Page 22 of Veiled Fate
“Jada, now is not the time for this,” he stormed, pointing down the ridge. “We have to keep moving.”
He sounded like he was on repeat. The exact same excuse. Exact same words. But I was done letting him delay. Done letting him push me to the side without an explanation.
“Now isexactlythe time for this!” I hissed, barely managing to control my volume. It was either that or my tone.
Kiel straightened as my anger reached out and slapped him across the face.
“You know things,” I said, stepping toward him, leveling my finger. “Things aboutme. Or at least, you claim to. So, either you do, which raises allkindsof questions, or you blatantly lied to me for some reason, which brings up a wholenewset of questions.”
His temples rippled as he clenched his jaw.
“So, which is it?” I demanded.
The firm set of his features revealed the answer without him having to say a word. It was the one I had suspected. Kiel wasn’t lying.
“How do you know so much about my heritage?” I asked frostily. “What aren’t you telling me, Kiel?”
The big man sighed. “Not here,” he said. “If we’re going to stop for the night, then we’re going to stop properly. Two miles, give or take, there’s an inn. We’ll get a room, some food. That way.”
He pointed slightly to the northwest, shifted back into his wolf form without speaking another word, and padded off without waiting to see if I would follow.
“Always another delay, another reason not to explain,” I said, throwing my hands in the air.
But I followed him anyway. True to his word, we arrived at a roadside inn a little more than two miles later. Kiel was waiting for me in the forest on the far side of the two-story barn-shaped building. A light could be seen through a window. Someone was still up, even at that hour. Or perhaps was now awake.
Together, we trotted quickly across the road and through the half-height swinging door. To our left, the man managing the bar looked up as we nosed our way in. A half-dozen other patrons were dotted around the establishment, hunched over their tables. The time of day held much less meaning for most travelers.
Just inside the door were the standard curtained-off cubbies that most travel houses were equipped with. Even in my limited youth, I’d stayed at several similar places with my father. They were all the same, and it was no different. The shelves inside were lined with clothing in different sizes, all of them loaners that patrons could use to be given back upon departure. Then they would be washed and readied for the next traveler who arrived on four legs. I shifted back and found a robe that would fit me.
After tying it around my waist, I emerged from my cubby at the same time as Kiel. I opened my mouth to speak, but a little shake of his head stilled my voice. Again. Clenching my fists until one of the knuckles popped, I bit back an outburst that would do neither of us any good. I settled for reminding myself that Kiel was compromising by agreeing to come there instead of continuing to run. If he wanted to wait until we had a room, I could hold my emotions in check for another few minutes.
Which was exactly what I did.
“Speak,” I growled at his back when the door shut behind me. “Now. No more stalling. No more waiting, Kiel. Tell me why you think I have Alpha’s blood in me. Tell me whyyou, of all people, would know.”
“I think it because youdo,” he sighed, facing me.
He grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes, letting me see into his, into their depths. Reading him. There were no attempts to avoid my questions now. He wasn’t holding back.
“Your father’s side shares some of Pallantia’s blood, though I suspect he himself might not be aware of it,” Kiel continued, revealing more information. “We have long followed all descendants to the best of our abilities. It goes back many generations, which is why I’m not sure he even knows.”
I worked my jaw, not seeing any lies in his eyes, the swirls of glacial blue even and unclouded.
“And my mother?” I got out stiffly, knowing I needed to hear the answer but dreading it all the same.
“Lycaonus,” he said without flinching. “And much more recent.”
“No,” I said. “You’re wrong. My mom’s family has always lived in Arcadia. I met her mother when I was younger. She’d never left.”
“Buthergrandmother, your great-great-grandmother,didleave,” Kiel said quietly. “And when she came back, she was pregnant with your great-grandmother. Courtesy of Lycaonus.”
“How?” I whispered, shaking my head.
“She caught his fancy before her Fate Night. He invited her back to the palace. I’m sure you can understand that a young woman who has never visited the imperial capital before might not be against such an invitation.”
“Are you calling my great-great-grandmother weak?” I growled.
“Oh, grow up,” Kiel snapped hotly. “You know better than that. The seniormost Alpha, the leader of our entire empire, showed interest in a young, impressionable woman. Just because he’s a despicable piece of shit doesn’t mean your great-great-grandmother was a flop who would fall into bed with any old man. Power is attractive, and it warps the mind when you’re in its presence for the first time. That’s not the same thing as being weak.”
