Briefly, all eyes in the room turned to me. And there were a lot of eyes. This was a far bigger ball than the prior gala. There was no dining room table, just tall consoles for hors d’oeuvres; the lush curtains were pulled closed against the windows and the room was lit in warm candlelight. In the corner, the band played a slow, delicate song as the guests milled about.
At the back of the room, the king, the duchess, and the council were all seated at a long table atop a dais. The king was in the center, and his dark eyes found me immediately. He was dressed in a dark shirt and pants with an equally dark cloak, and for the first time, I saw him wearing the simple, delicate gold band around his forehead that was the king’s crown.
It was striking. It suited him. Internally, my wolf perked up, easily ignoring the presence of all the other shifters to focus on the king.
Maybe she was interested in him, but all I could think about was how easily he’d wrapped his hand around Lord Cazzell’s neck and broken it.
Lady Glennis stood in front of the dais, facing the crowd. She tapped her champagne glass with her fork, and that delicate motion was all it took for the band to cease playing and to draw the attention of all the elegantly dressed shifters in the room, as well as the guards in wolf form patrolling the perimeter.
“The final trial will begin in an hour,” Lady Glennis announced. “Until then, please enjoy yourselves.” She smiled and gestured broadly around the room, then to the band, who began again. The delicate music filtered through the space as conversations picked back up.
I’d never seen this many members of the Nightfall pack elite in one place. All of them were dressed in the blacks and deep purples of their packs: the women in flowing, elegant gowns with glinting silver jewelry and the men in fine slacks and jackets. I stood out like a sore thumb amid the dark colors, my pale moonstone-embroidered gown catching the dim light like icicles.
Luckily, it made it easy to pick out Fina and Adora from the crowd. Both of them were standing by a small table near the center of the room, talking to each other while occasionally being graciously interrupted by lords of the Nightfall court. I hurried to join them. I’d need all the support I could get before I faced the council for the final trial.
“Wow,” Adora said as I approached. Her eyes widened. “Your dress is incredible.”
“So is yours,” I said with a smile. Adora’s gown was blue and pale green, with a tighter skirt accentuating her gorgeous curves. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, with crystals sparkling in the loose waves. Her eyes shone with delight as I approached.
“They kind of went a different direction for me,” Fina said with a grin. She was dressed in the rich navy of her court, so she didn’t stand out quite as much, but they made up for that with incredible jewelry, including her gleaming tiara, and an extravagant necklace that was more like a collar. “Check this out.” She waggled one foot at me.
“Oh!” I gasped. “For a formal event?”
“I know!” Fina beamed. She wasn’t wearing a gown at all—it was a jumpsuit. When she stood with her feet together, it looked similar to a floor-length gown with a cinched waist, fastened with a long navy ribbon. But when she walked, it was clear they were pants. “Seems like there are some parts to the Nightfall culture that aren’t so bad.”
“Do you think we’ll have to answer questions about the culture?” Adora asked quietly. “I’ve been studying, but I’m so nervous—I did so poorly in the last trial.”
“You did fine,” Fina said. “That one was more a show for the city, anyway. This is the kind of stuff that matters more.”
“What do you think they’ll ask, then?” I asked. My stomach clenched. A waiter drifted by with a plate of delicious-looking canapes, but I was too nervous to eat anything.
“My escort says Nightfall wants to solidify their power,” Adora said. “The king’s reputation is a good way to get power, but not to keep it.”
I glanced up at the dais, and for once, the king wasn’t looking at me. He was in deep conversation with Lord Elfriede, looking as serious as ever even with his sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. Internally, my wolf whined, knocking against my ribs insistently. She was getting more demanding these days, craving his attention and wanting to be let out. I wasn’t used to it. I was used to her being relaxed, sleepy, forgettable. The longer I spent in Nightfall, the more she demanded my attention.
“So,” Adora continued, “I think what I’m going to do is try to talk less about myself, and more about what my pack could bring to the Court of Nightfall. Less about me fitting in, and more about our power consolidating. At least, I think that’s a good strategy.”
“Seems it,” Fina said. “That’s Starcrest’s strength, anyway.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Adora said. “We have moonstone, sure, but moonstone doesn’t matter a bit if there’s no food production. Without Duskmoon’s resources, the country falls apart.”
Fina raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to be giving me talking points?” she teased.
“That seems like it makes sense,” I said. “I hope they ask some questions though… I’m not great at just giving a presentation. And in front of all these people!”
“You’ll do great,” Adora said. Then she winked. “Hopefully not as good as me, but great nonetheless.”
I laughed. If only Adora knew I was on her team the whole time. If she was right, this could be manageable. I could make Daybreak look good, certainly, but not as good as Starcrest. Under the discerning gazes of the council and the Nightfall elite, I could almost forget what the king had said to me in the privacy of his study, when I’d been covered in Rona’s blood.
“Wine, milady?” a passing servant asked. He had a single glass of fine, pale liquid on a carrying tray, unlike the other servants passing by with full ones. I took it gratefully and the servant swept away.I could try to forget, but my wolf couldn’t. Mate.The king couldn’t really overrule the council, could he? Certainly they’d want Adora. There was no way whatever strange tension was between the king and me would outweigh the real, tangible power the Starcrest coffers and resources would bring to Nightfall.Fina cleared her throat.I blinked back into the present.“Milady?” an unfamiliar man asked, with a tone that suggested he had already said this once or twice before. He was taller than me, with dark hair and a stern, barely lined face, in a dark military dress uniform that had a heavy cape. “Pardon me for interrupting.”“Ah.” I took a sip of my wine. “Beg your pardon.”Fina and Adora delicately took their leave, leaving me alone with the stranger. It was the proper thing to do,
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to will away the spins. The nausea worsened even when I was sitting down. How had this happened? I’d only had one glass of wine! Sure, I’d drunk it a bit quickly, but it was still just a single glass!But, I realized through the haze, it had been the only glass on the servant’s platter. Had he tampered with it in some way? Given me something to make me dizzy? But why would he do that?Why would a servant have stakes in this Choice? Someone else must’ve given it to him.“Lady Reyna?” a cold voice asked.That was not Cyran. I took a breath and looked up.Lady Glennis glared down at me impassively, looking as terrifying as ever in her dark dress gown. “Lady Reyna? Your initial trial will now begin.” “Initial?” I asked.Her expression only soured further. “Are you drunk?”“No!” I staggered to my feet, and Lady Glennis had to steady me with a hand on my upper arm. She did not look pleased about it. “I’m fine. I’m ready to begin.”She did not look convinced
My head pounded, my heart raced, sweat beaded on my forehead. My senses began to heighten:smell first, as the smell of booze and sweat began to permeate my senses. Not just sweat—the king’s sweat. The way he’d smelled in the arena. I could smell it now, and my nostrils flared.The duchess looked at the king, and he nodded once. Curt and quick. Under the careful gazes of the council, I felt like I was about to be walked to the gallows.“Majority wins,” Lady Marin said in a cold voice. “Lady Reyna progresses to the final round.” The final round—the last two contestants in the Choice.The king’s eyes gleamed gold as he watched me. Like there wasn’t anyone else in the room.That’s when it happened.My wolf surged to the surface. I was weakened from whatever had happened, exhausted from the trial, and desperate to know what in the gods’ names the council was talking about. I couldn’t hold her back anymore. I clapped my hands over my mouth as my canines elongated, and my vision sharpened;
Not with the king, of course, but in a colder climate. Somewhere like Efra.I crashed out of the tree line and into a small clearing. A few paths led to different parts of the woods, and I inhaled deeply, trying to catch a scent that wasn’t the king’s. I had no idea how far I’d run. I didn’t want to leave the king’s territory and trespass into another pack’s land.I was about to head down one of the paths, to keep the chase going, but I’d underestimated the king’s speed.He crashed into me hard, knocking me onto my side; I yelped as I hit the dirt and all the breath was knocked from my lungs. He pinned me with his weight, and before I could snap my jaws at him, his sharp teeth set at my throat and bit down. Not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough that I could feel their presence like a promise. His breath rushed hot over my pelt. I was tense beneath him, desperate to thrash and fight, but not with those teeth so close to my jugular.Then he withdrew his jaws, but kept me pi
He lay down next to me, then nosed at my neck, and at the fur behind my ear. His exhale washed over me, and having his scent so close soothed me, made my pulse slow down as exhaustion washed over. He pressed close, his warm bulk surrounding mine. Distantly, I knew this wasn’t appropriate, but the protest was faint, like a mosquito buzzing. Easy to wave away and ignore. Especially when I was so tired. And the king smelled so good. And he was so warm. And the den was so safe. I huffed an exhale and nuzzled closer.Sleep, his voice rumbled. I’ll protect us.Sleep fell over me like a heavy blanket, comfortable and warm.When I woke up, enough time had passed that the early morning light was beginning to filter intothe opening of the cave. I hummed, blinking slowly into wakefulness. My whole body was deliciously sore, like the day after a particularly good sparring session, and my usually circling thoughts were finally quieted. I nuzzled closer to the warm body beneath me. The broad, musc
Of course, I was familiar with my own body. I was a lady, but I had needs. I took care of myself. I always had. “None of your business,” I said primly.“Don’t be shy, little wolf,” the king growled—but his growl was closer to a purr. He set his hand at my lower back, and it was so big it nearly spanned the width of it. “Tell me. It will help with my dreams tonight.”“You beast,” I said before I could stop myself. My hands fluttered to his chest, as if to push him away, but I couldn’t make myself actually do it. “I won’t give you anything for your fantasies.”“You don’t need to,” he said with that smirk. “I’ve got plenty I dreamed up all on my own.”My blood roared in my ears, and I forgot the cold around me. Standing with the soft dirt under my bare feet, it was like all the pageantry of the Choice dissipated like our breaths. It was just us, together, two wolves in the crisp morning air.The king swept his hand up to my sensitive nape. He flattened his palm against it, fingertips dig
My maidservants and I made it back to my room thankfully undisturbed. Once Amity had locked the door behind me, she took the shawl and sighed. “We were so worried last night, milady,” she said. “We heard what happened at the ball.”“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll explain.”“You needn’t explain,” Rue said, “we’re just glad you’re all right.”That only made me feel worse. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “Would you mind if I took a bath?”“Of course not,” Amity said. “Rue, would you fetch Lady Reyna some breakfast?”“Certainly.” Rue opened the door, then shifted back into her wolf form to traverse the halls.Amity ran the bath, and I shed the servant’s dress and climbed in gratefully. The heat immediately soothed my sore muscles. I hurried to wash off the dirt and sweat that had accumulated from the running. There was even dirt under my toenails. Once the worst of it was off, and I was soaking, Amity poured clean hot water over my hair and began to carefully work her fingers through the tangles.
I put what I assumed to be a few months’ wages into a small bag and handed it toRue. “Will you take this to Rona’s family with my regrets?”Rue’s eyes widened. “Milady, pardon my forwardness, but I’m not sure if—”“Just offer it,” I said. “And if they refuse, then I’ll find a different way to help them. But I have to do something, if Ulfric is willing to stoop to such levels.” Rona was the one who had attacked me— but now her whole family was suffering. Not just the loss of a daughter, but the loss of a dream.“Of course,” Rue said. “Right away.”She hurried out the door. As I’d rummaged through my trunk, I’d uncovered Barion’s knife. I wrapped my hand around the hilt and pressed my lips together. It was a good blade. At the time I’d thought him a bit paranoid, but now I understood that I did need to remain armed. It seemed everywhere I turned, someone in this court was trying to harm me from the shadows. It made me feel better to have the knife in my hand.With a sigh, I nearly coll