His cold eyes scrutinized Briar, examining her as she and Grae proceeded down the aisle. I bit down on my lips, wanting to snarl at his leering assessment. Instead, I kept in line with Sadie, a few paces behind the other guards. Knowing I’d do something rash if I kept observing the King’s hungry gaze, I looked around, spotting gnarled faces in the crowd—one missing an eye, another with a long scar snaking down his jaw. I wondered at their injuries—were they perhaps the result of ranking challenges? Or maybe punishments for sedition?
The latter would not surprise me—I had heard stories that skin chasers received the worst punishments, debasing themselves by indulging in human flesh. I glanced back at the one-eyed man, his lone eye staring vacantly at Briar. What was his crime? Had the King been the one to dole out his penalty?
King Nero shifted in his chair and the pack bristled, finely attuned to his every breath and action. The pack turned to face their leader, silence blanketing the room until the only sound was Grae’s and Briar’s shoes walking down the aisle.
“The Crimson Princess, Briar Marriel, daughter of the last King and Queen of Olmdere.” King Nero’s deep voice carried easily over the crowd. His many silver rings clinked against the wooden armrests as he pushed up from his throne. “The tales of your beauty don’t do you justice, Your Highness.”
Briar dropped into a deep curtsy, holding it until the King descended from the dais. My stomach jittered, knowing whatever nerves I felt, Briar must’ve felt tenfold. I focused on the air pulling through my nostrils, filling my lungs as I fought the urge to be sick. I’d never needed Vellia’s calming techniques for her conjured monsters, but this . . . there were more people in this one room than I’d met in my entire life. The fate of my fallen kingdom hedged on this going well.
More, this was my sister, my twin. Subject to scrutiny and expectation, and all I could do was watch. I sucked in another steadying breath. I couldn’t ruin this moment. I had to trust that Briar’s training would see her through.
The King took Briar’s hand, making her rise as he lifted her knuckles to his lips. “Your parents and I had spoken joyfully of this union long before you were even born. Sameir and Rose would be so proud.” I pressed my lips together at the sound of my parents’ names. “Welcome to my court, Princess.” He placed his other hand on top of hers and looked out at his pack, addressing them directly. “The day has finally come. Together we will reclaim Olmdere and join the kingdoms forever.”
Clamorous cheering erupted, making me flinch. Some even howled to the skies.
“The Gold and Silver Wolves have always been close,” the King continued, dropping Briar’s hand to pat his son on the shoulder. “But with this union, we will be one pack.”
“For the pack!” More howls echoed around the room.
The King leaned past Briar, his eyes landing on me. I rocked back on my heels at the full force of his stare. Was it time? Was he going to tell everyone who I was? Sadie cleared her throat beside me and my senses came back to me. Dropping my eyes, I bowed.
“The Princess’s personal guard,” King Nero said, flashing his canines as he grinned. “The only other Gold Wolf to have survived Sawyn’s wrath. Not much of a warrior, by the looks of you.”
The crowd tittered, their stares pressing in on me as my cheeks burned. Spots clouded my vision, and I pushed against the dizzying feeling in my head. Just get through this one moment and then I could fade away into the background again.
Grae took a half step toward his father, his voice lighthearted as he said, “I wouldn’t underestimate her.”
King Nero cut him a sharp look and Grae dropped his eyes. I prayed to the Moon that my face hadn’t turned an unseemly shade of green. A painful awareness of my body made me clench my jaw. I felt their eyes wandering over me, taking in everything from my dark curls to my large hips to my diminutive stature. Nothing lithe or graceful about me. Nothing forceful or menacing, either. I forced myself to stare at the crowd, challenging each of their mocking glances. My body might not look like that of a killer, but my expression did. One by one, their eyes dropped, and I straightened my shoulders.
The King looked me up and down again, a twinkle in his eyes. He knew who I was.
“Perhaps we will need a demonstration of this skill at some point.” He laughed, and the crowd echoed the sound. Bile rose in my throat as he turned back to Briar. “But for now, we have a wedding to prepare for. Tonight, when the Moon Goddess is full in the sky, we shall fulfill the Marriels’ ultimate wish to bind our families together forever. Olmdere will have a king once more!”
A king. Not a queen. Briar was a kingmaker—that was her true value to them. Without her, Grae couldn’t be king of Olmdere. My fingernails dug into my palm as I watched the smiles shared between father and son, king and prince. As I watched my sister’s trueborn self seemingly vanish before our very eyes.
Cheering broke out again as King Nero waved his hand, dismissing our traveling party. Grae joined his father on the dais as the rest of us bowed in unison and hastened to a side door. I cast one last look at Grae, finding his dark eyes already upon me. I couldn’t read his steely expression as his eyes tracked me out of the room.
In the forests of Allesdale, I thought I knew him. But here, in this world, he was another person. And I wasn’t sure if this version of Grae would ever be friends with someone like me.
My ears rang in the hallway’s silence. The air was cooler, smelling of silver polish and fresh paint. Servants rushed past the narrow space, carrying trays of silverware and baskets of linen napkins, racing to prepare for the wedding feast.
The one that was apparently happening today.
The King hadn’t revealed who I was. Worse, he let everyone laugh at me. I clenched my hands to keep them from shaking as a million thoughts battled in my mind. Maybe he didn’t want to take away from the excitement of the wedding? Or maybe he was embarrassed by me. Gods, the way they laughed. I looked nothing like Briar. There was nothing regal about me. Maybe he took one look at me and realized I didn’t belong in his pack. Perhaps he would announce it once the ceremony was over . . . My worries popped up faster than I could assuage them.
“It’s okay. You were perfect,” Maez whispered from up ahead.
I leaned past the guards twice my height to find Briar’s reddened face, panting as her eyes welled. I shoved my embarrassment aside and rushed to my sister. She looked like she might throw up, too. Her vacant eyes scanned the ground as I pulled her into a hug.
My embrace seemed to snap her back into reality, and she buried her head in my shoulder.
“Your beauty and poise awed every single one of them, Briar.” My voice was muffled in her hair as I swept soothing circles over her back. I knew it’s what she needed to hear. “You couldn’t see their excitement, but believe me, they were joyous.”