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 wolf has to offer?” The announcer waved his hand at the staging area.
“Bring the challenger out!”
Two guards stepped out of the staging area, hauling Griffin with them. Even with all he’d done, my heart still broke at the sight of it—he looked dirty and wild, with his wrists and ankles shackled together. The guards unshackled him and shoved him toward the middle of the arena. The announcer jumped back in theatrical faux-fright, and the crowd tittered with laughter.
Griffin straightened up. He bared his teeth at the crowd, and they let out a collective ‘oooh’ of amused fright. His clay-red gaze met mine, and fury burned there. At me or at Nightfall, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care. I sat impassively and met his gaze. Let him see me in the colors of Nightfall. I was not his prize.
“And now,” the announcer said, “let this challenger meet his fate by the jaws of the true King of
Frasia: King Elias of Nightfall.”
Somehow the shouts were impossibly louder, and the stomping impossibly heavy.
From the opposite end of the arena, the king strode out.
He wasn’t dressed like a king at all. He was barefoot, in plain slacks and a white shirt with the collar open despite the chill in the air. His dark hair was tied back, but no crown graced his forehead. No cloak on his shoulders. The only thing that betrayed his regality was his posture. Even when he was dressed plainly, he moved like a king, with confidence and power.
His eyes met mine. They flashed gold as he pressed his lips to his fingers and gestured toward me. I nodded my acknowledgment, but did no more than that, even as my wolf shivered with delight at the greeting. Then he held up a hand and the stadium fell silent as if he’d cast a spell.
“This wolf has challenged me for my throne,” the king boomed. “I am not a king who backs down from an honorable challenge. But to interrupt my Choice, and attempt to claim my betrothed?” He bared his teeth at Griffin. “I will not stand for such insolence and disrespect. You and your pack will pay for your foolishness.”
His ferocious words chilled even the jolly announcer. He stepped back, looked between them, then said, “Begin.”
Griffin charged forward toward the king. The crowd exploded with noise again. He sprang off the balls of his feet and shifted in mid-air, clothes tearing off his body as his wolf exploded forward. I’d never seen his wolf from a distance like this, only up close when I was shifted, as well. He was a large, strong wolf, with a sleek body and a ruddy red pelt like a darker, browner version of his hair. His eyes gleamed the deep clay-red of Daybreak, and he pulled his lips back to expose his long, fierce fangs.
The king sidestepped the jump easily. Griffin’s paws dug into the sand as he landed, stumbling forward as he caught his balance. Then, the king shifted himself. Even though I’d seen it a few times, the appearance of his wolf never failed to send a shiver down my spine. He was bigger than Griffin, and broader; the dawn light gleamed on his shining, dark pelt.
He wasted no time. Under the roar of the crowd, the king dug his hind paws into the dirt of the arena and lunged forward, head down, and threw his weight hard into Griffin’s side. Griffin yelped and stumbled, flopped onto his side and then his back, and the king pushed him, snarling and snapping his jaws as Griffin slammed his paws against the king’s snout.
Before the king could pin him, Griffin used his smaller size to wriggle out and leap backward. His hackles were raised, fur up along his spine as he snarled at the king and then sprang forward with shocking fearlessness. Briefly, they tussled in the center of the arena, jaws knocking against each other and eyes blazing as they snarled their rage.
The king knocked Griffin to his side again, then lunged forward to pin him. This time, though, Griffin briefly shifted back into his human form. Nude and streaked with dirt from the arena, he slid effortlessly under the king’s huge body and hopped to his feet behind the king. It was an impressive maneuver—he had been training. This was the skilled, quick shifting of a warrior. I’d never seen him fight like this. Next to me, the duchess hummed in interest; a tiny smile played on her face. The other council members had their attention still fixed on the fight below, but the duchess looked almost amused. Was she impressed by Griffin’s performance?
Did Griffin actually have a chance here?
Griffin shifted back into his wolf form, just as quick as he’d shifted out, and closed his jaws over the king’s hind leg. The king howled his pain and rage, then kicked back hard, dislodging Griffin’s jaws with one hard push. Dark blood streamed from the bite wound on his flank; the crowd gasped.
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
A soft knock on the door caught my attention. I glanced over at the door, then sighed and settled back against the headboard. I didn’t want Amity and Rue to know I was awake. Eventually, I’d have to face them—there was a wedding to plan, after all—but so far they’d respected my need for privacy. At some point they’d insist I face the court, but I was putting that off as long as I could.There was another knock on the door, sharper this time. More insistent. Maybe it was Fina or Adora, but I wasn’t quite ready to face them, either. I gazed out the window, as if I ignored the knocking enough, it’d stop all together.That was not the case. Another series of sharp, demanding knocks. I heaved a sigh and finally stood up. Whoever was at my door wasn’t giving up. I pulled on my robe and cinched it tight around my waist, then turned toward the door.Before I could take a step, it swung open.The king stood at the other side of the threshold, and he looked terrible. He had dark circles under h
Everything in my mind was so turned around.“Griffin was in the dungeons the entire time,” the king said. His voice wasn’t accusatory, more interested and curious. “When exactly did you speak to him? The guards never informed me that you paid him a visit.”I blanched. Right—well. If I wasn’t fleeing Efra, I had no reason to keep it to myself, and my foggy mind wasn’t up to crafting a lie.“I used the tunnel system under the manor,” I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Did you not know about it?”The king raked one hand through his hair. “Do you have any booze in your chambers?” He cast his gaze around imploringly.Despite it all, I bit back a small smile. “I’m not much of a drinker.”He opened the door and stuck his head out. “Go fetch me some brandy, will you?” Then he closed the door and dropped into one of the heavy armchairs by the low fire. “How exactly did you find out about these tunnels? The system isn’t common knowledge among the court.”“Isn’t it a bit e
My wolf whined internally. I’d never spoken like this to anyone—least of all the king. In my grief, I didn’t care. Consequences be damned. He needed to realize the extent of what he’d done. “Reyna, please,” he said softly. “What can I do to fix this?”“Nothing,” I said. “Not now. I just—I need time. A lot has changed. I have to accept that.”“Am I that bad?” the king asked. His expression was soft and almost hurt. “Is marrying me such a nightmare?”“I don’t know,” I admitted. I set my glass down and washed my face in my hands. “I don’t know anything right now. I thought I knew where I fit in this world, but that’s all been taken away from me. I have to figure out who I am—what I’m supposed to be. If the queendom is only about death and blood —I can’t do it. There has to be more than that.”Again, I expected the king to argue with me. But when I looked up, he was just watching me with a furrow in his brow and that same curious, sad look on his face. He nodded. “I understand.”“You do?”
We made our way through the room, greeting the guests before we made our way to the seats at the head of the table. As the king was roped into a boisterous chat with Cyran, my father strode over with his wine glass in hand.“Reyna,” he said with a warm tone I’d never heard him deploy at home. “It’s so wonderful to see you. What an honor to be the victor of the King’s Choice.” He leaned close to kiss me on the cheek, and then whispered sharply into my ear, “We must speak. Find me after dinner.”I swallowed and reared back, but none of the guests seemed to notice, busy as they were taking their own places at the table.The Duke of Daybreak took his place to the right of me, next to the duchess. I didn’t like how close they were seated to each other—it was making my wolf whine with displeasure. As soon as the wine was poured, my father stood up from his seat and raised his glass high.“To the King and future Queen of Frasia,” he boomed. “I am honored to call you my daughter, Lady Reyna.”
The king walked me to the center of the dance floor, where the other dancers parted easily for us to take our place. The music swept around me, slow and pleasant. The king placed his hand at the small of my back; his hand was so big it nearly spanned the width. He guided my hand to his shoulder, and instinctively I set my hand at his nape. The king’s eyes flashed gold at the touch, and he hitched me a little closer as he took my hand in his to lead the dance.Being this close, my worries began to melt away. I felt the switch as if it was happening to someone else. I knew the knots in my stomach shouldn’t be loosening, and my attention shouldn’t be drifting from my father—but I couldn’t help it. It was like the king’s touch made my body relax, which in turn eased my mind. It was so easy to let myself be led by him in a slow, comfortable waltz. Desire rolled subtly inside me, in the cradle of my hips. The memory of that night in his room lived in my body, and the closeness ignited a spa
“But that’s finished,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I never should’ve considered that moron an option at all. Not when I had the smarter of you two already here in Efra.” He grinned, wolfish, and his eyes gleamed clay-red—I’d never seen his wolf so close to the surface before. I shivered, cold fear tightening around my heart. “I know you won’t fail me the way Griffin did, my dear Reyna.”“What do you mean?” I asked quietly. “What do you want from me?”“Daybreak will rule Frasia again,” my father growled. “That man—that false king—only sits on the throne because of the violence of his father. If he thinks he can succeed with this farce, he is more of a fool than I ever imagined. When you marry, you will be heir to the throne.” “And I will be a wolf of Nightfall,” I said. My voice only shook minutely.“That doesn’t matter,” my father said. From his belt, he pulled a small knife, sheathed in leather, and handed it to me hilt-first. “Take this. You will return the throne t
“Oh, gods,” I murmured as Amity walked in with a dress box nearly as big as she was. “What’s this?”“It’s from Camille’s,” Amity said. “Tatina sent it. She designed it herself.”Carefully, Amity and Rue pulled the dress from the box and unfurled it. It was a gorgeous gown in purple so dark it looked black, except for when the light hit it from a certain angle. Diamonds gleamed in the full skirt, threaded into it like errant snowflakes, and the bodice was tight and highnecked, though the back plunged down under my shoulder blades. It was elegant: a little sultry but not too exposing.“And look,” Rue said. She tucked her hand into the skirt, wiggling her fingers in the opening.“Pockets.”In the box, a note rested at the bottom of the box, where it had been hidden by the silk. I picked it up. A gift for the future Queen of Frasia, it read in fine cursive script. May this be the start of the rest of your life. Tatina herself had signed it, alongside Camille’s seal.Behind my dressing scr