by Lila Felix
“Ric Kasun is the head of the Kasun pack of wolves. My father and he are like two rabid dogs when they see each other. Dad thinks the seat on the Court should be ours, and Ric hates my father and thinks he’s a pompous ass. Ric would be right, by the way. But, in public, it would be wise of us to be on my father’s side of things. Ric may be right, but we have to live in the castle with my father. You know?”
“Know where your bread is buttered.”
“What?”
“My mom says that. Know where your bread is buttered.”
Harrison laughed again, and damn it all if somehow the sound didn’t penetrate my chest and make my heart beat double time.
Without warning, he scooted over in the car and pulled me against his side. He was warm, warmer than anyone I knew. “Please don’t make me do anything against the alpha to protect you. Don’t make me choose, because after last night, I will choose you, and we know what will happen if you aren’t the new alpha’s queen. You do know, don’t you?”
I did. It was all under the guise of a pretty package and a lovely little wedding, but the fact was, I was the bargaining chip for the lessers, the cinnamon bears. They were at their wits’ end from being treated like second-class citizens, and well, lesser than the black bears. We were technically all the same species, just a different color than the rest. The cinnamon bears were pushed aside and forced into servant positions, cleaning the alpha’s floors.
I was the only thing preventing an all-out revolution. “I do. I don’t want my people killed.”
“All of our people. I don’t want any of our people killed, cinnamon or black. I want us all united, like we used to be.”
“Before the Xaviers took leadership.”
He nodded, and his ear brushed mine as he did. “Took is the right word.”
I pulled back with a jerk and looked him in the eye. There was no lie on his tongue. We bear shifters could taste a lie from a great distance, even the hint of untruth.
“You’ll have to tell me about that one day.”
He nodded again. “Let me begin the conversation when we do. Trust me. Some of the castle walls listen and talk. I know the safe places.”
I could hear my heart beating between my temples and in my ears. There were too many things happening beneath the surface of all this water.
I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but the car halted and the doors opened. A Cheshire grin pulled at the corners of the alpha’s face as he saw Harrison and me so close. To him, it probably looked like a successful coupling on his part.
“We are here. Harrison, I trust you’ve briefed your mate of the situation with these . . . these beings. We do what they say, but they get nothing more.”
Harrison nodded and opened the door further to get out before me, strategically placing himself between me and his father. “Of course, Alpha. My mate is ready for this. Aren’t you, Atlas?”
It was time for me to pretend to be the meek little female again. Ick.
“Yes, Alpha. Harrison has made sure I know all I need to.”
That was a little much, even for me.
“Good. Let’s get this over with. My bear is itching to burst out and claw those wolves already, and we haven’t even gotten in the door.”
Alphas were supposed to be steady and still and responsive instead of reactive, yet this man was the very opposite. The scent of his restlessness hung in the air.
A woman came through the doorway and approached us, her hands outstretched and a smile gleaming on her face. Her silvery, almost snowy, hair was pulled up in a chignon. An air of regality flowed about her.
“That’s Saundra Beaumont,” Harrison whispered into my ear.
We walked toward her, and I noticed Harrison’s mother wasn’t coming.
“Your mother isn’t joining us?” I thought about it for a second, trying like hell to be as diplomatic as possible. “I’d love for another female bear to be with me for the tattoo.”
Our company stopped, and I knew I’d done it. One day in, and I’d done poked the bear—literally.
Saundra replied, “Actually, that is an excellent idea. Divine, won’t you come and join your new daughter-in-law in receiving her new marking?”
Harrison’s mom looked like someone just gave her the biggest brownie she’d ever seen. Practically running, she looped her arm in mine and gave it a squeeze.
If I were ever to be queen, she would be treated like she deserved.
I’m not sure what I thought the Court of the Sun and the Moon would look like, but it seemed somehow less formal and more bustling in friendly conversation.
“Welcome to the Court, young bear, future queen of the Black Bears.”
I didn’t know who the woman was, but she seemed to be the leader.
“Thank you,” I answered with a smile.
“We have already approved you to stay in Havenwood Falls, of course, but there is the question of the tattoo.”
Harrison stepped forward. “The tattoo, Saundra?”
Saundra. That was her name.
“Yes. She can have an invisible mark or a visible one. One matching her mate’s or another one. It is her choice, and her choice alone.”
The alpha stiffened beside us. Apparently, he didn’t like anyone having a choice about anything.
“Give us one moment, Saundra, please.”
The woman nodded once.
Harrison pulled me to him, placing his hand on my waist. “It really is your choice. It’s your body.”
“What is yours?” My whisper wasn’t much quieter than a regular tone, so there were several snickers around the room from those who heard me.
“A bear. Visible.”
I cleared my throat and decided to thoroughly embarrass myself. “Can I get one that is only visible to my mate, but other shifters can see another tattoo?”
To my surprise, there was no more laughter.
Saundra paused and then nodded. “You may. I’ve never heard of it before, but I like the idea. Emilian, I like this new daughter-in-law of yours. She brings new ideas and hope to Havenwood Falls.”
Too bad the alpha didn’t strike me as one who appreciated new ideas.
Saundra extended her hand to me and my mother-in-law. “Let’s begin, then. Divine, are you accompanying your new daughter?”
The alpha queen nodded and curled her long black hair over her shoulder.
“It shall be done.”
Chapter 10
Harrison
I wasn’t sure how long my tattoo had taken. I was just a child.
But it had to be a shorter time period than three hours. That, coupled with my father’s incessant pacing and the random checks to make sure the door that my mate went behind was still locked, told me it was taking longer than anyone expected.
“What is taking so long, wolf?” Our alpha’s question was directed to the Kasun pack’s alpha, who didn’t look distressed in the slightest.
“I’m not sure, Emilian. In a hurry?”
My dad hated the Kasun clan more than he hated most other supernaturals in Havenwood Falls, and that was saying something. Though I’d never heard my father specifically say anything to support the theory, I thought that maybe he had been running from someone or something when he decided to come to Havenwood Falls. I knew that his father had been run out of several other places for his rigidity and callous rule over the bears, but he had never been replaced.
Also, my father hated humans in general, and Havenwood Falls seemed like a place he could avoid them.
“We have business to attend to. I’m sure my son would like to have his mate back as well.”
Just as I thought I might have to step in between the two of them and completely embarrass myself, the three women came through the door.
They were . . . embracing.
My father would not be pleased.
“What is this, a tattooing or girls’ night out? Let’s go now.”
Saundra whispered something into Atlas’s ear th
at caused her to stroke her newly inked neck. I tried to make out what the tattoo was, but she pulled on her coat, and my chance was gone.
Hopefully, she would give me another chance to see it.
Outside City Hall, through the door marked with the mountain and moon, my father clenched and unclenched his fists all the way to the car before he turned on us with a smirk.
“Made friends, did we, Divine?”
He spoke to my mother, called her by name, but his eyes were targeted on Atlas. I knew that look. My father was about to attempt one of his passive-aggressive lessons.
“Saundra has known us since we came to Havenwood Falls, my dear. Of course we are friends. And I was so honored to be with Atlas during her tattoo. It was a chance for me to bond with my daughter-in-law.”
“Those people hate us. They don’t approve of us, and if it were up to them, the humans that visit this town would walk right up to the castle’s front door to greet us, along with those lessers.”
Fuck it all. I thought with Atlas as my mate, he would at least have the decency to keep his lesser bear hate concealed.
My father’s paranoia about the Court was his own, and not even close to the truth. The Court would never expose our castle to humans. They wouldn’t want any humans to discover any of the supernatural powers in this place. It would destroy everything they’d worked to protect.
Atlas blurted, “Why don’t we leave this place then, Alpha? The tattoo is done. There is no need for me or any of us to be around these people any longer. Don’t you agree, Harrison?”
I was almost speechless. Plus, I was a little frustrated. Didn’t she know she was going to get herself in trouble?
“I agree. Father, I’d like very much to get my mate back home again.”
“Let’s go. I also want to get my female home. Get the stench of the Court from her skin.”
There was no stench. Saundra simply smelled like magic. My father was being overly dramatic about a feud that I knew was solely in his mind.
As soon as the door closed on the car, Atlas started speaking. I didn’t let her finish.
“No, Atlas. Didn’t you listen to me? You don’t understand his temper. You don’t understand what he could do. What if he hurt you? What if he took you away?”
Fuck, I sounded too desperate.
I couldn’t help myself. After biting her, having her life force in my body, there had to be a change of plans. Even if I was never to be alpha, she had to remain mine.
“Fine. I’ll try. That’s all I can promise. So we’re stuck in the castle again?”
“For a time. Until my father goes out of town in the morning. Then we can roam. The people of Havenwood Falls, well, the supernatural ones, don’t tell my father or his spies when they see me in town. They will keep us safe.”
Atlas was looking out the window, still with her collar pulled up. I was dying to see her marking.
She stayed still and silent the rest of the ride home.
“Wait!” she said before we exited the car.
“What?” I actually looked her up and down like an idiot to see what was wrong with her.
“Can we have some kind of signal? Like you can signal me when it’s okay for me to be myself?”
That was actually smart and would help me keep her safe.
She continued, “What if you touch your nose or something?”
“I never touch my nose. My father would notice. What if I just held your hand? Squeezed when we are safe, when you are safe.”
I took her hand and squeezed to show her.
She blushed before whispering, “That’s good.”
We got out of the car, and she didn’t let go.
Chapter 11
Atlas
After we returned to the castle, Harrison was summoned to some kind of briefing. He left me in the library, which contained thousands of books that looked to have never been touched.
A clearing throat caught my attention and drew my eyes across the monstrous room, where all the walls not filled with books were lined with aged maple.
“Hello?”
The male stepped forward. It was Oscar, from the night before.
“Atlas, can we speak for a moment?”
“Of course.” I looked around for his sake, making sure the alpha wasn’t hanging from the ceiling or something.
“Not here.” With two fingers, he waved me toward the door. I smelled no deception on him, so I followed. Oscar stopped at the entrance of a closet that was the size of my old apartment. “In here.”
I stepped inside, thinking that I would find brooms or mops, but instead I found a makeshift living area with a few chairs and a shabby table.
“I apologize. There aren’t very many places that are safe here.”
“It’s fine. What did you need to talk to me about?”
“I wanted to warn you about some things and to ask your intentions. Everyone is getting their hopes up, but I’m the skeptic.”
He sat down once I did, and I motioned for him to continue. My heart jumped into my throat in anticipation.
“The warning is about saying anything in certain places of the house. There are very few places that are safe. I’m sure Harrison will tell you. The other is that not everything is what it seems here. Look beyond the mask. Don’t trust anyone.”
“Even you?” I said, with my eyebrow cocked.
“You can trust your kind, Atlas. We would never betray you. I wanted to invite you to a place where you can see what’s really going on here.”
“And where is that?”
“The Terrace. Just ask your mate. He will know where it is, though he has never been. Don’t be surprised if he bucks against the idea. He’s been brainwashed too long.”
“Brainwashed?”
He ticked his head to the right and stared down the door. He heard something.
“Back to the library, Atlas. Quickly. You know the way?”
Oscar pushed me out the door, not waiting for the answer. I looked both ways down the hall and spotted a painting I’d remembered passing.
The castle was a maze, but I feared that getting lost in this place was the least of my worries.
The walls of stone seemed to close in minute by minute. Harrison’s father didn’t leave the next day or the next. We spent our time in an endless schedule of increasingly boring blocks of time.
You can learn a lot about someone when you’re confined in a space with them. My mate was kind, but at the same time aloof to the staff. This might have been because he’d been taught to act this way, or maybe it was his father’s disposition coming through.
He was also oblivious. He was like a child playing in a playpen while the world burned around him. He wasn’t doing anything about it, but at the same time I wondered if he even knew the severity of the world outside.
I would have to show him before he became alpha and turned into his father.
That was, if I didn’t die of boredom first.
I even played chess with my mate just to pass the time.
He didn’t seem to notice my little spurts of time away from him. Either that, or he didn’t care. The servants of the castle were more than willing to divulge information to me, since I was one of their kind. I’d snuck to the kitchen and even the laundry rooms to speak to them.
My mate was ignorant on so many levels.
A knock on the library door startled me. Jerking out of my chair, I rose to answer the door, knocking over all the pieces except Harrison’s king.
“Let the servants answer the door,” Harrison whispered to me. I’d come to know this whisper as the ‘helping Atlas stay out of trouble’ whisper. The things he told me to do in this whisper were not meant as commands, but precautions.
I’d always been pretty independent before, but having Harrison keep me safe didn’t bother me.
In fact, I kind of found it endearing.
“Ah, here is the happy couple. Your mother and I are going to meet with some of the clans in the wes
t. We will be gone for just a couple of days. Dolrich will be coming with me.”
Waiting for Harrison to have some kind of reaction to his father taking a cousin with him on a trip for official business, I stayed quiet. Not calm, but quiet.
I looked back and forth between father and son, waiting for a protest or at least a flash of disgruntled emotions, but there were none. Apparently, both of them were content with the status quo.
“Excellent. Are there any tasks you would have me do while you are gone?” Harrison sounded like the girl from Rohan in Lord of the Rings, all prim and proper about official duties.
“No. I have everything taken care of. You and Atlas just . . . do whatever you do.”
There was a hint of perversion when the alpha referred to me and his son. Every. Time.
Harrison nodded. At first, I thought he was afraid of his father, but more and more, I believed it to be tolerance.
It was as if Harrison just didn’t care. What kind of future leader would he be if he didn’t care about the kingdom—just let it all swirl around him while he sat on his chairs and walked in his libraries and ordered food from the phone?
Twenty minutes later, the car with the alpha and his queen pulled from the driveway.
We both watched from the window of the library, directly above the main entrance to the castle.
“When can we . . .”
Harrison gasped slightly. It wasn’t safe for me to speak. I’d forgotten. It was like living under a dictator instead of an honorable leader.
I’d have bet Harrison would be an honorable leader if he was given the right opportunity. We waited in the library another half hour. My legs nervously bounced the entire time, mostly because I knew we were waiting for a sign of the alpha being gone.
The sign that we could leave this place.
“Why don’t we go take a walk in the gardens?” Harrison asked, already almost halfway to the door.
“Okay.” This place was so weird.
We strolled through the maze of flowers and trees. There were shrubs shaped into beings and animals, Edward Scissorhands style, and roses whose blooms were twice the size of any blooms I’d ever seen.
