Chapter 11: Banishing Sadness With Love

Samantha POV

The winter sun hung low in the sky, pale and gentle, casting soft golden light across the snow covered garden. Icicles dripped from the branches of the ancient oaks, and the frost on the rose bushes sparkled like crushed diamonds.

It was cold, but the glass walls of the winter garden held the warmth inside, trapping the heat from the small fire burning in the central brazier.

I sat on a cushioned bench, a cup of steaming tea cradled in my hands, and watched the world outside turn white and quiet.

Ysabella sat across from me, her dark hair braided with silver ribbons, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fire. Beside her were two other noble girls from the Emberclaw pack, daughters of Gammas who had come to pay their respects to the future queen. They were young, barely older than Tori, with bright eyes and eager smiles.

They had brought small gifts, embroidered handkerchiefs and jars of honey from their family estates, and they chattered endlessly about the upcoming mating ceremony, about the dresses they would wear, about the feast that would last for three days.

Tori moved among us, pouring tea and arranging plates of butter biscuits and dried fruit. She had grown more confident in the past weeks, her nervous energy settling into something almost cheerful. She smiled as she worked, and I caught her glancing toward the garden doors more than once.

I followed her gaze and understood.

Outside, walking along the snow dusted path that bordered the garden, was Maddox. He was surrounded by his advisors and guards, a cluster of dark cloaks and serious faces.

His breath misted in the cold air, and his hands moved as he spoke, gesturing toward the eastern tower, toward the walls that had fallen into disrepair during the years of his curse.

He was discussing repairs. Supplies. Trade routes. The endless work of rebuilding a kingdom that had been left to rot.

But when his eyes found mine, the work stopped.

Our gazes locked across the snowy distance, and the world narrowed to just the two of us. Memories of the night before flooded through me, unbidden and unstoppable. His hands on my skin.

His lips tracing fire down my neck. The weight of him above me, the warmth of his body pressed against mine, the way he had whispered my name like a prayer.

My cheeks burned.

Maddox's lips curved into a small, intimate smile. A smile meant only for me. A smile that said he was remembering the same things, that he could still feel my heartbeat beneath his palm, that he could still taste me on his tongue.

I looked away first, my face hot, my heart pounding against my ribs like a caged bird.

"He is handsome, is he not?"

Ysabella's voice pulled me back to the present. She was staring out the glass wall, her eyes fixed on the group of men outside. But she was not looking at Maddox.

I followed her gaze to the tall knight walking at the King's right hand. Beta Emrich. He was broad shouldered and serious, with a strong jaw and kind eyes.

His dark hair was streaked with grey at the temples, though he could not have been older than forty. He walked with a slight limp, an old battle wound, and he listened to Maddox with quiet attention, nodding at whatever the King was saying.

"Emrich?" I asked, surprised.

Ysabella's blush answered for her.

Tori giggled from behind the tea tray. "She has been staring at him for three days now. It is painful to watch."

"Tori!" Ysabella threw a biscuit at the omega girl, who ducked and laughed.

The other noble girls joined in the laughter, their eyes dancing with mischief. "She writes his name in the frost on her window," one of them whispered loudly.

"I do not!"

"She sighs every time he passes the hallway."

"His shoulders are very broad," Ysabella mumbled, sinking lower into her seat. "A woman is allowed to notice broad shoulders."

I smiled, warmth blooming in my chest that had nothing to do with the fire. It was good to see young love, even if it was only a crush.

Ysabella had been through so much, sent away from her pack, brought here as a disposable soother, terrified for her life. She deserved something soft. Something sweet.

"I could speak to Maddox," I said thoughtfully. "Arrange for Emrich to join us for dinner one evening. He is the Beta, after all. It would be proper for him to meet the future queen."

Ysabella's eyes went wide. "You would do that?"

"Why not? You are my lady in waiting. It is only fitting that you become acquainted with the higher ranks of the court." I smiled at her, and she smiled back, her cheeks still pink, her eyes shining with hope.

Tori shook her head, still giggling. "Lady Samantha is going to turn this castle into a matchmaking house."

"Someone has to," I said. "There is too much darkness here. Too much sadness. We could use a little romance."

The noble girls exchanged glances, and then one of them leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Speaking of romance, Lady Samantha... we heard rumors. About last night."

My face flushed again. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"The guards on the King's corridor heard things," another girl said, her eyes wide with barely contained glee. "They said the walls were shaking."

"The walls were not shaking."

"They said the King was growling."

I buried my face in my hands. "Oh, Goddess."

Tori came to my rescue, swatting at the noble girls with a tea towel. "Leave her alone! She is the future queen, you cannot just ask her about such things."

"She started it," one of them protested, pointing at me. "She was the one staring at the King like she wanted to eat him alive."

"I was not staring."

"You were drooling."

"I was not drooling!"

They dissolved into laughter, and despite my embarrassment, I laughed with them. It felt good to laugh. It felt good to sit among women who did not sneer at me, who did not whisper about my wolflessness behind my back, who treated me like a friend instead of a pariah.

Ysabella reached over and squeezed my hand. "Tell us," she said softly. "Was it wonderful?"

I looked out the glass wall, toward where Maddox was still walking with his men. He glanced up again, as if he could feel my eyes on him, and our gazes met once more. His smile was soft now, private, filled with a tenderness that made my heart ache.

"It was," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "He is wonderful. He makes me feel like I am the only woman in the world. Like I am precious. Like I am home."

The noble girls sighed in unison, their earlier teasing forgotten, replaced by something softer. Envy, perhaps. But not the cruel kind. The kind that came from wanting what I had found, from hoping that one day they might find it too.

I looked back at Maddox, and he raised his hand in a small wave, his fingers curling in a gesture that was almost shy.

I waved back, my heart full to bursting.

And around me, the winter garden glowed with warm light, and the snow fell softly outside, and for the first time in years, everything felt exactly as it should be.