The Elder Fae looked me up and down. “The Fae Lords will not think she’s a regular wolf, but if she pretends to be Lena that would work.”
Brayden nodded, looking relieved. “So I could take her to the fight with me?”
The old fae grinned. “I see where this is going. You want to use her power to beat Silas.”
Brayden nodded. “Just a bit, not enough to tip anyone off to the fact that she might be Wren.”
“IfI am Wren,” I corrected.
The Elder Fae stepped inside and waved for us to follow. For the first time I noticed two bracelets on his wrists that glowed a bluish green. Magical handcuffs maybe?
He walked over to a little stove and lit the burner, placing a teakettle over the flames as Brayden and I stepped inside of the small space and shut the door.
“And why would I help you with this? Haven’t I done enough for your family?” the Elder Fae asked, his back still turned to us.
Brayden stepped forward, dwarfing the tiny house. “You know why. You would be in a cell in the dungeons of Moon Valley Castle shitting in a bedpan if it weren’t for me. I made sure you got your own prison lands, and when I am king of the Greywolves again I will make sure you are freed.”
King of the Greywolves again?Did he have plans to one day get his throne back?
Interesting. When I’d suggested we storm in and kill the Fae Lords and rescue his siblings last night, he’d nearly had an aneurism.
The Elder Fae dropped some loose leaves into the boiling water and then turned to face us. His eyes grew violet and it scared the crap out of me. “You say that every time I see you, but I’ve grown tired of the empty promises over the centuries.”
Yikes, these two had some long history.
“Iwillreclaim my place!” Brayden shouted suddenly and I jumped.
The Elder Fae shrugged, looking unbothered by the alpha’s outburst. “How? You’re stuck in a loop. The Fae Lords have you right where they want you.”
Geez. Truth bomb much? I could tell that one had stung, because Brayden’s face fell.
“Where?” I asked, suddenly interested in his opinion. “Where do they want him?”
“Distracted. Chasing his soulmate into endless reincarnation cycles. This man eats, breathes, and lives all things Lena so he can’t plan a rebellion to take back his throne. And that’s exactly where they want him.”
“Can you help her or not?” Brayden asked.
The Elder Fae looked over at me, his eyes burning into mine as if sizing me up. “You really don’t know who you are?” he asked me. “You don’t remember our conversation the last time we spoke forty years ago?”
Brayden bristled. “What conversation?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never met you before. I’m Averly. That’s all I know to be true.”
The Elder Fae stilled, and then shook his head lightly. “I wonder if she did it.”
“Wonder if who did what?” Brayden stepped closer, towering over the fae.
The teakettle whistled and the fae moved to pull it away from the flame. For a man in prison he sure had a comfy little life. I doubted fae in prison in this other place Brayden spoke of got fresh hot tea daily and their own cottage, even if it was surrounded by creepy trees.
When the Elder turned back around, he looked at the windows and the black curtains pulled shut on their own. I jumped. Even though he was imprisoned, this man clearly still had some power. The glowing bracelets at his wrists grew brighter.
“Wren came to me right after she escaped the Fae Lords forty years ago.” His voice was barely a whisper. Both Brayden and I had to lean forward to hear him. “She said she thought she knew how to restore Lena and your Greywolf powers, but that doing so would wipe your memories.”
I froze, looking over at Brayden.
He swallowed hard. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner!?”
The Elder Fae threw his arms up. “She was injured, seeing things, sounded drunk to me. I could barely understand her.”
