Chapter 4

Maris got down low. She put her face right at Selene's level. "You really think nobody saw the wolfbane go missing from the garden? You think people didn't question why the quiet girl stays up sewing late into the night till her fingers get all bloody? You're not just making clothes, Selene. You're putting together something risky."

Hearing her own name hit Selene hard. Her heart jumped. Maris always called her shadow or girl before. Nothing else. Just how much did Maris really understand? The wolf out there made a deeper growl. Claws scraped on the stone wall. Kael pushed his big body against it from outside. Maris turned her head that way. Her smile got bigger. "Your brothers are hanging around still, aren't they? Those poor things. It's kind of noble, you keeping quiet like this. Pretty tragic too." Selene dug her nails into her hands. Her brothers' lives dangled there between them. Like some thin string about to snap. Maris controlled it all. Then Maris leaned in even more. Her words came softly, like smoke drifting. "You believe Aurek doesn't see you? He does. Way more than you might guess. But that won't last. Pretty soon, he'll look at someone else. When he marries the Queen of Silvermist, your brothers are done for. The witch who put that curse on them will end up on Ironhold's throne. No shirt you're sewing. No promises. No staying silent. Nothing will help them after that."

Selene's gut twisted up tight. Maris knew about Veyra. She knew the curse stuff. Maybe she had figured it out from the start. Maris stood up straight. Her eyes sparked with something sharp. "I could go to him right now. Tell him your whole story. Make you sound like a betrayer. A spy. Even a witch like her. He'd throw you out of here before morning light." She stopped for a second. She seemed to enjoy how still Selene stayed. "Or I don't say a word. If you pay me for it." Selene's hands trembled. But she made her breathing even out. No way she'd let Maris see her scared.

The servant girl bent in close again. Her smile cut like a knife-edge. "Get me the key to the king's war room. Only this one time. Just tonight. Do that, and I'll hold your secret. Don't, and Aurek hears it all from me."

Selene felt her heart drop fast. Nobody but Aurek's closest people could go near the war room. Guards watched it every hour. Even getting close could get her killed. But saying no would be worse. Everything is out in the open. Losing her quiet way. Her brothers were stuck as wolves forever. Kael let out a snarl from outside. His eyes glowed amber, like a warning. Selene looked down at the shirt on her lap. Her fingers touched the sleeve that wasn't done yet. Every stitch meant something. A promise she made. Every mark on her skin was part of that, too. She couldn't let it fail here. But protecting her brothers and the king both. How was that even possible? Maris got up. She smoothed out her clothes. Like they had just chatted about everyday work. "At midnight," she said easily. She headed for the door. "Do this one thing for me, Selene. Your secret stays with you." She stopped right in the doorway. Those green eyes of hers shone. "Go against me, and the Alpha King finds out everything before the sun's up." The door shut quietly behind her. The room filled up with heavy quiet. Selene didn't budge. The candle burned down low, flickering. The shirt sat heavily on her legs. Her blood still stained the threads. Inside her, the wolf part woke up. It felt restless. Pushing hard. Mate, it seemed to say. Keep him safe. Save them all. Selene put her hand over her mouth. Her silence locked her in. But it also kept her strong. For her brothers, she had gone nine years without saying a word. For Aurek, she might have to go through something much harder. Out in the dark, Kael's shape slipped away. But Selene still sensed him there. Like his own quiet promise.

Time slipped by fast. Midnight came nearer with every beat of her heart. Selene knew the dark was catching up to her now. The fire in Aurek's study had died down to just embers a while back. Sleep wasn't coming, though. He sprawled out on that huge bed in his chamber. His eyes stayed locked on the ceiling beams. Every muscle felt tense. Uneasy.

His wolf moved around under his skin. Restless. Agitated pretty much. It had woken up earlier out in the gardens. The night air brought this scent he couldn't place. Wild and sharp. Kind of familiar in a way that drove him nuts. That smell stuck with him still. Wouldn't let go. Mate the wolf said again.

Aurek bolted up in bed. He ran a hand through his dark hair. You're wrong he muttered. But he didn't really believe it. For years, his wolf had stayed quiet about mates. He'd seen that as a good thing once. An Alpha King stuck to his throne didn't need to chase fated bonds. Duty filled his life. Alliances and kingdoms. Wars too. Not this. And yet tonight, when that mute servant girl's eyes met his, the wolf just roared.

His chest got tight remembering it. Her eyes were wide and startled. Full of something he couldn't name. He'd noticed her before, of course. Lots of times. The girl who poured his tea. She slipped through the halls like a shadow. He hadn't thought much about her. No more than any other servant.

But tonight things changed. Her sleeve brushed the goblet. Her gaze lifted to meet his. The wolves' cry hit him hard. Thundered right through. So strong it shook him. Mate. Ours.

He'd nearly talked to her. Nearly asked her name. Her story even. But then Irene tripped. Spilled out apologies. The moment slipped away. He sent them both off. Didn't want to show the storm inside his chest. Aurek got up. Paced over to the window. Outside the walls, the forest went on dark and quiet. But he could feel the wolves out there at the edge. Watching still. Waiting. They hanging around his kingdom felt off. Troubling. Like something held them close. His wolf stirred up again. A low growl in his throat. Not danger. Family.