I raised my eyebrows. In the manor, there were always prying eyes and ears. I wanted to hear why Fina had been eliminated—and if the council had said anything about me or Adora. I needed to be prepared for the rest of this competition in any way I could be.
“I’ll need to get some extra layers,” Fina said, “but I’d love to.”
Adora laughed. “Let me fetch you a pair of my extra gloves,” she said. “They’ll change your life.”
We parted ways to hurry to our rooms to get our cloaks, with plans to meet outside the manor near the gardens. As I made my way down the quiet hall toward my quarters, a dark figure turned the corner, heading toward my room.
I paused. The figure was too tall to be one of my maidservants. Who would be creeping toward my room? I pulled the knife from my waistband and unsheathed it. I was done taking chances around this manor.
Slowly, quietly, I crept around the corner, blade drawn.
Standing at my door was the tall general from last night. Cyran. He had sharp hearing and turned toward me as soon as I took a step, his eyes immediately flitting to the knife in my hand.
I shoved it back in its sheath in my waistband. “Good day,” I said curtly.
Cyran bit back a smile. “I see the lady is well-prepared.”
“May I ask why you’ve come to my quarters?” I asked. I kept my distance.
“I came to see if you were all right,” Cyran said. “You seemed unwell last night after our dance, and then, well…” He gestured vaguely in the air.
I cringed. Every person I ran into would likely have something to say about my shift last night. At least internally my wolf was settled and not demanding my attention at every look and word. It was as if letting her run had calmed her down a little. Small blessings, I supposed. “Let me step inside and fetch my cloak.”
Cyran nodded and stepped aside to let me slip into my room. Inside, the cloak the king had given me was folded neatly at the foot of my bed. I smoothed my hand over the rough canvas fabric, then, before I could realize what I was doing, I leaned forward and pressed my nose to the fabric. It smelled mostly of detergent and the crisp air it had been dried in, but still faintly beneath that I could detect the dirt of the cave, the barest hint of the king’s musk. That made my wolf stir.
As much as I wanted to wear it, for the simple instinctive pleasure it brought me, I couldn’t risk someone else picking up the faint scents. I pulled my usual cloak from the wardrobe and tugged it over my shoulders.
When I stepped out, Cyran was waiting for me. I was slightly surprised to still see him there, and glad I still had my knife at my waistband.
“Where are you off to on such a cold day?” he asked.
“Taking a stroll through the gardens with the other competitors,” I said. “Since the Choice is coming to a close soon, we’d like to enjoy our remaining time together.”
Cyran tilted his head, surprised. “You’re friends with the other ladies?”
“Why, of course,” I said. “Is that so unexpected?”
“Well, I’d assume you wouldn’t be friends with the other women,” he said. “Since you are all competing to be by the king’s side.”
“I’m here to represent my court and my pack,” I said. “Why would I be rude to the other competitors? It would disgrace my family.”
Cyran hummed his acknowledgment. As we strode down the halls toward the gardens, Cyran fell in step with me easily. “You didn’t answer my question,” he said.
“Which?” I asked.
“If you are all right, after last night.”
I sighed, grateful for the quiet of the hallways. “I’m fine,” I said.
“You seemed quite intoxicated,” he said carefully.
“I wasn’t,” I said shortly. “I only had the one glass of wine. I believe someone slipped something into it.”
Cyran paused. “You believe someone drugged you?”
“I don’t have a better explanation,” I said. The knife in my waistband and the servants passing by gave me a boost of courage. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” “What are you implying?” Cyran asked, low.
“Just asking a question,” I said. “The wine was brought to me specifically, and I don’t know who sent it. It coincided with your asking me to dance. I wondered if you saw anything suspicious.”
From the narrowing of his eyes, he knew as well as I did that I wasn’t asking if he had seen anything. “Of course not, milady,” he said. “Had I seen anything of the sort, the culprit would’ve been killed where he stood.”
“I suppose that is the Nightfall way,” I said. “And you are a general.”
My acquiescence bettered his mood. He straightened up. “I am. Though these days, I am more of a peacekeeper.”
“No battles on the horizon?”
“The court has no enemies,” he said. He sounded almost wistful. “In times like this, my role is to keep our soldiers trained and prepared, and to develop new strategies for the continued growth and success of the pack.”
I peered at him. “I admit, General, that it sounds like you would rather be leading them into battle.”
“I cannot deny it,” he said. “A soldier is meant for the battlefield. As much as I am grateful for times of peace, part of me always longs for the simplicity of war.”
I hummed. Maybe that would be why the king chose Adora—to have full control over the moonstone resources, to fund a push into new territory. I could only hope Cyran was throwing his weight behind her as a candidate, as well.
Maybe that was a good reason for him to get rid of me. If the king was interested in me, perhaps it was easier for a war-hungry general to remove me from the equation.We reached the doors to the manor. Fina and Adora were already waiting on the small patio that led out to the gardens, bundled in scarves and cloaks. Fina, as promised, had on a pair of fine white gloves of Adora’s. They both glanced up curiously when the door opened, and then nodded their heads in greeting at Cyran.“Thank you for the escort, General,” I said.“My pleasure,” Cyran said. He cast his eyes to the other two with interest. “Enjoy your stroll.”16The gardens were beautiful but bare in the winter cold. As soon as we began to walk, the clouds covered the sun, ridding us of the only respite we had from the freezing cold. I tugged my cloak tighter around my shoulders and tried to keep my teeth from chattering.“Goodness,” I said. “I did think the sun would be out this afternoon.”Fina looked up at the sky. As
That was apparently the right decision. The duchess paid her no mind as she disappeared into the manor. Adora and I stood side by side in front of her, both of us red-cheeked from the walk, with snow in our pale blonde hair. The duchess didn’t look happy to see either of us. “The council had decided one more trial is in order to decide which of you is fit to become Queen of Frasia.”Adora nodded, and I did the same. It was admittedly hard to find the right words when faced with the queen staring me down like this.“You will both be spending an evening with the king,” she said. “Dinner.” “Alone?” I asked.The duchess’ gaze slid to me. “Yes,” she said. “Alone. Is that a problem, Lady Reyna?” “N-no,” I stammered. “No, not a problem at all.”“I would hope not,” the duchess said, “as this is the man who may become your husband. I would hope you did not require a chaperone to be comfortable in his presence.”“Of course not,” Adora said. “It’s an honor, Duchess.”The duchess afforded Adora a
Well, if he thought I would debase myself like that before the commitment of marriage, he was a fool.I squared my shoulders. It was only dinner. If the king tried for more, I’d simply stop him. Whatever strangeness had happened between us in the privacy of the woods would not be repeated— especially not in a context like this.“Are you ready, milady?” Rue asked.I nodded. Amity opened the door, then the girls shifted into their wolf forms to escort me through the halls to the king’s private quarters. His quarters were near the center of the manor, on the top floor, away from the hustle and bustle of the court’s daily activities. The wolves led me up a gorgeous staircase to a small private landing, which led to a plain wooden door.As I stood in front of the door, my palms began to sweat.This was really happening. The last time I’d been alone with the king—that kiss—No, I couldn’t think about that now. If everything went as planned, this would be the last time I’d spend any time alo
“I hear you’ve been spending most of your free time with Fina and Adora,” the king said. He took a bite of the well-seasoned meat first, and I did the same. It was so tender it nearly melted on my tongue. “And that this is why Fina has chosen to stay in Efra for the remainder of the competition despite her dismissal.”I nodded. “They’re lovely women. They’ve been so kind to me throughout this process. The competition is a bit nerve-racking” –that made the king smirk— “and having those friendships has made it much easier. Especially for me, since I’ve never had many friends at home.”The words were simply spilling off my tongue, but this time it wasn’t the wine forcing my hand. It was just the king’s presence. Even with my nerves and my wolf’s sudden wakefulness, the king’s attention was so…simple. In this context, without the council around us, or the prying eyes of the court, or my confusion about his attention in the quiet of the halls or the spell of the forest, he looked curious.
My hands fluttered to his chest, smoothing over the plane of muscle to wrap around him and pull him closer. It was instinctive. It felt good—it felt right. He slid his hand from my waist to my bare back and the contact burned like a brand.“No, Lady Reyna,” the king growled against my lips. His voice rumbled through me, making both me and my wolf shiver in pleasure. “You will be my queen. The Queen of Frasia.” His fingertips pressed into my back. “My mate.”I gasped against his mouth as my wolf howled in delight internally. Mate. The word made my blood sing and desire curl hot and low in my gut. He pulled me closer and bared his teeth into the kiss. With ease, he grasped my hips and dragged me into his lap, so my knees were astride his pelvis, the silk of the dress hiked high and straining tight. The cold breeze brushed against my bare calves but I hardly felt it at all, lost instead in the feeling of his hands roaming up and down my back, down to the swell of my ass, smoothing over t
He carried me like I weighed nothing, back into his quarters and through the door to his bedroom.He kissed my neck, then placed me gently onto the center of his immense, soft bed, its dark sheets mussed. My heart raced, blood pounding in my ears as I wiggled further back until my head was resting on the soft pillows that smelled strongly of his rich, masculine musk. My wolf nearly purred with delight, safe and aroused and desiring so strongly.The king stood at the foot of the bed, gazing at me with his brown eyes flashing gold. There was a flush high on his cheeks, and his mouth was red from the kissing—I wanted those lips on mine again, immediately. I reached for him, a wordless sound of desire falling out of my mouth. He immediately crawled onto the bed, knee-walking up until his knees were astride my thighs. Then he lowered down, weight on one forearm, and kissed me deeply. He skated his other hand over my shoulder and upper arm, then over the swell of my breast, his thumb catchi
I whined, low in my throat. I wanted him inside me, even if it was just one finger—wanted it so bad I couldn’t help but rock my hips down as if I could encourage him to change his mind. He just laughed, low in his chest. “Suddenly so eager, my wolf.” His. His. I swallowed down my moan of pleasure.He withdrew his hands, and I was about to complain again—but then he slid down the bed. Until he was flat on his belly with his hands on my thighs. His face between my legs.“Oh, gods,” I gasped, and threw one arm over my eyes. I couldn’t stand to look at him. I was already close, teetering on the brink just from being touched. And now he was going to do—that?“Pretty thing,” he growled. His breath washed over my cunt and I swore it throbbed with desire. I became impossibly wetter, wet enough that I had to be dripping onto his fine sheets. He gripped my thighs and spread them wider. “Been dreaming of this.”I flexed my thighs under his hands, just to feel how easily he pinned me in place. He
Then he stepped away and into the ensuite. I sprawled out onto the mattress with a sigh, stretching out my limbs across his fine sheets. Even with my dress still rucked up around my waist, I felt comfortable, sated. My wolf did, too. I could easily fall asleep here, in the warmth of his quiet quarters, with the fire burning low in the hearth and the sound of water running and idle puttering coming from the bathroom. Sleep was already beginning to tug at the edges of my consciousness when Elias stepped back into the room. He’d removed his shirt, revealing all that muscle and dark hair and soft skin, and interest curled hot inside me even though I’d just had the most powerful orgasm of my life. He seemed to notice the effect he had and smiled as he approached the bed. He had a washcloth in hand, and the promising hard curve in his pants was gone as well.I reached for the washcloth, but he just shook his head and crawled back onto the bed. Tenderly, he cleaned up the mess of my inner th