*Isaac*
I don’t believe her name is actually Jenny. The uncertainty in her eyes gives it away. This man, whom she says is her uncle, has motives that are unclear.
I had Cassian send for the man shortly after I hauled the girl into the kitchen with the intent of questioning her. Both intentions fell flat, of course. She doesn’t understand much of what I’m saying, and Alester Martin, if that’s really his name, is incredibly hard to track down.
But now he’s here, and I intend to get the truth out of him.
Short and lean, he walks into the sitting room with a look of elation on his face that falls the second he sees his niece sitting in a chair dressed in sweatpants instead of the fine gown she arrived in.
Contempt flashes behind his beady eyes as he looks her up and down before turning to me with a deep bow.
“My King–”
“Would you care to explain why your niece is here at my home, uninvited? I made it very clear that she wasn’t part of the chosen few I’d invited back for interviews.” I don’t offer him a seat. I don’t offer him a kind word of greeting. Maybe I’m untrusting, but when war is on the horizon, I don’t have any flexibility when it comes to drama in my own kingdom, let alone my house.
Alester stiffens briefly, then waves a hand in dismissal. “A miscommunication. I was told by one of your guards that she’d secured an interview. Her father, the Alpha King of Celestoria, was very pleased when I told him the news.”
I don’t show the flicker of confusion currently racking my mind. Celestoria is thousands of miles away, tucked behind the northernmost mountain ranges that hug the outskirts of my territory and separated from the continent by an icy, turbulent sea.
This girl would have had to travel for days to reach this place. By car, by train, possibly by boat. I’ve never been to Celestoria or met the Alpha King from that territory. The only correspondence between the two of us was a simple letter of congratulations when I inherited the crown.
“The Alpha King should have come to me directly.” I tuck my hands behind my back and eye him before glancing at the girl. She watches me intently, her eyes hooded and heavy with a mix of emotions I can’t decipher. Thankfully, she can’t understand the harshness of my words when I continue, “The princess doesn’t even speak our language. I find it hard to believe the Alpha King of Celestoria would send her here so unprepared and without warning.”
“That’s the thing, you grace.” Alester takes a step toward me, tilting his head toward the girl before whispering discreetly, “She is the outcome of a breeder. He wanted a son. He thought he could secure a marriage within his own packs but… you need all the allies you can get right now, correct? A marriage between both courts would secure such an alliance.”
My nostrils flare as I look down at the man. What he is saying makes sense, and I don’t know the court of Celestoria well enough to know how many children the king has. What he’s saying might actually be true. I clear my throat. It doesn’t matter. “Again, he should have come to me directly.”
“I will notify him of your wishes,” Alester says, bowing. “I’m sorry for the… misunderstanding.” He turns to Jenny with a look of annoyance before striding over and taking her by the arm, hauling her upright.
“Her dress got wet in the back garden,” I add, narrowing my eyes at the man as he roughly guides her to the door. His grip on her arm is tight enough his knuckles are white, but the girl doesn’t so much as flinch. “I will have it mended and returned.”
“Don’t bother, my King. She will have a new gown fashioned.”
Something in his tone causes something to snap deep in my chest as I watch him give her a little shove. Why is he so rough with her? Can’t he see how frail she is already? Is she not his princess?
“I will send word about a formal meeting once I have an explanation from the Alpha King of Celestoria.”
Alester turns back to me, a sick smile on his face. He bows his head and leaves the sitting room, practically dragging the girl behind him.
* * *
“What the hell was that all about?” Cassian asks as he plops down on the couch in front of my desk. Rain patters against the windows as I read over correspondence from other Alphas, all of which pertain to the impending war.
“I don’t know yet, but something is off.” I set a letter to the side, making note of a promise of five thousand trained warriors from a pack to the east. It won’t nearly be enough, but slowly my army is growing. “The girl was trying to run away today. I caught her before she reached the far wall in the garden.”
“If she’s a princess, why would she want to run away?”
“A myriad of reasons, I assume. Apparently, she’s the child of a breeder and her handler is… rough with her.” The words leave my lips with a sneer as prickles of unease wash over my skin. After all, we have something in common. I am also the child of a breeder, though I was very much wanted by both of my parents.
I don’t even know what to call this woman, but I feel like somehow I know her real name but can’t remember it. Something about her eats away at me as I continue to go through a stack of seemingly unending paperwork.
“What do you mean rough?” Cassian asks after a long moment. He stands and begins to pace near the window overlooking the garden, pausing to look down at the flowers.
“He dragged her out of the castle.”
His eyebrows raise as he turns to look at me. “And she’s a princess?”
“The daughter of an Alpha King–or so he says.”
Before Cassian can respond, the door to my office bursts open, and Ella walks in, her eyes narrowing on Cassian briefly before she strides to the red leather couch and sits down, crossing her legs. I eye her, waiting for her to tell me why she’s here and what she wants.
“Yes, Ella?”
“Goddess, you’ve become even more of a dickhead since you took over the throne,” she groans, reaching up to tie back her hair. “I want to talk to you about Genevive.”
“All right.” I lean back in my seat and cross my heads over my desk. She’s the only one who cna get away with calling me names like that, but I am growing weary of it. We may need a reminder that I am not just her brother, I am also her king.
“I like her.”
Cassian turns from the window and glances between us, sensing the conversation I already know is coming.
“I think you should consider her for the… position.” Ella snorts. “She checks off all your boxes, doesn’t she? High bred. Educated. Docile–”
“No one can understand a word she says!” Cassian sits down on the arm rest of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Hannah understands her–kind of.”
“Ella,” I sigh, meeting my sister's gem-like eyes and not bothering to tell her I speak a little of Jenny’s language, “you already know I’ve made my decision. Lorena–”
“No, Isaac. I won’t let you marry her.”
She’s full of defiance today. “It’s not up to you.”
“I’ll tell Mom and Dad.”
A hush whispers over the room. Ella arches her brow in challenge.
“Well, I’ll see you guys later,” Cassian grumbles as he quickly leaves the room.
“Get out of my office.” I glare at my sister, done with her foolishness.
“You’re making a huge mistake, Isaac. For Goddess’ sake–”
“This mistake has nothing to do with you, Ella. A marriage would help unify the packs. The celebration would boost morale. A united front–”
“A united front?” Ella stands, her face reddening with rage. “Isaac, that’s fucking ridiculous! Our territory is already united. The Alphas are scrambling their armies to serve your cause. Why are you so insistent that that’s not the case?”
“Because it’s not, Ella. While you were prancing around on Maatua, I was here listening to reports of entire villages being burned to the ground south of Moorn. Rumors about the threat are already spreading, and several Alphas have it in mind someone like me–someone young and inexperienced–doesn’t have a clue what the fuck to do. They see me like they used to see our father–irresponsible. Unable or unwilling to produce an heir. I have to do my duty to my kingdom before I ask them to follow me blindly into a threat none of us are prepared for!”
Ella balks, her eyes flashing with emotion before she stands and balls her fists. “So you’ll put yourself in a position to be miserable for the rest of your life?”
“I’m already miserable, so why stop now?”
Ella stalks forward and leans over my desk, her mouth pulled back in a sneer. “I’ll tell Mom and Dad if you plan on marrying Lorena. I swear on the Goddess I will.”
I stand, glowering down at her. “Don’t test me, Ella. You might be my sister, but I’m still your king!”
It’s not an exaggeration that the house trembles in the wake of our shared fury. This isn’t the first time Ella and I have fought, and it sure as hell won’t be the last. Dad’s incredible stubbornness and Mom’s emotional side rubbed off on both of us.
“I remember Genieve from somewhere, but I can’t quite place her,” Ella says after a tense moment, her voice dropping. “Don’t you feel like she’s familiar? Something about this… it doesn’t feel right. Like, she isn’t safe right now, and I can’t figure out why.”
The tension in my shoulders releases as I look down at my sister and the concern clouding her eyes. “What makes you think she’s not safe?”
“When Hannah and I got her new clothes, she looked… shocked. We took her to the laundry room, and she’d never seen a washing machine before. Did you see her hands, Isaac? They’re raw and calloused. I overheard the maids talking about her uncle, or whoever he is, and some of them said they’d seen him before–that he’s bad news. I don’t thonk she’s a princess, Isaac.I think that man is up to something, and she’s in danger.”
Relief floods through me that I’m not alone in my suspicions, but I don’t let it show. I also have a strange feeling about the situation, but there’s nothing I can do about it until I hear from the Alpha King of Celestoria.
“She was the daughter of a breeder, Ella.”
“So are we.”
My chest convulses as I stare down at her. Ella straightens her back and sighs, the bun on the top of her head falling lopsided under the weight of her enormous hair.
I shake my head at her, not wanting to get into all of that right now and how we are different than most breeders’ children. “I invited her back for an interview. I’ll find out what's really going on.”
Ella’s nods, trying to hide her relief from me. “Thanks.”
“Why are you dressed to go out?” I look down at her winter boots and the down parka she draped over the back of the couch when she came in. She reaches down and adjusts the sweater she’s wearing, shrugging a shoulder. “I need new paint.”
I purse my lips as I notice the gleam of mischief in Ella’s eyes. There’s plenty of art supply stores nearby, but her favorite one is on the edge of the village in a shady part of town, crawling with rogues and criminals. Right up Ella’s alley, apparently. She’s always been drawn to darkness.
“You know what I’m going to say.”
“Okay, Dad,” she laughs as she pulls on her jacket. “I’ll be back later tonight.”