Whether or not it was true, Pearl believed Holly was the maiden. That was enough for Pearl to concoct this whole scheme with letters, lies, and whatever other bullshit she wanted to sprinkle in.
“Holly?” Garret’s voice rang through the trees.
Holly stayed silent. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, not even Garret. She hoped that if she stayed quiet, he’d give up. Not a chance. Within minutes, he appeared between the trees. He approached her slowly, watching her like one might watch a deer or a bunny.
“I’m not going to spook and go bounding off into the woods.” Holly sighed. “Now that you’ve found me, you may as well sit down.”
“I can leave, if you need some time alone,” Garret offered. “I just wanted to make sure you’re all right.”
“All right?” Holly scoffed. “I’m not injured if that’s what you meant, but I’m far from okay.”
“I know it’s a lot to take in.” Garret knelt beside the rock. Even on his knees, he was still massive. “Believe me, I’ve been there.”
“Oh? You’ve been told you’re destined to carry the child of a stranger to unite clans of mythical man-bear warriors, too? What a small world.”
Garret chuckled. “Not quite, but I had a hell of a time coping when I figured out what I am.”
“You didn’t know from birth?” she asked. Garret shook his head.
“The bear clans aren’t necessarily linked by birth. I’m part of one of the trees in your grandmother’s study, but I wasn’t born into it. My family is from New York. They still live there. We don’t talk.”
“I don’t understand,” Holly said. “How can you be part of a founding family if you weren’t born into it?”
“The bear clans have a unique adoption system. There’s a blood ritual we perform whenever a new shifter is brought into a family. You don’t have to be taken in as a baby, either. I was brought into the community when I was sixteen. Pearl had a hand in that. My adoptive parents lost their son in a car accident. She thought we’d be able to help each other move past our separate griefs. She was right.”
“That’s incredible.” Holly looked at Garret, unable to imagine being rejected by her family. “But how did you become a shifter if it wasn’t inherited through blood?”
“That’s something no one knows.” He shrugged. “It’s rare, but not as uncommon as you’d think. About half of the community was born somewhere else.”
“I guess that makes sense why no one was worried about me having a child with someone I’m distantly related to,” she muttered. She hated saying those words out loud. It still didn’t feel real. “The maiden bears the king’s child, right?”
“That’s what the prophecy states.” Garret nodded.
“Who’s the king? I figure I should meet the guy at least once before I jump into bed with him.” She meant it as a joke, but her voice took on a small, pinched quality as the words tumbled out. She felt like she was going to start crying all over again.
“That’s the tricky part,” Garret said slowly.
Holly gave him a blank stare. “Really? That’s the tricky part?”
“Fine.” Garret chuckled. “It’s all tricky. The king is particularly tricky because no one knows who he is.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was,” he replied.
“How could someone with such an important title be a mystery?”
“This person isn’t really a king in a traditional sense, just like how you’re not really a maiden, right?”
Holly fell silent, her cheeks turning pink. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Garret.
“What is it?” he asked, gently placing his hand over hers.
“I am a maiden,” Holly admitted. “I’ve never been married, and I’ve never...” She couldn’t make herself say it. Her status as a virgin was never something she’d been ashamed of before, but it also wasn’t a fun fact about herself she offered to everyone freely. It was private. Personal.
“Oh,” Garret said softly. “I see.”
The silence between them grew thick.
“So.” Holly cleared her throat. “What is the king if he’s not a...well, king.”
“Most of those who’ve studied the prophecy take it to mean leader,” Garret clarified. “The only thing anyone knows for sure is that he’s the firstborn son of one of the founding families.”
“How many firstborn sons are there?” Holly asked with a wince.
“About twenty. Maybe twenty-five.”
“What?” Holly shrieked, startling some birds out of a nearby tree.
Garret chuckled. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Many of the firstborns have either moved out of Silver Spruce or married and have children of their own by now.”
“What does that matter?” Her mind was already swelling from too much new information, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking questions. It was a bad habit of hers, or a good one depending on one’s point of view. If she were faced with something she didn’t understand, she picked at it and picked at it and picked at it until she did. It led to many sleepless nights in college. She never knew when to leave well enough alone.
“The king has to live within Silver Spruce or one of the surrounding towns. Gallant Green used to be part of the original Silver Spruce territory when this prophecy first took shape. There’s quite a bit of family overlap in the area. The king also has to have never been married and not have children of his own. He is destined to only have the one sacred child with the maiden.”
“The prophecy states all of that, yet it can’t tell you who the king is?” Holly scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. How many does that leave me with?”
“Off the top of my head, I’m not sure. Johnny, Keller, and I all qualify.”
“Of course,
