Page 91 of Throne of the Wolf Queen

Sorrow gasped. ‘I married a king. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but royal families are rather fond of collecting expensive jewels. We can’t keep track of every item in our collection.’

Gravel crunched and my heart pounded as the wolf snarled. ‘The empress has the necklace, but where is the fucking ring⁠—’

I rounded the corner, red misting my vision as the Deviant had his damn hand over my wife’s throat. I dragged his collar back with one hand, my fist slamming into his jaw with the other. I cried out, cradling my hand as he turned his head my way, his brow creased. I’d punched him with all my might and he hadn’t flinched. Whereas pain sliced through me. His fist flew towards me. My arm blocked and⁠—

Sorrow grabbed him. For a heartbeat, I thought he’d strike her. Fuck, this man was about to breathe his last, Deviant or not. Anger rattled through me, my chest heaving as Sorrow’s words were lost to the rushing through my ears. He lowered his hand, his body shaking as Sorrow threw herself between us.

‘For the love of Evella, no, Matthias, no.’

‘I’ll kill him,’ I said, trying to sidestep her.

‘No. Are you mad, man. He’ll kill you.’ She placed her palm over my thundering heart. ‘Matthias?’

‘If he lays one finger⁠—’

‘He won’t. Will you?’

She rounded on Hawk, and my guts churned. There were flames, raging, burning and flaring where his eyes should be. Grabbing Sorrow’s arm, I tugged her back. She shrugged free.

‘What’s going on?’ I cried. ‘I don’t care if he’s a Deviant, he⁠—’

Lights exploded from his hand, a rainbow snaking, twisting and expanding.

‘I’m no Deviant, little king. I’m not blessed by her.’

The lights extinguished and I tugged Sorrow against my chest, against my hammering heart. The guests in the courtyard cheered at the spectacle, unaware the bride and groom lurked in the shadows. The candles flickered, lit, extinguished, faster, brighter, on, off, till I couldn’t see.

Hawk’s voice spoke directly into my mind.

‘Evella didn’t create me, you fool. I created her.’

Ice spilled through every fibre of my being. What was he saying? How could it even be possible? The man before us raised his hands and blades, Vyrium blades, spun around his palms, whistling through the air and I froze, all reason stolen from me.

The blades halted, so close to my eyes I couldn’t blink without fear of being sliced.

Realisation stole my senses. He was right. There was no way this man was a Deviant, blessed by our Goddess of protection. I flicked my eyes to the grinning God.

The empress didn’t need to summon our ruin.

He was already here.

‘I created her.’ His voice warped, cut into my brain, slicing into the marrow of my bones. ‘And she left me for you. Destroyed my heart, while I’ve searched this festering hole for a thousand years. It’s the only way I can ever leave.’ He snapped his gaze onto Sorrow. ‘And your fucking family have been wearing my heart like some trinket!’

Sorrow grabbed the dagger before me, threw it to the floor. My chest exploded as I exhaled.

‘Are you always so dramatic?’ With her hands on her hips, she rounded on the God.

‘S… Sorrow?’ What was she doing?

Hawk – Vyrus – turned, narrowed his gaze. ‘I’m the God of Creation. That tiny’ – I moved to my wife’s side as he pushed his face into hers, his thumb and index finger almost touching just to hammer his point home – ‘teeny, little show was a fraction, a sliver of what I can do, sweetheart.’

She crossed her arms, her jaw quivered, but she was calm. Too calm about Vyrus’ revelation.

‘You knew,’ I whispered. She turned her head slightly to face me, but said nothing. ‘Did you not think to mention we’d inadvertently invited a God intent on destroying the planet to our wedding?’

She turned, her eyes searching mine but failing to lock on them in the gloom.

‘I wanted to, but it all sounds so very…’