Page 8 of A Heart of Crimson Flames
What scared me more than anything was that it had somehow gotten so much worse since the last time I was here. Before, the Wolves mistreated the humans, sure—an imbalance in power, land, wealth—but they weren’t outright murderous. Not like this. Now the Wolves seemed like the humans were little more than sheep, but at least sheep provided food. The only thing the Silver Wolves were feeding off here was fear. And not just the fear of the humans. This was clearly staged for me, and the warning to me was abundant: fall in line, start acting like a Wolf, or be treated like a human.
When the palace guards came for me, I struggled to regain my composure, the vision of the humans’ gruesome deaths burned into my retinas. I stuffed that sorrow as deep as it could go and tried to put on the persona of the woman I’d always been trained to be—poised, elegant, fearless. It would be the greatest act of my life if I could pull it off.
When we reached the grand hall, the doors were already open, the pack milling about as if in a casual gathering, no waiting with bated breath this time. There would be no grand sweepingceremonies for me like there had been on my first arrival to Highwick. There would be no reverence, either. Still, the pack parted, creating a makeshift aisle for me to walk down.
My eyes swept over the leering group as my gut clenched. I gathered my courage as my gaze landed on Nero sprawled across his throne. He looked like he’d aged rapidly since the night of Sawyn’s last curse, years compounded over the space of months. For the first time since I woke up in the dungeon, I had a spark of happiness: I liked the thought of stress plaguing him. I hoped he feared the retribution that my court would bring down on him for all that he’d done. Maybe he knew his time would soon be up.
My eyes then darted to Evres who sat on a smaller throne beside Nero, looking for all the world like he was born to sit there. I held his pewter gaze, making sure this time he knew I wasn’t going to look through him. A wicked smile curled his lips at the way I held his stare as I walked to him and only him.
“Princess Briar,” Nero said, his voice cutting through the murmuring crowd, which swiftly fell to silence. “You’ve returned home to us at last.”
I forced my expression to look pleased.
Slow, slow, I urged myself. I was the smallest minnow in a sea of sharks, and I knew I needed to stay calm and play their games until help arrived.
Time to lie through my teeth.
“I am so pleased to be back in Damrienn, Your Majesty,” I said, dropping into a deep, decorous bow. “I have missed my home and my pack.”
The pack behind me broke into murmurs again.
“Yes,” Nero mused, studying me with a frown. There was a crazed tinge to his gaze, one that hadn’t been there the last time, or perhaps one he managed to hide better. “You’ve gone so long without a proper ruling hand, daughter of kings. Wolf bitches will go wild without a leader to guide them.”
Nero gestured off to the shadowed corner, and it was onlythen that I spotted it: a body swinging by the ankles, hoisted up for all to see.
My stomach curdled as the pack murmured their agreement. I knew that face. Even with his head discolored from the rush of blood and many bruises—even with the bright red bloodshot eyes, purpling in the corners—I knew him.
Hector. The one who had betrayed Calla to the Silver Wolf pack.
I stared, only to see if his bare and bloodied chest rose and fell.
Ostekke gut me, he’s still alive.
I almost let loose a snarl at him. A warped pleasure coursed through me to see the traitor in such a sorry state. I hoped he regretted what he did to us with each painful breath. I hoped Nero tortured him until he begged to be ended.
But I kept my expression neutral as I turned back toward Nero, not lingering on Hector and all my ill will as the Damrienn King said, “Tell me, Marriel princess: if you were so eager to get back to us, why ally yourself to your traitor of a sister?”
The pack snarled, pushing in closer. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, waiting for one of them to take a swipe at me.
I bowed my head. “I am not a fighter like the others,” I admitted, making myself into a wayward pup and not the adult I was. “I was taught to follow, to obey. I fell under Sawyn’s curse in this castle and I awoke in the castle of Olmdere. I made no choices. I didn’t travel to my twin’s aid.” All of that was true, though I wasn’t about to admit it had been a relief to wake from my sleeping curse in my true homeland with my twin claiming our family’s crown. “I didn’t know what else to do, Your Majesty.”
Nero leaned forward, the small action capturing the rapt attention of the room. “I don’t know if I believe you, Briar Marriel.”
I felt the pack pressing in closer with each of his words, my heart punching through my rib cage. Nero stood and wandereddown the dais toward me. The air stole from my lungs as he prowled toward me and reached out.
Don’t flinch, don’t flinch, don’t flinch, I coached myself as his cold fingers tilted my chin up.
“I don’t know what else—”
“Do you know what it means to be loyal to your pack?” His head tilted. “Do you know the lengths I would be willing to go to? The lengthsyoushould be willing to go to as their princess?”
“I...”
He leaned in closer, stale breath on my face. “There is no advantage I will not take, no power I will not grab, no darkness I will not embrace to protect my crown and my pack.Thatis what loyalty is.”
A chorus of howls echoed through the cavernous hall, making me jolt. Did his pack truly believe the venomous lies he purported? That he was doing this all for them? To protect them?
As Nero’s hateful gaze pierced me, I couldn’t keep the tremble from my voice. “What must I do?”
