amused, even to my own ears. “You’re right about that,” I said. “I probably would’ve fainted as soon as I saw her if you hadn’t warned me.”

“She’s stern,” Rue said, “but understanding.”

I nodded. It was a nice sentiment, but how could a duchess be expected to brush off the death of one of her pack members? No matter how this breakfast went, it was going to be uncomfortable.

I made my way to the solarium, escorted by Amity and Rue in their wolf forms. As I stood in front of the door, Amity bumped her nose into my hand and flicked her ears reassuringly. I swallowed and smiled down at her, a little rush of affection racing through me.

The duchess’ severe, dark gaze was on me the moment I stepped into the solarium. She was dressed formally, in the black and rich purple colors of her court, at the head of the table. Her long, tapered fingers were wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee, but she seemed to have no interest in it at all. Adora was already seated at the table, looking a bit awkward herself, and relieved I’d arrived. I took my place at the table, and Fina hurried in right after me.

“Good morning, ladies,” the duchess said. “I’ve come to inform you of a change of circumstances.”

“What is it?” Fina asked. “What happened, milady?”

“Rona of Nightfall is no longer a part of the competition,” the duchess said curtly. “You are the three remaining contestants of the King’s Choice.” Adora’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow,” she murmured.

“She was dismissed?” Fina asked.

The duchess’ dark eyes drilled into me. “We will not be discussing details.” Fina swallowed and turned her gaze to her coffee.

The cold tension lingered between all four of us, but it didn’t seem to bother the duchess a bit as she stared me down. A Nightfall wolf attacked a Daybreak wolf and is killed. It was long ago that our two packs were at war, but there were still plenty of wolves in both packs for whom the wounds were fresh.

The duchess’ scorn froze my breath in my lungs. She kept her gaze on me for a seemingly endless moment. Then, suddenly, with a brisk snap of her fingers, she summoned the servants in to bring breakfast. As my plate was filled with the usual delights, I couldn’t summon the appetite to eat any of it.