Page 40 of Throne of the Wolf Queen

I barked out a laugh as he chuckled.

He turned back to watch the wedding party, his shoulders slumping. We’d been on the road for a few days and I hadn’t broached the fact that we both knew he was lying about the gifts he hid beneath his weathered skin. His fingers tapped the tankard in time to the music, and I took a deep breath.

‘You’re a rather brave man, aren’t you?’

Hawk’s tankard hovered a whisker away from his mouth. His brow furrowed as he turned to me, grimacing as I placed what I hoped was a sincere smile on my face.

‘I mean, you barely know me, but you’re aware my gifts are a bit… volatile and you’re still taking me to The Void.’ Slowly, he lowered his tankard. ‘You’re not even Asmaran or Drufaeran.’

Hawk crossed his arms and raised one brow.

‘Where did you say you came from again?’

He regarded me for a moment before speaking. ‘I didn’t.’

‘I can’t place your accent. Vlanael?’

He glared at me before raising his tankard, slumping into his seat. ‘I’m not from round here.’

‘The Southern lands then?’

He shook his head, pulled his notebook from his pocket, licked a pencil and struck off something within.

‘I heard there are less Anomalies there.’ If I could just get him to admit to a gift, give me something I could force his hand with. ‘Something to do with where the meteor struck. There aren’t as many Vyrium mines, so you don’t get as many Anomalies.’

Hawk grunted before stuffing the notebook away.

‘I imagine it must have been difficult to find a mentor to train⁠—’

I yelped as the tankard hit the table. Hawk stood, the flames of the hearth reflected in his eyes, and I shuffled back.

‘I can promise you, sweetheart. I’ve never in my life needed a mentor.’ He threw some coins on the table before walking away. Damn. Calling Pab, I scurried after him, cursing as he stormed through the door and disappeared into the street.

I’d wanted to take some time to explore the cobbled alleyways, the endless bookshops, a world I’d never had access to, but I could barely keep pace with Pablo as he hunted the cursed man down.

My fingers clung tightly to his fur as we weaved after the blurry form of the mariner, his steps steady despite how much he’d drunk.

‘Hawk.’ He half-turned; I wasn’t certain if he rolled his eyes. ‘I get it. I do. But if you could just help me…’

He stopped abruptly, and my heart skipped a beat as he set his dark gaze on mine.

‘I know your game, sweetheart, and you can drop it.’

‘But—’

‘No.’ He turned, marching down the street once more. ‘There’s no “but”. If you continue down this road, I’ll leave you and your wolf. I’ll fuck off and find the rebels myself. I don’t want to help you.’

Why did I forever piss him off?

‘But—’

He stormed away. For a few moments, I watched his blurry form shove people aside. Everything I needed lay within this infuriating creature, but no matter how I tried to coax the glaringly obvious out of him, he’d shut me down. I closed my eyes, bit back the tears. Why had Evella chosen this man to be the key to everything? He could teach me how to balance these gifts. He was a powerful weapon, a force to defeat the empress. The path to Matthias’s salvation.

There had to be a way to convince him. I’d just have to watch him. Wait. The rebels were notoriously tricky to locate. I just needed to be patient.

What a shame it wasn’t a particular blessing I possessed.

I cursed as the half-decomposed mole raised its jawless nose and, after a violent sniff of air, collapsed onto the grass, twitching until its hind leg fell off. The purple threads slammed back inside, disgusted at the specimen Pablo had found for me to practice on. A lone ribbon of silver raised its shimmering head before I shoved it down. Great, I thought, peering at the mangy creature, you would answer my call now. The tiny, rotting thing was long past being capable of answering their call.