Page 38 of The Wolf Queen

“I don’t think—” Dane started to say.

“Perhaps I’m not.” I stared at each one of them. “Has that been considered? All of these powerful men pinning their hopes onto one woman, but—”

“That might be the problem.”

We all looked up when Rake, no, Crown Prince Bryson strolled into the room. He’d thrown aside his messenger uniform, replacing it with princely clothes in unrelieved black. His eyes glowed bright gold under my inspection and I heard his words again as I looked at him.

“Because, my queen, you are my fated mate.”

I kept hearing his words inside my head, my memory dragging my focus back to it like a sore tooth, until, jaw clenched, I shoved it away. Bryson smiled, as if he heard my thoughts, but though my mates growled, he simply twisted a gold ring around his finger before continuing. “Perhaps it isn’t men who have the answers here.”

“What do you mean?” Dane said, getting to his feet and coming to stand by my side, the others quickly doing the same.

“My mother was the one who schooled me on what I am, what was to come. She was a northern lord’s daughter, forced on my father when his support in the north began to wane. Their relationship was… cordial, at best, because he knew. She was a perfect queen, gave him sons, was beautiful and accomplished and an asset at court.”

“But she was of Eleanor’s line as well,” I said.

Aristocrats were always teetering on the edge of becoming completely inbred, because they forced their children to only ever marry from the same class, over and over. That limited the potential partners, ensuring that whatever magic was in Eleanor’s blood, it was well distributed amongst the highest in Grania.

“Just so,” Bryson replied, with a nod of his head. “The queens of old wielded immense power, but they did so with—”

“The Maidens.” I barely breathed that out, remembering Aurora’s plan to have me made one of them. They were a religious order of sorts, living within the temple walls, but tasked with the protection of the king.

And, before that, the queen.

Who had taught me more about how to fight as a two-souled person? Who had helped me weld our tired and sore soldiers into a fighting unit? Who had helped me forge a pack?

“Selene,” I said. “Ayla—”

“I’ll go and grab them, bring them to the estate,” Weyland said, making for the door.

“And the children.”

While I was glad they hadn’t seen what had happened last night or this morning, it felt wrong not to wake up with their voices in my ears, to feel their arms wrapped around my neck. By now we would have made sure they’d eaten well, cleaned themselves up and got dressed for the day. Jan would’ve been telling long rambling stories about everything she’d dreamed. And Del? Well, he’d have grumpily told her to stop, all the while watching her closely to ensure she was safe.

While I watched him.

“Of course.” Weyland strode over to my side, grabbing me by the back of the neck and then pulling our heads together. “I’ll keep them safe, bring them here and then we’ll find a way to beat this damn thing, I promise. You have to believe that, lass. You have to.”

I couldn’t, of course. It felt as though everything was so unclear and nebulous, again. But I could accept his unwavering belief in me. It was a tiny flame that flickered in my heart, and I found my hands going around it, trying to protect it from the winds of doubt.

“The Wolf Maidens?” Bryson asked, with a hunger he tried unsuccessfully to mask.

“The tales tell of rabid warrior maidens that fought in battles with a suicidal intent,” my grandfather said, with a frown. “Are you sure they are the best source of information?”

“Can any of you name another suitable one?” I asked that of every man in the room, but none spoke. “I didn’t think so. Your Grace…” I saw the man wince and tried again. “Grandfather, what you were taught about Strelae, from the words of priests, to the lessons from Eleanor, they aren’t accurate. What they are…” I paused. “What we are is something else entirely. The Wolf Maidens were the queen’s pack.” I glanced then at my other three mates. “Alongside her chosen partners. And I need to understand what the hell to do with all of this.” My thumb rubbed against the smooth crystal hilt of the sword. “So that I can do as you ask, and save everyone.”

And on that note, we settled down, drank cups of tea and talked quietly while waiting for the rest of our family.

“Darcy!”

Weyland returned before too long. The Maidens marched nonchalantly across the thick carpeted floor, looking around them in faint amusement, but Jan broke free of Selene’s grip, rushing towards me. I grabbed her as she launched herself at me, swinging her up into my arms.

“Were you a good girl for the Maidens?” I asked her.

“No,” Del replied darkly, then did something he rarely did, nowadays, sidling up and pressing himself into my side. I wrapped an arm around him and hugged him closer.

“She wasn’t too bad,” Selene said. “We took her up on the inn roof and had her howling at the moon when she got too boisterous. Ruffled the feathers of the good people of Middlebury, but she settled not long after that.” I smiled my thanks, but before I could reply, her eyes slid down, her attention caught.

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