by Leigh Walker
“You’re not allergic to chocolate, mate! I’ve seen you in the kitchen!” one of the wolves called.
“We’re role-playing,” I reminded the audience. “Roger doesn’t really have a food allergy, but your next date might. So how do you handle this?” I turned back to Roger. “I’ll ask the kitchen staff for tea instead and make sure that the ingredients in the cupcakes will work for you. Would you like to meet at four?”
I faced the audience. “See? I’ve asked him what he likes to do, and now I know a little bit more about him, including a very important food allergy. So now we can go on our walk, have our dessert, and have some fun.”
Philip was my next volunteer, and I coached the audience through various examples of ways to get to know someone, being honest and kind, and practicing good listening skills. The audience stopped us at various points with questions, and we had a rather lively discussion about why other people’s thoughts and feelings were important. I tried to stress this to them: “You have to like the person you’re in a relationship with. Being physically attracted to them is of course important. But if you are to stay with this person, you need to like them and respect them. In order to do that, you must actually get to know them first.”
A couple of the werewolves seemed baffled by this. Because we were filming, no one came out and asked what exactly getting to know someone had to do with rutting with them until both were senseless, but I anticipated such questions later that evening, when the cameras had been put away and everyone had had a bit of wine.
Finally, it was time for the final two items on the list: trust and consent. “I’d like a new volunteer for the last section of the presentation,” I said.
King Rhys stood immediately. “I’d like to help.”
I grinned at him. “That’d be lovely, Your Highness.” He joined me at the front of the room and took the seat next to me. “We’re going to be talking about trust and consent. For me, these are the two most important items that we’ll talk about today. Both are crucial for any new relationship, and they are also the foundation on which any long-term commitment must rest. So first, trust—what do I mean by this?”
Rhys raised his hand. “I think you mean that the person you like, the one you want to be with, is someone you can put your faith in. It’s someone you can rely on.”
“Yes, exactly. It’s a feeling, I suppose, but it’s also more than that. It’s based on facts. If, for instance, I was in a relationship with His Highness, I would trust the fact that I can rely on him to protect me and to protect the Realm. It’s a feeling, you see, but it’s based on facts. His Highness has shown me again and again that he can be trusted to defend and protect those he cares about.”
“Does it follow that I could trust you, Lady Layne, to help me and guide me in areas that I don’t know much about? Because it’s my instinct to do so. You’ve helped me with the Coronation Ball, you’ve helped me with table manners, you’ve helped me with my horrible dancing”—everyone laughed—“and you’re helping me today with the intricacies of relationships. So I have faith in you to teach me these types of things, and I rely on you. That’s trust, isn’t it?”
My cheeks heated. “Yes, exactly.”
The werewolf king leaned closer. “And trust also has to do with fidelity, does it not?”
I nodded. “But because we’re in a dating competition, this one is trickier to role-play at the moment. But if we were to enter into a monogamous relationship, the concept works as such: I would trust you to be faithful to me and only me. I would have faith that, every day when you left our bed, you would return to it and to me.”
“And I would trust you to be faithful to me and only me, for as long as we lived our lives together.” Rhys stared at me, his dark eyes smoldering.
“Y-Yes. Because I would be, Your Highness—I would be faithful to you. So your trust would be an emotion based on very clear facts.” The room grew very, very quiet as the king and I stared at each other. Remembering myself, I reluctantly tore my gaze from Rhys.
I cleared my throat then grinned at the crowd. “As you can see, trust is integral to the whole relationship thing. It’s a rather hot topic. Speaking of hot topics, we should talk about consent. This is very important when your relationship begins to progress, and you have feelings and desires to be closer to the person that you care about.”
Will raised his hand. “What is consent, exactly? What’s the definition?”
“It means that someone is giving their permission and agreement for something to happen.” I stood and paced before the audience. “Say, for instance, you are out for a walk with your date. You might want to get closer to them. But before you touch them, it’s nice to ask, ‘May I hold your hand?’” I motioned for Rhys to join, and he stood. “Your Highness, may I hold your hand?”
“Of course.” He grinned as he laced his fingers through mine.
“Now let’s say that I think the king’s lips are luscious and I’m feeling compelled to get closer to them, to him. What should I do?”
Will raised his hand again. “Ask if you can kiss him?”
“Yes, good on you. Because that way it’s clear, you see? If he doesn’t want to kiss me, he won’t have the awkward responsibility of ducking me or pushing me away. It also gives the other person a moment to think about it—do I want to kiss Lady Layne?”
“Yes,” the king said immediately, and the audience laughed.
“Ah, okay.” I gave him a quick peck on the lips. “This model applies to every aspect of your physical relationship with another person. Let me give you another example. If, for instance, I ask His Highness if I can kiss him—”
“Yes,” Rhys said.
“Ha ha. But thank you—I accept your yes. But let’s say he says yes, and then some time passes. He gets called away to a meeting, for instance.” I shooed Rhys toward the table, where he went and pretended to look at some papers. “An hour later, we are reunited. If I still want to kiss him, I should ask again. Because who knows what sort of mood he’s in now?”
Rhys winked at me. “I’m still ready.”
I chuckled. “Excellent, excellent. But say he’s no longer in the mood for a kiss, or he’s had too much punch and fallen asleep, or any number of things—just because he said yes before, it doesn’t mean that he’s saying yes to me right now. And it’s the right now that matters, his permission and agreement in the moment. Does everyone understand that?”
There were some nods from the audience.
“Think of it this way. Strangers move here from the settlements, and they are looking to meet their life partners, just as you are looking to meet yours. You take someone on a first date, and you think they’re very attractive. But Will, what if your date actually prefers Duncan? Maybe she said yes to your date to be polite, or maybe she thought she’d be attracted to you, but she isn’t.”
Duncan elbowed Will in the ribs. “A likely scenario, mate!”
“Will, don’t let him torture you. This is all hypothetical,” I continued. “But if you don’t ask, and then you go to kiss her and she ducks you, it makes it uncomfortable for you both. If you ask if she wants to kiss you and she tells you that she fancies Duncan instead, you’ve saved yourself some embarrassment and possibly made a new friend. She might set you up on a date with someone who finds you superiorly attractive.”
Will grinned at me. “That’s a bit of an improvement in the hypothetical, Lady Layne. Thank you.”
“Consent builds trust, you see. If both you and your partner are honest with each other and care about what each person wants, your relationship has so much more of a chance to be successful. Taking without asking what the other person wants—be it a kiss, a touch, or something more—that type of action is selfish. It destroys trust, and it can really hurt people. Taking the time to get to know someone, what they want, and what they like is loving, respectful, and joyful. So as you move into this new era, with all of its opportunities, let’s be loving and joyful, shall we?”
“Hear! Hear!” The audience burst into applause.
“I am here for private consultations, should any of you have questions going forward. Thank you so much for listening to me today. I’ve enjoyed this afternoon very much.” I bowed as the audience applauded.
Rhys came up next to me. “Congratulations, Lady Layne. That was an excellent presentation.”
I curtsied. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
“May I kiss you in congratulations?”
I laughed. “Yes, of course.” He pulled me close, and I felt it again—the butterflies and the heat, all wrapped together. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Too long.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I melted against him as the rest of the world dropped away. The kiss was brief, too brief. His eyes glittered as he pulled back. “That was a triumph, my lady. You have my gratitude.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” I was only vaguely aware that everyone was watching us, including the cameras. “It was an honor to do something to help.”
He held my hands, looking down at me with those dark eyes. “My lady, I hope this is the first of many such moments for you and my kingdom. I believe that someday, when we look back on this afternoon, we’ll see it formed the foundation of our mutual trust.”
My mouth went dry. What he was saying was everything I’d hoped to hear, everything I wanted. “I-I hope so, Your Highness.”
With a bow, he swept from the room, taking my heart with him.
Rumors
Joely and Dae were a bit prickly at dinner that night. “It was a bit self-serving,” Dae said. “Going on and on about trust and intimacy like that with the king as your volunteer.”
“The keyword is ‘volunteer.’ He asked to participate. I certainly didn’t make him.” I speared a roasted potato and frowned at her. “I didn’t do my presentation to help myself. I genuinely believe the wolves need all the help they can get in the dating department.”
Mira hustled into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine. “Ah, there you are, ladies. I’ve received such wonderful feedback from everyone about your presentation today, Tamara. It was an absolute triumph. Well done!” When Joely and Dae gave me obvious side-eye, Mira tsked. “You’ll both get your opportunities to shine. Tamara’s set the bar high, but I know you’ll both rise to the occasion. Now get to bed early. The next two days are going to be hectic.” With a toss of her white-blond mane, she was gone.
“I guess I’ll go to bed.” I cleared my plate then looked at my friends before I left. “Please don’t be mad at me. I’m doing my best, just like you are.”
“We know that.” Joely’s shoulders slumped. “It’s just that when you’re with him, you two seem like such a couple. It’s hard to watch, let alone compete against.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m jealous every time I see him with either of you. We’re all in the same boat. Best to keep rowing. Good night.”
“Good night.” At least they sounded slightly less mad at me.
I climbed the stairs slowly, exhausted from the day. Roger greeted me outside my chambers. “I’m going out for a few hours tonight, Lady Layne. I’ll need you to make sure you keep your room locked.”
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“Yes, my lady.” He looked around, making sure that no one was near. “The moon is waxing, and our time is coming near. We’ve found that taking our wolf form for a few nights before the actual full moon helps lessen the severity of the primary shift. His Highness has ordered us all to go out onto the grounds tonight. It’s also an excellent time to check the perimeter to make sure there’s no rebel activity.”
“Has there been any news?” I’d been so wrapped up in my project, I hadn’t had time to seek out Eve or Blake, the only two who would have told me anything substantial about the rebels.
“No, my lady. We only know that the rebels have been actively recruiting in the settlements, and we’ve heard rumors that they plan to head to the Realm and the North to attack. But we haven’t seen any evidence of it yet, so please don’t worry. If they are desperate enough to come, we’re more than ready for them.”
“Thank you, Roger.”
“My pleasure, Lady Layne. Now go in and lock your door. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
I washed my face and brushed my teeth, tucked the gnomes in, then wearily crawled into bed. My head was swimming with all the news and the events from the day. The rebels might be coming, and the wolves had gone outside to shift. The full moon was almost here. My presentation had gone better than I’d hoped—even Duncan had looked pleased. His Highness had also been pleased, and he’d treated me with deference, kindness, and affection. He’d mentioned something about a future with me, when we’d look back at this day…
If my limbs weren’t so heavy, I might’ve gotten up and brought his sweater to bed to cuddle it against me. But sleep was close, beckoning to me with its heavy weight. I pulled the blankets up to my chin and, without the energy to give the day’s transactions another thought, promptly fell asleep.
“Tamara. Tamara…”
I opened my eyes. Was someone calling my name? It was completely dark in my room. The gnomes both snored peacefully from their little beds on the floor.
“Tamara, come out here. You need to hear the truth.”
I looked at the gnomes—they still didn’t stir. Maybe they couldn’t hear the voice. Or perhaps I was still asleep and having a dream.
“I have a message for you, Tamara. From Shaye. Come and hear it.”
I flew to the window and pulled back the curtains. The moon was out, bright in the sky, lighting the grounds below. I saw no one out there, but for some reason, I felt certain that the voice was coming from the grounds. What message could there be from Shaye? Who could be out there, calling to me? One thing I knew for sure: if the voice hadn’t woken up the gnomes, it was talking inside my head. There was only one type of creature that could do that, and it was a vampire.
“Tamara, come now—I don’t have long. You need to hear this. Please, Shaye begged me to come to you.”
It was the mention of my friend that had me pulling on a pair of boots and wrapping a heavy cloak over my pajamas. I sneaked to the door and opened it a crack. Roger was nowhere to be found, which was either a blessing or, more likely, a curse. I crept down the hall to the back staircase then silently descended. I wasn’t sure who I was trying to avoid. Quite frankly, I would have been thrilled if someone intercepted me and asked what the hell I was doing, because then I wouldn’t be alone. But I encountered no one as I reached the landing and headed through the kitchen. The castle was quiet as a grave.
I went out onto the grounds. The moon was so bright that the trees cast shadows across the lawn. I looked around but saw no one and heard nothing. If the wolves were out there, they were probably deep in the forest, checking the perimeters. I was alone, except for whatever vampire lurked nearby.
“The garden,” the voice finally said. “I’m in the garden.”
I took a deep breath and marched across the frosty grounds. The grass crunched underneath my boots, and I wrapped my cloak more tightly around me. I knew I was being stupid. One did not go meet a strange vampire in a dark garden in the middle of the night, particularly one who’d used the trick of talking inside your mind to lure you out-of-doors. Still, I’d spent a lot of time around vampires, and none of them had ever hurt me. Also, very few people knew that Shaye had left the North for her settlement, let alone that I’d be anxious for a message from her. So maybe this particular vampire, although it lurked in a dark garden and had lured me from my warm bed, truly had a message from my friend. I had to see.
I crossed the threshold of the garden, the high, frosty stalks rising around me. “I’m here. Show yourself.” My voice was calm even though I was not.
“Keep your voice down, please.” A small figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a young woman. She wore braids pulled into a high ponytail, her dark skin glowed i
n the moonlight, and her light-colored eyes glowed with an unusual iridescence.
“Who are you, and how do you know Shaye? Why are you here? Why are you talking in my head in the middle of the night?”
“I have a message from your friend, Lady Layne. She said it was important and that I had to see you face-to-face to deliver it.”
I looked at the vampire suspiciously. Her clothes were a bit ragged. She wore low boots that appeared cheap and worn. “Again, how do you know Shaye?”
“I’m from her settlement—24. She asked me to come and find you.”
“Why didn’t she just send me a letter?” Shaye was always good about correspondence.
“She wasn’t sure if it would be intercepted. And even if she’d taken pains to conceal the message, what with the lockdown, she wasn’t certain that the mail would even be delivered.” The vampire looked at me pleadingly. “I’ll be brief. Please, just listen.”
I crossed my arms against my chest. “Go on, then.”
“After she left the North, Shaye learned that this contest is rigged. She said that you’re going to win, but not for the right reasons. She wanted you to know before it was too late.”
“What on earth is this rubbish?” I asked. “Where would she have heard such a thing?”
“From her family, of all places. Two of her siblings are rebels, as I’m sure you remember. They sent her news: the rebels have it on good authority that King Black has ordered Rhys to choose you—he believes your popularity will help strengthen his position in the settlements, and he also thinks you’re easily controlled. Shaye told me to tell you that you can’t trust Rhys—his feelings aren’t real. She didn’t want you to make the mistake of marrying someone who’s just using you.”
“I don’t…”
“You don’t believe me?” The vampire stepped closer, and I took a step back. “She told me to tell you that she’d never lie to you about anything. You know that, right? Shaye has a pure heart.”