We found Hector at a rundown pub that reeked of old ale, sitting in a far shadowed booth.
“No one in Hengreave knows what the Damrienn prince looks like.” Grae blew out the candle in the center of the table. Even in our skin, we could see better than most humans and it would fend off any prying eyes. “Not unless they’ve traveled to the palace in Taigoska, and I doubt anyone here would’ve garnered an invitation.”
I twirled my fingers through the twisting trails of smoke. “You’ve been to the crater before, though?”
“From the opposite side of the ranges, the same way the Silver Wolves went. I’d stop there on my way to Taigoska.”
I pursed my lips. “But you were careful in Allesdale, when you came to collect me and Briar?”
Drunken laughter erupted from two men at the bar and I jolted. It was a quiet evening, half the tables empty.
“Allesdale is part of my kingdom,” he whispered. “I’ve traveled through Damrienn far more extensively, and more humans work in our castle.”
I cocked my head. “You don’t think a human from Hengreave could’ve traveled to Highwick?”
“Most humans don’t have the luxury of ever leaving the town they were born into.” Hector snorted into his tankard. “And those with enough coin to travel the realm aren’t coming to a place like this.” He took another long swig and gestured around the seedy, dark room.
A barmaid dropped three plates on the table. “Here ya are. Three fry ups.” She set down two cups for Grae and me, one filled with golden liquid, the other maroon. We hadn’t ordered them, and I guessed they were probably whatever drinks they had left.
Grae peered into the two glasses and swapped them, moving the golden one in front of my plate. I arched my brow.
“You still prefer the honey wine?”
He’d remembered.
Eight years . . . it was eight years ago that I’d told him how Briar and I would sneak drinks from the local tavern and that the only one I could stomach was the honey wine.
“Yes,” I whispered. He’d really remembered my stories as well as I remembered his.
I took a sip of the sweet honeyed wine, staring at the food swimming in a soupy gravy.
Hector chuckled at my frown. “It’s no roast pheasant, but I reckon it tastes better.”
I picked up my spoon and scooped up a bite of mashed potatoes. The buttery, salty flavors lit up my tongue. A hint of rosemary and sage.
“See?” Hector said. “The worst-looking places always have the best food.”
As I took another bite, I hummed my pleasure and Grae’s hand slid under the table to my knee. I never knew a hand on a knee could feel so intoxicating. I took another long swig of my wine, letting it burn down my throat as I darted a heated glance in his direction. His eyes darkened, his fingers pressing in on the flesh of my knee, and I knew exactly what he was thinking about.
Our heated gazes hooked into each other. We’d left that moment in the crater unfinished between us. It made me agitated and antsy to actualize what we’d started. That taunting kiss. The feel of his naked body . . .
Hector coughed. “Should I leave?”
“Yes,” Grae said at the same time I said, “No.”
Hector snickered. “Mates.”
Grae’s hand left my knee and he took a long, frustrated breath that made me smile around the rim of my wineglass.
“I can’t believe Sadie would rather listen to music than come drink with us,” Hector said through a mouthful of food.
“I don’t think it’s the music that’s motivating her,” Grae said, scooping up a spoonful of peas.
I tried to shoot him a warning look, knowing how Hector would take it, but Grae seemed intent on his food and drink.
“So it’s not just me, then?” Hector raised his eyebrows. “You think she fancies Navin?”
“We shouldn’t be talking about her like this,” I scolded the two of them. “It’s her business. Let her handle it.”
“It’s not just her business,” Hector said, slopping a piece of bread into his gravy. “She’s a Wolf, he’s a human. If the pack found out, they’d call her a skin chaser or worse. It’s pack business.”
“Pack business?” I asked. “The same pack that you’re defying just by sitting here?”
Hector’s gaze dropped back to his plate. But he wasn’t wrong. They’d move Sadie down the ranks if the rumors spread. She’d lose her standing in the pack and her reputation would be tarnished. Navin would probably be fine. Humans would judge him for it, but since he was already a traveler, he’d probably not be stuck with any small-town gossip for long. There would be no prying villagers for him, but for Sadie, she could lose everything.
But I was just doing the same thing as Hector: clinging to the pack like I was actually a part of it. Contorting and breaking everything I was to fit their mold. Giving the idea of the pack so much faith when I’d receive none of their loyalty in return. Why did I grab on to the pack’s rules so tightly even as I fled them? Like they hadn’t already forced me to make a choice.
The light beyond the fogged windows dimmed as the sun set beyond the rooftops.
“We should go back soon. They’ll be heading to the Lord’s manor for their performance and I don’t want to leave Sadie alone,” Hector said, swigging the last of his ale.
“We’ll meet you back there,” Grae said, taking another bite of his food. He gestured to Hector’s already empty plate. “Not all of us eat like wild animals.”
Hector shrugged. “See you at the wagon,” he said, grabbing his cloak folded over the back of the booth.
As Hector walked away, my heart began to race. The closeness of Grae, alone, in this dark booth made every sense feel heightened. That kiss in the crater was an unfulfilled promise, and now my body craved him like something I’d never known before. All I could smell was his scent. All I could hear were his steady breaths.
I took one more bite of potatoes and pushed the plate away. Leaning back against the hardwood, I folded my arms.
My eyes flitted to his. Just looking at him made me want to combust. In the shadows, his cheeks and jawline were sharper, his features more wolflike. The depths of my yearning made every muscle tense. I gritted my teeth, angry at myself for how all-consuming this feeling was. It was something I’d never done before, but all I could think about was the desperate need for Grae to help me find that release.
“You’re not hungry?” Grae asked.
“Not for food.”
A feral growl boomed from Grae’s chest as he dropped his spoon and it clanged onto his plate. His hand was back on my knee. That touch alone made my lips part.
“Gods, if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to take you right here on this table,” he rasped.
His hand slid up my leg and I parted my thighs, arching, so lost in that desperation for his hand to drift higher.
“You’d let me do it, wouldn’t you? You’d let me fuck you right here?” His fingers dug into my fleshy thigh and he let out a deep chuckle. “You want me that badly?”