PART ONE
THE LETTERS
1
THIRTEEN YEARS OLD
Rennick didn’t know which frightened him more; the voices in his head no one else could hear, or the name those voices whispered and what it meant.
“Amelia,”he murmured to himself, runninga hand through his dark brown hair.
It was the prettiest name he’d ever heard.
As a royal fae, Rennick didn’t have a choice in who he would marry, and he’d been preparing for this day since he was old enough to understand what a mate was.
At midnight on a royal fae’s thirteenth birthday, the gods whispered the name of the royal heir’s fated mate for only them to hear, creating a bond between the two before they ever met.
Amelia.
Royals possessed stronger magic than other fae, in addition to superior physical strength and speed. His father said the gods ensured the royal bloodlines stayed strong and left nothing to chance. That’s why royals had fated mates. There was no stronger magic than that of a royal’s mate bond, thus making the strongest offspring possible.
The thing about mates that Rennick didn’t understand wasthat the bond didn’t make them love each other.Wouldn’t that be easier?he thought begrudgingly.
The gods decreed that royalshadto marry their fated mates, no matter what. It didn’t seem fair. Regardless, his father said he had a duty to his mate and his kingdom, and Rennick would do his best to make him proud.
Rennick’s father, Callum, chuckled, pulling him from his thoughts. “I know that look.” Callum gazed lovingly at his wife. “I remember hearing your mother’s name for the first time.” He winked at her. “Helena.”
Helena smiled and rolled her eyes before turning to Rennick. “Who is she, sweetie?”
Rennick’s wonder gave way to anxiety. What if he didn’t like Amelia when they met? Doubt threatened to overpower him, and he drew in an unsteady breath. “Amelia. I’ve never heard of her.”
He knew most people his age in Vale, the capital of the Mountain Kingdom, and since mates were born on the same day, he’d taken note of girls who shared his birthday.
“That’s normal,” his father assured him. “It’s not likely you’d meet them naturally.”
Rennick’s face paled. They might not meet?
Would that really be so bad?
“Callum.” Helena leaned across the small dining table in Rennick’s rooms to pat his hand. “What your father meant is there are many people throughout the four fae kingdoms, and it’s not unusual for your mate to be someone you don’t know; there are too many people in this world to encounter them all.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “You will find her. The gods ensure it.”
Meeting Amelia for the first time would be uncomfortable at best. All the heirs from other kingdoms were boys, meaning she was a normal fae and wouldn’t know he was her mate. She would feel his stronger emotions, but the gods only spoke toroyals. She probably wouldn’t understand what the extra emotions meant.
What would he say?Hi, we’re going to get married. By the way, my name is Rennick?
What if she wasn’t from the Mountain Kingdom? His mother grew up in the Garden Kingdom, and she didn’t mind the cold, but if Amelia lived in the Tropical or Desert Kingdoms, she would freeze to death.
He would have extra coats and blankets stashed around the palace, just in case.
“I know you don’t understand now,” his mother said gently, “but one day she will be the most important person in your life. It will be your job to protect her if she cannot protect herself.”
He puffed out his chest and sat taller. “I will do my duty and protect her.”
Even if we never fall in love.
ONE WEEK LATER
Rennick and his best friend, Finn, stood in the middle of the training arena, panting after their last round of sparring. Rennick began warrior training when he was old enough to hold a sword, and Finn’s father, one of the Mountain Kingdom’s best warriors, brought his son to train alongside the other trainees. They’d been best friends ever since.
