After him, Lady Marin stepped up and offered similar sentiments. I thanked her as well.
And then Lord Elfriede and Lady Oleta. And Lady Glennis. And Cyran. And Roth.
Then other court members, ones I didn’t know, began to step forward and introduce themselves. They offered congratulations, and small tokens: elegant jewelry, ornately embroidered handkerchiefs, fine chocolates.
Quickly, it all began to run together. The words “thank you, I’m honored, you’re so kind,” quickly lost any meaning in my mind. By the time I had finished all the requisite greetings, I was exhausted and desperately in need of a glass of wine. My father had not moved from his own seat at a table across the room. He was fixated more on the brandy in front of him as he made idle conversation with some of the other guests. He did not look happy to be in the room at all—our last talk hung over me like a thundercloud.
“I need some fresh air,” I said to the king. “I’ll be just a moment.”
He tilted his head. “Of course.” I’d half-expected him to stop me, but he only pulled his cloak off his shoulders and wound it around mine instead. It was bigger than my cloaks, heavier, and the fur lining seemed to carry his familiar scent just like his wolf’s pelt did.
I wasn’t sure if that was theater or care, but I was grateful for the warmth, and my wolf settled at his closeness. I stood up and hurried down the steps to the dais. Across the room, I caught Fina’s eye and nodded subtly toward the balcony. Fina beamed, then took Adora’s wrist. Adora was midconversation with one of the guests, who looked mildly irritated by the interruption. Adora’s expression did not brighten as Fina’s had, but she glanced toward me and nodded.
I stepped onto the balcony and pulled the king’s cloak tighter around my shoulders against the biting air. It was a beautiful, freezing cold night, and my breath emerged in clouds of steam. I was getting used to the temperatures though. I found it almost refreshing now. Did that come with the knowledge that I had never belonged to Daybreak at all? Did the new realization that I was by blood a wolf of Starcrest make it easier to bear the cold?
Fina and Adora stepped out onto the balcony and pulled the door shut behind them. Both were bundled in their heavy cloaks as well, and Fina’s looked like it was pulled directly from Adora’s own wardrobe. She immediately rushed forward and pulled me into a hard hug.
“Oh, Reyna,” Fina said. “Are you well? I’m so sorry about the challenge. It must’ve been awful to watch.”
Grief twinged in my chest like I’d been struck, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as it was a few days ago. I nodded. “Thank you,” I said. “Griffin was—I’ve learned some things about him since then. Things are complicated.”
Adora folded her arms over her chest. Her blue eyes shone as she watched me and Fina, like she was unsure of how to proceed.
“You two are my most cherished friends,” I said. “I don’t want to lose you. Adora, you know this isn’t—this isn’t what I wanted. What either of us wanted. I know you’d make a more deserving queen than me.”
Her frown only deepened. “That doesn’t exactly make me feel better.”
“It’s not like we had a say in it,” Fina said. “Our fates were always in the king’s hands.”
“It’s just not fair,” Adora said. She sighed, like she realized how petulant it sounded even as she was saying it. “I was so sure. Everyone in Starcrest knew there would eventually be a Choice, and I was primed to compete in it since I was a little girl. This was supposed to be my future. I failed my pack.”
“You didn’t fail,” I said. I stepped closer to her. I didn’t know if telling her the truth would make
it better or worse, but I didn’t want any lies between us. “The council chose you, Adora. You proved yourself over and over. The king overrode them for me.”
She exhaled a small laugh, then gazed up toward the moon like she couldn’t believe it. “They did, huh?”
I nodded. “They really did. I know they want to maintain a good relationship with Starcrest. I’d love for you—and you too, Fina—to stay in Efra as members of the court. I’ll need all the advisement
I can get if I am to be queen. I don’t know what I’m doing in the slightest.”
Fina clapped her hands together. “Yes!” she said immediately. “I’d love to. My brother is heir to the Duskmoon Court. I’d much rather stay in Efra and build a legacy of my own. Perhaps bag a viscount while I’m at it.”
That made Adora laugh again, and she nodded in agreement. “Better stay and remain on the court than return and marry a boring wolf of Starcrest.”
Having members of other packs on my court would be good for my reputation, as well. If the king wanted to establish better relations to lead Frasia, this was one way to begin. Some of my anxiety released, knowing that Fina and Adora would stay. Being queen wasn’t going to be easy, but having their guidance and support would make it just a little bit easier.
“Listen,” I said. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
In the freezing cold air on the balcony, I did my best to explain what had happened. Griffin’s betrayal, my father’s role in their attempted coup, and the prophecy.
“I don’t understand.” Adora furrowed her brow. “How could you be a daughter of Starcrest? You’ve spent your life in Daybreak.”
“I know,” I said. “My father—the duke—is not my real father. He told me himself. My mother was pregnant when she traveled from Starcrest to Daybreak to marry him. He raised me as his daughter in the same way you were raised, Adora. To eventually be a player in the Choice. I just hadn’t known it.”
“It makes sense,” Fina said. “You two look so much alike. And you don’t look anything like your father, Reyna. I’d assumed it was just that your mother’s genes were stronger.”Adora and I glanced at each other. We did look a lot alike—which was a fact I tried not to consider too much.“I’ll contact my court,” Adora said. “I’m sure our augurs have information about this prophecy. And perhaps there’s even information about your mother.”The implication hung in the air. If there was information about my mother, there may be information about my real father, too. “Thank you,” I said. “Really. This—this wasn’t how I expected this Choice to turn out.”“Me neither,” Adora said with a sigh. “But it seems a lot of this is out of our hands, doesn’t it?” “More than I ever imagined.”“We should get back,” Fina said. “You’re the future queen, Reyna, your guests will be looking for you.”As much as I wanted to stay out in the cold catching up with my friends, I knew Fina was right.We slipped back
The silk of the bodice ended just above the breasts, and the gown was made only of white lace from the sternum to the neckline, as well as the sleeves. It was so delicate I could hardly imagine wearing it at all.“It’s gorgeous,” Fina sighed. “Wow.”“And of course,” Camille said, “it’s quite detailed.” She turned the mannequin slightly, and the light of the shop caught the tiny moonstones embroidered into the gown. It glowed the pale blue of Starcrest under the light.Starcrest colors. And only Starcrest. Not a mention of Daybreak at all. Aerika smiled at me, small and secretive. “Come,” she said. “Let’s ensure it fits.”Micah set up the dressing screen around the platform at the front of the room, shielding me from the girls and the mirrors. Then, Aerika stepped behind the screen and carefully helped me step out of my simple daywear gown and into the surprisingly light wedding gown. The fabric was surprisingly soft swishing around my legs, and light, despite the crystals and gems wov
Now I was about to start a new life. I was going to marry a king who everyone had told me was a monster. I had seen him behave monstrously. And yet I had seen a deep humanity in him, as well— both in the privacy of his quarters, and on the arena pitch, when he had given Griffin two chances to submit.He was the monster who was a man. My father was the man who was a monster. My father was the one who had orchestrated all of this—the coup, the lies, the disregard for what I wanted. He’d never cared about me. Never loved me. All he’d wanted was the throne, and he’d used Griffin in an attempt to get it.How could I tell who I could trust? How could I even begin to imagine the future ahead of me?27had barely fallen asleep when I was awoken by the commotion of Amity and Rue hurrying into my room. Amity threw the curtains open, casting sunshine into the room, and Rue poured the coffee. “Good morning, milady!” Rue said. “It’s your big day! Are you so excited?”I pushed myself up onto one el
“It was,” I said. “It really is beautiful.”Before Amity could close the door, Fina called, “Did we miss it?” She stuck her head in the gap in the door and the doorframe. “The final fitting?”“No, no,” I said with a smile. “Come in.”Fina and Adora both hurried into the room. It was mid-morning, and they’d been dolled up by their own handmaidens. Both looked gorgeous, in their lush gowns and simple makeup. Fina swept me into her arms immediately in a hard hug, and I laughed as she spun me around. “Please don’t smudge the makeup,” Amity said. “We don’t have a lot of extra time!” “I won’t, I won’t,” Fina said as she released me, grinning.Adora gave me a hug as well, and an air-kiss on each cheek. She was a bit flushed, but she looked happier than she did yesterday. That was about all I could hope for, considering how things had shaken out for the both of us.“We wanted to be a part of the big day,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind.”“Not in the slightest,” I said. “I’m so glad you’re h
My own wolf roused with anxiety, wanting to spring forth, as if she was pulled by the presence of so many others.A violinist in the clearing began to play a delicate tune, the strings lilting through the air as if following the birdsong overhead. Fina and Adora walked into the clearing first and took their places a few paces from the edge of the cliff, to an audience of high-ranking court members in their human forms.Then I was standing at the tree line with just Amity and Rue in their wolf forms at my back. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do—no one had told me exactly how this was supposed to go. Icouldn’t see the king either, half-hidden as he was by the officiant as they both overlooked the crowd under the cliff. I glanced around, looking for some sort of instruction, when my father stepped into the tree line with a scowl on his face.“What is this?” he hissed, sneering at my gown. He was dressed in his ceremonial finery, linen layered against the cold along with a cloak, a
What else had I learned in Daybreak that was a lie?“Your Majesty,” the priest said, “my lady. We gather here today under the watchful eyes of our gods to join both of you together in matrimony as leaders of Pack Nightfall and the Kingdom of Frasia. The Choice has guided you to your queen, and now you may enter the rest of your lives together.” He cast his yellow eyes around the guests. “With your court and your pack as witnesses, you will begin this journey.”My father was nearly vibrating with anger as he watched, though if any other wolves noticed it, they made no comment. Fina was already crying as she watched, dabbing under her eyes delicately from where she stood. Even the duchess, stern in her rich purple gown, seemed minutely pleased to see the culmination of the Choice.Lady Marin stepped forward to the priest’s side. In her hands she held a plain wooden box. The priest opened it and carefully took out a heavy piece of thick, plain rope. “Face each other,” he said.We did as
“Just something special for our wedding day,” the king said, obviously pleased by my reaction.The guests in the main hall applauded as we walked in, cheers and hoots filling the room. The king laughed, loud and booming, and waved at the guests with his free hand as he hitched me a little closer. I hid my smile behind my hand. It was a strange feeling, being here like this, the center of attention—it almost didn’t feel real. Like I was playing a role, which I supposed was true. Finally, I felt like I was free from the judgmental, assessing eyes of the council and the court. The Choice hadn’t ended the way I’d wanted—but at least it’d ended. Small favors.The band began to play, and the king led me toward the floor. “I still don’t know the Nightfall dances,” I whispered.“Don’t worry about that,” the king said. “The ceremony was for the rituals of Nightfall. The rest of the day is about us.”He squeezed my hand and then pulled me close, in the center of the dance floor. The other guest
The song ended and Barion stepped away with a bow. “Thank you for the dance,” he said, “and good luck, Lady Reyna.”That was his way of saying goodbye.Outside, the sun had dipped down below the horizon, and the evening edged into night. The wine and champagne flowed, the band sweated through their clothes, and the cake was served down to the glass stand. I was still on the dance floor with the king, exhaustion beginning to nip at my heels like a pup.A bell sounded from somewhere in the room. The king pulled me close to his side. “That’s our cue,” he said. His voice was low, rumbling from all the talking he’d done to the guests. He looked just as tired as I felt, with his crown a little askance and sweat gathered at the collar of his fine shirt.I leaned against him, like my body was about to give up standing on its own since he was here to hold us up. “Cue?”The crowd began to hoot and shout out their well wishes. Scattered throughout the crowd, guests held sparklers, passed out by