CHAPTER 2
THE KING'S UNWELCOME RECOGNITION
Elena spent the night in a guarded chamber.
Not a prison.
Not exactly.
But every door had someone standing outside it.
She found that unsettling.
At dawn, a servant brought breakfast.
"I didn't ask for this."
"You are a guest of the king."
"I feel more like a prisoner."
The servant smiled nervously.
"Most people who come before the king feel that way."
Elena almost laughed.
Before she could answer, the door opened.
Aldric entered.
He dismissed the servant.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he placed a small wooden box on the table.
Elena stared at it.
"What is that?"
"Something that belonged to my son."
Her eyes lifted.
"You think I'm your son?"
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Aldric opened the box.
Inside lay a silver pendant.
Elena's breath caught.
She had seen it before.
In dreams.
Always in the same dream.
A woman carrying a baby.
A burning palace.
A wolf howling beneath a red moon.
And that pendant.
"I know that."
Aldric stared at her.
"How?"
"I don't know."
He closed the box.
"Tell me everything you remember about your childhood."
Elena hesitated.
"I was raised by an elderly woman named Mara. She lived outside the eastern territories."
"Was she human?"
"Yes."
"Did she ever mention wolves?"
"Never."
"Did she tell you who your parents were?"
Elena shook her head.
"She said my parents abandoned me."
Aldric's jaw tightened.
"My queen would never abandon her child."
Elena looked at him.
"Then perhaps I'm not the person you're searching for."
Aldric stepped closer.
"You have the mark."
"So do other people."
"No."
His voice became quiet.
"Only one bloodline carries that mark."
Elena looked down.
The silver symbol pulsed beneath her skin.
"What does it mean?"
Before Aldric could answer, the doors burst open.
A young woman entered.
"Your Majesty, the council demands your presence."
Aldric turned.
"Tell the council to wait."
"They won't."
Her eyes moved toward Elena.
Suspicion appeared immediately.
Aldric noticed.
"This is Lady Seraphine."
Seraphine bowed.
"Your Majesty."
She looked at Elena again.
"Who is she?"
Aldric's expression hardened.
"That is none of your concern."
Seraphine smiled.
"Everything concerning the throne is my concern."
She left.
Elena watched her go.
"She doesn't like me."
"She doesn't like anyone who threatens her position."
"What position?"
Aldric said nothing.
Elena frowned.
"Why did you bring me here?"
The king looked toward the window.
"Because if you are who I think you are, someone has spent twenty years making sure you stayed hidden."
"From whom?"
Aldric turned back.
"From me."
That answer frightened Elena more than anything else.