A curse of shadows a wol.., p.22
A Curse of Shadows: A Wolf Shifter Romantasy Standalone, page 22
We loop around to the back of the castle. Malimorte and Declan are waiting for us. I haven’t shared much with Declan, but he knows something more is going on. It’s one of the reasons I’ve always trusted him. His senses have always been spot on. Yet even knowing that, I’ve been hesitant to bring more people into this situation than is needed.
Though judging by the look on his face, it doesn’t seem as if he’s okay with being left in the dark.
“I told him to go, but he insisted on waiting for you, Your Majesty,” Malimorte tells me before I’ve shifted back.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle him.”
Once I’m on two feet again, wearing only the slacks I had on earlier, I point to the piles of clothes that have been left for the women. “Grayson, once they’re dressed in these, will you make sure they get to the room okay?”
“Of course.”
Going to Isla’s wolf, I run a hand between her ears, sharing a look with the strong animal. Her eyes swirl with barely restrained fury. “We’re going to figure this out and you’ll be safe again.”
“Being safe isn’t what we’re most worried about,” Isla replies, her tone rough and tense.
“Just focus on Estee right now,” I tell her. “I’m going to see what I can learn from my father about that dagger. With what you said about Estee’s eyes, I think it’s a dark object that should have been destroyed before we were ever born.”
“Let me know what you find out,” she says, her voice softening ever so slightly. “And don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
I step away from her wolf, only because I know meeting with my father is necessary, but as I walk toward the door, I shake my head. “That’s like asking me not to breathe, love. I will always worry about you.”
She doesn’t reply as I enter the castle. Mali excuses himself to continue with the paperwork he was reviewing on my behalf from King Aeson of Venaris. Apparently, the insane man wishes to court Queen Sloane of Alcaris. Neither has found their mate and while they’re free to choose instead of waiting, this is a complication we’ve yet to face since the islands were divided.
Bringing two kingdoms together could be an issue, but at the same time, Alcaris has been slowly dying off for decades now. Considering Aeson has never been one of my favorite people, I’m not entirely opposed to Sloane becoming his queen if it means he’ll be less of a difficulty when it comes to trade deals.
Though I am surprised. Queen Sloane doesn’t seem like the type to be told what to do, which is how she’s held her throne for so long on her own. Yet King Aeson is, well, an arrogant prick. Still, as long as there’s no risk to Polaris or even Selaris, for that matter, and trade deals are still honored, then I won’t stand in their way.
Declan catches up to me and steps in my path. “You know better than anyone else that I respect your role as Alpha King,” he begins. “I also know I often speak with humor, but something is wrong, and I want to make sure you know that I’m here to help however you need. I may not agree that Noen has ill intentions with Isla, but you are still my king. More than that, I consider us friends and as your friend, I’d appreciate not being left in the dark on the matters I might be able to help with.”
Gods, I don’t have time for this. Yet as much as I want to brush him off, Declan has been the one to keep me sane all these years. He came into my life with the right amount of wittiness to help me remember how to live again. Something that not only I needed, but so did our pack.
“I can’t talk right now, but I promise to fill you in tonight,” I tell him since speaking with my father is at the top of my priority list.
His grin widens. “I’ll hold you to that, even if I have to wait for you in your bed.”
“Isla’s sleeping in that bed now,” I tell him with a raised brow. “Do you really want to find out what I’d do to you if she’s the one who found you there and not me?”
He sputters a bit and laughs. “Nah, I think I’m good. I’ll still find you later—you can count on that.”
Yes, I’m sure I can.
Finally free to go speak with my father, I take the stairs three at a time until I get to the suite he shares with my mother.
He’s sitting at the couch, legs stretched out, and a whiskey dangling from his fingertips. “Son.”
I take in his relaxed position, but there’s no missing the tension in his eyes. Something is wrong.
“Father.” I walk farther into the room and take a seat in the chair on his left. I can smell the alcohol on him. “Did you have a fight with Mom?”
He frowns, setting his drink on the table in front of him. “Something like that. What do you need?”
“Isla remembered—”
He sits up ramrod straight on the couch. “You bonded with her.”
“I did and we’ll talk about that, but more importantly, she remembered who killed her.”
His eyes darken. “So, why are you here, half-dressed, and not out there, righting the wrong that was done to you?”
“Because it was Estee,” I tell him with a sigh, leaning back in the chair.
He lets out a low whistle. “Well, that complicates things. How does your mate feel about that?”
“She’s convinced that Estee wasn’t in control of her own actions and that’s why the two of them ended up on Earth together,” I explain, adding, “I agree with her, which is why I’m here. Do you remember the dark objects that used to exist?”
Dad’s chest rumbles. “Of course I do. One of them took my life.”
Shit. How did I forget that? I think it was his second or third one. Either way, it’s not something he’s ever liked to talk about. Unfortunately, he’s going to have to this time.
“Do you know anything about a dagger that would be able to take down a wolf shifter?” I ask, my knee bouncing as I wait for him to answer.
His eyes level on me and he shakes his head. “If you think dark magic had anything to do with Isla’s murder, you’re going to need to find who did this, Son. They’re a danger to all of us and as king, this is your responsibility.”
“I know that.” I sit up again, wondering if maybe coming to him wasn’t the best idea. “What happened between you and Mom?”
If he needs to get this off his chest before he can be helpful, then maybe we can help each other.
“She says I do too much,” he replies with a low growl. “That I don’t spend enough time with her and the whole point of my giving up the throne was so that I could rest, but she has no idea what I’ve done for this kingdom, the sacrifices I’ve made. It’s not easy for me to just sit back and do nothing.”
It’s been almost four hundred years since he officially passed the crown to me, Isla’s death having postponed his request by over a century when I refused to stop looking for her. I didn’t realize he still felt so at odds with his decision. I knew it was hard for him to admit he had a weakness that could affect our kingdom’s reputation, but I was certain he’d moved on from that.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I tell him sincerely. “If you want to do more, especially in a more official capacity, I will make that happen.”
He takes a deep breath and gives his shoulders a shake. “No, I’m sorry. I should be over this by now and it’s no wonder your mother is frustrated with me. Plus, you didn’t come here to talk about me. You need answers. Though I’m not sure what I can do after all this time. A fragmented memory isn’t much to go on.”
Settling back into my seat, I hope he’s wrong. “Do you think dark magic would have severed your link to Isobella as her alpha back then? You never could confirm if she was dead or not. Maybe this is why.”
His brows pinch together and he tilts his head. “It’s certainly possible. There’s a reason those objects were supposed to be disposed of. That’s also why I tried so hard to get you to stop looking for her. I never thought she was dead and then when… Well, never mind that. We need to focus on this memory. Maybe I should speak with Isla and hear for myself what she saw.”
“No,” I demand, not liking his sudden change of direction with our conversation. “What happened that you’re not telling me?”
He swallows thickly and looks away from me. “I should have told you this years ago, but I didn’t want to hurt you any further.”
“What?” I demand, my voice booming louder than I intend. “I’m sorry. This is just a lot to process. What should you have said before?”
Dad’s steady gaze meets mine again and he says the one name I’m not surprised to hear but also don’t expect right now.
“Noen.”
“What about him?” The pressure in my chest grows heavier by the tick of the clock on the wall beyond me.
“He’s the one who told me that Isla left on her own accord,” my father admits. “Yet he was also the one to stand by you the most back then. I should have questioned his motives, but at the time, something didn’t feel right, and the two of you were friends, so I just let it go. Maybe I shouldn’t have. You haven’t left her alone with him since she’s returned, have you?”
“Do you think Noen killed my mate?” I ask, not because I don’t think it’s possible, but because at one point, I had wondered if he could have had something to do with it, but everyone made me feel as if my suspicions had only been formed because he was in love with her.
Yet maybe that’s exactly why he should have been the person we looked at most.
“I don’t know why the boy would have done it, but his father worked for me,” Dad says. “He had high-level access to the castle. If he shared any of that information with Noen… Do you know if Edward has returned to Lunara?”
Noen’s father died a few years ago. As far as I know, he had no intentions of being reborn. The man had lived several lives, none of them lasting with his mate. He was bitter and tired after losing his mate three consecutive lifetimes and I hadn’t tried to talk him out of his chance at peace.
Neither had his son.
Gods, could Noen have really done this out of spite? After centuries of thinking he was my friend, I don’t want to believe it’s possible, but the moment Isla was back, every instinct in me screamed to keep him away from her.
Was I ignoring what my subconscious already knew all along? I’m not yet sure, but I’m certainly going to find out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ISLA
Washing blood off my sister has to be one of the worst things I’ve ever had to do in all my lives. She cried the entire time, mumbling apology after apology until I finally yelled at her.
Then we laughed.
Laughed so hard that we both cried and then naked-hugged and giggled like schoolgirls as we joked about the two of us together just then being every man’s fantasy.
It was cathartic. The whole thing and now, it’s time to be fucking furious.
“Someone killed us, Estee,” I tell her as I braid her hair.
She’s sitting cross-legged in front of me on the bed as her chest rumbles. “I know. It’s been a long time since murder was all I could think about, but now, nothing would make me happier than to tear my teeth into someone’s neck or to rip their guts from their stomach or to make a million tiny cuts on their body, letting them slowly bleed out or even—”
I grab her shoulder and give it a shake. “I think I’ve got the picture.”
She looks back up at me and raises a brow. “Are you not in the mood to plot the gruesome death of our murderer?”
“I might be if we knew who they were,” I say with an aggravated sigh. “But we’re skipping a step. This whole time, I’ve assumed that I would get answers when my memories came back, but they’re here now, or well, mostly so, and I know in my heart that there’s nothing else to find in my head. We need to get creative and hope that son of a bitch is still alive so we can end his life.”
Her fingers drum over her knees. “Do you think it’s a man because that’s what your gut is telling you or because women aren’t capable of murder? You were enemy number one to a lot of our friends once it became public knowledge that you were to be queen one day.”
She’s not wrong, but it wasn’t just our female friends who changed then.
“Noen also wasn’t thrilled that day,” I say, hating the words more than ever before, but I also know that I can’t keep any thoughts to myself. Talking this out is going to be the only way that we find answers.
Well, and possibly using myself as bait.
Before I can tie the braid off, Estee gets up and off the bed. “You think Noen could have killed us? But he was like our brother.”
I shrug. “A brother whom I think was in love with me and that’s why he never did enjoy when I tried to hook the two of you up.”
Estee gags. “Gods, those were some awkward months.”
She isn’t wrong.
“I’m just saying, he’s been weird since I’ve returned,” I admit. “That could be because Asher’s jealousy came back with a vengeance or because there’s something there that we never wanted to see before. Either way, I’ve only had one very brief encounter with him where we were alone and I think it’s time that changed.”
The grin on her face is everything I was hoping for, especially when she says, “You want to make yourself a target.”
“I do.”
“Asher’s not going to like this,” she says, but I already know, which is why I’m going to need her help.
“Yes, but my sister is going to need me more than ever for the next few days and we won’t want to be interrupted.”
She shakes a finger at me. “You’re an evil genius. I don’t know where this is coming from, but I love it. Just remember that you and Asher are somehow mated now, and while that might ease some of his overprotectiveness because he’s now more connected to you, that also means he can track you easier.”
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. Our mind link and the bond will make this a little harder, but I think I can get away with a few days of doing things he may or may not approve of.
“I’m not asking for permission with this, Estee,” I tell her confidently as I get off the bed. “I’ll ask for forgiveness later, but we need to do this. It’s our lives that were ruined by this.”
She walks toward me and places a hand on my shoulder. “And Asher was the one left behind, trying to pick up the pieces and keep living. Something not everyone we once knew was able to do.”
Damn her being so aware.
“Are you trying to talk me out of using myself as bait?” I ask because if even my sister believes this is a horrible idea, then maybe I’m thinking too emotionally.
She shakes her head and offers me a sweet smile. “Not at all. I think we need to try this at least once and see what happens, but I also want you to consider that we’re not the only ones allowed to be pissed or even terrified. Asher lost the love of his life. Our parents lost their children. For too long, I was without my sister, my best friend. I still don’t remember how I ended up with the same fate as you, but even I want to be careful. I won’t risk losing all of this again. Not you, or our home. This is bigger than us and while I think we need to be doing something about finding out who’s responsible, we need to keep the people we love in mind as well.”
My sister is the most perfect being in all the world and I can’t stop myself from throwing my arms around her neck. “Thank you.”
Emotions choke me and those two words are all I can manage. The depth of my love for this woman only continues to grow with every passing day. Knowing that I have someone like her who isn’t afraid of being honest and vulnerable, who sees the world through rose-colored glasses, and who has a lack of filter at all the best and worst times…
She’s everything to me.
“I love you, too.” Estee chuckles, wiping at her cheeks. “Now, can you quit drowning me with love so that we can make a plan for tonight?”
I pull back but still keep a hold on her. “You want to try something tonight?”
Suddenly, I feel completely unprepared and a little shaky.
“Dad said there was a pack run scheduled for this evening,” she explains. “Every single wolf shifter within Polaris will be required to be in attendance, even if they don’t run. Asher will make a speech to the five hundred and something pack members before starting the run. Most of us will break off into groups, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the fact that I still can’t shift is going to throw me into a tailspin of grief and leaving me alone won’t be a good idea. I’m going to need my sister and Asher is going to need to lead his pack.”
While I have a feeling I know where she’s going with this, I still ask about her wolf first. “You had claw marks on your chest when we found you. How did…?”
Her face falls and she shakes her head. “I don’t really want to talk about that. Just know, I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I may have gone a little insane, thinking I could literally rip the pain from my heart, but it was nothing more than that.”
I hug her tighter than ever before. “I’m so sorry, Estee. I hate that you were hurting like that, all alone, and I didn’t come for you when I should have.”
“It’s okay,” she promises. “While my last life in Lunara is still fuzzy, I think being on my own was exactly what I needed, even if I lost my mind there at the end. But that’s only because I couldn’t see myself in the memories like you did. I didn’t consider the possibility that I wasn’t in control, but the moment you said my eyes weren’t normal, the relief was instant.”
I pull back before I suffocate her. “Good. You have no reason to blame yourself for what happened to me.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I still feel guilty.” She heads to my closet that’s half-empty now since I’ve been staying in Asher’s room. “I should have been smart enough to avoid whatever had control of me, but I at least no longer think that I killed you. So, that’s something.”
I guess that’s acceptable. For now.
I follow her into the closet and watch as she goes to the back wall, opening the drawers that hold my jewels.
