Briar
THE ROOM WAS THE SAME AS THE DAY OF MY WEDDING—PLUSH carpets, sparkling chandeliers, gilded mirrors—but no longer did it fill me with nervous excitement but instead a deep-seated fear.
I saw a vision of my former self in that mirror, wearing a wedding dress with seamstresses milling around her, Calla lounging on the bed behind, her reflection eating candied almonds, all of them more excited than fearful.
Despite my nerves, I’d once relished the thought of moving out of my cabin in the woods and to a castle with such opulent furnishings.
But now the luxury felt like a bribe for obedience, not that one needed to be bribed when they would inevitably be forced.
The memory of this place warped and distorted in my mind’s eye.
That I never wanted to marry Grae had always been true. But more, I had never wanted to be a queen. Still, I had been enthusiastic to have a life outside the little town of Allesdale. I was excited to have a pack, and a purpose, and a world that I would add value to.
Now, however, standing here, I knew the only value they ever wanted me to add was my silent presence—a decorative display of their wealth, just like that gilded mirror.
No seamstresses today. No maids to attend me.
I restyled my hair, combing out the last of the tangles my fingers had missed and anointing myself with oils and perfumes.
I hoped it would cover the stench of dread that wafted off me like its own sickly fragrance.
I rouged my cheeks and painted my lips that crimson red that I knew they all wanted to see—the vixen, the princess, the beauty.
I’d resigned myself that Wolf kings would only ever appraise me for my looks, my money, my title. Resigned myself that was okay.
But then I found Maez, someone who loved me so far beyond either, and now I knew I was worth more.
Normally, there was this strong connection between the two of us like a rope wrapped round my waist, a tugging right behind my navel. But that tether felt frayed now, the solidness with which I navigated through the world now all fuzzy, as if my limbs were filled with sparkling wine.
I heard the clamor of barked orders out the window and mindlessly drifted over to peek through the warped stained glass.
What I saw made my stomach drop.
A line of humans were tied to poles like dummies upon which the Silver Wolf soldiers practiced.
Slicing and hacking at the air inches from the humans’ flesh .
. . except not always. Because I spotted several who had actually been struck, blood trailing down their tattered clothes.
What world is this? This was cruelty I had never seen before.
Why wasn’t anyone stopping them? I searched down the line of steely-faced guards. Why wasn’t anyone doing anything?
But I knew why. Because this was them doing something. This was what the Silver Wolves were.
As if sensing my surveillance, the one who had been issuing the commands looked up at me and saluted.
“Come on, lads,” he shouted, squinting against the sun to stare up at me, sword now raised high. “Let’s show our princess what happens to traitors of the crown.”
I stared back at him without emotion, vowing inside that if I ever had the power to, I would cleave his head from his body myself. But for all my bravado, nothing could prepare me for what happened when he dropped his sword.
The sight made me want to scream and retch, the truest part of me wailing beneath the surface. But I only stood there woodenly and watched, stone-faced, as my soul withered a little further and tears pricked my eyes.
The bound humans didn’t even cry out, their bloodshot eyes wide with shock as the Wolves sliced them open one by one, gutting them from navel to throat.
Their last vision of this world was their insides spilling out, splattering on their bound feet, as they bled out onto the mossy earth.
My eyes welled until my vision was glassy, but I still didn’t look away, staring hatefully at that commander as he craned his head back up to me and winked.
Wolves killed to feed, to protect, to defend. This was none of that. This was a horror like I’d never known. Nero had truly gone mad, and his pack had followed him into that madness.
What scared me more than anything was that it had somehow gotten so much worse since the last time I was here.
Before, the Wolves mistreated the humans, sure—an imbalance in power, land, wealth—but they weren’t outright murderous.
Not like this. Now the Wolves seemed like the humans were little more than sheep, but at least sheep provided food.
The only thing the Silver Wolves were feeding off here was fear.
And not just the fear of the humans. This was clearly staged for me, and the warning to me was abundant: fall in line, start acting like a Wolf, or be treated like a human.
When the palace guards came for me, I struggled to regain my composure, the vision of the humans’ gruesome deaths burned into my retinas.
I stuffed that sorrow as deep as it could go and tried to put on the persona of the woman I’d always been trained to be—poised, elegant, fearless.
It would be the greatest act of my life if I could pull it off.
When we reached the grand hall, the doors were already open, the pack milling about as if in a casual gathering, no waiting with bated breath this time.
There would be no grand sweeping ceremonies for me like there had been on my first arrival to Highwick.
There would be no reverence, either. Still, the pack parted, creating a makeshift aisle for me to walk down.
My eyes swept over the leering group as my gut clenched.
I gathered my courage as my gaze landed on Nero sprawled across his throne.
He looked like he’d aged rapidly since the night of Sawyn’s last curse, years compounded over the space of months.
For the first time since I woke up in the dungeon, I had a spark of happiness: I liked the thought of stress plaguing him.
I hoped he feared the retribution that my court would bring down on him for all that he’d done.
Maybe he knew his time would soon be up.
My eyes then darted to Evres who sat on a smaller throne beside Nero, looking for all the world like he was born to sit there.
I held his pewter gaze, making sure this time he knew I wasn’t going to look through him.
A wicked smile curled his lips at the way I held his stare as I walked to him and only him.
“Princess Briar,” Nero said, his voice cutting through the murmuring crowd, which swiftly fell to silence. “You’ve returned home to us at last.”
I forced my expression to look pleased.
Slow, slow, I urged myself. I was the smallest minnow in a sea of sharks, and I knew I needed to stay calm and play their games until help arrived.
Time to lie through my teeth.
“I am so pleased to be back in Damrienn, Your Majesty,” I said, dropping into a deep, decorous bow. “I have missed my home and my pack.”
The pack behind me broke into murmurs again.
“Yes,” Nero mused, studying me with a frown. There was a crazed tinge to his gaze, one that hadn’t been there the last time, or perhaps one he managed to hide better. “You’ve gone so long without a proper ruling hand, daughter of kings. Wolf bitches will go wild without a leader to guide them.”
Nero gestured off to the shadowed corner, and it was only then that I spotted it: a body swinging by the ankles, hoisted up for all to see.
My stomach curdled as the pack murmured their agreement. I knew that face. Even with his head discolored from the rush of blood and many bruises—even with the bright red bloodshot eyes, purpling in the corners—I knew him.
Hector. The one who had betrayed Calla to the Silver Wolf pack.
I stared, only to see if his bare and bloodied chest rose and fell.
Ostekke gut me, he’s still alive.
I almost let loose a snarl at him. A warped pleasure coursed through me to see the traitor in such a sorry state. I hoped he regretted what he did to us with each painful breath. I hoped Nero tortured him until he begged to be ended.
But I kept my expression neutral as I turned back toward Nero, not lingering on Hector and all my ill will as the Damrienn King said, “Tell me, Marriel princess: if you were so eager to get back to us, why ally yourself to your traitor of a sister?”
The pack snarled, pushing in closer. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, waiting for one of them to take a swipe at me.
I bowed my head. “I am not a fighter like the others,” I admitted, making myself into a wayward pup and not the adult I was.
“I was taught to follow, to obey. I fell under Sawyn’s curse in this castle and I awoke in the castle of Olmdere.
I made no choices. I didn’t travel to my twin’s aid.
” All of that was true, though I wasn’t about to admit it had been a relief to wake from my sleeping curse in my true homeland with my twin claiming our family’s crown.
“I didn’t know what else to do, Your Majesty. ”
Nero leaned forward, the small action capturing the rapt attention of the room. “I don’t know if I believe you, Briar Marriel.”
I felt the pack pressing in closer with each of his words, my heart punching through my rib cage. Nero stood and wandered down the dais toward me. The air stole from my lungs as he prowled toward me and reached out.
Don’t flinch, don’t flinch, don’t flinch, I coached myself as his cold fingers tilted my chin up.
“I don’t know what else—”
“Do you know what it means to be loyal to your pack?” His head tilted. “Do you know the lengths I would be willing to go to? The lengths you should be willing to go to as their princess?”
“I . . .”
He leaned in closer, stale breath on my face. “There is no advantage I will not take, no power I will not grab, no darkness I will not embrace to protect my crown and my pack. That is what loyalty is.”
A chorus of howls echoed through the cavernous hall, making me jolt. Did his pack truly believe the venomous lies he purported? That he was doing this all for them? To protect them?
As Nero’s hateful gaze pierced me, I couldn’t keep the tremble from my voice. “What must I do?”
“I want you to tell me everything about Olmdere—their armies, their provisions, their plans for attack. Start with that, and you will begin to prove your loyalty to me today and every day for the rest of your life, do you understand?”
I wanted to look away, but his hand gripped my chin so tightly it was sure to bruise. His pupils were far too wide for his eyes. He looked at me and through me all at once, both here and not.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I whispered.
He swept a thumb across my cheek, inspecting my skin, my lips, my eyes. Each glance burned my skin like a brand.
“Good,” he purred. “It would be such a shame to scar up a face as lovely as yours.” His grip tightened again to the point of pain.
“But understand, I don’t trust you to be a good Wolf yet,” he said, finally releasing me and returning to the dais.
I wanted to droop in relief but remained standing tall.
“And also understand, Crimson Princess—no one is coming for you. Not your sister and her humans, not even the one you once called a mate.”
My eyes flared as I looked up at him. What did he just say?
Nero cocked his head at me, looking all too pleased with himself.
“You didn’t know, did you?” The pack laughed, the sounds pealing off the vaulted ceilings.
“The Moon Goddess sought to rectify that ill-fated bond between the two of you once and for all.” Nero lifted his hands up to the stained glass window high above him—the one that many moons ago had filled with the holy light of the full moon that blessed Maez and I as mates.
Dread coiled in me like a snake as Nero continued, “Maez thought it was a good idea to get mixed up with a human magician, thought she could best the King of the Onyx Wolf pack with her dark magic.” He tsked.
“Luo should’ve been better prepared for it.
I always thought his younger brother would’ve made a better king—he knows what needs to be done to keep a pack in line.
Luo was too lenient. I would’ve never let such an attack happen to my pack. ”
The group grunted their agreement, a few even clapping at their King’s words, but my mind had frozen on one thing he said.
“Dark magic?” My brows pinched. I still didn’t understand.
I knew I shouldn’t ask, especially now of all times.
My position was already precarious and this line of inquiry could result in more pain for me, but I had to know what he meant.
Maez was my everything, and I would damn myself to further suffering at the hands of these evil Wolves just to know of her fate.
“You say Maez got mixed up with a human magician . . . I don’t understand. What does that mean?”
Nero’s smile broadened as if it gave him a great deal of pleasure to deliver one final blow. “Your mate as you know her is gone, Briar,” he said. “She took that dark magic into her heart. She’s a sorceress now.”
My heart stopped beating.