Page 129 of The Ashpaw: Part One

The attendant’s gaze glided towards the nest and then back to Fern, nodding her understanding.

“But that brings me to my second question. Do any other attendants or wolfkin have access to my room? Aside from the alphas and guards.”

Jena thought for a moment, smoothed out the wax, and wrote, “I DONT NO.”

Fern sighed. She wasn’t sure about this morning, but someone last night definitely moved things around. And if it wasn’t Jena, and if she didn’t know of anyone who’d be in here, she’d have to ask Lucas next.

“That’s alright, then. If you do see someone, will you let me know?”

She nodded, and then Fern asked her a few more questions, but despite knowing her letters, it was slow going, and she didn’t want the woman to feel embarrassed or frustrated.

Fern also didn’t know when she’d be called upon for the meeting with the Ironcoats, so she got dressed and asked Jena to help her with her hair.

That Jena knew how to do very well, and she opened the basket to reveal an assortment of hair ornaments.

Fern closed her eyes as she worked, enjoying the gentle pull on her scalp and remembering the way both Eidan and Reinn had massaged her there. Then she blushed, foolishly wondering if Darion would ever be so attentive.

Pins decorated with ribbons and pearls were stuck in intricate braids woven together, with half her hair left loose.

“What a talent you are, Jena,” Fern said, taking a look at herself in the mirror.

She actually looked… nice. Better than she had in a long time. Save for the tiredness.

Soon after Jena left, there was a rhythmic knock at the door, and a familiar voice called from the other side.

“Are you ready, sunbeam?”

Fern opened the door, surprised to find it unlocked and happy to see Reinn on the other side.

He looked quite formal, his leather armor spotless and the same fur stole she remembered from their first meeting attached to one shoulder.

“I didn’t realize you’d be my escort,” she said.

Reinn extended his arm. “I may have bribed a few guards…”

She laughed and took it.

“I wanted to give you some advice before meeting the rest of my family,” Reinn said as they walked.

Fern’s plan had been to keep her eyes down and mouth shut, but any information would be helpful. “Are they more like you or your cousin?”

“My cousin, unfortunately,” he replied with a heavy sigh. “And they’re currently trying to decide if your existence represents an opportunity or a threat.”

Fern shivered. “I think I preferred the days when my existence wasn’t thought of at all.”

Reinn slowed his pace, his voice lowering. “Your existence was all I thought of those days, little sunbeam. It still is.”

Then he stopped completely, looked up and down the hall, cupped her cheeks, and kissed her.

Her surprised yelp was muffled by his mouth, the kiss slow and deliberate like a man who never rushed through anything. No, he took his time and savored every second.

And Fern kissed him back, feeling less like a burden for once and more like a privilege. Like she wasn’t a problem to be taken care of. A chore to check off a list.

Her wolf howled in delight, Fern’s hands gripping his armor where she could find purchase, wanting him closer and needing his strength to keep her upright, her legs weak and trembling.

She whimpered when he finally stopped, withdrawing with a parting nip to her lower lip and whispering in her ear. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

Perhaps. But she had still chosen him, hadn’t she? She could blame her wolf, she could blame the bond, she could even blame Darion for manipulating it.