Page 117 of The Wolf Queen’s Curse

I meet his gaze and mouth “Be safe,” and then he’s off. When Rufus looks my way, I nod, and he takes off at a slow lope, following Bishop, not to interfere, but to watch his back against an enemy who’s already proven he won’t fight fair.

Before Rufus disappears, though, he calls over his shoulder, wanting someone from the Cambrians to accompany them, and I send up a silent thanks for his foresight. Watching Bishop’s back isn’t only about guarding him from physical attack. It’s about protecting him from attacks on all fronts, including any allegation that Rufus helped defeat Doyle, breaking the rules of an Alpha challenge.

I watch them all go, and I know that however this turns out, Bishop will be fine. I trust Rufus for that, and so I turn back to continue helping Julius save Felix’s life.

FORTY-ONE

Three days have passed since that afternoon at Trevelyan.

The Alpha challenge has been settled. Remarkably few disagreed with the outcome—only three Cambrian wolves left, two of them saying they just need time to digest it all. Money has been sent to the women at the Cambrian house, to allow them to start new lives, though they’re welcome to stay at the house in the interim.

As for Felix, I got to play nurse during his surgery, with Julius snarling the whole time about how Silas had interrupted his surgical training and if he failed, it was entirely Silas’s fault for being so shortsighted. That was my father in a word. Shortsighted. And in that, he is the opposite of my husband, who will ensure Julius finishes his education.

All that grumbling was only to cover Julius’s own fears. The surgery was successful, and Felix is recovering at an inn, with Tabitha taking care of him and Wallace watching over them both. They’re at that inn because the Pack is no longer at Trevelyan.

Ann and I are watching a pair of castle gates, waiting for them to open. At one time, we’d never have gotten so close without being seen. The point of castles is to guard the inhabitants, which means keeping the land clear on all sides. But the Caledonians have let the forest grow for their own use, and we’re tucked into a stand of trees, watching that gate. When it swings open to let a coach depart, we walk out.

We don’t get far before the driver spots us. The coach stops a hundred feet away, and a burly man gets out.

“Whatever brought you here, ladies, turn around now,” he shouts. “There’s nothing here for you.”

“Oh, but I believe there is.”

Ann and I walk closer, and the man’s frown grows. We’re both attired in our best gowns, with our hair up, our gloves on. If he thought we were besotted brothel workers who’d followed their customers home, he’s realized his mistake.

And then he must see my face, because he jerks back.

“Aren’t you…?” he begins. A deep inhale answers his question, and his frown deepens even more.

“Cordelia,” I say. “Bishop Daniels’s mate.”

“What are you—?”

He’s cut short by the coach door opening. Hamish starts getting out, and the burly man—one of his enforcers—puts up a hand to stop him. Then the enforcer surveys their surroundings and—seeing nothing amiss—lowers that hand.

“Mrs. Danvers,” Hamish says. “I presume your husband perished in his attempt?”

“Things did not go as planned.”

A snort. “Pride goeth before the fall. And now you’ve come to ask for some sort of compensation? I paid your husband handsomely enough.”

I say nothing.

Hamish sighs. “I suppose I can contribute to your widow’s fund.”

He snaps his fingers, and a young wolf hops from the coach. “Run back to the castle, boy. Tell my controller to give Mrs. Danvers fifty pounds.”

The young wolf takes off at a lope. Hamish sweeps off his hat in a mock bow. “The boy will see to your needs. I fear I must be off. I have—”

“Business in Edinburgh,” I say. “Meeting with your lawyer.”

His pause is deliciously long.

I arch a brow. “Did you think we were lingering here in hopes you’d appear? Tell the boy to wait.”

“Excuse me?”

“You!” I call after the young wolf. “Wait by the gates. There’s something you need to witness.”