Lancelot remained silent from where he was still standing against the wall whilst Arthur revealed his plan to form the first ever pack in Logres.
The king wanted us to become Guinevere’s rotating guards, effectively pulling us from our typical daily duties. In his mind this would allow us time to learn about Guinevere and for her to learn about us without letting on to the rest of the people of Camelot what was actually happening.
And it was taking every piece of my soul not to wiggle like an overly excited pup at the prospect.
Guinevere rolled her eyes at our queries—likely tired of having to explain things from the future that we would most certainlynever understand. “You can use your context clues to figure it out. Why are we suddenly going so fast with this, Arthur? Is this about your dream last night?”
I wanted to ask her what a context clue was, but quickly decided against it fearing she would scold me again.
Arthur nodded, his face suddenly grave. “It is.”
Guinevere hurried across the study, her scent filling the air and making my spine straighten as I fought the urge to follow her nose-first, until she stood in front of Arthur who deftly pulled her into his lap.
There was a soft intimacy between them now that had not existed during their wedding ceremony. It was as if things were being said between them that no one else in the room was privy to and when Guinevere lifted a hand to the silvery bond mark that belonged to Arthur, I understood that theywerecommunicating—but with their feelings.
I looked on with a mixed sense of fascination, envy, and anticipation. It was surreal to be so close to Guinevere again and I half-believed that I was dreaming as I watched the pair exchange a look before Guinevere leaned in to talk quietly into Arthur’s ear.
“Apologies,” Lancelot said and stood abruptly, his expression twisted and almost pained. “But the men are waiting for me in the training yard.”
Lancelot turned to hurry out of the study, not sparing a glance in our direction.
“Lancelot,” Arthur growled, echoing slightly of the alpha bark that we so rarely had to use anymore.
But Guinevere stopped him, pressing a hand into his chest and shooting him a look that most likely saved the fleeing alpha from a tongue lashing.
“You promised to let me do this my way,” she told him softly.
Arthur looked as if he wished to argue, but instead pulled the omega in for a tight embrace, his eyes finding me over her head.
“Gawain, do you have any reservations? Or do you wish to stomp out of here like a petulant child as well?”
I shook my head quickly. “No, your majesty.”
Arthur sighed, seemingly relieved by my words. “Very well, I suppose this merry band shall begin with you, then.”
There was a long silence before I fully understood his words and what they meant.
Guinevere turned to look at me with a shy expression, her cheeks turning pink before she turned away.
“Gods,” I muttered, wondering just what I had waded waist deep into with this and whether or not it would all come crashing down around us.
Chapter Twenty-Four
This shall never work,I thought to myself as I pulled the string of my bow back and loosed an arrow at random, hardly aiming for the hay bale target at the end of the range.
The arrow soared wide before embedding itself into the soft earth.
It will end in disaster for us,my mind continued to ramble as I pulled another arrow from my quiver and nocked it again.
Another voice, the one I had spent most of my days ignoring ever since that first night when I caught Guinevere’s scent on the wind, whispered through my mind louder than ever before:but you want her.
My arrow slipped from my fingers, clattering to the ground at my feet and causing the bowstring to snap painfully against my bare wrists.
I should have been wearing my leather bracers to protect the sensitive skin there, but I had put them aside remembering one of my father’s favorite punishments for me.
If I failed at my task, then the task should hurt so that I would not fail again.
I picked up the arrow and nocked it again, pulling my arm back against the tension from the weapon and aiming for the target.
