The wolf chuffs again, and I laugh as I ruffle his fur. “I thought you were on my side.”
He looks back and forth between me and Auren, as if truly considering my words and not sure who to choose.
“It’s alright.” I laugh, as I pet him again. “We know you love us both equally.”
His large tail thumps excitedly on the ground as he nuzzles me again. And when Auren smiles at me, my breath catches, because for a moment I forgot everything that happened… including my sadness and anger.
“Everyone’s ready and awaiting your orders, your majesty,” one of Auren’s warriors says as he walks toward us. His gaze darts to me. “I’ve assembled a few warriors to stay behind if you and the Queen—”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” I tell him. “The King and I will be traveling with everyone else.”
The warrior bows low and then returns to his wolf.
Auren studies me a moment and then releases a resigned sigh. “If you’re sure about this, at least allow me to help you up.”
As his gaze holds mine, awaiting my answer, I remember the first time I trusted those blue eyes. They belonged to a man Ibelieved I understood. A man I was falling in love with. Now… they belong to a King.
“Alright.” I nod.
Somehow, despite everything… when he smiles, my traitorous heart still skips a beat.
He lifts me onto Vaelen’s back. His hand remains at my waist just long enough to be sure I’m steady before he relinquishes his grip.
Carefully, he climbs into the saddle behind me, and we start up the path, toward the mountain. His thighs bracket mine and he feels so warm and familiar, I’m tempted to lean back against him. But I don’t.
He must mistake my stiffness for pain because he asks, “Does it hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I say, even as the ache in my ribs flares with every breath and something far sharper twists beneath it—something that has nothing to do with the physical wound.
“You don’t need to hide your pain from me, Vivienne.”
Bitterness fills me anew. For a fleeting, treacherous moment, I remember the nights on the road, the steady warmth of him at my back, the way I used to lean into him without thinking, trusting without question that he would never let harm come near me.
That version of him… that man never lied, and he never wore a crown.
“That’s an interesting thing to say,” I murmur, “considering you also told me I could trust you.”
The words slip out before I can stop them. Just a few moments ago we were speaking amicably. He even smiled at me, and I felt like everything was good again. But for some reason, when he asked me about my pain, it made me think of the gaping wound in my heart. It aches far worse than my physical injuries.
Regret follows instantly as Auren goes still behind me. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “And I know it’s not enough… and it doesn’t change what I did. But I—” He draws in a shaky breath. “Please, Vivienne, tell me what to do. Tell me how to make things right.”
I bite my lower lip to stop it from quivering. I’m not weak and I refuse to cry, so instead I look down at my hands. “I’m not sure you can,” I reply, because I don’t even know what it would take to trust him again.
Silence settles between us before I twist back to face him, searching his eyes. “I want—” my voice catches. “I want Auren, the soldier. The man I fell in love with.”
He gives me a pained look. “It’s still me, Vivienne.”
“Is it?” The question leaves my mouth before I can stop it.
His eyes flash with unmistakable hurt.
Before he can respond, I add, “I’m tired. Perhaps we should talk about this later.”
Reluctantly, he nods. “Of course.”
For a long while we ride without speaking. The mountain road winds upward through the forest. The trees start to thin and the air grows colder as we ascend. The scent of pine drifts through the faint mist, and beneath us Vaelen’s stride remains steady and tireless, his massive paws easily finding their way along the narrow trail.
The rhythm of the journey begins to settle into my bones. Despite the dull ache still lingering in my ribs, the motion of the ride slowly begins to pull me toward sleep.
