11

ARIA

The wolf took over before I could stop her. She knew how to run. How to dodge. How to disappear. Those things were never my strength. I was good at making mistakes. That much was clear.

Everything I believed had been wrong. Alaric Stonefang was no different from my father. At least I learned that before it went any further.

Trusting him had been a mistake. Worse than that was believing the next man who treated me kindly would fix things. That a lover would save me. That idea had almost ruined me.

My wolf was small but fast. A sharp little body cutting through the Blackwood Wilds. She moved like a weapon.

It wasn’t until she slid under a thick bush that something felt off. Her fear wasn’t aimed at Kael Nightborne.

Wolves.

The scents were old. A few days, maybe a week. Too many to count. Had I crossed into territory without realizing it? If an alpha found me here, I wouldn’t live long. But the markings felt wrong. They were personal. Not pack-bound. That made even less sense.

Where was I?

Thoughts drifted to the new king. King Aurelian had ruled for as long as memory reached back. Long before I was born.

He had passed his thirty-year reign and still held power, but he never came this far into the land. I had never seen him. I wasn’t even sure Victor had ever met him. There were whispers that the king was unraveling near the end.

Kael had come out of nowhere to challenge him. His brother was an alpha, and Kael belonged to that pack. No one knew why he challenged the king. Only that it lasted a brutal month.

I remembered Rook asking my father if he would challenge for the crown. Victor liked where he stood. Expansion mattered. Power mattered. But the throne? Too heavy. Too exposed.

So why was Kael here?

The king lived five hundred miles away. There was no way we had traveled that distance in five hours.

So where the hell was I?

More than anything, I wanted to speak to my wolf. Others did it with ease. They felt what their wolf felt. They moved together. That bond had never existed for me. We were split down the middle, and I didn’t know why. Still, I tried. I pushed the question toward her. Why were her hackles raised?

Nothing came back.

The wolf scents were strong, but there was something else layered underneath. Something wrong. Something that made her tense.

Hiding forever wasn’t an option. A person was safer than guessing. With this many wolves around, I wasn’t in human land anymore. If I was lucky, the alpha would be reasonable.

Luck had never been on my side.

Recon first.

I forced my wolf back and took control. The woods were quiet. No movement. I crawled out from beneath the bush. Hunger twisted my stomach, sharp and demanding, but I ignored it.

Almost a full day without food. I’d been through worse. I had maybe twelve hours before weakness really set in.

Except everything was different now. Old rules didn’t apply. My wolf had never hunted. Not once. No idea if she even knew how. And I doubted I’d still be alone in twelve hours anyway.

Wolves protected their land. Someone would find me.

The sun sat high above, but the Blackwood Wilds were thick with shade. Summer heat pressed down, but here it was bearable. I moved slowly, head turning constantly, until the sound of water reached me.

I followed it carefully.

A clearing opened ahead. A wide river cut through it, fast and loud. Thirst hit hard and sudden. I stayed near the edge, walking along the bank until the current eased. Half a mile down, the water spread wide and calmer. I waited. Watched. Listened.

Nothing came out of the brush.

I stepped forward and drank. Cold water filled my mouth. Relief followed, then weakness. My legs shook. Exhaustion settled deep. I couldn’t last much longer without food.

A shadow moved.

I turned too late.

The wolf was massive. Nearly twice my size. It slammed into me and sent us both crashing into the river. I scrambled, tried to stand, but teeth sank into my shoulder. Pain ripped through me. Panic took over. I kicked back, desperate to escape.

The ground vanished.

I fell.

The river swallowed me whole. Blood spread into the water. The current dragged me away as I fought to stay above it. I didn’t know how to swim as a human.

As a wolf, it was worse.

She panicked. Her body thrashed. Water poured into my mouth, burned my throat, stole my breath. We went under.

This was it. Drowning. Alone. Forgotten.

Something wrapped around me and pulled.

Instinct made me fight it, but the grip only tightened. It hauled me against the current. We broke the surface. I tried to look back, but the angle was wrong. I shoved my wolf down and forced focus.

Shifter scent.

A human arm dragged me to shore.

When I was yanked from the water, I finally saw him.

Kael.

My wolf tried to flee again, but there was nothing left in me.

“Stop,” he said.

Power snapped tight around me. Wolf magic crushed down. My wolf collapsed instantly, whining in submission. Fury burned in his eyes as he looked at me.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

I couldn’t answer. I coughed water onto the ground. Blood seeped from my shoulder. My legs gave out when I tried to stand.

Darkness took me.

Firelight and the smell of cooked meat pulled me back. My wolf was gone. I lay between two blankets. Night had fallen. I sat up too fast.

Six pairs of eyes stared back.

Fear hit hard. I clutched the blanket to my chest and shrank back.

“Outer Watch check,” Kael said.

Everyone moved at once. Only Corvin stayed long enough to set a wooden bowl in front of me. Then he left too. Kael remained, watching without expression.

My stomach growled. I grabbed the meat and ate fast. Greens. Beans. The bowl was empty in moments.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For saving me.”

“I am your king.”

Right. Nothing personal. I knew better now. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said. “For the food.”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Geography was never my strong point.”

Smart move. Sarcasm. To the king.

“Swimming isn’t either,” he said. “Neither is hiding tracks. Or hunting. Or surviving. Your father called you a pampered princess.”

I almost laughed. It was the nicest lie Victor Blackwood had ever told.

“He also called you a whore.”

“No offense, Your Royal Highness, but I’ve heard that already. If you point me toward a road, I’ll leave. You don’t need to repeat my father’s insults. I’m not interested.”

He was on his feet in an instant. My head dropped without thought.

Did kings still execute wolves for that?

“You speak freely now that I know the truth.”

Silence. Let him talk. Don’t fight. Just endure.

“You know nothing of the truth.”

Bad choice.

“I know what I smell,” he said, closing in. “I know why you followed me. I know what you think you want.”

Cold dread settled deep.

“You, Aria,” he said, voice hard and final, “are pregnant. And you believe you can pass that child off as mine.”