“Your Highnesses,” the eldest among them says, bowing low as he takes my hand to kiss. Despite the gesture of deference, I can tell that he’s the one actually calling the shots. “Allow me to offer my sincerest congratulations, and to welcome your return to the kingdom.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to act as if I belong here. Something tells me they’ll attack if they smell fear. They may not be as violent as the wolves where I’m from, but I can see the hunger in their frigid eyes and I know they didn’t get to their positions of power by playing nice. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“Allow me to introduce you properly,” says Albien. “Victoria, this is Dynus,” he says, gesturing to the older man I was just speaking to. He continues counterclockwise around the group, introducing the man next to Dynus, a good decade his junior, as Herin. The tall, spindly one with eyes so sunken in they cast shadows on his high cheeks is Blake. The alpha female with silver hair is Gianna, and the younger man at her side, by far the best-looking among the group, is Raoul.
“A pleasure, Princess,” Raoul says, taking my hand to kiss the back of it. There’s nothing inappropriate in the gesture itself, but I don’t like the way his eyes linger on my neckline.
I force a smile and withdraw my hand. “The pleasure is mine. I must ask for your patience. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the ways of Eternus are foreign to me.”
My show of humility seems to please the elders, especially Gianna. She looks over my appearance, her thin mouth pursed. “Yes, well, with good tutelage, I’m sure you’ll come along in time. A royal can barely lift a finger without assistance.”
“I hate to rush into such serious topics, but while we’re on the subject, have you given the proper thought to tonight’s Declaration?” asks Dynus.
“Yes,” I say, swallowing the answer I want to give. “If it pleases the Pentarch, I wish to announce my choice of Sir Christopher and Sir Rowan.”
Albien looks over at the two alphas who are already watching us intently, waiting for the go-ahead to present themselves. The King nods and they come over to join us. My heart sinks when I realize James is nowhere to be seen.
“Your Majesties,” Christopher says, bowing first to Albien and me, then to the members of the Pentarch. Rowan follows Christopher’s lead. He might be struggling, but he’s adapted to royal life quickly enough, aside from the fighting.
“We have heard conflicting reports about you,” Dynus remarks. “I take it we can trust that you’ll make it through the evening without having another row?”
“That depends, Sir,” Christopher says without missing a beat.
“On what?” Dynus asks, clearly taken aback.
Christopher flashes him a grin that’s won more than a few hearts in its time. “On everyone else.”
For a moment, none of them say a word. Gianna is the first to break out laughing and the others soon follow.
“My, what a wit,” she says, touching his arm. “I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.”
I’m sure she will. Why that ruffles my feathers is another matter. Christopher isn’t mine. He never really was, not in the way I wanted him to be. Despite what James thinks, I’m totally over him.
I think.
As Christopher continues to schmooze with the Pentarch, I’m more than relieved when Rowan taps me on the shoulder. “Mind if we dance?” he offers, giving me a knowing look.
I can tell from the dirty looks we’re getting from the others that it’s not a good time, but I could use being swept away, even if it isn’t by James. “Thanks,” I say once we’re out of earshot of the others.
Rowan grins, taking my right hand in his as his left hand finds my waist. “You looked like you could use a rescue.”
“Always there for a damsel in distress, aren’t you?”
“I am a knight,” he teases, growing serious. “So, you doing okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, Dan,” he snorts. Only he calls me that, and I can’t really bring myself to complain. “I know you’re not comfortable with all this. The princess bullshit isn’t you.”
“It could be.”
“It could,” he agrees. “But it isn’t.”
I sigh. “I finally have a chance to make a difference, you know? I just need to get used to the way things work.”
Rowan stares at me for a moment until he finally says, “Make a difference? Do you really not get that you’ve already done that?”
“What?” I ask, surprised by his response.
“Danica… When our pack was raided, you held everyone together,” he says, uncharacteristically serious. “If it wasn’t for you buffering between the pack and Eternus, a whole lot more people would’ve died.”
“I don’t know about that,” I mutter. “And all those people in Visath, including your friends, are dead because of me.”
“Bullshit. They’re dead because the Alpha Lord’s head was too far up his own ass to listen to warning. If it hadn’t been for you, they probably would’ve conquered the other outlands packs and been halfway to overthrowing Eternus by now,” he says confidently. “Not to mention that your twin would be dead.”
When he says it all like that, I actually feel like my perception of myself as an abysmal failure is unfounded. “Still. It’s not like I planned any of that.”
“No, you just go with your gut. I don’t know much about monarchies, but I’d rather have a Queen who follows her heart than one who just does what other people tell her any day. And let’s not forget us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on. Before you, me, Christopher and James were just a bunch of reckless, douchebag alphas competing for a title,” he scoffs. “You united us. You gave us a purpose. Something greater than ourselves to protect and fight for.”
“Rowan…”
“I mean it,” he says firmly. “And you know I’m not one for the mushy crap, but sometimes you need a kick in the pants, and this is one of ‘em. You got this far because of who you are. Don’t let those Pentarch bastards change you to fit their mold.”
“Thanks, Rowan,” I murmur, draping my arms around his neck as the music slows. I haven’t ever been this close to him before. The size difference between us is even more pronounced while dancing, and I have to look up just to meet his eyes. “I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime,” he says, smiling. There’s something in that smile I’ve never noticed before, but I think it’s always been there, waiting for me to see it. My heart flutters in a way I know all too well. I just never expected it to happen around him. Before I can scold myself, a soldier in uniform approaches, bowing quickly to Rowan.
“Sir, there’s an urgent matter at the gate.”
Rowan stops moving and frowns, letting his hands fall away from my waist. “What’s wrong?” I ask worriedly.
“It’s fine,” he assures me, placing a rough hand against my cheek before he takes his leave. I watch him disappear, along with Christopher. James comes out of nowhere, following them out. So he is here, just taking care to make sure he doesn’t run into me.
I look for an exit where I won’t be noticed, but before I can reach it, another hand settles on my shoulder. I’ve only been a monarch for a moment, but even I know enough to be offended by such boldness. When I spin around to face the offending intruder, my blood runs cold upon meeting his unnaturally green eyes.
Chapter Six
“Mace,” I hiss in a whisper, afraid to endanger anyone who might be listening by alerting them to his presence. He’s dressed in as fine a suit as any nobleman in the room with a jet black coat and a blood red scarf around his neck. His mask is pale white like the moon, and it casts an ominous glow framed in the jet black hair that falls around his shoulders. It gleams like ink in the light of the chandelier, and his smirk tells me that he’s not here to set things right.
“Good evening, Princess,” he says in a voice dripping with false sincerity as he bends to take my hand for a kiss. “
May I say, you are a vision in silver.”
I yank my hand away, seething. “How did you get in here?”
“You don’t seem happy to see me,” he says, as if he’s wounded. “And I came all this way just for your special day.”
“You knew,” I say, clutching the locket at my breast. The metal seems to burn against my palm. “You knew who I was all this time, and you let me live a lie.”
“All things in time, my Princess,” he says gently, taking my hand to pull me close. I go along with it and fall into step with him, fearing what he’ll do to the others if he goes free.
“Who are you?” I demand. “I know it’s not an accident that you came into our pack when you did. Are you working for my father?”
He listens to my interrogation with amusement in his gaze. He dances exactly as I knew he would: in perfect time and with perfect gallantry, never missing a beat or falling behind. “Working for your father?” he chuckles. “Do you mean the man who kidnapped you? Or the dead King?”
My face burns with rage at his use of my mistake. It’s still so hard to release those old habits. Even if Ryland is a cruel traitor, he’s the only father I’ve truly known, and it figures Mace would throw that in my face. “Whatever you’re trying to do, you won’t get away with it.”
“I already have,” he says gently. “Looks like you’ll just have to wait and see what it is, hmm?”
I look through the window into the woods beyond the castle. Is he responsible for the distraction that lured the others out? Of course he is. When I try to pull away, his grip tightens, still gentle but impossible to break. I look back in his eyes, arrested by the intensity in them.
“There are forces at play that you couldn’t possibly imagine, Danica,” he says in a grave, almost sad tone as he looks down at me. “You’ve come so far, but you have no idea what’s really out there.”
“What do you want?” I demand, tired of his mind games. Most of all, I’m furious at myself that there was ever a part of me that was starting to trust him. To think there was more to him than the lies and manipulation. Now I know the truth. The Mace that I got those weeks Aspen and I were staying with him was just another lie. Another mask to suit his purpose.
Rather than the snarky answer I expect, his gaze softens and he studies me closely, like he’s actually considering the answer. “It doesn’t matter,” he finally says. “Haven’t you figured it out by now? None of it’s real,” he says, looking around the ballroom. “None of it matters. What you want, what I want… it’s not going to change the outcome.”
“The outcome of what?” The way he’s speaking scares me more than he ever has. I’ve always known that Mace was someone to fear. Someone not to trust. This is a different side of him. He’s always been in control, and now he’s claiming to be just another pawn, the way he always made me feel?
When I realize he’s not going to answer, I try another question. “Mace, why are you really here?”
“I don’t know,” he murmurs. It feels like the only truth he’s ever told me. Before I can answer, a deafening explosion shakes the castle and sends me into Mace’s chest. He catches me and for a moment, our eyes are locked, my lips hovering just a bit away from his. I freeze, both in shock from the explosion and because of the contradictory way my heart responds to him being this close.
He breaks the spell, setting me back on my feet just as another explosion hits from the east wing of the castle. The crowd swarms around us, screams filling the air as everyone stampedes to get out. There are more explosions, coming from all around us now, and I push through the crowd, trying to get to Mace before he can disappear.
“Mace!” I cry, forcing my way past a pair of running guards, trying to get a handle on the commotion before the crowd turns on itself.
I catch a glimpse of him from behind, running toward the balcony. My heels make running impossible, so I shed them and dash barefoot out onto the patio, the cool stone sending a chill up my spine. Just as I reach the door, I catch him on the railing. There’s smoke in the air from the explosions, thick and black enough to make it impossible to see what’s going on below.
“Stop!”
He freezes and turns to look at me. I can tell he’s ready to shift into his wolf form and disappear for what might be the last time. It should enrage me, but I know not all the panic I’m feeling is due to the fear that I’ll never find out what he’s truly up to.
“You want the truth,” he says quietly. “But you’ve never been ready to hear it.”
“I know.” My throat grows tight as I approach him, afraid if I make any sudden moves, he’ll vanish. Sometimes he seems like a ghost, too mysterious and sinister to be real. Others, he seems so tangible. He seems like the most real part of a life I only ever lived in a dream. “But I’m ready now. Just tell me,” I plead. “I know you didn’t just come here to say goodbye.”
“No,” he murmurs. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the sorrow in his voice was real, too, but it disappears too quickly for me to tell. He watches me for what feels like forever, and I’m willing to let it go on, as long as he stays here. As soon as he leaves, I somehow know everything will change, and like he says, I’m not ready. I don’t even know what I’m not ready for. I just know it, and I dread the moment it comes.
My whole life has been one inevitable change after another. My mother’s sickness, then her death. Ryland’s banishment. Christopher’s abandonment. Mace has been there for so much of it. The catalyst for how much I don’t even know. He watches and waits, but for the first time, I’m starting to question if he’s the one pulling the strings, or just another piece on the chessboard.
“Harquest didn’t kill your parents,” he says, delivering another blow that only hits as hard as it does because I recognize it as truth. My heart and mind rage against it, but deep down, something I can only describe as instinct, takes it in and turns it over bit by bit for inspection only to return the unyielding verdict that those words are as true as the shadows in my past and the blood on my hands.
“Then who did?” I choke.
“I did,” he answers without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, he’s a slate-gray wolf again, his elegant form leaping up onto the edge of the railing. He seems even more ethereal in this form, an inky shadow slinking in the darkness. Only his green eyes speak of the man who was there a moment ago. They take in my shock with casual speculation before he turns toward the moon and leaps down into the smoke, letting it swallow him whole.
Chapter Seven
Mace has been at the heart of so many of my lowest moments, but this one cuts deeper than any other. Why does it feel like a betrayal? It was one thing when I suspected that Harquest had killed my parents. His own brother, his flesh and blood. Even Ryland’s likely role as an accomplice in the regicide seemed… fathomable. It hurt, yes, but it felt as if solving the mystery would yield some catharsis. Perhaps one final act of respect for the mother and father I never got the chance to know. A rose on a grave feels so hollow, and yet this is an emptiness greater than any I once thought possible.
My shock is shattered with a scream from below that spurs me to action. I remove my crown and lay it down on the railing, sacrificing my gown to tatters as my wolf breaks free. We dive together into the same blackness that enveloped Mace without knowing what waits below.
The landing is far from graceful, but I roll up onto my feet and keep running in the direction of the scream even though I can barely see. Mace’s scent is impossible to track through the smoke and gunpowder cloud surrounding the castle walls. I hear people running, panicking, and follow the chaos to the castle’s main gate. The smoke finally clears enough to see the knights, including Jenna, struggling to tear down the gate. They’ve attached thick chains to the wooden planks, and the structure groans, but it won’t fall.
I think of shifting back to ask what’s going on, but remember that standing buck naked in front of your knights is definitely frowned upon in royal society. Jenna spots me and recogni
zes my wolf immediately. “Princess! You shouldn’t be here.”
I throw my head toward the gate, hoping she’ll understand I’m not leaving until I get an answer.
She frowns, walking over while the others continue trying to bring down the wall. It looks like it’s about to work, until a strange blue electric current crackles around the door, sealing it shut once again. I’ve never seen anything like it, and the sight is even more alarming to my wolf’s mind.
“It’s magic,” Jenna explains. “It’s been sealed.”
My eyes widen. Magic? Is she kidding? Magic was forbidden in the outlands eons ago, and every last mage was either executed or chased out of the territory. Now it’s just a scary story parents tell their children.
I rush around to the other side of the building through the smoke. If someone sealed the castle with magic, that means they’re trying to do something inside. Albien is still in there, as far as I know, along with all the humans he shelters and the other party guests. Every remotely important wolf in the kingdom is gathered for the coronation, and if Mace’s aim is to get to any of them, they’re all sitting ducks.
Now I know what the explosions were. They were nothing more than a distraction to get all the knights out of the castle. I begin to panic, searching for a way back in. Something is wrong. I feel it deep in my bones, and my instincts are far sharper than when I’m human.
I spot a ledge not too far off the ground and leap onto it. The next is further away, and I momentarily waver as to whether it’ll be easier to get up there with hands or paws. After calculating my trajectory, I leap and barely make it.
There’s an open window a few feet up, not far from where I jumped down. If I can just reach it, I should be able to make it inside. I take extra care timing this jump just right and when my paws leave the steady ledge below, I’m certain I’m going to make it.
Court of Alphas: A WhyChoose Shifter Romance Page 3
