AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There had to be a better way. There had to be a solution. It couldn’t end like this.
I turned away. “Just go,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please.”
The king took a step forward tentatively, hands open at his sides like he wanted to reach for me. I turned away, furthering the distance between us. I closed my eyes tightly, fighting back tears again. I wouldn’t let him see me like this.
“Please,” I said again, my voice terribly small.
The king inhaled like he was about to say something. But then, to my surprise, he simply exhaled, turned and left.
I crawled into my bed and let the tears pour out of me unencumbered. In the cold darkness of my quarters, it all felt impossible. Impossible, unreal—worse than I’d ever imagined.
I’d never see Daybreak again.
20
The next morning, I made my way down to the solarium for breakfast with Amity escorting me in her wolf form. It was surprisingly normal at this point—normal enough that I could almost ignore the cold weight in my chest. I’d barely slept, and I knew it showed in my face. It was only the promise of breakfast that had gotten me out of bed at all. Fina and Adora would be there, and I needed to talk to a friend, someone I trusted. I needed advice.
I stepped into the solarium. Fina and Adora were already seated at the table, and Lady Glennis was there as well, seated at the head of the table with her manicured fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee.
“There are you, Lady Reyna,” she said. “Please, join us.”
I offered her a small smile, even as my heart sank. The last thing I wanted was to plaster on my good-competitor expression and face Lady Glennis.
I took my seat at the table and found my appetite was suddenly gone. Fina and Adora watched me with concern.
“Now with Reyna here, will you tell us what happened last night?” Fina asked. “The commotion woke me up, but I wasn’t allowed to leave my quarters.”
“Nor was I,” Adora said. Her concerned expression carried a hint of suspicion. “What happened?”
“We had a visit from a Daybreak convoy,” Lady Glennis said demurely.
Adora’s eyes snapped to me. “What do you mean, a visit?”
“A member of the Court of Daybreak surprised us with a visit,” she explained, “late in the evening, and challenged for the throne.”
“What?” Fina reared back, nearly rocking her chair onto the back two legs. “A challenge? Against the king?”
The polite smile never left Lady Glennis’ face. “Exciting, isn’t it?” she said in a tone that suggested it very much was not. “Hence the commotion last night. But that isn’t why I’ve joined you this morning.” She took a sip of her coffee, then dabbed her napkin elegantly at the corner of her mouth. “The king has made his decision. Lady Reyna of Daybreak will be the next Queen of Frasia.”
Adora’s jaw dropped.
Stunned silence hung over the table. I folded my hands in my lap and stared down at them. I couldn’t bear to meet Adora’s eyes—she knew I didn’t want this. And I knew she did.
“Pardon?” Adora said icily. “There must be a misunderstanding.”
“No misunderstanding,” Lady Glennis said. “The king has made his decision.”
“But—but—” Adora sputtered. When I looked up, she was staring at Lady Glennis with her eyes wide and a flush high on her cheeks. “But that’s not fair!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t participate in the final trial!”
Fina met my eyes. She looked almost relieved, more so than happy—that was strange. Relieved because this was over? But didn’t she want to stay in Efra? And—she also knew Adora wanted this so badly.
Lady Glennis said nothing, just watched Adora with a delicately arched brow. Adora stood up angrily from the table and smacked one hand on the table hard enough that my mug rattled, the coffee threatening to slosh over the lip. It was a rare display of anger from her.
“What happened?” Adora demanded. She turned her gaze to me, and her eyes flashed silver as her anger brought her wolf closer to the surface. “What did you do? Did you sleep with him? Is that why he chose you?”
My face flushed. It was my turn for my jaw to drop. Adora putting me on the spot like this—in front of Lady Glennis? “No!” I said. “Of course not, I did no such thing!”
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the truth, either. But what had happened between the king and me was private.
