I blinked hard, fighting back tears again. How could Griffin be so stupid? After a long moment, I said, “Just don’t go through with it. Call off the challenge, and I’ll be your queen.”
“I can’t do that,” he said, with something in his voice that almost sounded like regret.
“Why not?” I demanded. “You’re king!”
“And the rules of a king are different than the rules of a mate,” he said. “A king cannot back out of a challenge. To do so is to display weakness. What else would I do—punish your Griffin unfairly? Put him in the stocks? I can’t send him back to Daybreak when he’s so audaciously brought soldiers to my doorstep. Word would travel.”
“What do you care about words?” I asked. “Is your reputation more important than a wolf’s life?”
“It’s not my reputation I’m concerned about. If other wolves hear they can issue a challenge without consequence, they’ll circle like vultures. I will not put my subjects at risk of invasion because your little boyfriend thought he could challenge me.” He shook his head. “The honorable thing is to accept. I know the rules of Nightfall don’t appeal to you, but I adhere to them. I’m an honorable king.”
“There’s nothing honorable about cold-blooded murder,” I said. “Griffin doesn’t know what he asks.”
“I can’t do anything about that,” the king said. “He has issued the challenge.”
The worst part of all of this was a small part of me knew the king was right. It was bad enough for Daybreak’s reputation that Griffin had come here at all. The only thing worse for our pack would be Griffin turned into a laughingstock. At least if Griffin failed the challenge, it would be with honor.
And I could redeem my pack if I became queen.
If I became queen. Was I really considering it?
There had to be a better way. There had to be a solution. It couldn’t end like this. I turned away. “Just go,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please.”
The king took a step forward tentatively, hands open at his sides like he wanted to reach for me. I turned away, furthering the distance between us. I closed my eyes tightly, fighting back tears again. I wouldn’t let him see me like this.
“Please,” I said again, my voice terribly small.
The king inhaled like he was about to say something. But then, to my surprise, he simply exhaled, turned and left.
I crawled into my bed and let the tears pour out of me unencumbered. In the cold darkness of my quarters, it all felt impossible. Impossible, unreal—worse than I’d ever imagined. I’d never see Daybreak again.
T
he next morning, I made my way down to the solarium for breakfast with Amity escorting me in her wolf form. It was surprisingly normal at this point—normal enough that I could almost ignore the cold weight in my chest. I’d barely slept, and I knew it showed in my face. It was only the promise of breakfast that had gotten me out of bed at all. Fina and Adora would be there, and I needed to talk to a friend, someone I trusted. I needed advice.
I stepped into the solarium. Fina and Adora were already seated at the table, and Lady Glennis was there as well, seated at the head of the table with her manicured fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee.
“There are you, Lady Reyna,” she said. “Please, join us.”
I offered her a small smile, even as my heart sank. The last thing I wanted was to plaster on my good-competitor expression and face Lady Glennis.
I took my seat at the table and found my appetite was suddenly gone. Fina and Adora watched me with concern.
“Now with Reyna here, will you tell us what happened last night?” Fina asked. “The commotion woke me up, but I wasn’t allowed to leave my quarters.”
“Nor was I,” Adora said. Her concerned expression carried a hint of suspicion. “What happened?”
“We had a visit from a Daybreak convoy,” Lady Glennis said demurely.
Adora’s eyes snapped to me. “What do you mean, a visit?”
“A member of the Court of Daybreak surprised us with a visit,” she explained, “late in the evening, and challenged for the throne.”
“What?” Fina reared back, nearly rocking her chair onto the back two legs. “A challenge? Against the king?”
The polite smile never left Lady Glennis’ face. “Exciting, isn’t it?” she said in a tone that suggested it very much was not. “Hence the commotion last night. But that isn’t why I’ve joined you this morning.” She took a sip of her coffee, then dabbed her napkin elegantly at the corner of her mouth. “The king has made his decision. Lady Reyna of Daybreak will be the next Queen of Frasia.” Adora’s jaw dropped.
Stunned silence hung over the table. I folded my hands in my lap and stared down at them. I couldn’t bear to meet Adora’s eyes—she knew I didn’t want this. And I knew she did.
“Pardon?” Adora said icily. “There must be a misunderstanding.”
“No misunderstanding,” Lady Glennis said. “The king has made his decision.”
“But—but—” Adora sputtered. When I looked up, she was staring at Lady Glennis with her eyes wide and a flush high on her cheeks. “But that’s not fair!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t participate in the final trial!”
Fina met my eyes. She looked almost relieved, more so than happy—that was strange. Relieved because this was over? But didn’t she want to stay in Efra? And—she also knew Adora wanted this so badly.
Lady Glennis said nothing, just watched Adora with a delicately arched brow. Adora stood up angrily from the table and smacked one hand on the table hard enough that my mug rattled, the coffee threatening to slosh over the lip. It was a rare display of anger from her.
“What happened?” Adora demanded. She turned her gaze to me, and her eyes flashed silver as her anger brought her wolf closer to the surface. “What did you do? Did you sleep with him? Is that why he chose you?”
My face flushed. It was my turn for my jaw to drop. Adora putting me on the spot like this—in front of Lady Glennis? “No!” I said. “Of course not, I did no such thing!”
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the truth, either. But what had happened between the king and me was private.
“This is unbelievable,” Adora snapped. “Why was there a final trial if it wasn’t a trial at all? Had the king already made up his mind? We all know his attention has been focused on Reyna since the beginning. How farcical!” She sniffed, then smoothed one hand over fine blonde hair. “How could you accept this?” she asked me.“Accept this? Adora, you know this isn’t—I never—” I glanced toward Lady Glennis, who was watching us both with mild interest. “You know this isn’t how I wanted this to happen. We both know you would be a fine queen.”Her expression softened as she heard the unspoken part of my statement. That this isn’t what I wanted. That she deserved it, not me. If I could, I’d switch places with her immediately, regardless of whatever feelings I felt for the king. Anger and desire and—and something else, something I wasn’t sure what to call.“I know I would,” Adora said. “That’s the worst part.” She cleared her throat, then nodded at the table and Lady Glennis. “Thank you, mila
Focus. I pulled a few maps from the shelves. Something here would point me in the right direction. As I smoothed out the first map, I found I couldn’t focus on the delicate lines of ink illustrating the cities and packs of Frasia. There was so much of the country we hadn’t seen. All the places we’d meant to visit together—the small towns, the tall mountain ranges, the deep forests, the sea between Frasia and Askon.Griffin couldn’t die. Not like this. Not in the arena at the end of the king’s blade. He was my safe place for so long, my only friend in Daybreak, and the only one who listened to me when I spun out my dreams of a different, bigger life. Even now, with this stupid decision, he’d done it for me. He’d wanted that life together, too.I put the large map of Frasia aside and unfurled a different one. This was a current map, of Efra as it was built today, with its crowded streets and its bustling industry. I sighed as I traced the paths of the city I’d visited. The beautiful wal
I unfurled the map in my mind. According to the chart, there was an entrance into the tunnel system just under the window at the far end of the hall. There, a landscape portrait hung on the wall beside the window—an image of the forest that was visible outside, and a fairly unimpressive rendering of it, at that. I’d thought it was just a boring decorative choice, like most of the decor in the Nightfall manor. Now I wondered if it had a purpose.I leaned close to the painting, but it was just that: a painting. Dull trees, snow, a gray sky, a few wolf tracks visible in the snowbanks. I wrinkled my nose, leaning closer. There had to be a clue in the painting, something that would show me how to get into the tunnel system. I smoothed my hand over the frame. Did it move? Was there something behind it?As I knelt down slightly to feel the bottom of the frame, a breeze whispered over my fingers.There was something there. I knelt further, pressing my hand against the frame. There was a seam
The tunnel doorway opened into a hallway. It wasn’t the earthen-floored darkness of the tunnel system, but more like the servants’ hallways that snaked on the lower floors of the manor. It was narrow with stone walls and dim lighting.I pushed the secret door to the tunnel closed behind me. The cold air was permeated with a terrible stench of ammonia and iron – piss and blood. Then, a wail cut through the air, low and long. A weak cry of pain. Behind that, a howl sounded. A thump like a body being struck. The scrape of metal on metal.Cold fear crawled into my throat. The dungeons weren’t just a holding place—people were being hurt. I pulled my knife from my waistband and crept down the narrow hallway, toward the terrible sounds calling me like a dark siren. The hallway led to an immense archway. There wasn’t even a door. The dungeons were just open, as if I were already in the dungeons now. I most likely was. The tunnels had been a secret entrance. I’d bet that behind me, at the far
“Did you think I was happy waiting for you? We had no timeline for marriage. You wouldn’t even kiss me. I’m a wolf, Reyna, I have needs. I can’t be told to wait.” Again, his eyes flashed as he looked at me, hunger and desire evident in his gaze. My wolf cowered, pulling away from him. “A wolf isn’t supposed to run from a fight,” he continued. “I won’t run from Daybreak to follow your flights of fancy. I’m meant to be a leader. An alpha. When I kill the king, I’ll take what I’ve always been owed.”Under his burning gaze, I wasn’t sure if he meant the crown—or me. Nausea turned my stomach. This wasn’t the man I’d loved. Was this who Griffin truly was? Had everything we’d had together been a lie?“You never loved me,” I said. “You just wanted a way into the court.”“I do love you,” he said. “But you can’t run from who you are. You are a Lady of the Court, and now you will be queen.”I’d never seen Griffin like this, bloodthirsty and single-minded. “I won’t be a part of this,” I said.“I
Griffin didn’t seem to think that was the case, though. He didn’t know what he was doing. Somehow, that made it worse. As angry and betrayed as I was, I at least wished he had the sense to know he couldn’t beat the king. I didn’t want to be with him, but I didn’t want to watch him die. No wolf wanted to watch her packmate die.But—was he even my packmate anymore?My father had planned all of this. My father had used me as bait, placing me in Efra to give Griffin a reason to challenge. Would a pack leader do that to one of his own?Did I have nowhere I belonged?The only thing I knew for sure right now was that the only wolf I could trust was myself. There was nothing I could do to stop this challenge, and with Griffin’s admission, I had no reason to, either. At least the king hadn’t lied to me. He’d confused me, challenged me, irritated me—but he hadn’t lied to me. I sighed. It was a low bar, but he was one of the few men in my life who hadn’t crossed it.So today, I would look the pa
Horns blared, and then a young wolf dressed in bright purple bounded into the center of the arena. He spread his arms wide, and the arena erupted into cheers and shouts so loud it sent me flinching backward. The force of the sound was like a wave. People stood up, waved their hands, and threw paper into the arena in excitement.“Good morning,” the announcer called in a voice as bright as a bell. “To my Ladies of the Court and my lovely council members.” He swept into a bow, then straightened up and spun gracefully on his heel to see the arena. “And to the wolves of Nightfall!”The people stomped on the stands, creating a thunderous effect that made the entire stadium rumble beneath me. I gripped the arms of my seat, shocked by the power of the response.“Wolf Griffin of Pack Daybreak has graced us with his presence this morning,” the announcer shouted, “and challenged our king for the right to the throne!” Boos and hisses filled the air with animal ferocity.“Shall we see what this wo
Now the king was angry. I could sense it radiating off him, and my wolf could feel it, too, hunkering down in my chest. He’d been playing with Griffin before, and now Griffin had proven himself a stronger challenger than the king had expected. The king growled, stalking closer. Griffin met his gaze steadily, head low and lips drawn back.Then Griffin lunged forward again. In his confidence, he jumped high, aiming to get his mouth around the king’s neck. But the king saw it coming. He ducked low, so Griffin was nearly on top of him, then slammed his jaws closed hard on Griffin’s front leg, right at the top near the shoulder. The bone crunched under the pressure and Griffin yowled, high and pained. My skin crawled at the sound, and I leaned forward slightly in an attempt to see better. Blood stained the dirt of the arena.The king released him, his teeth stained red. He growled again, hackles up and his head low— another space in the battle for Griffin to submit.I squeezed my hands int