Anassa nudges closer still, and I bend forward to rest my face against her forehead, breathing in the familiar scent of her fur.
My direwolf.
I pull away gently and then say, somewhat reluctantly, “About Stark and Cratos.” I don’t want to have this part of the conversation, but I need to know. “What I felt in the dungeons, when you took down all your shields—”
“My love for Cratos,” she says.“The mate bond is strong. I will continue to shield you from that. We direwolves know that the mate bond can cause confusion for our riders, especially if the riders themselves are not romantically involved.”
I swallow. “And… Stark? Does Cratos shield his love toward you as well so that Stark is not affected?”
My assumption, when I was first hit with Anassa’s mate bond, was that Stark was grappling with that sensation the entire time I was bonded to her.
It would be a relief to know that he’s not.
I’m still not sure what to think about him. He’s obviously not an enemy as I so mistakenly believed, but I barely know him—aside from the deep intimacy I have with his scowls and his bossy commands.
I don’twantStark to be secretly pining after me. I don’t even like him. He’s kind of a fucking asshole.
On the other hand, it would help certain moments between us make sense if he were.
Like the naked hunger I’ve seen in his eyes when he’s licked my tattoos, or the searing heat I felt between us this afternoon in his office when he held my hand to his chest.
Heat that now pools liquid in my belly at the mere thought of his touch.
Anassa huffs, her pungent wolf breath hitting my face.“I would not dare to pry about Stark and Cratos’s relationship. The bond between a direwolf and their rider is private, even for mated pairs. If you want to know the answer to that, you may ask Stark yourself.”
Yeah, that would go over well, I’m sure.
Hey Stark, just out of curiosity, do you have a deep, unending, overwhelming attraction toward me at all times? Are you so hot for me that you can barely function?
Might explain why he primarily speaks in grunts, though.
“How does it work on a technical level?” I ask, ignoring the heat in my own face. “Are Stark and I able to communicate mentally?”
Anassa gives a lupine nod.“Yes, you can reach Stark, and he can reach you. You may connect mentally to each other however you wish.”
That might be handy, I suppose. If I need immediate advice on the best way to disembowel someone.
“And what about talking to each other’s wolves, since you’re mated? Can you reach Stark? Can I reach Cratos?”
Anassa’s lips pull back from her fangs—she’s displeased.“Technically, yes, but I would not! As I said, the rider-and-wolf bond is sacred. To speak directly to another wolf’s Bonded rider… that’s a violation. Alpha wolves may reach out to their pack’s riders but only if absolutely necessary.”
My brows furrow. “You reached out to Helene and Grigore, though, when we needed to show them I was the rightful ruler.”
“That was a grave situation. You had not yet attempted to share memories across pack lines and were unsure of how to do it yourself, and they needed to be informed immediately. I will not reach out to other riders like that again, and I’ve already apologized to their direwolves. However, yes, you and I can both theoretically reach any rider or wolf since we are the royal pair.”
I’m almost scared to ask but… “And Stark’s feelings? His thoughts and emotions? Will those reach me the way that yours can?”
Anassa shakes her head.“Not in the same way. It is not an easy flow, like our connection, and you cannot hear his thoughts outside of intentional communication, nor can he hear yours. More intense emotions may reach you on occasion. The nature of the bond makes all our connections porous.”
I settle back in against her fur as I ponder that. At least that answers my question about whether he could read my thoughts during several recent moments. He must be able to guess what I’m thinking.
Frankly, that’s almost as disturbing. Am I that easy of a read? Or… does he know me better than I realized?
My eyes start to droop closed. What a long day it’s been. The first full day as queen, and an utter disaster from beginning to end.
“Anassa,” I say quietly. “Since your mother was the direwolf of the last queen, do you have any inherited wisdom for me? What do I need to know about being queen?”
Anassa snorts air through her nose.“I was just a pup when Queen Chiara died. I know nothing about ruling. We shall have to figure it out together.”
