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

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  He rubbed the thick black stubble on his chin. “They are not of our world.”

  “Then how are they here?” Surely I hadn’t missed news of an invasion?

  “A chasm has opened.” The king’s expression darkened.

  “A chasm to what world?” I knew whatever answer he gave likely wouldn’t be a good one. We’d kept largely to ourselves for years now.

  “Energo.”

  “Energo?” I only knew of the place from the history books. “Have we had communication with them recently?”

  “Unfortunately…”

  “Where do I fit into this? Do you require my assistance?” He had said this involved me.

  “We need to amass everything we can to fight these creatures.”

  “The Dwellers?”

  “Yes. The Dwellers.”

  “Your majesty, if you wouldn’t mind. What are these creatures? What are we facing?”

  “Darkness. Fear.” The color drained from his face.

  “That sounds promising.”

  He scowled. “Now isn’t the time for humor.”

  “I’m sorry, your majesty. It is a habit.” When faced with particularly stressful situations I tended to pile on the sarcasm and jokes. That was perfectly fine in some situations, but definitely not in all. This was one of the latter times.

  “I understand, but we have no time for habit.”

  I needed to stay focused, but there were other things I needed to know. “Your majesty, the other part of the directive. Can you tell me? Did it involve Wren?” Maybe with everything else he was telling me it shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. I needed to know if I was going to have to balance preparing for war with finding Wren a mate.

  “Only in that she has a role to play as well. Of course. As will Lacey. The next generation must step up.” He didn’t completely answer my question, but he’d said nothing about a mate. Considering we were going to war I shouldn’t have been so relieved, but I was.

  “Why did you want to speak with me alone?” Wren was royalty. I was not.

  “Because I want you to understand what I personally expect of you.”

  “Personally?” I wasn’t sworn to his court, so any sort of personal request was highly unusual.

  “I am afraid we may have a traitor in our midst.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Traitor was not a word often thrown around by the Fae—especially notably the leaders. Such accusations had led to wars of their own.

  “A traitor. And it may be a shifter. I need to know my daughter is safe.”

  A shifter turning against its court? That sounded unbelievable, but I knew nothing was impossible.

  “I will protect her the best I can.” I assumed that’s what he was getting at. “But what makes you think there is a traitor in your midst?”

  “My gut.”

  “I understand.” When the king of the Spring Court said his gut, he wasn’t merely talking about instinct. He was referring to his gift. All high Fae had some sort of gift. Some were stronger than others.

  “I will find the traitor, but until then I need eyes and ears on the ground.”

  “Completely understood.” Wren’s safety would have to come first. I was sworn to protect her, not to mention she’d had my heart for as long as I could remember. But I would protect Lacey too.

  He nodded. “Your queen asked that I supply you with whatever tools you need. Her supplies came yesterday.”

  “Your majesty, why do you think she didn’t share this information with me herself?”

  “That’s easy.”

  “Oh?” I didn’t believe anything was easy, but I’d hear him out.

  “There is a traitor at Winter Court as well.”

  I froze. How deep did this deception go? “Are you sure?”

  “Esmeralda is quite certain.”

  “I understand.” Esmeralda’s gift was different in nature from King Leon’s, but that didn’t mean she was wrong. It was equally as important in these matters.

  “I will let you go to start preparing.” He was dismissing me with those words.

  “Your majesty, my queen must have left me with some sort of instructions. How can I fight an enemy I know nothing about?”

  “The only instructions you need are the ones she gave you and what I’ve told you now.”

  “She told me to go to each court and deliver the envelopes.” I debated mentioning the mating talk. Would it be a violation of her confidence to bring it up?

  I went with my own gut instinct and kept that to myself. She had stressed the importance of keeping that a secret.

  “Then that is what you must do. By the time you reach Autumn you should be quite ready.”

  “So there is nothing else? No other advice you can give?” I needed something else to go off of.

  “Advice?” His brows knit together. “Sure. Survive and make sure the heirs survive too.” He was dismissing me for the second time, and I knew I couldn’t push my luck.

  “Thank you, your majesty.”

  “No. Thank you, Frost. I appreciate your service.” He stood, a sure sign of respect.

  “It is my job.”

  “Even so.”

  “Very well.” I bowed my head before standing and making my way out of the throne room.

  “War? We are going to war?” Preston jumped out as soon as I left the room.

  “Were you listening in?” I hurried away from the doorway so my brother’s breach of protocol and respect wouldn’t get us both in trouble.

  “No. I heard it from Wren and Lacey. They were briefed by the queen’s assistants. Or fine, I heard it when they were being briefed.”

  “Queen Beverly? I haven’t seen her.” I thought of the empty throne. How odd for the king to address me in her absence. The two always ruled as a team.

  “She isn’t well.” Preston lowered his voice to a barely audible level. At least he had discretion. “She isn’t well at all.”

  “Oh.” Strange that sort of news hadn’t spread to Winter Court, although there was probably a reason for that. “What is she ill with?”

  “No one knows.” Preston shrugged.

  “No one knows, or you didn’t overhear that part?”

  He punched my arm. “I’m being serious.”

  “They really don’t know? That’s serious. She’s queen of the Spring Court.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Where’s Wren?”

  “She’s still in there with Lacey.” He nodded down a corridor. “They closed the door.”

  “Oh, they didn’t want you spying?”

  “It wasn’t spying.” He walked in a slow clip.

  “You’re as bad as Genevieve.”

  “She’s eleven.”

  “And your point?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “I wasn’t spying.”

  “Like you weren’t spying on me.”

  “Does it even matter? If we are at war?” There was something akin to fear in his voice.

  “Of course it matters. Our behavior matters.”

  “Oh, get off of it,” he groaned. “Our behavior matters. Really? We are talking about war. There has been no true war in my lifetime.”

  “I know.” But there had been during mine. We’d fled to Winter Court during the inter-court wars. It had been over twenty years now. I didn’t remember much, but I remembered enough. “I’m not going to lie and pretend things are going to be easy. But they will be okay.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “You can’t.”

  “I can. I will make sure of it.” He was right of course. I couldn't guarantee anything. It was absolutely impossible but confidence mattered. “How long do you think Wren will be? I want to be waiting when she comes out.”

  Wren

  This wasn’t about mating. No, it was about something far bigger than me. Far bigger than my mother or anyone else.

  “War.” Lacey spoke absently while she lay ri
ght back on the chaise we’d been on earlier in the atrium. It was the first word she’d uttered since we’d left her mother's bedside. “War.”

  “How long has your mother been this sick?” I was a horrible friend. I’d been there for a month, and I’d bought the lies about Queen Beverly being away. I wondered what my mother knew. They’d been close friends at one point. But time can change a whole lot. Time can change nearly everything.

  “Six months.”

  “And they still don’t know anything?” I already knew the answer, but I had to ask anyway.

  “No.” She put a hand to her throat. “They’ve brought in everyone. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. But I wasn’t allowed.”

  “I understand. I kind of have some experience dealing with parents who demand difficult things from you.” Well, at least a mother. My father had been gone from my life for years. But that was an entirely different story.

  “I know you do.”

  I pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry, Lacey.”

  “Despite what I said when you left, I didn’t actually want you to leave. And I'm glad you are back. I just wish it were for a better reason.”

  “Yeah me too.” War was never a good thing. My mother’s talk about the end was beginning to make more sense.

  “Wren, hey. Sorry.” Frost hurried into the atrium with Preston close behind.

  He put a hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”

  “I am.” I moved to my feet. I was exhausted but sitting down wasn’t going to help wake me up any. “What about you? How did it go with the king?”

  “It went fine.” He put a hand in his pocket. “I can’t say the information was happy.”

  “No.” I nodded. “Not if you heard the same news I did.”

  “War.” He only uttered one word, but it’s the only one he needed.

  “It’s been so long… and back then it was different. I mean these Dwellers.” Lacey curled up on her side.

  “How is your mother?” Frost bowed his head slightly.

  Lacey looked away, across the room. “Not good.”

  “I’m sorry.” He knelt down beside her. “I truly am.”

  “Thank you. But there is nothing we can do.” She pressed her lips together. “Nothing at all.”

  “Plus, we need to get ready for war.” Preston crossed his arms. “One can never be too prepared.”

  “You don’t need to sound so excited about it.” There was an edge to my voice, but I was too tired to adjust it.

  “Sorry. I know. It’s just new.” His expression was more sheepish than I’d seen him.

  “Yeah, I know.” I tried to soften my voice some with my reply. He was just a kid, even if he was close to adulthood and looked it. “But just keep reality in mind. This isn’t going to be fun.”

  “I never said it was.” Preston started to pace.

  “Does anyone else want some honeydew?” Lacey sat up. “I could sure go for some right now.”

  I was glad she asked because none of the rest of us could. “Yes.”

  “I’m shocked you want honeydew.” Frost nudged me with his elbow.

  “I can get you something less sweet if you want,” Lacey offered. “We’ve got plenty here.”

  “I think I could use sweet this time.” Frost let out a low whistle. “It actually sounds good.”

  “Are you feeling okay?” I put a hand on his forehead.

  “It’s been a day.”

  “That it has.” No sense denying that reality.

  He put an arm around me. “To the tavern?”

  “To the tavern.” Lacey sighed before we made our way over.

  “It is really nice here.” Frost sipped from his frosted glass while we sat and watched the river.

  “I know.” We’d left Preston and Lacey to their own devices as we both needed air—and time— together. We had a way of relaxing each other that no one else could.

  “I understand why you like to spend so much time here.”

  “It is beautiful. But it isn’t home.” Despite loving the temperate weather and beautiful foliage, I would always be more comfortable among the ice and snow of my home court. It was in my blood.

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “Winter Court is home to you too, right?” I’d never directly asked him the question. I wondered how much of that oversight came from worry over the answer. Frost had been a consistent part of my life for as long as I could remember, I needed to know that despite what came, that would never change.

  “Of course.”

  “Do you remember much from your time in Summer?”

  “No.” I’d been so young. “I mean I remember some of the fear. I remember my mother crying.”

  “It must have been terrifying.” I knew about the war. I had to. It was why my father never came home.

  “It must have been for you too.” He wrapped his hand around mine. “Absolutely terrifying.”

  “It was.”

  “You’ve never given up on seeing him again.” He moved our entwined hands onto his leg. “Have you?”

  “I wish I could. Life would be easier if I did.”

  “One could say that about a lot of things.” Frost got a faraway look in his eye. “But, he’s your father. It’s okay for you to miss him.”

  “I barely knew him. Is it okay to miss someone you barely knew?”

  “Yes. It’s okay to miss someone you never knew.” He released my hand, and I felt a momentary disappointment until I realized he was just readjusting it.

  I knew exactly who he was talking about. Frost wasn’t the firstborn of his family. There had been a brother before him. A brother whose footsteps he’d been trying to fill even though no one had asked him to as far as I knew.

  I sipped my honeydew. I’d been drinking entirely too much of late, but I figured I wouldn’t be drinking all that much more soon. Life was about to get even more intense.

  He let go of my hand again and instead put an arm around me. “You are going to be okay, Wren. I promise.”

  “You mean we are going to be okay.” I couldn’t lose him. Not completely. I couldn’t handle a world that he was not part of.

  “You know your protection is of the utmost importance.” He stroked my hair.

  “That doesn’t mean your safety isn’t important too.”

  He said nothing, so I continued. “We don’t even know what we have to make it through yet. Isn’t that the crazy part? We are expected to just go along with things blindly.”

  “That’s kind of the story of our lives, right?” He gazed out at the water. “We are fed bits and pieces of information, and we somehow have to hope that’s enough and we aren’t being led astray.”

  “It sure seems that way.”

  “But at least we have each other.” His gaze returned to me. His eyes looked deep into mine. “At least we have that.”

  “I can’t imagine my life without you.”

  “I’ll always be here for you.” He leaned in, and I leaned in.

  The next thing I knew our lips had made contact, and it was happening again. The sparks, the intensity. The moans. I wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my body. The kiss intensified and deepened until I felt completely and utterly out of control. I slipped my hand up the bottom of his shirt and ran my hands over his warm skin. He cupped my breast over my dress. I’d never wanted to get rid of material more.

  His lips moved down to my neck, and my entire body warmed as I arched into him. This was it. It was happening again, and this time I wasn’t going to try to stop myself. By the way his lips and hands devoured me, he wasn’t going to either.

  “Excuse me.” A voice asked from nearby. “Do you know where I can find Frost?”

  I turned to see an exceptionally tall, very human looking man with jet black hair.

  “I’m Frost.” Frost rose quickly trying to compose himself. I was struggling more than he was, I had yet to get my heart rate back to normal as I let Frost pull me up to standing. “And
who are you?”

  “James.” The man held out a hand. “James Mendel.”

  I snapped out of the fog and watched Frost accept his handshake. “I’m afraid that name doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “I’m a Guardian from Energo.” He pointed to his chest. “A Guardian to the Essence that is.”

  “Energo?” Frost’s browns moved together. “So it’s really true. You are still around.”

  “As far as I know.” James winked.

  “Why did you seek me out?” Frost seemed completely back to normal now. How had he snapped back so quickly? Wasn’t he part of that kiss? Because this was his job. The answer creeped in. Friends or not, he was sworn to protect me.

  “My friend told me I needed to find you. Seems I may be of some help. He made a stop in to see the queen.”

  “The queen?” The queen was bedridden she wasn’t exactly taking a lot of guests. “Who is your friend?”

  “Elron.” James looked up at the sky. “He’s an elf. Kind of related to you, I guess. Right? Elves and Fae are from the same lines at some point. But he’s not from here.”

  “Why is he with the queen?” I ignored his comment about elves and Fae. It wasn’t something we were going to admit to.

  “He comes from a line with some healing abilities. He may be able to help, but it sounds like it could take awhile, so he told me to come find Frost to start discussing strategy. You look pretty important. Who are you?”

  “Wren.” I couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked my name. It may not have ever happened. Even in one of the other courts people knew me, for better or worse.

  “She’s the heir to the Winter Court.” Frost stepped closer to me. “She’s more than pretty important.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Wren. And Frost.” James grinned. “Always nice to meet important people. So Frost, how much experience do you have with this?”

  “With war?” Frost moved even closer to me.

  “War? I usually call it battle, but close enough.”

  Frost narrowed his eyes. “I’m trained in combat. I’m a skilled archer. And I’m a shifter.”

  “Shifter, huh?” James looked me over. “What do you shift into?”

  “A wolf.” Frost’s voice had become monotone.

  “Ah. Classic.”