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Though I had never been tasked with handling a crime as big as this before.

Despite what Chief Gorem said about the fae being involved, I couldn’t help but think of the old witch and the royal amulet. Why else had she had the totem, if she wasn’t involved in the murder? Perhaps the king had been poisoned or cursed. If he had, the culprit could be a witch. Someone with Cerise’s power, or her grandmother’s, could easily have rendered someone immobile while they stopped his heart.

“If he didn’t have time to shift, it was likely someone he did not suspect,” Tavik mused. “Likely not a witch.”

I didn’t dignify this with a response. For all we knew, the innkeeper herself could have been a witch who had masked her scent.

I was not ruling out Cerise’s involvement. Not yet.

“No, we don’t need you to investigate,” Chief Gorem said, rubbing the back of his neck. This was the first time I had ever seen him look nervous. He shared a significant look with Chief Ramathos. “We need you for something else.”

“I am happy to serve you, my lords,” I said, bowing again. My heart skittered in my chest as I wondered what could be more important than solving this murder.

“As you’re aware, King Nolan had no heirs,” said Chief Cartier of the Vulpes tribe, his bushy brown eyebrows drawn together.

I frowned and nodded. King Nolan’s first wife had died in battle, but his second wife bore a son named Silas and then died in childbirth. Birthing a shifter child was often deadly, as there was no guarantee that the babe would emerge as a human or an animal. Silas had vanished several years ago in the fae lands and was now presumed dead.

“There is no easy way to say this, Alaric,” said Chief Gorem with a heavy sigh. “King Nolan’s death was so sudden and no one was officially named heir. For now, the chiefs are currently the ruling power. But this cannot last. We need one ruler to lead us, to make the final decisions regarding our people.” He paused. “You are the next in line, Alaric. You shall be the new Mage King.”

It felt like rocks were tumbling in my stomach. They couldn’t be serious. I wasn’t even a member of the royal family. My mouth turned dry as my entire body went numb with shock.

“No,” Tavik murmured. “No, this cannot be.”

“That’s… not possible,” I said, my voice strained. My heart seized so painfully in my chest that it felt like it might burst.

Chief Korvus cleared his throat, running a hand through his curly black hair. “It is. We have done an extensive search of King Nolan’s lineage. Everyone in his line is dead. But, his first wife, Moraina, had a second cousin…”

His voice grew distant as he listed the names of various family lines. A shrill ringing sounded in my head, drowning out everything else. A sour taste filled my mouth, and I suddenly felt separated from my body—like I was a specter, watching this scene from afar. A distant observer.

Chief Korvus continued speaking, but I couldn’t understand him. Denial and confusion raged within my body, cascading through me like a tidal wave.

“If this is true, everything will change,” Tavik whispered within me. He seemed calmer now. More lucid. “Balinor was often held back because Nolan had to tend to his kingly duties so often. Alaric, I—I will disappear. I won’t be free anymore.”

I had nothing to say to him. My stomach churned. Shit, I was going to be sick.

“By the gods,” Tavik said, his tone sharpening. “What of the witch? Alaric, they do not know.”

“Should I tell them?” I wondered. If Cerise had something to do with Nolan’s death, then someone had to know.

“If they find out she bewitched us, you could be accused of being under her control. You might be arrested, too.”

My heart dropped like a stone. Tavik did have a point. What if Cerise had killed the king? If the chiefs discovered I had been cast under her spell—a spell so strong that even my wolf had been entranced—they would not trust me. Hell, I wouldn’t even trust me, if I were them.

It would be easy to believe I was her puppet. Her slave. Someone who could spy and report back to her.

And for all I knew, that was exactly what she had done. The amulet had been in her home, after all. And Tavik was still acting odd.

My mind was still intact, though. Of that I was certain. She would not be able to ensorcel me like she had Tavik.

But the chiefs might not believe that.

“You are right,” I thought, my heart racing. “We will need to uncover the truth ourselves. No one else can know about the totem.”

Gradually, Chief Korvus’s voice came back into focus. “… was the stepfather of Beckett Navier.”

Beckett Navier. My father. I shook my head, nausea roiling within me. “My father was estranged from his stepfather. They were never a part of one another’s lives. They—they were not blood relatives.”

“Nevertheless, the link is there,” Chief Gorem said, his lips forming a thin line. It was clear he was displeased by this.