Winter's Wolf (A Court of Shifters Chronicles #1)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “Did you think it was a her?” Preston slumped down in his seat.

  “Well, I couldn’t rule it out. Women can be just as stupid as men. They just aren’t as often.”

  “Because they don’t have the chance to as often,” I said half under my breath.

  Evidently it was loud enough for Wren to hear. “Very, very true.”

  “Look, I can’t tell you.” Preston straightened. “I would if I could.”

  “Then don’t expect me to give you money. I can’t. I have to know who I’m dealing with.”

  “Fine. I’ll find someone else.” Preston pushed back his chair.

  “Who? Who else are you going to find?” I snapped. “Someone else you want to owe? Think before you act, Preston. Life isn’t a game.”

  “I’m well aware of that.” Preston’s expression darkened. “Far more than you could imagine.”

  Wren reached over and wrapped her hand around his wrist. “You can trust me, Preston. I can help you.”

  “I do trust you, but you can’t help me other than giving me money.”

  “She’s not lending you money. And I’m not either unless you tell me more. I’m not asking for anything much here.”

  “But you are. You are asking for the impossible.” Preston stood up.

  “Just give us some time.” Wren clasped her hands together. “We’ll get back to you, Preston.”

  He nodded at both of us. “Fine.” He walked away.

  “We’ll get back to you?”

  Wren rubbed her forehead. “He’s in trouble, Frost. We have to do something.”

  “He needs to fess up.” There was entirely too much going on. I was already close to losing it over having to take Wren to find a mate, and now I had to worry about Preston getting himself in serious hot water. I was running out of patience.

  “Just because he needs to do something doesn’t mean he will.” She popped another mint in her mouth.

  “No kidding.” She was right, and I knew it. Preston didn’t have to tell me anything, and he wouldn’t unless he had to. That meant things would get worse before they got better.

  She put her hands on my shoulders. “Frost, you can’t always put everything on your shoulders. You are strong. Everyone knows that. But having strength doesn’t mean it’s your responsibility to carry the weight of the world.”

  “He’s my brother.” I closed my eyes and gave myself a few seconds to enjoy her touch. Every inch of me responded to the smallest brush of her fingers. “I have to take care of him.”

  “You won’t always be here to catch him. One day he’s going to have to fend for himself.”

  “But that day isn’t now.” I had to believe he’d be strong enough by the time I couldn’t be there. He’d have to grow up one day.

  “How is he ever going to fend for himself if you don’t let him fall?” She sighed. “You know what. Forget I said that. What’s your plan?”

  “I don’t have one,” I admitted.

  “Fantastic. So what would you have done had I not suggested he give us time?” She arched an eyebrow.

  “Gotten answers from him.” I sounded lame. We both knew that. She’d bought me time. Much needed time. “Eventually.”

  She nodded. “I need to go talk to my mom.”

  “What about Preston? Any advice?” It was my problem, but Wren was the best problem solver I knew.

  “I’m going to see what I can find out.” She stood. “He’s going to make it through this.”

  I wished I had her confidence.

  Wren

  “Have fun on your latest escapade?” Mom glared at me in the way only she could. She was sitting straight as an arrow in her throne. She made it look so natural, I couldn’t even imagine how much of a fraud I’d look like sitting there. But eventually I’d have to do just that.

  “It was nice to spend time with Lacey.” I knew my mother well enough to know nothing I could possibly say would smooth things over. That didn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying.

  “She could come visit you once in a while.”

  “She doesn’t like the cold.” It went beyond a dislike. She hated the cold. But then again she also hated the heat. And she stayed away from Fall because of allergies, or so she claimed. Really Lacey was a homebody, and I envied her for it sometimes.

  “Because she hasn’t taken the time to get used to it. She’s being weak. Not that it’s her fault. With a mother like hers…”

  “Mother. Really? You’re going to bring her mother into this?” I could have sped up the conversation and brought it around to the inevitable had I wanted to, but the keyword was wanted. I wasn’t necessarily in a rush to get into the nitty-gritty of things.

  “Lacey is a lovely girl, but she has been coddled. Sure, offspring of that line have thin blood, but there is no reason to make things worse by coddling her.”

  “Ok, maybe we can move on from Lacey talk.” Putting off the discomfort was great and all, but not if it meant sitting here listening to my mom criticize my friend’s family.

  “You know she’s older than you.” My mother leaned forward in her throne.

  “Yes, and?” Normally I was more than happy to have the heat taken off of me, but it was nearly as bad when she was criticizing a friend. Maybe I was a better person than I gave myself credit for.

  “And she still hadn’t found a mate.”

  “Because her parents aren’t rushing things. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Nothing at all. I knew better than to have a grass is greener on the other side attitude, but sometimes it was nice to imagine a life when I wasn’t pushed so hard.

  “And you believe I have rushed you?” She brushed a few strands of her blond hair away from her face. “Do you know how old I was when I mated with your father?”

  “Please, Mother. Does everything have to go back to you?”

  “First, you complain that I am talking about the Royals of the Spring Court, and now you complain that I am speaking of myself. Pray tell me, Wren. Who do you want to talk about? Let me guess. You?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Not at all.”

  “Then what?” The coldness in her voice had increased tenfold. I’d pushed her too far.

  “Nothing. Maybe we should just stand here silently for a while. Silence can be good for you. Or golden. Something like that.”

  “Really, Wren. One would think you weren’t properly educated.” She’d relaxed some, actually leaning back against the back of the throne. I wasn’t getting thrown in the dungeon at least.

  “Oh, I was educated all right.” I’d spent more of my life with private tutors than with anyone else.

  She rested her chin in her hand. “I am glad you came home when you did.”

  “Is there any particular reason why?” Here it was. Time for me to see if I could possibly hide something from my mother. Sure, I’d hidden small things before, but this was something else altogether.

  “I have an urgent court matter for you to handle.”

  “Oh?” Keep it cool, Wren. Keep it cool. I hoped I wasn’t sweating. That would be a dead giveaway.

  “Is there something wrong?” Her lips twisted into the barest hint of a smile.

  “Why would there be something wrong?” I struggled to keep my voice even. Why was it so hard for me to hide stuff from her?

  “Because you don't usually sweat like a pig.” The hint of a smile had become a full on grin.

  “Are you calling me a pig?” My hand flew to my chest.

  “Of course not, but you're nervous. Very nervous.”

  “Well, it isn't every day you ask me to do official court business.” I was calming down. I could feel my heart rate return to normal. I could do this. If nothing else, I had to protect my little sister from our mother’s wrath. She’d only spilled the secret because I’d pulled it out of her.

  “You are getting older; one of these days you're going to have to take over.”

  “But not today.” I eyed the large silver throne. I really hope
d I had years before I had to sit there and not because it certainly didn’t look comfortable. It was the responsibility I absolutely didn’t want.

  “No, not today. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared. What if something happened to me? Have you thought about that? You're old enough to automatically take the throne in my absence. No one would be appointed to help you. You would be left to your own devices to build a council.”

  “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon, but what is this official court business you need my help on?”

  She clasped her hands together and set them in her lap. “You are well aware of the state of things. War is brewing. The end may be near.”

  “The end may be near? Are you seriously going to get that dark on me?” That was dark even for the Queen of the Winter Court.

  “What? Are you afraid to face the truth?” She frowned. “Have I raised a daughter so afraid she can't face even the worst possibilities? How can you rule when you cower at such thoughts?”

  Cower? Was she serious? Yes, yes she was. My mother was excellent at finding ways to insult me. “You aren’t talking about facing possibilities. You are talking about the end. I have to assume you mean the end of the world.”

  “Why would you assume that?” She leaned forward. “Are there no other ends?”

  “Yes, but you aren't talking about another end. Don't pretend.” I hated when she did this. Tried to convince me I’d misheard her when I most definitely hadn’t.

  “Really, Wren. Why do you have to be this difficult?”

  “Fine. Continue.” Sometimes there was no point trying when it came to my mother. “Tell me more about this court business. Assume I understand everything that is going on and what end you were implying.”

  “It’s not an assumption when I know it to be true. You can play stupid all you want, Daughter. You do follow the politics of our world.”

  “Only as much as I have to.”

  “And you have to know everything. Need I remind you—”

  I cut her off before she could go on and on again about me having to be ready to take her place. “Nope. No need to remind me. I get it. Must follow world events.”

  “As I was saying.” Her frown had turned into more of a glare now. “You are well aware of the enormity of the challenge our court faces. Our relationships with the other courts are not always ideal, but we must work to strengthen those bonds. We are all Fae, and that cannot be overlooked. We need to work together and form alliances.”

  “Even if the other courts coddle their daughters?” I knew I was treading on thin ice, incredibly thin ice, but I was annoyed. Her decision to use Frost the way she was, to threaten his family, wasn’t okay. It was hard to hide my true emotions, but it was easier to do when it came to anger and annoyance, as I was those two things quite a bit around my mother.

  “I'm not only talking about Spring Court.”

  “Please tell me you don't expect me to go to Summer Court. You know how things are with Coral.” I generally got along with people. Maybe I wasn’t friends with everyone, but I could generally get along with most people. Coral was not most people. Even saying her name made my blood boil.

  “Your tiff with the girl is not worthy of putting our court at risk. We are sworn to protect our people.”

  “Technically you're sworn. I'm not sworn to do anything yet.” I was already pushing my luck, so there was no reason to stop now.

  “You are my daughter, and the heir to the throne. You are sworn to protect your people.” She closed her eyes and rubbed them before moving her hand and opening her eyes again. She was tired. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. My mother never looked tired. What was really going on? “The sooner you start accepting your responsibility, the better.”

  “I understand. What do you need me to do?” Something was going on. Something that went far beyond finding me a mate.

  “I need you to deliver an important message to each court. And it must be done soon.” Her expression had softened some, but the exhaustion was still there, clear as day.

  “What message?” I braced myself for whatever excuse she gave.

  “That doesn’t matter.”

  “It doesn’t matter?” I startled. “Are you serious? What do you mean it doesn’t matter? You can’t mean to ask me to deliver a message without knowing what it says.”

  She rose to her feet. “You will do as I say. I am your queen.”

  I forced myself to hold my ground. “Are you really ordering me? All this talk about me being the next queen, and you are going to order me around as if I’m an ordinary subject of the court?”

  “Yes. I will do what I must to ensure the safety of our people and my family.”

  “Your family. Right.” I had moved well beyond angry. “Because you really concern yourself with us.”

  “I must put all the people of the court first, but I have done everything I could for you and your sister. I have ruled alone, and I have ruled well. You will not question my dedication to my subjects nor my family. Is that understood?”

  I should have stopped, but I couldn’t. Or rather I wouldn’t. “You cannot expect me to deliver a message I know nothing about. That’s ridiculous.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “What is ridiculous is you questioning me over and over. What's ridiculous is you spending a month visiting your friend instead of doing your job.”

  “So that’s what this is all about? My spending time with Lacey? Are we back to her again so soon?”

  “Not everything is about you.” She put her hands on her hips. “One day you will understand, but clearly today is not that day.”

  “How can I understand if you tell me nothing? I’m lost.”

  “This isn’t the first time you’ve been lost.” She sighed.

  The sound of light laughter came from the other side of the throne room.

  “Genevieve?” Mother snapped to attention. “Genevieve, show yourself immediately.”

  Genevieve stepped out from behind the heavy curtains. Her legs shook. I held back a groan. Did she really have to make life more difficult on herself? Not that I could blame her. I’d done my share of stupid things over the years, and if anything I got caught more than her.

  “Genevieve, have you been spying on us this entire time?” Mother scowled.

  “I wasn’t spying.” Her lower lip trembled, but she otherwise held herself together. “I was in here before Wren arrived.”

  “Yet you chose not to show yourself?” Mother stared at her intently. “All this time?”

  “I’m sorry, Mother.” Genevieve looked down at her feet.

  “I can't even with the two of you sometimes. I have done my best to raise you myself, but it is times like this when I realize I may have failed you both, and in doing so failed our court.”

  “No.” Genevieve gasped. “Don’t say that, Mother. You have done a wonderful job. Any fault lies on ourselves. We are difficult children.”

  Poor Genevieve. She wanted to make everyone happy, but one couldn’t make Mother happy. It was impossible.

  “You should be in a lot of trouble for what you did.” Mother put her head in her hand.

  “But I’m not?” Genevieve looked at Mother out of the corner of her eye.

  “No.” Mother moved her hand. “I don’t have the time or energy for any of this today. Convince your sister to follow my orders and help her people, and it will be forgiven.”

  “Of course Wren will follow orders. She always does.” Genevieve took a few steps closer to me.

  Mother laughed. It was a strange sound, and one I wasn’t all that used to hearing. “Oh yes. She always listens to me.”

  “I just don’t see the purpose of the secrets.” It went far beyond that, but that got to the heart of my issues.

  “Not everything has to be explained up front.” Mother sat back down. “I wish you could see that.”

  I studied my mother again. There was something really wrong, which meant it was time to
put my annoyance aside. “I suppose not. I will do as you wish. When do I need to leave?”

  “As soon as you can. But I have some good news.”

  “Pray, do tell.” I needed something good.

  “Frost will accompany you.”

  “Frost?” It was time to act again. I couldn't let on what I knew considering everything else.

  “Yes.” She nodded. ”He is a fierce protector.”

  “I see…”

  “But don’t get any ideas into your head.” She tapped her temple.

  “Ideas?”

  She leaned forward and looked right into my eyes. “I know how you feel about the man. You can’t mate with him.”

  “Why not? Not from a high enough class?” I had no plans to mate with Frost—good kisser or not. But that didn’t mean I’d let her put him down.

  “No. But he is of our court. We need an alliance. As I tried to tell you, these are trying times.”

  “Yes. the end of days and all that.” As much as there was more I wanted to say, I knew I’d gain nothing by saying it. “I will get ready.”

  “May I go, Mother? With Wren? Please.” Genevieve pressed her hands together as if in prayer.

  “Absolutely not. It is far too dangerous.” Mother frowned. “Genevieve, please give us a few moments.”

  Please? Had she really used that word? My worry grew.

  Maybe she was feeling guilty? No. I quickly dismissed that possibility.

  Genevieve nodded, bowed her head, and left without meeting my eye. I didn’t blame her. I’d have wanted to get away from my mother as quickly as possible too.

  I watched her retreating figure. She looked so small and fragile.

  “Wren?” Mother pulled my attention back.

  I turned around. “Yes, Mother?” If she wanted to talk to me alone this probably wasn’t a good thing.

  “You know how impressionable your little sister is.”

  “Yes.” There was no reason to argue there.

  “She is a very curious child. Not unlike another young girl I once knew.”

  “Are we talking about me or you?” It was hard to know sometimes.

  “Both I suppose.” She absently played with her hair. Another thoroughly not mother action. “Although my childhood feels so terribly long ago when I think about it.”