“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 into the party. My father’s gaze found me as soon as I re-entered the hall. I whispered a thank you to the girls and hurried away from them as quickly as possible, moving through the crowd as graciously as I could. I didn’t want the duke to see me with them. If he saw my friends, I had a feeling he’d try to use those friendships against me.
The king was still seated on his throne, in conversation with Cyran, seated in the low chair next to him. I returned to my seat at his side. As I started to return his cloak, he held up his hand.
“Keep it,” he said. “It looks lovely on you.”
I pressed my lips together. But with all the guests watching us, I couldn’t find a reason to push back. So I simply nodded and took my seat. A servant swept in with wine and I shook my head. If I
were to have a drink in this ball, I’d want to see the bottle it was poured from.
The king paused in his conversation with Cyran and leaned toward me. “Do you need anything,
Reyna?” he asked. “You’re well?”
I nodded. “Yes. Just tired.” Tired of playing this role. Tired of tamping down my grief. Tired of smiling for all these strangers. “There’s been so much wedding planning, it’s hard to keep up.”
The king searched my face but I kept up a carefully impassive expression. My wolf whined internally, longing to open up to him and seek comfort. But the king couldn’t bring me the kind of comfort I needed. All I could do was smile, and hope this night ended quickly.
“W elcome, welcome!” Micah said brightly as he waved me, Fina, and Adora into Camille’s. His shoulder barely reached my waist. I hadn’t seen the dressmaker’s assistant since our first day in this shop, but he still greeted us like old friends. “Camille and Aerika are both thrilled to have this opportunity. We all are. Please, come this way.”
Even though Micah was small in stature, he bubbled with energy and moved with quickness. I couldn’t help but wonder—did he have Fae lineage? I knew the Fae worked here, though I hadn’t seen them in person. I itched with the desire to ask him, though I knew that wouldn’t be polite at all. Even if he wasn’t Fae, he had to know more than I did.
I was dying to ask what had happened to the Fae in Efra, what neighborhoods they had lived in, and what had happened to their homes—but I couldn’t ask those kinds of questions while I was preparing for the wedding. It wouldn’t reflect well on me, and it might be offensive to them. What if it was a sore subject? Or what if my interest in the topic raised suspicion? Was the king attempting to bring back the Fae on purpose, or were they doing this under his nose?
My questions would have to wait. First, I had to survive this wedding. Exploring the history of the Fae would be a lot easier with the strength of the crown behind me.
We took our seats on the couch in the center of the shop, and Micah arrived with crisp champagne and delicate canapes. As he poured the wine, Aerika stepped out of the back room. She looked as striking as ever, her silver hair matching the color of her silk jumpsuit as it glowed in the warm light of the shop. She smiled, her warm brown eyes sparkling.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” Aerika said. “We’ve been hard at work since the king first requested we make the gown for your wedding. I do hope you’ll be pleased with the result.” “I have no doubt,” I said with a smile.
“And we received the request from your escort as well, Lady Reyna. It should be no trouble.”
“Request?” I asked. I hadn’t asked Barion to send a request. I hadn’t spoken to Barion at all since that fateful conversation with my father.
“Yes,” she said, then shot me a conspiratorial wink. I was supposed to be in on this, I assumed, so I just nodded in agreement.
Camille herself stepped out of the back room. She was wearing a similar jumpsuit to Aerika, and with her dark hair cropped to her shoulders, they looked like opposite sides of the same coin. Both striking in their beauty. Again, I wondered about the influence of the Fae. I didn’t have time to think much about it, though, because Camille was pulling a dressmaker’s mannequin behind her. “Oh, wow,” Adora whispered.
My jaw dropped. I’d seen a lot of beautiful gowns during my time in Efra, many more than I’d seen in Daybreak. But this was beyond anything I’d ever seen or worn. Camille and Aerika had designed a masterpiece.
It was colored an elegant white, with a mermaid style skirt that would hug my legs just enough, leading to a delicate train. The bodice was fitted like a corset, detailed with white lace and moonstone across the neckline.
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
My wolf urged me to move closer, to kiss him, to bury my face in the crook of his neck and erase all my reason and logic in the delicious familiar scent of his sweat. I wrestled her into submission.“We should talk,” I said.The king pulled back with an interested smile on his face. “Sure.” He moved toward the crackling fire, then gestured toward the armchair across from his own. He hadn’t changed his clothes, but did roll up the sleeves of his fine shirt, revealing the tanned muscular curve of his forearms. He poured us each a bit of brandy, then offered me the glass. “Let’s talk.” “I know it’s our wedding night,” I said.“You have a keen eye.”I ignored that. “And I know what is—customary.”“Right,” he said, that wolfish smirk reappearing on his face as his warm eyes tracked over my body.“But I—I can’t forgive as quickly as some might be able to,” I said. “I need more time.”The pleased expression dropped off his face. He raised his eyebrows. “This is about that traitor of yours?”