I threw a quill at him. He dodged it easily, grinning like this was the most entertainment he’d had in weeks. Which, knowing Aurion, it probably was.
“She will not speak to me,” I said, returning to the guard schedules. “Except about Killian.”
“Can you blame her? You kept a pretty big secret.”
“I had my reasons.”
“Were they good reasons?”
I paused. Considered lying. Decided against it. “No.”
“Then grovel. She’s your Queen. Your mate. The mother of your child. Grovel.”
I set down the papers with more force than necessary. “How does one grovel exactly?”
Aurion’s grin widened. “Jewelry helps. Flowers. Maybe some begging. Definitely begging. Get on your knees, declare your undying love, admit you were an idiot.”
“Oh yes, I’ve done all that in the past few years. Multiple times. I should just do a repeat performance?”
“If it worked before.” He paused. “Also, try crying. Women love that.”
“I am not crying.”
“Then enjoy the study. Very cozy. Lots of books to keep you company. Much better than your warm bed with your beautiful wife in it.”
I growled at him. He just laughed.
“Fix it with Wen,” he said, standing and brushing pastry crumbs off his jacket. “Whatever it takes. Because you need her and she needs you, and Killian needs both of you united. Not whatever this is. And if she dumps your ass, Daphne will stay by her side. And I’m not fucking leavingmymate, so I’m choosingherside.”
He was right. My jaw clenched at the realization.
After he left, I sat there for a long moment, staring at the guard rotations without actually seeing them. The bond with Wen felt cold. Not severed, but closed off on her end. Like she’d put up walls I couldn’t breach.
I needed to fix this. But first, I needed to discuss something important with her. About Killian’s safety and training.
So I stood and went to find my mate.
She was with Daphne in one of the smaller sitting rooms, both of them drinking tea and talking quietly. They stopped when I entered, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
“I need to speak with you,” I said, directing my words to Wen. “About Killian.”
Her expression didn’t change. “What about him?”
Professional. Cold. My hands curled into fists at my sides.
“He needs proper training for his magic. To control and understand it.”
“From who?” She set down her tea cup carefully.
“A witch. Someone who understands portal magic and empathic abilities.”
“And where do we find a witch willing to teach a wolf hybrid?” Her tone was neutral, but I could hear the underlying skepticism.
“We send someone to the witch kingdoms to negotiate.”
“Aurion has mentioned they’re not friendly to wolves,” Daphne pointed out. “The relationship between your species is tense at best.”
“No,” I agreed. “But Killian’s safety is worth the risk. He needs to learn control before his powers manifest again.”
