Chapter 11
Valarie
I had found my way back to the kitchens that evening and was sitting on the edge of a counter, legs crossed at the ankles, eating an apple.
Ana was cutting a whole pile of them next to me.
The smell reminded me of home: sharp and sweet. Like the orchards at the edge of John’s family’s home.
“So, nothing happened?” Ana asked dubiously, pausing her chopping to brush seeds off the board.
I shook my head, sucking the juice from the fruit in my mouth. I was frowning.
“No. Honestly, considering the rumors, I would have thought if he was after me, he would be more blatant. Or forceful.”
Ana shook her head. “King Gabriel is a lot of things, but he’s not that. More… persuasive.”
The match had ended after a few hours, Sophia placing third, Morgan of the Blue Pack placing second, Daniele of the Hickory Pack first. The King seemed to find the whole thing amusing and his mother, Raquel, mostly ignored him as she congratulated the top three contenders.
Many of the other princesses had been sore losers. Iris, especially, was quickly losing respect among not only the Alpha Pack of the Kingdom, but casual observers who had made their way to the Hunt.
Word would get back to the various territories and she’d be known as a vain, weak, sore loser. I wondered how my parents would feel when they heard.
“But he was coming after Sophia that night?” Ana continued, dumping apple slices into a large bowl.
“Yes. At least, that’s what he told me—that she had invited him!”
“Did you ask her? Did she confirm that?”
I shook my head.
“I didn’t get the chance to ask her. We were only notified of the match this morning and had to prepare immediately.” I put down the rest of the apple with a sigh, watching the juice rise to the surface of the white pulp. “I don’t know what she’s thinking.”
“She’s probably thinking what every other princess is thinking—that they can seduce him.”
“Really? Is that the plan?”
Ana nodded. “Not just of the princesses. Gabriel has always had his fun, and more than a few women in the pack—betas of course—have thought they could tame him. But as interested as he is in sex, it isn’t anything that will tie him down.”
I was frowning. “I’ll have to tell Sophia that. I really hope that wasn’t her idea—honestly, between you and I, I don’t even think she’d know what to do if she got him in bed.”
Ana laughed and covered the apples, putting them into a large refrigerator to marinate in a sugar and lemon juice mixture. Tomorrow, she’d be making a dozen apple pies for a late brunch before the Hunt really began.
“So, what’s next?” I asked, pushing myself off the counter and standing. I was happy to have made a friend, not only in the Kingdom, but in the castle. Ana had insider knowledge of what was coming, since meals would be prepared around certain events.
“Well, they’ll have a Hunt,” the girl replied, cleaning up her area. “And a sort of triathlon, in human form though. No shifting allowed.”
A triathlon? Sophia wasn’t prepared for that—we’d never trained for anything remotely like a triathlon.
“Running, swimming, small obstacle courses,” Ana explained, seeing the expression on my face. “Can I offer you some advice?” She put the towel aside and faced me abruptly.
“Of course.”
“About Gabriel. Not the Hunt.” Ana sighed. “Honestly, Val, it might be better to just get it out of the way. Let him have you. Putting it off will only attract him more, and the King is no use if he’s distracted.”
I felt my stomach twist. That wasn’t what I’d expected Ana to say. Something about the challenges, maybe, or some advice for Sophia.
“Do you really think…that would be best?”
Ana shrugged. “You could do worse, couldn’t you? You don’t follow the old ways, do you?”
I shook my head, thinking of John.
“Well then, if you’re not waiting for anyone in particular, it might as well be the Alpha of all alphas. It won’t be so bad. From what I hear, he’s quite the lover when he wants to be.”
Ana shot me a wink and I felt my cheeks redden, remembering the light touch of his fingertips on my skin. I wondered briefly if he would come to me tonight.
When I returned to the rooms, Sophia was soaking in a bath, arms draped over the edges and breasts once again pushed up out of the water.
I glanced at the princess and saw a large bruise forming on one shoulder. I frowned and turned, walking further into the room.
“Is this from the wrestling?”
Sophia’s eyes shot open at the touch of my fingers on her shoulder. She sighed and sank a little deeper into the water.
“It is.” The princess sounded tired. “I can’t believe I only took third. I was sure I had Morgan!”
“You’re not going to like what’s coming if you’re feeling beat up now,” I muttered, sitting on a bench nearby and refolding already folded towels.
Sophia sat up and craned her neck to see me.
“What do you mean?”
“I was just talking to one of the kitchen servants, and she told me the next event is a sort of triathlon. Honestly, Sophia, we’ve never trained for anything that extensive. Not so many events all together, for a long period of time like that.”
The princess was frowning now.
“Did she tell you when it is?”
“Two days from now. Tomorrow, they’ll let everyone rest, and there’ll be a brunch you’re expected to attend, of course. No servants, so I’ll be here. But the day after tomorrow, the event starts first thing in the morning.”
Sophia leaned back in the bath and sighed.
“I’ll try to sleep in, then, and maybe we can find a local masseuse. My muscles are all locked up.”
I shifted uneasily on the bench, gazing outside into the night.
“I’m not sure resting will be a good idea, honestly. I mean—sleep as much as you can tonight! But I really think we should take a run at the course.” I slipped a piece of jagged paper out of my back pocket. “Ana drew the trail out for me.”
With a slosh of water, Sophia stood and stepped out of the bath, wrapping herself in a towel. She took the piece of paper and gazed down at the carefully drawn lines and marks.
“Ana is the kitchen maid?”
I nodded.
“She says none of the other princesses know the trail, or what the event entails.” I pointed out a small stretch of lake.
“You’ll have to swim this. There’s a large rock where you start, and you go straight across.
That’s after the run. And once you’re out of the water, there’s an obstacle course. And after that, a horse race.”
“Horses?” Sophia asked, eyebrows raised.
The Autumn Pack didn’t really keep horses. Sophia’s mother had a few, but they were mostly for looking at. Luckily, Sophia had learned to ride when she was younger. But nothing like this—a race.
“You’ll ride for three miles before reaching the final mark. Gabriel will be waiting there.”
The princess sat heavily next to me on the bench. The bruise on her shoulder was mottled dark purple and blue. It would take a long time to heal, and already, I was trying to recall if I packed the kind of makeup we’d need to cover it.
“I think,” I started tentatively, hoping Sophia would agree with my plan, “we should run the trail at least. And swim the lake. I’ll go with you, of course—but I think it’ll be an advantage if you learn the layout. It’ll be completely new to the other princesses.”
By the look on Sophia’s face, I knew she didn’t want to do it. But the logic was undeniable. Eventually, the princess sighed, agreeing.
“I’m not going to be able to sleep in, am I?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Brunch starts at eleven. The course isn’t far, but it is at the edge of the town. We’ll have to find a way to sneak out.”
Sophia stood and took off the towel, using it to dry her head. I averted my eyes.
“Alright then. Tomorrow morning—if you’re up before me, wake me up. I’ll try not to bite your head off.”
We grinned at one another.