Chapter 4

The next day, when I went back to the woodshed, he was gone.

Out on the street, the city was in uproar.

Everyone was talking: Crown Alpha Damien had staged his own disappearance, drawn out a cell of enemy spies, and that morning rolled up the whole network.

I already knew about his "disappearance."

Seraphina had spent days grieving it. She had come to find Julian in secret, and I had walked in on them.

They weren't doing anything. When Julian saw me, he even stepped back from her, deliberately.

He said, awkwardly, "His Grace has gone missing…"

I had nodded and said nothing. I had walked straight out.

Missing was not dead.

I returned home and found Syrus waiting outside the Estate.

He came toward me. He looked hesitant, and a little exhilarated. "Evelyn. Elder Corbin has agreed to take me on."

Elder Corbin was a master of battle strategy. He had retired years ago and refused to train anyone.

Syrus had worshipped him for years.

My face opened up. "How? That's a good thing. Why do you look sick?"

He sighed.

"It was Julian. I heard he went to Elder Corbin's door every single day for a month. He must have given him something serious. That's the only reason Corbin agreed…"

I was surprised.

I remembered what Julian had said, about making things right with Syrus. I had not taken it seriously. I had not thought he would go this far.

"If the offer is there, take it," I said. "Julian owes it to you."

When I returned to my wing, I saw him.

He was standing under the willow tree. Tall, still, holding a small wooden box.

I walked toward him.

We stood facing each other. Pale blossoms drifted down from the tree, catching on his shoulders and mine. He saw me, started to say something, stopped.

"You're back," he finally managed.

I did something rare. I smiled at him.

Some weight seemed to leave him. He pressed the box into my hand.

"For you. A true apology."

A breeze passed through the courtyard.

I looked at his face, and something in me shifted.

I bit my lip, opened the box in front of him.

Inside was the set of gold jewelry.

And a jade pendant, carved fine and clean.

With two characters cut into it.

My name. Evelyn.

And so Julian and I thawed.

He sent me something every day.

I stopped hiding it from him and began asking him outright about trade.

He held nothing back. He taught me everything. But he didn't understand. "Why do you want to learn this?"

I said, "I'm curious."

Candlelight flickered. The ledger was open between us. He was watching me.

I met his eyes, level.

Then he looked away. He cleared his throat. "Do you know? You're not like any She-Wolf I've ever met."

I laughed.

"That's because you haven't met enough."

"Some of my sisters have perfect memory, some can pull verse out of thin air, some are skilled Healers…"

Julian tugged at the jade at his belt. He watched me.

After a while he sighed, quiet. "No."

"That's not what I meant…"

We lived quietly for a stretch of days.

I will admit — I began to think of him as half a friend again.

Until Seraphina's birthday.

That morning we boarded the carriage early.

The gift had been Julian's to arrange — originally it was going to be mine, but I had been unsettled for days. People had been turning up at my shop, saying their master wished to see Nora. I guessed it was the man from the woodshed. I had buried Nora's identity carefully, but I was afraid of exposure, and I hadn't gone to the shop in some time.

Neither of us spoke on the ride.

We reached the Crown's Estate. As I moved to climb down, Julian's hand closed around my arm.

I turned. "What?"

His voice had dropped, low and serious.

"His Grace has a heavy hand and a shifting mind. I will keep you safe."

He had taken Seraphina's betrayal hard. Julian had begun to think of joining the Pack forces.

The Thornes had started as a warrior line. His father's generation had left him plenty of contacts. If he wanted to enlist, the road was there.

I was quiet for a moment.

"Alright."

Damien. The wolf I had never laid eyes on. The one who had lived in my dreams as a girl, and who had thrown me aside for another.

Tonight he would find a way to make an example of me. For her sake.

What a cruel joke fate had played.

But when we entered the Crown's Estate, the only wolf on the high seat was Seraphina.

She was seated alone at the head of the hall.

Other wolves were there — court wives, Council members.

Damien had poured real effort into this celebration. That much was obvious. And yet her face was off.

Most of the room knew what stood between us. But no wolf would be fool enough to bring it up inside Damien's walls. I sat through the meal without trouble.

No one came near me. No one would, with Seraphina watching.

No one spoke to me.

I was glad of it.

The food at the Crown's Estate was decent. I put my head down and ate. When I looked up, Julian and Seraphina were both gone from their places.

I sat there for a long while.

The courtyards were thick with flowers. I had loved that scent once. Now, thinking of Julian, of the pendant and the gold set he had given me, the scent had a sharpness to it.

I picked up my fork, put it down. Finally I went looking for him.

I told myself — this is the Crown's Estate. If anyone sees him, they will kill him.