Chapter Fifty-Two #2
Brynja clapped her hands, shattering the uneasy moment before it could swallow me whole. “Enough. We have a ceremony to attend, a queen to polish until she shines like a diamond, and a Wolvryn king to trap.” Her cheeky grin stretched from pointed ear to ear.
Tamsin shot her a look. “Brynja.”
“What?” She looked delighted. “It’s tradition.”
Suri’s cheeks went pink as did mine. “Trap?”
The blonde waggled her brows. “Oh, yes. Frostcrag kings don’t let their new queens out of their chambers for days.”
My sister’s eyes grew wide, almost comically so. I would’ve laughed if I hadn’t been so mortified.
Tamsin shook her head. “That is not an official tradition.”
“It is in spirit.”
Heat crept up my neck, and my mind flashed to Everest’s head between my legs, to the way he’d wrapped himself around me in the bed, the press of him against my thigh, the bite that had almost drawn blood.
Then the mask. The lie. The king. My stomach twisted.
I lifted my chin. “If he dares to trap me, I’ll bite him.”
Brynja looked thrilled. “That’s the spirit, Hollow.”
Tamsin rolled her eyes, but there was a glint in them when she looked back at me.
“Careful, Brynja. If you keep saying things like that, you’ll have the whole court whispering about the Moonbound legend over their cups tonight.
After all these two have been through, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the goddess herself to have brought them together. ”
Suri blinked. “The what?”
“Oh, don’t pretend you haven’t heard it.” Brynja looked thrilled. “The rare bond Selraya ties between two lucky souls.”
Tamsin’s mouth tipped. “They say when the Moonbound find each other, the goddess doesn’t ask for permission.
She just… pulls the thread tight. One soul to steady the other.
One heart to hold the beast.” Her gaze slid to me.
“So if Frostcrag’s king looks like he’d happily keep you caged in his chambers for days, maybe it isn’t only tradition. ”
Another wave of heat climbed up my throat. “Or maybe he’s just an overgrown brute with a throne who likes to claim foreign brides.”
Tamsin hummed. “Possibly. But Selraya doesn’t waste myths on ordinary matches.”
Suri laughed through the last of her tears, and for a moment, it was almost easy. Almost.
But I couldn’t help my thoughts from flickering back to that word. Moonbound.
A soft knock sounded, turning everyone’s attention to the door. Before anyone could answer, it swung open and a young girl around Suri’s age swept in with a servant trailing behind her, carrying covered trays.
The girl had muddled golden hair in messy braids, cheeks pink from running, and bright blue eyes. She was all Savage without the hard edges.
Her eyes landed on me and widened. Then she rushed forward, grabbing my hands with surprising strength for someone so small. “You did it.” I could have sworn I heard her voice wobble. “You really did it.”
I simply sat there gawking at the girl. I half-expected the king’s sister to be angry, upset at me for denying her brother and choosing the Blood Hunt instead. “I did,” I finally murmured.
“Oh, I apologize. Where are my manners? I’m Eira.” She squeezed my hands more tightly. “I’ve always wanted a sister. Instead, the goddess in her infinite wisdom only gave me two brothers—”
“Eira…” Tamsin warned, and the girl’s chattering fell away.
“Right, I—” She turned to Suri, beaming. “You weren’t exaggerating, your sister truly is beautiful, even half dead. She will make a most excellent wife for my brother.” The girl’s attention bounced like sunlight, distracting me. How could this adorable creature be related to Savage?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eira.” I smiled despite myself. Her excitement was contagious.
Her gaze darted to my face, then down the bandages covering nearly every inch of exposed skin and finally my ankle. “Oh, goddess, that looks painful.”
“I’ve grown used to it.” I shrugged.
“Well, I think it only makes you more beautiful. You look like a queen, a warrior queen who earned every scar.”
Her words hit hard, somewhere deep behind my ribs.
The servant had set the food down on a table in the corner, and steam rose from the platters. The scent of broth and fresh bread hit me, and my stomach growled so loudly I was certain the entire fortress had heard.
Eira pointed sternly at me. “Eat. Orders from the king.”
I opened my mouth to argue and realized I couldn’t. My body was hollowed out. My bones felt filled with snow.
So I folded into a chair, and Suri sat beside me. Eira hovered like a watchdog while Tamsin and Brynja fussed and tidied up the already-neat room.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” said Eira around a mouthful of roast venison.
“When I ran into my brother, he said to tell you the Light Fae healer would be here shortly. I asked him why he couldn’t tell you himself, but apparently, there was something he needed to tend to first at the parapet.
” She lifted a slim shoulder and shoveled another forkful of meat into her mouth.
My stomach soured, and I dropped my fork mid-bite. One hour. North parapet. Alone. Trystan’s hushed words echoed through my mind.
“Cali…” Suri motioned to the plateful of roasted meat and vegetables. “Eat up.”
I nodded and ate because they told me to, and I even smiled because they needed me to.
But through it all, my thoughts kept circling back to the Thornwild Alpha then to a male with an iron mask and a wolf helm.
Time blurred in the hours before moonrise. Somewhere between the last spoonful of broth, the arrival of the miraculous Light Fae healer, and the final pin in my hair, the light mood had shifted. The laughter faded into quiet, and the bustle became ritual.
The gown they brought me was not a Frostcrag blue this time.
It was mine.
It was the shade I would have chosen had I been asked.
And I couldn’t help but wonder how they’d known.
It was a deep, dark navy, with moon-thread stitched through the bodice like starlight trapped in cloth.
It made my skin look warmer than it felt.
More importantly, it made me look less like a bride prize and more like a blade dressed in silk.
Suri placed the silver veil over my head then touched the fabric with reverent fingers. “You look… like a queen.”
My throat tightened. I stared at my reflection until I could barely recognize myself. I wasn’t Hollowcrest anymore, but not quite a Frostcrag queen either. I only hoped to figure out what I would become before I spoke the vows.
A long minute later a knock sounded, sharp and decisive. Neris entered without waiting, her priestess robes fluttering around her in a hurry, eyes bright and merciless. “It is time.”
The words dropped into the room like a bell toll.
Suri’s hand slid into mine, and Eira straightened beside her. Tamsin and Brynja fell silent, respectful of the high priestess.
Neris’s gaze fixed on me. “It is time, Calista Vale.”
I took a step and for the first time in days, my ankle didn’t scream in protest. I lifted my chin and pinned my shoulders back. Because by the time the moon rose, I would either step into a future I’d carved with my own blood…
Or be swallowed by the cost of it.