*Isaac*
I walk right out of the castle, not looking over my shoulder. I pass guards and servants, leaving them in my wake without a word in passing. Am I angry? I can’t really decide. Whatever I feel is new, and I don’t like it at all.
Rejection. That’s what this sinking, curling feeling in my gut must be.
“Where–hey!”
Cassian’s deep voice booms somewhere behind me, but I shove open the doors to the back terrace and begin unbuttoning my shirt, my fingers moving swiftly until I’m able to just rip it off completely and throw the fabric over my shoulder.
“Oh, we’re doing this right now,” Cassian says as he gains ground. I’m already almost to the back wall and the gate leading into the foreboding woods beyond by the time he catches up to me.
“Open it,” I say to the two guards posted at the gate. They heed my command without a second of hesitation, and I’m gone in a flash, nothing but a blur of deep brown fur as the transformation I seek rushes through my veins.
Cassian, a rich crimson wolf nearly the same size as my own, zigzags through the trees as he tries to catch up with me. I’m following no direction and have no destination in mind. I just need to run. I need to run and clear my head of Jenny.
The sun barely touches the forest floor this deep in the woods. Faint splotches of golden sunlight rush past in a blur as I lead Cassian deeper into the forest. Old buildings–nothing but crushed stone and rotted beams–rise before me, giving me a clue as to where I am, but I don’t stop until I reach the bluff that gives me a wide, sweeping view of the rolling hills and the distant mountains beyond.
Panting, I shift back to my human form. A massive oak tree shades the whole area in a chilled shadow that chokes the warmth from the late afternoon sun, but I don’t feel the cold bite against my skin. No, I feel nothing but heat. Heat, dwindling rage, and maybe a hint of regret.
I reach into the cleft in the tree and pull out the clothing cache I left there. Gray sweatpants and a red sweatshirt fall to the ground at my feet. I toss the rest at Cassian, who’s just skidded to a stop a few feet away from me, his wolf eyes narrowed on my face as I quickly dress.
“Bad day?” Cassian pants as he pulls a crew neck sweatshirt over his head.
I slump down against the tree, my heart hammering as I stretch my legs out in front of me and stare out over the landscape. Last season's grass still hugs the plains, a crisp pale yellow against the stunning blue sky. I ignore Cassian and turn my head to look at the headstone near another tree. Ivy and moss covers the stone, and in the height of summer, the rose bushes behind it bloom in full and cast the whole space in shades of pale red and the deepest crimson.
Mom loves this place. She always used to come here to think, whether the decisions she had to make were something trivial or life altering.
Cassian sits down a few feet away hugging his knees against his chest as he tries to catch his breath. “I almost died a few times back there. You got a death wish sprinting through the woods like that.”
“You could’ve stayed behind.” I lean my head back against the trunk and look up into the branches of the tree over my head. Spring is about to erupt. Any day now. Maybe even tomorrow if the heat of the day continues to thaw the ground after such a brutally cold winter. “I just needed a moment to clear my head.”
“Talked to the girl, huh?” Cassian reaches out and starts picking at the dead grass. “Some of the maids mentioned the two of you were shut up in your office.”
“I told her we were getting married.”
Cassian laughs heartily but the sound dies out when he realizes I’m being serious. “What?”
I turn to him, smiling a little at his shocked expression. I shake my head and turn back to look at the landscape. “She said no.”
“What do you mean you asked her to marry you?”
“I didn’t ask. I said we were getting married.” I pull my legs up, resting my elbows on my knees. “It’s just business. I need a wife, and she needs a roof over her head.”
“Is that how you laid it out for her?” Cassian hoots with laughter while I glare at him. “Goddess, man. What did you think was going to happen? The girl doesn’t even speak our language.”
“I speak it enough to get my point across, and she made her own points crystal clear.”
Cassian sighs heavily and shakes his head, his long red curls falling over his shoulders. “Why her? What about Lorena?”
“I already told the Alphas I’ve made my decision. The Alpha King of Celestoria has promised several thousand warriors in exchange for the bridal price and the fact that I'm marrying a woman from his territory.”
“But she said no?”
“I know,” I growl, giving him a dirty look. I’m angry, but Cassian is right. I didn’t ask if she wanted to marry me. I said so. I said so knowing we’re perfect strangers, that we know nothing about each other, but we’re in similar situations. We’re both in need of something, and this is a way to ensure we both get what we want. Me, the girl, the Alphas so desperately wanting me to secure an heir before I lead their warriors into battle. She’d have a pretty nice roof over her head, and most importantly, food. As much as she wants.
My hands curl over my pants as I think of her standing in my office, her cheeks blazing crimson with righteous fury and shock. Seeing her come out of her shell enough to question me had me going slightly weak in my resolve. There’s a fire to her, and with training, she could help rule this territory with an iron fist in my stead.
“Does she look familiar to you?” I ask Cassian after a long moment of silence. Cassian shrugs. He’s busy picking blades of grass and crushing them between his fingers.
“Not really. She kind of reminds me of that girl you danced with at the ball several years ago, though. It’s the hair, I’m sure. I notice every redhead I see because there’s so few of us.”
She couldn’t have been at the ball. There’s no way. I curse under my breath and close my eyes, trying to remember a clear image of that young woman’s face, but it’s been years since I’ve been able to picture her.
Her touch, however, is branded on my skin as if the ball had been yesterday.
“It’s not the same woman,” I say, but the tone of my voice holds a question, a simple what if, that I haven’t been able to shake since the moment I saw Jenny.
“Why her?” Cassian crosses his legs and lays back, closing his eyes as a ray of sun reaches through the canopy of branches over our heads. “Is this a last resort kind of thing?”
“I found her interesting,” I admit. “Ella likes her.”
“And your plan was to just tell her you’re marrying her.”
“Was that not a good plan? I feel like it’s a pretty cut and dry situation.”
Cassian laughs again until he runs out of breath. “I might be your Beta now, but I used to be your wingman before you decided to throw your youth away and take over your dad’s title. You used to have game, Isaac. What happened?”
I grew up. I’m facing war and the destruction of the kingdom I love and pledged my life to protect.
“What do I do, then? Buy her gift and flirt with her?” I blow out my breath and squint up into the sun. “I don’t have time for that. I got a call from Elijah today. His forces in Moorn are moving out tomorrow to investigate the new enemy camps along the edge of my territory. He’s sending Rosie here for the time being.”
“Oh, great,” Cassian grumbles. “Just what we need. Another woman in the castle.”
I smirk down at my friend. “A few months ago, you were complaining about the lack of women in the castle. Plus, I thought you finally managed to get Hannah to look in your direction.”
It’s Cassian’s turn to glare up at me, but his mouth quirks into a smile. “She’ll be mine one day. I’ve spent half my fortune at that fancy chocolate shop she likes, and I even brought her mother roses on her birthday.” He closes his eyes again, looking nothing short of serene. “Her mom thinks I’m the Goddess’s gift to the earth. Hannah’s still coming around.”
“You’ve been after her for years now. Why bother continuing?”
“Because she’s my mate.”
That takes me by surprise. I look over at Cassian, who still has his eyes closed, but his expression has shifted from teasing to something almost tragic. “How do you know? She’s not twenty-one yet, is she?”
“Three more months,” he breathes. “And we’ll be fighting for our lives, and our kingdom, by then. Won’t we?”
A familiar ache settles in my chest as I scan my friend’s face. He opens one eye and notices me staring. He shakes his head, his usual teasing smile replacing the withdrawn look that had been there only a moment before.
“I buy Hannah chocolates because she likes them. The big, heart shaped boxes, you know. She takes a bite out of each one.” His voice is full of something I can only describe as pride as he continues, “I take flowers to her mom because Hannah’s father passed away a few years ago, and she’s alone in that little house in town. Hannah likes the color blue and prefers winter over summer because she thinks a warm fire during a snowstorm is the coziest thing ever. She wants to be a mother more than anything and believes that's her true calling–raising a bunch of pups.”
He loves her, that’s clear, and it’s also heartbreaking.
“She knows what's coming like the rest of us do,” he says in closing. “I don’t blame her for wanting to keep her distance, especially if it all goes to shit and none of us come back.”
I don’t know what to say.
“But,” he says after a moment, laughing as he sits up. “I’ve had plenty of women on my arm and in my bed to know that you can’t just walk up to them and demand things from them. Even if you’re the Alpha King. Sure, you’re right. This Jenny girl is half-starved and vulnerable, but you still need to make a point of showing her that maybe, just maybe, you’re not the total jackass you just made yourself out to be.”
“If you weren’t my friend, I’d nail you to my front gate.”
“Ah, well, you’ve been saying that for years and haven’t acted on it yet.” He stands, extending a hand to me. “We have a meeting with the commanders after dinner, we should go.”