Now, I stood at the front gate of the manor. Three trunks were stacked up behind me and a fine brand-new, fur-lined coat hung over my arm. I was dressed simply in a linen skirt and blouse for the travel, but I had a fine silk gown to wear for when I made my entrance at Efra.
Over the past three days, I felt like I’d barely had a chance to breathe. I’d had my hair done, my nails groomed, my skin exfoliated, undergone a brush-up on my etiquette, and a crash course in the history of all five packs. No one knew exactly what to expect from the King’s Choice, especially one held by Nightfall after a hundred years. The best I could do was to be prepared in, well, everything.
“You think you brought enough?” Barion asked, eyeballing the three trunks stacked up behind me. He had a simple canvas bag swung over his shoulder and was dressed in his usual workwear of linen pants and boots.
“I wasn’t the one who packed them,” I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest. If it was me, I’d be traveling much lighter and covering as much distance as possible. I’d even map the journey along the way.
Barion grinned. “Figured.”
The coach, a fine, sturdy wood structure pulled by two draft horses, approached the manor. Barion gestured, and three servants hopped off the outside of the coach and hurried to load the trunks onto the cargo hold on the back. Barion swung his canvas bag on top of the trunks and fastened the straps of the hold down. Then he glanced over his shoulder at me. “You ready for this, little wolf?”
I huffed at the nickname. He hadn’t called me that since I was a girl, barely tall enough to hold a sword on my own. “I’d better be, after all the prep I just went through.”
Barion boomed his big laugh, then walked around to check the horses, just in case the stable boys weren’t up to his standards.
I glanced at the front door of the manor. My father was nowhere to be seen, and I didn’t expect him to come see me off. But part of me still ached that he hadn’t. I was his only child. There was a chance I might never return from this journey. And he couldn’t even come upstairs to say goodbye. Likely he didn’t even want to.
He was just glad to be rid of me.
“Lady Reyna!” a familiar voice called. “Reyna!”
“Oh, here we go,” Barion muttered. He shook his head and turned his attention to triple-checking the horses’ yokes.
Griffin hurried up the path to the manor, cheeks flushed with exertion. “I was afraid I’d be too late,” he said.
Affection swelled in my chest as he hurried closer. I reached for him. He took my hand in his, then smoothed his thumb over my knuckles. I tried to memorize his face: the freckles on his nose, the curve of his lips, his thoughtful green eyes. How long would it be before I saw him again? I could be eliminated after the first trial—or I could be in Efra until the bitter end.
As long as I made it back here, to Daybreak, Griffin and I could start a life far away. That would make it all worth it.
“I brought you something,” Griffin said.
I blinked. “What? Griffin, you didn’t have to—”
“I know,” he said. “I wanted to.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, then pressed it into my hand.
Inside the velvet-lined box was a pendant. It was big, really big, nearly the size of a chestnut. It was set in fine, delicate silver and surrounded by what looked like diamonds. My eyes widened.
“It’s a promise,” Griffin said. “A promise from me to you, that if something goes wrong, I’ll come for you. I won’t lose you to Nightfall.”
I nodded. The pendant was a little ostentatious for my taste—much larger than anything I’d gotten for myself—and part of me itched at the idea that Griffin thought he might have to come rescue me. I wasn’t a damsel in distress getting dragged blindly into the king’s bedroom. I was a noble and a diplomat. I was going to handle this my way, so I could build the life I wanted. Part of me thought Griffin seemed a little too sure that he’d need to rush in sword drawn, but I knew he was just as worried as I was. We both didn’t know what exactly the Choice was going to be like, and we were handling it in different ways.
“Thank you,” I said. “I love it.”
I turned around and let Griffin sweep my plait to the side to fasten the delicate chain around my neck. The pendant rested right at my sternum and caught the sunlight beautifully. It’d look much more in place with a fine gown than the plain linen I wore to travel.
I turned back around and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Take care of yourself,” I said.
“Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.”
“I should be saying that to you,” Griffin murmured. He kissed me gently on the cheek, and that felt like more of a promise than the pendant did.
“We need to head out, my lady,” Barion said, “if we want to make it to our first stop before nightfall.”
“Be safe,” Griffin said, and then with some reluctance he pulled away.
“I will,” I promised. As I climbed into the coach, I couldn’t help the twinge of excitement in my chest. This wasn’t exactly an ideal situation—but I was finally going to be able to explore some of the country with my own eyes. Some of the places I’d traced on maps I would finally get to see.
Barion climbed into the coach, rapped his knuckles on the front, and then settled onto the bench across from me with a heavy sigh. The horses nickered and began to pull us away from the manor. I leaned out of the small window of the coach and watched as Griffin shrank in size, until the manor was just a distant structure on the horizon.“I don’t get what you see in that boy,” Barion muttered. He reached into the basket he’d brought with him and ripped off a chunk of crusty bread, as if we were already hours into our journey instead of just getting started. It was early in the morning, and we’d be riding in this bumpy coach all day. “There’s plenty of other lads in Daybreak that’d be honored to court a lady of your status. I doubt thatGriffin could even raise a broadsword over his head.”“This may shock you, Barion,” I said, “but a man’s ability to wield a sword is not the most important thing to me.”“I’ve never seen him shift, either,” Barion said. “He could be a sad, mangy dog in t
“I’ll show you to your room, my lady,” he said. “These fools won’t trouble you at all.”He nodded to the haggard-looking barkeep behind the counter, who sighed and abandoned her post to lead us up the stairs. Barion gave her more than a few coins, which brightened her mood. She unlocked the furthest door in the upstairs hall with a heavy brass key and motioned me inside.Barion followed me in and set my trunk by the foot of the bed. There was already a hot bath steaming in the room, which I desperately needed after a long day on the dusty road.“To your liking, my lady?” Barion asked.“Of course,” I said. “We can have our dinner downstairs, if you’d like.”“Oh, certainly not,” Barion said. “Those brutes are nothing but trouble. I’ll have dinner sent up to your room, and I’ll be right next door should you need anything.”I nodded. “If that’s best.”“We’ll leave just after dawn tomorrow,” Barion said, “to ensure we make it to the capital in time for the welcome dinner.” He glanced aroun
“Mmf,” Barion grunted as he eased into wakefulness in the afternoon. “Ah, we must be close.There’s that cold weather the Nightfall wolves love so much.”“It’s too cold,” I huffed. “This coat isn’t enough.”“I told you to put on the thicker socks this morning,” Barion said.I sucked my teeth. I was dressed to travel and also to make an entrance at Efra, somewhere between comfort and formality. The simple dark gown and heavy cotton skirt had been uncomfortable earlier in the day but now I was grateful for its warmth. I’d tucked the pendant Griffin had given me into my trunk this morning. I didn’t want anyone in Nightfall to ask about it. Instead, I’d worn my simple silver jewelry, a necklace and rings, just in case anyone doubted my status.“Here,” Barion said as he rummaged through his canvas bag. “I brought a pair for you.”I bit back a smile. “You think of everything, don’t you?”“It’s what your father pays me for,” Barion said with a wink. He handed me a pair of wool socks, and I q
“Lovely,” she said. “Don’t worry, Barion, if the wolves of Nightfall excel at anything, it’s ensuring our guests are well-fed.” She smiled at him, and then gestured at a handful of servants lingering near the front door. They hurried forward to the coach. “My staff will show you to your quarters, Barion. As for you, Lady Reyna, I’ll escort you to your quarters myself. The staff will bring your things.”“Thank you,” I said with another small curtsy.I followed Lady Glennis into the manor. The front hall was immense, with vaulted ceilings and polished stone floors; the low heels of her boots echoed through the space. The stained-glass windows were covered, but the room was well-lit with torches and a huge, roaring hearth, making it feel warm and cozy despite its size. She led me up the immense staircase in the center of the hall, then down a narrower path, to what I assumed must be the guest quarters.“I hope the journey was kind to you?” Lady Glennis asked.“Oh, it was lovely,” I said.
Breakfast, Rue revealed, was sausage, eggs, crusty bread, and hot coffee. I was almost relieved— part of me had been expecting a raw leg of deer or something. Maybe that was what the king had but wasn’t going to subject his guests to it quite yet. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and found a plush pair of slippers waiting. As soon as I’d slipped my feet inside, Rue hurried over with a fine robe and pulled it over my shoulders.“Good, good,” she said. “Eat first then we’ll help you prepare for the day. First impressions are the most important, you know.”I sat down at the table, and Rue briskly fixed my coffee with fresh milk and a touch of honey.“Thanks,” I murmured. “Just the way I like it.” After the first sip, my brain started to slowly rouse into wakefulness. “How did you know?”Rue just winked at me. “In two hours, Lady Glennis has requested your presence in the Solarium. You’ll be introduced to the other suitors of the Choice before all five of you are introduced to the
I tried not to scowl at my reflection and mostly succeeded. I hated the thought of the king looking at me and imagining my wolf—she was a private part of my soul, and I loathed to share her with the world at all.“That’s fine,” I said.To her credit, Amity seemed to understand I wasn’t interested in chatting. Hopefully, she’d just chalk it up to nerves. True to her word, she only put a small amount of makeup on me—a tint to my lips and a blush on my cheeks, making me look a little more doe-eyed and innocent than I wanted to. Then, from the drawer of the vanity, she pulled out a fine silver box.“You’ll be wearing this today,” she said. “Lady Glennis had them made for all the contestants of the Choice.” She opened the box and revealed a delicate tiara.It was silver, with delicate white stone cut in the shape of a semicircle, flanked by nine small diamonds. “This stone… Is it…?”“Moonstone, yes,” Amity confirmed.“It’s lovely,” I murmured. I’d seen jewelry made with moonstone at the ma
She liked having the wolves at her side, liked feeling protected, and knowing other wolves were close by. The itch to shift was at the base of my skull, but it was a small, familiar sensation, and one I easily ignored.We made our way to the solarium, which seemed to act like a central courtyard. It was like a gorgeous, domed greenhouse, with the sunlight falling in through the thick glass panels and snow gathered at the rivets where the panels connected, but the space inside was much warmer than the air outside. Still cool enough that my Daybreak-acclimated self needed my long sleeves, but certainly comfortable.The space was full of plants that seemed to be adequately taken care of. None of the ferns looked particularly happy and some of the flowers were drooping, but it was overall lush and a clear display of wealth and status. Not everyone had the capacity to keep such aesthetic greenery alive in these temperatures. I couldn’t help but wonder if these were plants my grandfather, C
We had a cup each and some vaguely awkward chitchat, carried mostly by Fina doing her best to get us all to open up. But the other contestants were either uninterested, or simply anxious, waiting for the official start of the competition.Luckily for Fina, we didn’t have to wait long. The door to the solarium opened. Lady Glennis strode in, her heels cracking on the fine stone floor. Her simple green gown was cinched at the waist, functional, but still elegant. She had a notebook open in her arm and a severe look on her face.My heart dropped. What could an expression like that mean? If the king was already in a bad mood, I certainly didn’t want to be the one to meet him. What happened to make the Lady Glennis look so openly upset?“Good morning, ladies,” Glennis said curtly. “I trust you’ve enjoyed making your introductions.” She peered at us, brows raised slightly. We all nodded and murmured our affirmatives.“Good,” she said. “Unfortunately, there’s been a change of schedules. The