Chapter 12
Everything exploded with motion.
The Spirit Wolves began to run back down the path that led to the Yard, along with the people of Arcadia. The people who had been serene and silent moments ago were phasing and sprinting through the forest, paws hitting the earth with unparalleled force.
Light fell away as the warmth of the Spirits disappeared between the trees. Caroline and Nash left, turning to watch Silas and I as they returned the way we had come. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to see a deceased loved one again, let alone your King. It must’ve been bittersweet.
The only ones remaining were King Iain and his deceased wife, along with the wizardly man and Silas.
“I’ll leave you four alone to talk.” The wizard man bowed and began walking down the path.
When the old man disappeared, my resolve gave out, and I fell to my knees. Silas scrambled to hold onto me. A ringing started in my ears, and my vision swam, growing dark around the edges.
“Eden,” Silas said, voice distant and fuzzy like my ears were stuffed with cotton. He knelt beside me, arms holding me up.
Iain’s form moved towards us, the same steel eyes boring into my soul.
“I don’t understand.” I didn’t know if I had said it aloud, if my lips succeeded in forming words. My voice seemed disembodied.
When Markus had asked me if I wanted to be a part of the celebrations, I thought he meant an invitation to the party. But I had been named the new Queen of Arcadia.
Me. A human.
Iain sat in front of me, tilting his head to the side. “It’s not our job to understand. We trust and follow.”
The voice in my head bothered me the most. After nineteen years of only hearing my voice in my head, it terrified me to hear a man’s voice instead.
“Father.” Silas tensed. “This can’t be right. She’s–”
“As much a spirit of the trees as you, my son.” Iain’s voice sounded from nowhere and everywhere all at once.
“What does this mean?” I asked, eyes flicking between Silas and Iain, wondering if either of them would explain why I could hear Iain’s voice in my mind. Why not before? Why now?
“We’re–” Silas swallowed, eyes flicking around. “I think we’re bound.”
“But what does that mean?” I turned to Iain for answers.
He smiled in a wolfish way.
The female wolf spoke up, stepping forward, her voice clear like a river in my thoughts. “You are to be the next Queen of Arcadia when winter arrives.”
My heart jumped in my chest.
Winter.
Three months.
My chest caved in on itself, sharp pain after every inhale. My vision blurred, leaving everything a fuzzy blue.
“Father, she’s human,” Silas protested.
I didn’t blame him. I’d been nothing but trouble for him. I was human and practically responsible for Nyx.
“Always rescue those in need,” Iain answered. “Always be kind.”
Silas groaned beside me. “But why this? Why now? You think a human can rule Arcadia despite not being raised in our culture? Or even attempt to keep up on a hunt? She’s not one of us.”
He was right: I wasn’t one of them. But those words from Silas caused the tightness in my chest to increase. It stung coming from him, even if he spoke the truth.
Iain lifted his head again. “The winds are changing, son. She will be a valuable asset for all of Arcadia when the times shift their current like the river.”
“Nyx has returned,” Silas started. “He came for her.”
“Your father is right, Si.” His mother shifted on her feet, glowing bright. I imagined she looked a lot like Caroline when she walked with the living. Her voice, soft and feathery, lifted again in my mind. “She will be a valuable asset to you in the coming months.”
“Mother,” Silas started. “Our enemy has targeted this human.”
“Then it is your duty to protect her.” His mother raised her eyebrows. “I figured you of all wolves would understand that. Do you not care for her already?”
“I do.” He sounded pained. “I care for her. Of course I do.”
My face flushed from his words, cheeks warm. The idea of Silas caring for me was laughable. He’d made it quite clear that he didn’t appreciate humans, nor did he like me, and he’d said I didn’t belong.
Tolerant? Sure. But caring? I didn’t see it.
“Son.” Iain shifted his paws. “Our time is short here. I will not change my decision. Eden will be the next Queen of Arcadia. She will be your life partner, and you will be hers.”
I felt Iain’s eyes on me, but I could only watch the blue beetles drifting among the sprigs of lavender. “That’s it then?” I murmured.
Silas’s mother tilted her head. “You have the option to say no. As much as we hope you’ll choose to stay, you are still your own.”
“Eden,” Silas whispered.
When I didn’t respond, Silas wrapped an arm under each of my own, pulling me to my feet. My vision shifted back into focus. His eyes had no hint of the wild or even frustration. He stared at me like I puzzled him.
“Do you want to stay?” he muttered.
“I have cherished every moment here, even despite being a prisoner for most of it.”
A smirk brightened his face. “Think about it then.”
“But I’m human,” I started to protest, echoing his own worries from moments ago.
“I’d be nettle-brained not to notice.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I have to trust my father and my mother.”
How could I say no?
“Think about it.” Silas’s mother moved to stand next to her husband. “Whatever choice you make will be honored.”
“Eden.” Silas’s voice sounded rougher than before. “We have to join the others. There’s a feast waiting. I have responsibilities as king. And you…”
He inhaled but held onto it instead of saying anything further.
I bit the inside of my cheek, understanding despite his silence. “What do I need to do?”
Silas turned to his mother, who bowed her head, and he cleared his throat to speak. “Well, you’ll sit next to me, where the queen sits.”
Nodding, I exhaled. “Lead the way.”
Slipping his hand in mine, Silas led the way down the darkening path towards a huge fire in the center of the Yard. I kept my head held high despite my growing desire to disappear. Pups wrestled and people mingled in wolf and human form. Some of the Spirits sat around the fire observing their legacy while others wrestled with each other or their families still living.
Never had I been to a party like this one. Wolves chatted with the kings of the past, and food and drink were abundant. Music played somewhere in the bustling crowd over the yaps and whines from different groups.
Silas led me over to a table decorated to perfection. Great boughs of spruce had been tucked and twisted with honeysuckle vines, pinecones dotting it here and there. Lanterns had been lit, casting the table in a warm glow.
Silas guided me to a seat near the middle like I was bound to break. As soon as I sat, Nash pulled his brother to the side and Caroline followed, leaving me alone in such an unknown place.
Not that I hadn’t spent time alone in Arcadia. My first two nights had felt a little strange, staring up at the tree branches covering the hedged room. But here, after being named a queen, I felt helpless. I knew nothing.
Deep breaths.
I watched the conversation between the three siblings. Nash seemed tense, Caroline even more so. Silas bristled with frustration.
I can’t imagine how they feel. I’ve infiltrated their safe haven.
Silas motioned with his hands, quick and choppy.
Is he angry that I’d been chosen for him?
Nash nodded. Caroline turned away.
Silas stalked back over to me, dropping into his chair.
“Everything okay?” I asked, my voice a whisper.
“Fine,” he grumbled.
“Because I won’t blame you if you hate this. I’ve caused so much trouble. I understand if you’re upset.”
“You’re right, I’m upset,” he growled, not looking at me. His eyes flicked around the celebration. “I have a right to be very upset. I am a king, yet I have no control. My siblings doubt our father’s judgment. I don’t pretend to understand any more than they do. Yet my bound mate is unrightfully judged for being human.” He shook his head, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
“You judged me for being human.” I didn’t plan to say it, but the words were out.
Silas looked like I’d elbowed him in the stomach. And I didn’t want to hear his response. “I didn’t ask for this, Silas.”
He turned to me, something like vulnerability swirling in his eyes. “You don’t want it?”
I blinked a few times, his image blurring as my brows furrowed. “Want it?”
His hand slid to his sternum. “Can you not feel it?”
“Feel what?” I moved my hand up to my own chest.
Yes, there was an ache there. Yes, the anxious thought nagged at me that I couldn’t do this, that whatever this was it couldn’t be real. Yes, a piece of me wanted to know the king, the real version of him.
But what should I have felt when I’d bound to a wolf king against my will?
Markus had asked if I wanted to be a part of the ceremony. I’d thought he meant the celebration as a whole. I hadn’t thought he meant the matching ceremony. I’d never even considered it.
Silas held my hand now and moved it to his chest. His heart thrummed beneath my fingertips, the heat from his body burning my skin. He gazed at me with such intensity that I had to turn away. I didn’t need tension to make my cheeks red. My face had grown hot enough from the bonfire.
“Can you feel it?” Silas breathed.
Emotion overcame him, rippling through his body. It pulled my eyes back to his, but he wasn’t watching me. I followed his gaze to his father, who sat by the fireside watching.
“Would you join me for a dance?” Silas muttered.
I thought I had misheard when he pulled me to my feet. No sooner had we stepped down by the fire when a low howl crooned from Iain. The crowds shifted and moved to the outside of the clearing away from the fire. Flutes were brought to a few Seers, who began to play and sing a haunting melody.
Following his lead as best as I could, Silas spun us around the fire and between other dancing couples. His eyes were always on mine, mine on my feet. I was never a very good dancer, not when dozens of eyes were watching me.
“Silas?” I asked, glancing up at him.
“Yes?”
“We’re bound. But what does that call for in the meantime? Am I to stay with you or…” I swallowed, glanced away, and tried to push the embarrassment aside. “What happens if we find that I’m wretched at this, being queen?”
“Eden, it’s not a simple thing. Our problems are not solved in a single dance. But we still take them a single step at a time.”
“And what if I can’t dance? What if I stumble?”
Passion swirled in his eyes. “I’ll be right here with you. I promise to catch you when you stumble and guide you when you lose your way.”
I paused, mouth open. “Silas, I–”
“My King.” The old man from before laid a hand on Silas’s shoulder, stopping our dance. Silas stepped back, giving my hand a light kiss, and followed the man to the side where Nash stood waiting.
The fires were lower now. How long had we been dancing?
Iain and his wife approached me as regal as ever.
“Daughter,” Iain’s voice rumbled in my head.
I didn’t know how much one word could affect me. Tears welled in my eyes, and I blinked them away.
“You will be a great queen.” He smiled with pride. “Do not let them look down on you for who you are. You are destined to do much, things you don’t even realize.”
I nodded, not knowing if I could squeak out any words. Not knowing if I had any words to say after fifteen years of trying to find him again.
“Every Queen of Arcadia from the past is behind you,” Silas’s mother spoke with tenderness. “You have the Spirits of hundreds of generations supporting you. I believe you’re going to do great things, daughter. Take care of our son.”
With short bows of their heads, the former King and Queen of Arcadia joined their sons and the Elder. Together, the brothers ducked into the dark, with Iain and their mother trailing behind.
I turned in a circle searching for anything familiar.
My eyes found the safety of the table where Caroline sat picking at a piece of deer meat. I held up the bottom of my robe like a grand duchess in some old animated film and made my way over to my seat.
Caroline glanced my way and wiped her hands. “I need to apologize for my behavior earlier,” she swallowed. “It was unjust of me. It’s only that…”
While she searched for words, I sat beside her.
“Nothing like this has ever happened. Ever. In all of our history. And I know our history like it happened yesterday. It’s just–”
“Frustrating?” I offered.
“Infuriating!” Caroline sighed. “Not you of course, but the deviation from tradition. I don’t understand it. I asked Silas for an explanation, but he couldn’t offer one. Even our own father could only tell us that you would be a valuable asset as the seasons change, whatever that means.” She huffed and laid her head in her hands. Her voice was muffled when she continued. “It’s not like we haven’t existed fine with the past three season changes without him.”
“I understand, Caroline.” I laid a hand on her shoulder. “I didn’t expect this. A week ago, I wasn’t sure you all existed. And now I’m supposed to be your queen with no experience and vastly underprepared for the position.”
She laughed and met my eyes. “Does that mean you’ll forgive me then?”
“There’s nothing to forgive. But if it makes you feel better, then yes. I forgive you.”
Caroline placed a hand on my own and offered a smile. “Then officially, welcome to the pack.”
The welcome that she meant as kindness daunted me. I now lived with an ancient wolf pack.
I am running with the wolves.
It did beg the question…
Will I choose to stay?