But more than that, her youngest granddaughter and the wolf king needed each other.
Elizabeth smiled as she stepped out of the greenhouse, leaving the plants behind. Grimble followed, still grumbling about possible complications.
Above them, the moon hung full, casting wavering light across the garden.
Perfect timing for wolves and weddings and the most complicated match Elizabeth had ever attempted.
She couldn’t wait to begin.
CHAPTER TWO
VICTORIA
Ah, my wedding day, the day I’d both dreaded and… Alright, I’ll admit I hadn’t spent much time looking forward to it. A marriage was a practical matter. There had been no need to get myself worked up about it.
Now I stood at the altar.
Without a groom standing beside me.
The elder shuffled his feet and sniffed, something he’d done at least fifteen times so far, despite me offering him one of my spelled lozenges that would’ve soothed his throat and sinuses.
People shifted in their seats on either side of the aisle behind me, wolf shifters from my intended’s pack in human form on one side, and my family, their spouses, and a few assorted magical creatures among them on the other.
I checked my time spell again. He was fifteen minutes late. Fifteen minutes I could’ve spent cataloging the new batch of fawnpetal samples that had arrived yesterday, or analyzing the crystalline formation patterns in the dragon scales Adele had sent me.
Instead, I stood in the middle of an ancient grove, surrounded by trees so massive their trunks could house entirebuildings, waiting for a wolf king who apparently couldn’t be bothered to arrive on time for his own wedding.
The carved tree stump serving as our altar had been decorated with musical flowers—the kind that released soft, lilting whispers when the wind passed through their specially shaped petals. Ribbons and streamers in deep green and gold wound around the altar and up the nearest trees. The effect was pretty in a rustic way that made my fingers itch for a proper laboratory setting with clean lines and controlled variables.
Orange bioluminescent fungi glowed along the rocks and tree bark, providing enough light to see. People whispered behind me, and I couldn’t blame them.
They’d come to the wolf shifter kingdom for a show, and it had yet to get started.
I adjusted the veil Cyrene had insisted I wear. The delicate lace kept catching on my hair and the fabric on my shoulders. And the wind kept whipping it into my face.
Typical alpha behavior,my companion, Acorn, said in my mind from his position near my feet.Making everyone wait while he marks territory or whatever it is wolves do. I do hope he doesn’t… spray.
He’s not marking territory,I said.They said he’s delayed by border patrol.
Which is just another way of saying he’s marking territory. He sprays. I just know it. I’ll have to go around and rub some of my own scent over it or he’ll think he rules the tree.
He does rule the tree,I said.This forest. This court. He’s the king.
I’m still going to rub my own scent here and there. Show some squirrel dominance. He’ll respect that.
I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. A young wolf shifter with kind eyes approached from my left, wringing her hands.
“He’s coming, Lady Victoria. I promise. The border patrol just took longer than expected.”
“Of course.” I pushed for what I hoped was a reassuring expression rather than the grimace I felt like showing.
This was fine. It was a strategic alliance to foster good relations between the wolf shifters and witches. Nothing more or less.
Grandmother had explained it all very logically. Three of her granddaughters had already married successfully to strengthen different parts of our realm. I was simply the fourth piece of the puzzle.
The fact that I’d seen Feral exactly once, at Sasha’s celebration ball, where he’d stared at me. I’d stared at him, wondering if he’d approach me. Try to speak with me. Even then, I’d realized he was gorgeous, though too polished for a woman who’d rather smell like lab compounds than perfume.
A howl echoed through the grove behind me, raising every hair on my arms.
