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 small smile for that. Dinner alone with the king? And she had said an evening. That implied a little more than dinner. What kind of trial was this?
“You will have tonight to prepare,” the duchess said, “and then Lady Reyna will have dinner with the king tomorrow. Lady Adora, you will dine the next night.”
Adora swallowed. It was only the time we’d spent together that allowed me to see the irritation in her posture. “Wonderful,” she said.
“Any questions?” the duchess asked in a tone that suggested we best not have any.
We both shook our heads. The duchess took her leave without another word. Then, Adora and I were left in the freezing cold, standing stunned side by side.
“A private dinner with the king,” Adora said, sounding slightly awed. “Wow. I wonder what he’s like.”
“I wonder, too,” I lied. I wished I didn’t know a thing about the king. I wished my gut wasn’t tightening with heat and curiosity and anticipation at the thought of a dinner alone with him. I’d spent plenty of time alone with him already. I shoved down the memory of the kiss we’d shared in the middle of the forest.
That was impossible, though. The memory of the kiss made my wolf stir with interest in my chest. My wolf wanted more time with him—wanted to be close. Wanted me to remember, over and over again, his broad chest, his burning kiss, the way he’d said the word mate in the privacy of his study.
But it didn’t matter what my wolf wanted. She’d already gotten more than she deserved, with that wild run we’d taken through the woods. I had someone waiting for me at home—someone who was willing to let me live my life the way I wanted to. I had to get back to Daybreak to start my own journey, and Adora deserved to be the Queen of Frasia.
If only I could get my wolf to understand.
“O h, milady,” Amity said with a dreamy sigh. “You really do look gorgeous.” I grimaced. “This is really what the council decided on for me?”
“Sent directly from Camille’s,” Rue said. She fastened the small hook and eye closure at my lower back.
In the mirror, I hardly looked like myself at all. For the previous trials, I’d been dressed in fine gowns that represented my court: pale eggshell whites and seafoam blues, with delicate details of crystals and moonstones, cinched bodices, and long, flowing skirts. My dresses had suggested movement, ease, beauty but functionality. Things that suited me. They’d even let me wear pants! But this—this was something much different.
It was a full-length gown, but the skirt was fitted through the thigh, accentuating the curve of my leg. A slit ran from the hem of the skirt just past my knee—much higher than anything I’d ever worn! —revealing an expanse of my bare leg. It had a long neck, and full sleeves of fitted black lace, but the back was completely open. A string of small, delicate pearls held the dress closed, running across the width of my shoulders. The opalescent coloring of the pearls matched the stars embroidered at the bottom of the skirt. It was silk, slick against my skin. The entire gown was also black.
Pure black. Inky black, black as the night sky. My father never let me wore black. He’d always said it was a low-class color. I’d never understood why, but now I realized it might not have been about class at all. The black made me look older, more refined—desirable. This wasn’t a dress to impress the council with my skills or my wit. I felt like I was trotted out like a show pony for the king. I pulled my blonde hair forward over my shoulders; the contrast between the silk made it shine even brighter. Rue delicately pinned my tiara in place. The final touch.
“Are you excited?” Amity asked. “Dinner with the king in his private room. Wow.”
Anxiety fluttered in my chest. “I don’t know what to expect. Why an outfit like this?”
Amity and Rue exchanged a glance. “Because it looks lovely,” Rue said, while at the same time Amity asked, “Why do you think?”
I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. Was that really what this was about? Was I being offered up to the king on a platter like a meal? Did he intend to have sex with me, and then Adora tomorrow night? Perhaps this was the final trial—to see which of us the king was more sexually compatible with. Or, even worse, perhaps the decision had already been made and the king simply wanted a bit of fun before it was announced.
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
His eyes flashed gold as he loomed over me, his wolf close to the surface. This time it was from anger, though, not arousal. My wolf was conflicted internally, still wanting to be close to him, wanting to soothe away this rage, while my own fear of the king’s anger cut through me like a knife.“Little wolf.” Elias placed his hand by my head, caging me in against the wall. “Have you a betrothed in Daybreak?” “No,” I said immediately.He bared his teeth.I tipped my head back against the stone wall, baring my throat in a subconscious sign of submission. “No, I mean—it’s nothing official.” “Then what is it?” he demanded.“He’s—he’s my boyfriend, in Daybreak,” I said. The words felt childish even as I said them. “He has been for years. We never thought—the Choice was not supposed to happen in our lifetimes.” “And you came into my bed without telling me this?” he said. “That you belong to another?” “I don’t belong—”The animal growl that sounded from Elias’ throat silenced my protests as i
The side door opening caught Griffin’s ear. His eyes widened. “Reyna!”Instinctively, he surged forward, as if to run to me, only to be stopped by the Nightfall guards lowering their weapons like a gate in front of him. He burned with desperation, so much I saw his eyes flash clay-red as his wolf surged to the surface.I clenched my hands into fists again to keep from running toward him. I’d been so angry he’d done this, but now, seeing him, I could see the desperation and the despair in his expression—and I missed him. I missed the ease and comfort of our relationship. I wanted to embrace him. I wanted all of this to be over, to go home to Daybreak, where I knew who I was and what I wanted.“So tell us why you’ve come here, Griffin of Daybreak,” the king said from his throne. He sounded bored. “You’ve interrupted my Choice enough as it is.”“I’ve come to free Reyna from this farce,” Griffin said. “Daybreak wolves are not to be traded and tested like livestock.”“Is that what you thin