*Ella*
Once I get over the initial shock of seeing Commander Westfall for the first time, I find I liked him quite a bit.
Stern, brooding, but with a softer edge than most men in his position, he reminds me of the commanders in my father's life during my childhood. It’s hard to get over the startling resemblance he shares with my mate, however. Even as he explains that no, he isn’t King Kane, and he isn’t in my room to murder me in cold blood, or worse, I see nothing but my mate in the sharp lines of his face. In the shadows that dance in the unforgiving sunlight. In the way his smile ticks into the smirk I find so familiar.
Only then, after sensing my shock and fear, does he explain who he is. A commander, and the man who trained my mate to wield the powers they share.
Now I’m walking beside him along a bridge, following behind Granger and Amanda as we explore the city I now rule, apparently.
Commander Westfall doesn’t speak unless spoken to directly. He prefers a yes or no question, I find out. He spends the better part of the day showing me around the massive castle built into the mountainside. I’d been right about there being several more layers built beneath the main levels of the castle. At least a dozen stories were cut deep within the rock, but he is quiet about what was down there. What, I think, is being kept hidden there.
We’ve been walking through the city for over an hour now. Everything we pass is beautiful, like it’s been plucked from something I’ve painted. It’s autumn everywhere but here, I surmise. The air is warm and heavy with tropical heat that betrays the snowcapped mountains above, and the smell of salt lingers in the air like we’re somehow close to the sea.
I pause to look over the bridge. Far below I glimpse a wide, turquoise river teeming with boats.
People pass us on the bridge. None of them know who I am yet, which I’m grateful for. Right now, I’m simply a tourist, nothing more. I have the freedom to walk around without needing to stop and smile and schmooze my new pack like I’ve seen my parents do so many times in my life. I’m just Ella, and for the first time in a long while, that feels good.
Another cart pulled by a wolf passes us. It’s full of seafood on ice–fish, crab, and other strange creatures I’ve never seen before. Westfall notices me staring after it and says, “The river below leads directly to the sea. The Veiled Valley is known for its clean water and sublime seafood.”
“Hm,” I hum in reply, adding that to my mental sheet of notes. “Is it difficult to reach this place?”
“Yes,” he says, standing beside me so I'm cast in his shadow. Goddess, he’s tall. He towers over my taller than average frame with ease. Just like Ryatt. “By land, it’s a week's journey from the Moonrise Coven even if in wolf form, but by boat it’s much faster. However, not many outsiders come here, and not many people leave except for trading purposes.”
“Why?”
He looks down at me with those eyes that I find incredibly strange. It’s the only part of him that doesn’t remind me of Ryatt. They’re the palest blue I’ve ever seen. Glacier like and bright, they almost remind me of Mom and Isaac’s eyes. “It’s a well-hidden kingdom, Luna. Well hidden, and well-guarded. No one crosses the last mountain pass before the city without our Alpha’s warriors knowing, whether by land or boat.”
I nod, taking it all in before I notice we’ve lost Amanda and Granger again in the crowd now starting to swell in a market square. The smell of food is thick and delicious as Commander Westfall walks a few paces behind me. He doesn’t touch me, but he steps from side to side, herding me this way and that way, until we’re out of the crowd encircling food vendors dealing with what must be the lunch rush.
I didn’t eat breakfast. I can’t really remember the last time I ate a real meal, honestly. The food carts and restaurants that line the busy street beckon to me with each passing step.
But do I really want to sit across from Commander Westfall while he watches me eat?
I purse my lips and rise up on my toes to peer over the crowd, looking for Amanda and Granger.
Thanking the Goddess Amanda’s coppery blonde hair shines like polished amber in the sunlight, I spot her and start moving briskly in her direction.
She turns to me with something that kind of resembles an ice cream cone in her hands, beaming. “Look at this,” she says. “Try it, it’s amazing!”
I accept the treat from her and try a spoonful. It’s not as sweet as ice cream and has a sharp acidic bitterness to it that’s shockingly refreshing. “This tastes like lemon sorbet.” I grin, reluctantly handing it back to her. “Where did you get it?”
She points to a confectionery shop on the other side of the square. “They have all kinds of things. I bought some candy to bring back to the castle for later.”
Granger grabs the sorbet from Amanda and takes an absolutely massive bite, much to her annoyance, but something unfamiliar glimmers in his eyes as he looks down at her. Something secret and warm, something only for them.
My heart aches with happiness to see the way Amanda’s lips tick into a soft smile despite the fact Granger ate most of her treat.
But now I want one. Something cold and sweet to bite through the surprising heat of the day. I hadn’t worn my Wellington sweatshirt today. I’d clothed myself in one of the dresses the house provided–a silken dress of ruby red that fits tightly around my waist with the thin fabric loose and falling down my arms, fully revealing my shoulders. Everyone in the square dresses similarly, I realize. Flowy dresses, light colors, and lots of skin on display. It’s a stark contrast to the heavy coats lined with fur and thick fabrics of the Roguelands.
Sunlight dusts hot and heavy over my bare shoulders as I start walking toward the shops but then pause when I realize I don’t have a single dime to my name. I turn to the group, my lips parted to stupidly ask if the shops accept credit cards, even though I’d left everything behind in Crescent Falls.
“If you like to buy anything at all, have it put on Ryatt’s tab,” Granger says with a smirk.
I’m still not used to this side of him, these new emotions behind his eyes. I have a sneaking suspicion Amanda draws this out of him, and a pang of jealousy hits me like a rogue wave.
Ryatt isn’t this playful or happy in general. Hell, I haven’t even seen him since we arrived this morning.
“I’ll go with you,” Amanda says, stepping up to my side. “I need something else to eat since Granger stole my snack.”
“We’re being called back to the castle,” Westfall says in a low tone to Granger. “The women are fine here on their own, Beta. I’m sensing this is urgent.”
Granger stiffens, reluctance clear as day on his face as he nods only once. “Behave,” he says flatly, his eyes lighting between me and Amanda, and then the two men are gone.
Amanda lets out her breath. “Finally. I thought they’d never leave. Now we can shop and explore in peace.”
Better yet, we can finally talk about everything that’s happened.
We spend the next several hours exploring the different levels of the city. Veiled Valley is a city of art and music, the entire mountain valley it’s built upon teeming with life and culture. After the first few shops, where we buy tea and fabric and sweets, the townspeople begin to catch on to who we are based on who’s tab we buy our treasures with. A warrior approaches us sometime after noon and offers to take our shopping bags up to the castle while onlookers gawk at us.
Amanda and I cross a huge bridge made of what looks like glass and covered in rich green foliage blooming with flowers, hurrying away from the crowd that has begun to follow us through the shopping district.
“This might not have been a good idea,” she says, looking over her shoulder. “Maybe we should have gone back to the castle with Westfall and Granger.”
“I heard someone call you my High Lady,” I pant, the heat making my skin sticky and damp with sweat as we reach the other side of the valley, the turquoise river leagues below us, the boats nothing but tiny specks on the water’s surface.
This side of the valley is much quieter. Houses rise above the trees, and small parks fan out on either side of the street as we walk with no clear direction or a way to find our way back to the castle.
“Well, I’m… linked to the Beta. So, that makes sense to me. High Lady ranks just below Luna, like Beta ranks just below Alpha.”
I nod, though I’ve never heard that title before. We cross into a park with several small waterfalls and impressive tropical gardens. Benches and tables are littered throughout. No one here seems to care that we've arrived. Families spread out on picnic blankets while small children chase each other and splash small creeks fed by the waterfalls.
I sit across from Amanda at one of the stone tables and quickly unpack the lunch we’d bought before hurrying out of the city proper.
Amanda, sensing the questions weighing heavy on my mind, says in a casual tone, “Granger and I performed the Rite.”
“I know…” I trail off, meeting her eyes. “Did you…”
“Of course,” she sniffs indignantly, but her cheeks flare with rosy color. “He seemed to enjoy himself.”
I let out a short laugh. “Did you?”
She blushes even deeper. “It was my first time, Ella. I was terrified, but he was… so gentle with me.”
I arch my brow. “Your first time? I thought you–”
“If you’re talking about what that healer in Granite Rise said about me and my father’s Beta’s sons… I spread that rumor myself.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“So they couldn’t ship me off to another pack to mate,” she says with a shrug. “And I felt like a total badass flaunting my contraceptive tonics to my friends. I never took it. Not once. But I kept up the charade for years, honestly. Because I’m the only fox around. I don’t have a mate, Ella. I won’t, unless there’s a male fox out there and our fates are aligned.” She toys with the ceviche we bought for lunch. “Granger and I are mates now, as far as we’re concerned.”
Now I’m especially confused. “How?”
“He marked me. Imprinted on me. I am his mate now, and he is mine. He bears my mark as much as I bear his. We decided to do it when we were–you know.” She flips her hair over her shoulder. “Having sex, and stuff.”
I nearly spit out my lemonade at her tone. I choke, fighting for breath as I sputter with laughter. “I was wondering why Granger’s in such a good mood now. I’ve never even seen him smile before.”
“Well, he has a reason to smile. He sure knows what he’s doing with his–uh–” She gives me the most devious smile I’ve ever seen, and now I’m cackling.
Goddess, it feels good to be with a girlfriend again–laughing and joking about things we could never talk about in front of our men–or parents.
“What about you and Alpha Ryatt?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “How’d it go?”
Despite her openness about her experience with Granger, I feel a sudden reluctance to tell her anything about Ryatt and me. Maybe it’s because that’s all I have with him. She and Granger seem to be very fond of each other… friends, even. Friends with the ability to love each other in the future.
But there’s still something between Ryatt and me that prevents us from moving past the physical, something he put in place. A wall around his own heart, and I’m crushed he won’t break it down for me.
So, I tell her about how he marked me. I tell her about the city I saw under the lake, and how I feel about Hannah being left behind. I tell her everything but my worries and frustrations over Ryatt, putting on a brave face.
Because Amanda and I are both away from home. In a lot of ways, we only have each other now.
Eventually, a group of unfamiliar warriors finds us, and we’re escorted back through the city. We reach the castle grounds, which are levels upon levels of gardens with glass gazebos and greenhouses built throughout.
Granger meets us, but he’s here for Amanda, not me.
I walk through the castle alone wondering what’s next when I come to a door that slowly creaks open for me as I pass.
It’s dark inside, that sucking kind of darkness that forces every ounce of light out of the room. My chest tightens with unease as I walk toward the door and push it open, but a hand catches the doorknob and pulls it closed again.
Ryatt says over my shoulder. “Do not ever go in there without me.”
“What is it?”
“Promise me, Ella. I need to hear you say it.”