Auden frowns at the plate of dinner in front of him, not touching it. He glances at his father a few seats away from him, eating lustily and laughing with the pack of Alpha Lords who have come to celebrate the selection of his bride. Every few minutes the King glances at the doors to the great hall, waiting for her to come through them.
But Auden knows that something is off. As he sits watching his father watch the door, Auden taps the table with his forefinger, thinking it through. Something, in his gut, rings wrong about the situation.
And it all starts with that girl.
Everleigh. Celestial of the De Silva pack. Eldest daughter, but not Selene, a little piece of gossip he’d picked up in conversation this evening after she inexplicably left the ball with her sister, wanting “a moment” that has now stretched into an hour. According to gossip, Everleigh had given up her position as Selene of her pack in favor of her younger sister years ago. An almost unheard-of choice, for an elder sister to give up the coveted spot without being forced to by some kind of disgrace. So why on earth would she do it?
Auden wracks his mind, trying to figure her out, to make her discrepancies make sense. He knows that Mahl has long trusted his gut decisions in his selection of his brides, following his nose and his loins more than logic or the words of his advisors. So far, he’d had very little reason to believe that his instincts were anything but perfect.
Auden’s own mother Freya, for instance, had been chosen when Mahl was only a child – his best friend and first love – and she had loyally stood by the King’s side for twenty years until the day she had died, suddenly, of a fever. Angeline and Edna had likewise been good matches made in the spur of the moment, though Auden had known Angeline far less well than he had Edna.
Auden stares down at the food on his plate and considers that Everleigh was certainly not off in terms of his father’s tastes. All three of Mahl’s wives had been beautiful, and Everleigh was certainly that.
And after Edna, who had been more engaged with her duties as a mother to their four children than those of a wife, it made a certain kind of sense that Mahl had moved, again, to someone more like Angeline – someone young and carefree, more lover than broodmare.
Still, Everleigh is more withdrawn than Angeline, whom Auden remembered as bold, cheerful, and full of pranks - though he’d only known her for six months before her death. And it isn’t Everleigh’s relative skittishness that strikes Auden as odd. Instead, it’s her inconsistencies that grind against something in his Alpha instincts.
Auden screws his mouth to the side as he considers dissonance in Everleigh’s behavior, using his fork to poke at the cold meat on his plate, the gravy beginning to congeal.
For instance, where was she tonight? Why was she so late for the feast being held in her honor?
And why – why had she claimed that she knew him? Had met him as a child? He couldn’t place her at all – and her scent was completely foreign to him. He would have sworn, and put a great deal of money on a bet, that he had never laid eyes on her in his life.
But then! Why didn’t he know her? Auden had been close to Angeline in the final months of her life – if Everleigh had been her best friend, as everyone he asked tonight claimed – even his own father, who does remember her - then Auden damn well should have known her.
So why the hell didn’t he?
Auden stabs his fork into his dinner and then leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The fork lists slightly in the meat, threatening to fall into the rest of the uneaten meal.
Who the hell is this girl?
Auden knows, deep down, that something is wrong here and that he needs answers to these questions, for his father’s sake, for the kingdom’s.
Plus, Auden thinks to himself, staring vaguely at his food, I can’t stand a mystery.
The doors to the hall fly open and a steady stream of Gamma servants come into the room sporting flaming cakes held high above their heads. The Alphas and Lunas seated in the hall gasp in surprise and then begin to applaud, the King laughing and pounding his goblet on the table in appreciation.
Auden sighs as a flaming cake is placed before him. Because, god damn it, he doesn’t want cake – he wants answers. Auden stands hastily then, turning away from the food and striding out of the crowded hall without a word to anyone.
A few minutes later, he arrives at the barred door to the Queen’s chambers and pounds his fist against it.
No one answers, and so he pounds again.
Auden hears anxious footsteps behind the door and takes a step back, staring intensely at the little aperture that’s revealed when the door opens just a crack. A sweet face appears there and he opens his mouth to speak, intending to interrogate Everleigh –
But then he pauses as he realizes that it’s not Everleigh who opens the door. That it is, instead, her dark-haired sister, whose face looks so much like Everleigh’s own.
“Where is she,” Auden demands.
“Um,” the girl says awkwardly, looking over her shoulder into the room. “She isn’t well, Prince. She wants to be alone.”
“Open the door,” he commands, not caring if Everleigh is ill. She can answer questions even if she is laid up in bed. And if she’s too sick to do that, she needs more care than her sister alone can provide anyway.
“Please,” the girl begs, her eyes frightened now. “Please, she just wants peace –“
“Open the door,” Auden demands once more. He pauses, waiting, but the girl doesn’t budge. “I will not ask you again,” he growls, meaning every word of it, his hand coming to rest on the sword strapped to his hip.
Her lip trembling, the girl stands back, allowing Auden to press his palm against the wood of the door and push it open.
A growl rips from his throat as Auden steps into the room and sees not Everleigh, but instead a pile of bedsheets heaped on the floor, tied together in knots that her sister was clearly in the process of un-tying.
“Where is she?” Auden demands, slamming the door shut behind him and spinning on the girl, who shrieks in fear and cringes away from him, her hands up to protect her head.
“She’s gone!” the girl gasps, still cowering.
Rage pulses through Auden as he realizes what has happened. That Everleigh had bided her time all evening, pretending to accept the King’s choice, because –
Well, because her other choice was to face his rage at being rejected, which, knowing Mahl, could very well have meant her death. So at the first opportunity of freedom, she had fled.
“God damn it,” Auden snarls, turning away from the girl and beginning to pace the room, coming up with a plan. Because the only choice at this point – the only choice that didn’t end in bloodshed – is to get Everleigh back here before the King notices.
Decided, Auden turns again to the girl, who flinches back from him. “Stay here,” he orders, advancing on her. Everleigh’s sister steps away from him but nods eagerly. “Do not let anyone in this room,” Auden continues. “No one – not your parents, no servants, not a single soul. If you want your sister to live, you will keep up this pretext that she is ill and taking no visitors.”
“But,” the sister asks, her voice wary, “the King? Will he come?”
“I’ll handle the King,” Auden grinds out, striding for the door. Before he pulls it open, he turns back to her. “Your life is on the line as well, girl,” he reminds her, his voice dark. “Your sister has wrapped you up in her lie – and the King will make you pay for it if he finds out. Do you understand?”
The girl’s face goes pale as she realizes the truth of this, but she nods, trembling.
Auden turns towards the door, done with her, but is surprised to hear her voice calling to him.
“Where are you going, sir?” the girl asks, her question barely audible.
“I’m going to get her back,” Auden snaps, glaring into her eyes. “And convince her that running from him is the worst thing she can do. That there’s nothing anyone could do to keep him from hunting her down if she continues this ridiculous plan.”
And then Auden pulls the door open and leaves the girl alone, hoping to the Goddess that she’s capable of playing her part.
It only takes five minutes for Auden to leave the palace and cross the grounds to the Beta barracks, where he throws open the door. Everyone inside immediately goes still, caught in the middle of a card game that absolutely should not be happening.Or at least, almost everyone goes still. One person lounges carelessly in her chair, draping an arm over the back.“Should I deal you in, Prince?” she drawls, her black eyes sparking as she brushes the silky curtain of her black hair away from her face.Auden narrows his eyes at Margot, the most notorious woman at court and certainly not an enlisted member of his military. “No, Margo,” Auden replies evenly, hiding his surprise as he takes a few slow steps into the room and slips his hands into his pockets. “Though I wonder if there’s any way I could convince you to close out.”Auden’s eyes flick to t
“I’m sorry, sir –“ the boy gasps, shrinking away. “We’re told to obey Celestial orders without question –“ his lip starts to tremble in fear and guilt. Auden just growls and drops the boy’s arm, reaching into his pocket to grab some coins, which he slips into the boy’s hand. “Tell no one that we’ve been here and no one that she left. Share those coins with the boys inside, pass the instructions on to them. If you all stay silent, there will be more.” “Yes sir!” the boy quips, his face bright now. “I’m serious, boy,” Auden continues, snapping his fingers in the boy’s face to make him focus. “There will be consequences for all of you if you disobey. As far as anyone knows, you all fell asleep. You know nothing of anyone leaving the stables tonight. Even if they flog you for it. Yes?” The boy hesitates and then nods. Auden nods back to the boy, dismissing him as his Betas come forward leading their mounts. When they’ve led the horses outside and climbed into their saddles, Auden sign
Shit.It’s the only word I can think as I see him standing there, his eyes taking in the picture we make: me, my children, our ridiculous pet dragon, clearly ready to run. And I watch as he focuses solely on them, shock the only thing on his face as he puts together my story, the reason I ran.I’m completely frozen as I watch the man I never, ever intended for my children to meet looking right at them.I gasp, suddenly, my body forcing me to draw breath as I realize that in my panic I’ve completely stopped breathing. My mind begins to whir then, coming up with any excuse, any viable solution –The only thing I can think of is to scream at my children to run – or at least to lie -Unfortunately for me, Vivi acts first.“You stay away!” she yells, dropping Coco on the wooden floor of our porch with a thump as she points a small, angry finger at the Prince. “You get away from our house, stranger!” she shouts. Coco gives an indignant little cry but then he shakes himself and, predictably,
**Midwinter, Five and a Half Years Ago**“Wait wait wait,” Angeline bursts out, laughing so hard she can hardly say the words. “Wait! Evie!” She puts her hands out to grab my wrists, stopping me from again sweeping my hands over my hair, which is currently a bright purple.I’m also laughing so hard that my stomach hurts as I stare at our reflections, baffled and thrilled at how well the little illusion spell is working on us.“No!” I shout, trying to raise my hands again, “I want to turn it green!”“No, the purple is amazing!” Angeline protests, grinning at me in the wide mirror in her bathing chamber. “It goes with your dress! And you have to fix mine – seriously, you have to fix mine!”And then we’re both laughing hysterically again because I really do have to do something about her hair – the last time I touched it and muttered the words to the incantation, I made it look like the ends of her hair had caught on fire and shriveled up into sad, crispy little curls. It’s amazing, real
**Midwinter, Five and a Half Years Ago**“My queen,” Auden says, bowing low to the girl he barely knows standing before him on the dais. He lets out a long breath as he holds the bow, staring at the floor, willing himself to hold himself together and be civil to this woman who took his mother’s place. It wasn’t her fault, after all.When Auden straightens, he sees a warm smile on Angeline’s face, her hands outstretched towards him.“Hey, Auden,” she says, her voice soft. “Welcome home.”And something shifts in the prince as he looks at the girl standing before him, her face open to him and full of empathy. He had thought that he’d have nothing but bitter resentment for Angeline for the rest of his life - had been fully prepared for that, even.But as she stands there in front of him, her arms outstretched, a hesitant smile starting on her face, Auden’s mouth curls upwards at one corner. Damn it, but he can’t help but like her. Just a little bit.Auden takes a few steps forward, raisin
I lean against the threshold of my front door as I watch Auden kneel in front of Vivi, who glares at him, and Niall, who looks at this gigantic Alpha with wide and worried eyes. Niall tucks himself behind Vivi a little, hiding behind her courage. “Are you really a prince,” Vivi asks, narrowing her eyes at Auden and looking him up and down, her little blue dragon sleeping across her shoulder. “Don’t I look like a prince?” Auden asks, cocking his head to look at his daughter curiously. “No,” she replies instantly, making him laugh. “What about me doesn’t seem prince-like?” he asks, and I come into the room, shutting the door behind me. My gaze flashes to Anna in the kitchen while Vivi considers Auden for a moment longer, and I quickly shake my head at Anna, asking her not to say a word. Anna nods a quick assent. “You are too tall,” Vivi decides. “And dirty. And you have no crown.” Auden laughs again, a warm sound that surprises me
My stomach twists with anxiety as our three horses approach the palace. The sun is almost fully risen, which means that soon the palace will wake up - that Mahl will wake up and have the chance to notice that I’m gone. “Can we go any faster?” I murmur, glancing over my shoulder for probably the hundredth time even though I’m fully aware that there’s no one behind me except Auden’s guard, Richard. Richard doesn’t take his eyes off the road ahead of us, but I know he’s watching my every move – that he’s been ordered to, just in case I’m stupid enough to try and run again. “If we go any faster,” Auden replies tightly under his breath, “we’ll draw attention to ourselves.” I know he’s right – and I know he’s frustrated because he’s already explained that to me twice before. Our goal right now is to look like an everyday Alpha and Luna heading to the palace with their guard for the continued festivities. They’ve dressed me for the part, too, in an elegant
King Mahl stands glaring at us, his whole body tensed with the effort of not transforming into his wolf and leaping at us. I feel my breath come short in my chest, terrified despite Auden’s assurance that he will quickly get this under control.Mahl’s eyes are fixed on me and I can see the threat in the steady flame burning there, the tension in each of his muscles. He immediately suspects betrayal and he’s ready to make me pay for it, no questions asked.That’s how Mahl rules, after all: by making sure that everyone knows that he can rip those who betray him to shreds and that he’s ready to do it at the barest whiff of disloyalty.The threat feels very real to me as we stop our horses a few feet from the King and Auden swings his leg over his horse’s saddle, dropping easily to the ground. Auden turns to Mahl, taking his horse’s bridle in his hand and giving the King a short bow. “Father,”