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. I
couldn’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, all in the pale colors of Daybreak.
“It was designed for me,” I whispered back, briefly and thunderously frustrated. That’s what he was worried about now? The color of my gown? “Take it up with the king if it bothers you.”
It clearly did, what with the way his eyes flashed clay-red. He squeezed my wrist hard enough to hurt then roughly dragged my arm into the crook of his own. “Fine,” he said. “Try not to embarrass my court any further.”
I swallowed down my anger and steeled my expression into a pleasant neutrality. After today, I’d be rid of this man who called himself my father for good. There was no point in causing a scene over his childish behavior now.
The music changed into something even slower, more romantic, and my father led me out of the tree line and into the clearing.
The guests all turned to face me. There weren’t many guests in the glade itself, maybe two dozen, but I could feel the wolves beneath the cliff moving and peering up, their presence calling my own wolf as she reached out curiously toward them. Her interest warred with my sudden swooping panic.
What was I doing? Marrying the Bloody King of Frasia? Was this really happening?
He was supposed to be a monster. And yet now, given the choice between him and ruling alongside my father, I could only choose the king. If I couldn’t have my freedom, I could at least be free of the duke.
But how was I supposed to rule? I barely knew the intricacies of the Daybreak court. I knew nothing of the Nightfall court, of the wolves who filled the forest below the cliffs, with their strange rituals and flashing eyes. And now I was expected to rule them along with the other unfamiliar wolves across the country. Marrying the king was only part of the expectation. Panic tightened my throat as I stepped one bare foot in front of the other in small, delicate steps toward my fiancé.
Finally, the king turned away from the crowd below the cliffs. The turning away was marked with a few yips and short howls from the crowd below, which quickly faded into the anticipatory silence broken only by the delicate calls of the birds.
He looked stunning. He was dressed in in all white, so unlike the dark clothes I’d grown used to seeing him in, with fine loose trousers and a silk shirt. Over his shoulders hung a heavy cloak, lined with fur and fastened over his chest by a delicate white-gold chain. The chain matched the crown resting across his forehead which tamed his dark hair. It wasn’t the standard gold crown he’d worn at the finer events, but a white-gold crown like mine, with the metal weaving together like vines.
There was an openness to his expression too, one that I’d never seen before. I’d gotten a little better at reading his face, cataloging the quirks of his brow and twitches of his lips when something amused him, but this was different.
As he watched me, his lips slightly parted, and the king’s eyes widened and sparkled with a hint of gold. There was no amusement, no hidden agenda I could detect. Just adoration. Something like awe. Something closer to the way he’d only looked at me in the privacy of his quarters.
And now, that expression was on display in front of all his guests, and all the wolves of Frasia.
What that meant, I wasn’t ready to grapple with. But the panic in my chest wasn’t so intense under his gaze. My wolf settled instinctively when he was close.
He extended his hand. Even as frustration radiated off my father, he dropped my arm and stepped back into his place with the guests.
I took the king’s arm. He smoothed his thumb over my knuckles and smiled.
“Welcome,” the priest said warmly.
Finally, I looked up at him, ready to return his smile, and almost reared back in shock. I’d been to plenty of services in Daybreak venerating the gods, but the priests there were human, just like the rest of us. This priest was a lycaon – an in-betweener. He wasn’t fully human, nor fully wolf, but hovering in the place between them. His eyes glowed yellow, his teeth were elongated, and his fists were big and knobby with sharp claws at the end. His hair was closer to the texture of fur, extending down his cheeks, and it grew across his shoulders like a ruff.
I’d heard stories of lycaons like these, from the storybooks in Daybreak, but I’d never thought they still existed. Lycaons were supposed to be out of control, not fitting in life as either wolf or human, and eventually torn apart internally by the tension between their forms. But this man seemed perfectly comfortable, standing barefoot in plain brown pants and a shirt, in a place of honor at the edge of the cliff.
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?”
Before I made it, though, he caught up and caught my wrist in his hand. “Where do you think you’re going?”“Outside,” I said. “I need space.”He kept his hand around my wrist as he stepped close. “The last thing we need right now, Reyna, is more space.” He pressed his chest to my back and ducked his head closer, nosing behind my ear and inhaling. “I know you yearn for me.” His voice vibrated into my bones from the intimacy. “I can smell your desire.”I pressed my thighs together. It was no mystery that I wanted him. I’d made that clear the last night we’d spent together in this room. “My body and mind have two different opinions of you.”“Perhaps that’s part of the problem,” he said. “You’re so caught up in your mind that you ignore your body—and your wolf.”“I don’t ignore her,” I huffed, even as my wolf protested. Then I snapped my mouth shut. I didn’t need to justify myself to the king. I wasn’t an animal like the wolves of Nightfall. I had more selfrestraint than that.“We cannot
29When I woke up the next morning, it was to a brisk series of knocks at the door of the king’s chambers. I was asleep in his immense bed, but there was no indentation on the mattress next to me, nor any trace of the king’s scent on the sheets. He’d never come to bed at all.Last night, my exhaustion had overwhelmed my turmoil and I’d passed out nearly as soon as I’d hit the mattress beneath me. I’d never expected the king to give up his quarters to me though. It made my chest ache.I pulled my robe back on and stepped out into the main quarters to answer the door. Amity and Rue were on the other side, cheerful as ever despite the early hour. “Good morning, Your Highness,” Amity said brightly.“Wow,” I murmured. “Can we stick with Lady Reyna? At least until I’m a little more used to it?”“Sure,” Rue said. “This is a big change. I think you’ll love it, though.”I nodded. She had no idea how wrong she was. But, at least with Amity and Rue with me, it’d be a bit more bearable than it w
I wasn’t eager to draw too much attention to myself if I could help it.“Lovely choice, milady,” Amity said.We had a quick breakfast in my quarters, brought in by the kitchen staff, and then the two of them dressed me in the fine gown. Rue tied the laces at the back of the dress, while Amity brushed my hair into a plait resting over one shoulder. When she was done, she pulled another lacquer box from the drawers of the vanity and opened it. Inside was a plain, delicate crown, a simple band of gold like the one the king wore for most everyday ceremonies. She set it on my head with the same care and attention she did when she’d dressed me in the tiara that represented Daybreak during the Choice. But this crown, despite its simplicity, felt so much heavier.“Gorgeous,” she said with a smile.“Thank you,” I said. I didn’t feel gorgeous. I felt tired.Amity led me to the door. “We had best go send off the guests before the hour gets any later.”Outside, it was an icy cold day, with the s
My father sucked his teeth, then turned wordlessly and climbed into the carriage. Barion lingered for a moment, gazing at me. Then he nodded and walked toward his own wagon.With my heart in my throat, I strode back into the manor. Before the doors closed, the horses’ whinnying filtered in, and the familiar strike of hooves on the road as they began to move.With the carriages went the last vestiges of my life in Daybreak.I paused in the foyer, unsteady on my feet as that realization washed over me.Amity and Rue trotted in after me, then shifted back into their human forms. “Are you all right, milady?” Rue asked.I brushed a loose strand of hair out of my eyes and nodded. “Yes,” I said. “Perfectly fine.” I was the Queen of Frasia, and I was alone.30n my new quarters, I dismissed Amity and Rue and then stood by the window, gazing out over the snowy tree line. I needed space. I needed somewhere to sit and read and think—I had a couch in these quarters, but why not a desk? Did a quee