Page 76 of The Wolf

As they entered the dining hall, she saw that Brine was already sitting down, flanked on either side by two of Arwen’s high-ranking pack members. Scarlet, to her humiliation, had to stand among the servants along the wall, her previous position unchanged despite her marriage. Once her stepmother was gone, Scarlet had to wonder if this would continue to be her fate. Still wearing her red cloak, though it increasingly disgusted her, and still serving the wolves who deemed her humanity inferior to them.

Except now she was bloody tired to boot. More tired than she’d ever been before. Living a false life with Brine was exhausting.

She locked eyes with her husband as she made her way to the wall, but though he held her gaze he said nothing at all about the fact she was expected to serve the table instead of sit at it as an equal. Scarlet was so mortified she thought her face had likely turned as red as her clothes, but still Brine said nothing.

How had I been so foolish as to think he would at least try to change my day-to-day circumstances?

She hated herself and felt so stupid. Why did she think he’d act any differently even though they’d been childhood friends? Those days were long gone. Neither one of them were the people they used to be.

The way Brine was acting now simply served to prove that he didn’t care, not really. Scarlet had a purpose, and she was already serving it. Brine had no need to elevate her status higher than it already was.

Dinner proceeded innocently enough, with the wolves discussing nothing that Scarlet hadn’t heard before. It was only as the dessert plates were cleared away that Brine called her over with a clap. Scarlet did so obediently, though she gritted her teeth when his arms wrapped around her waist and held her close to his body. She hated how his presence enveloped her senses, sending her heart racing and reminding her of their wedding night.

Why can’t I just hate him?Why do I have to react to him like this?

Scarlet wished she could turn it off.

“Look how well you have her trained,” one of the wolves at the table hooted at Brine, impressed.

Brine let out an easy laugh. “All credit falls in the lap of my lady grandmother, of course.”

Scarlet bristled; Brine’s arm around her waist grew just a little tighter as if warning her to keep silent.

So Scarlet did what she did best. She kept her head down to listen as a conversation turned toward the diamond mines. The wolves always forgot she was there when they talked like this. They viewed Scarlet like a piece of furniture rather than a living, breathing person. It was what made her such a good spy, of course, even if it was humiliating and dehumanizing.

As with everything in her life, despite the fact that was very little, Scarlet made do with what she had.

“Thanks to your extra ships, grandson,” Arwen murmured, crossing over a black-taloned hand to squeeze Brine’s, “our diamonds are now ready to be shipped to the Hinterlands.” This was something Scarlet knew, and in truth had been something she wanted to ask Brine about. If he was working against his grandmother, did he intend to stop this? Hehadblown up her last ship, after all. Did he intend to block her entire operation?

She could only hope so.

“Then we will finally have the money for step two,” Texel said, a disgusting, anticipatory grin on his face.

Arwen nodded. “I have an agreed-upon cost to fund a larger navy now. Once the diamonds are shipped, everything will be set to have the Hinterlands invade Heimserya.”

Oh.

Scarlet kept her breathing even, although this was new information. But since she was sitting in Brine’s lap he clearly sensed her minute bodily reaction.

“You’re dismissed,” he said, without looking at her.

Scarlet couldn’t believe what she was hearing, despite the fact that she’d been treated in the same way all night. She could do nothing but grin and bear his further humiliation.

She bowed her head, avoiding eye contact with everyone, and vacated the dining hall. But she lingered on the opposite side of the door. Scarlet could not risk missing out on hearing a single scrap of information now.

“Would it not be easier—and cheaper—to operate fromhere?” a voice asked that Scarlet could not recognize due to the muffling of the door.

Her stepmother laughed like a bell. “Cheaper, yes, but it would prove more difficult down the line. By having the Hinterlands invade Heimserya, the current monarchy will have all of their armies tied up fighting them. They will be weakened. Vulnerable.” A pause for dramatic effect. “That’swhen I’ll strike. Once we have all the humans enslaved, then we can march on my elvenbrothersand obliterate them. Once we get our hands on their resources, no one will be able to stop us.”

Her stepmother’s honeyed words went down like a treat with the wolves at the table, who didn’t think there was more to the story than reigning supreme over other species. But it was only in that moment that the truth about what was going on finally clicked for Scarlet. Arwen did not care about enslaving the humans of Heimserya—not really—nor did she care about stealing the resources of her old brethren for herself.

This was about revenge, pure and simple. Against the elves for what they did to her.

For all her wicked brilliance, at the end of the day Lady Arwen of Betraz was fueled by nothing but pitiful revenge. Such a human emotion.

Scarlet almost laughed.

I can’t let her do this.

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