He reached out, scratching her behind the ears. “You’re beautiful.”
“Get naked and shift.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She sat in front of him as he removed all his clothing. Foam formed at the corners of her mouth. A deep rumble bubbled against her throat as she let out a long, slow growl. His body changed quickly and soon he stood next to her in his wolf form.
She looked up at him and a sense of pride and joy filled her heart. “When this is over, I want to go away somewhere.”
“After the Winter Wedding. It will be our honeymoon.”
“I get to pick the place.” As much as she’d love for the banter to continue, it was time to walk out of the cabin.
Dayton must have read her mind because he nudged open the door with his massive snout. The protective wrap Coral had created had disappeared, leaving only a small layer that Dayton had made, ensuring they controlled when they left the safety of the cabin. Two guards stood on the porch with rifles at the ready. Her three brothers were about fifty paces from the front of the cabin. Isabelle stood with her husband. Coral and Daphne were nowhere to be seen. Someone needed to protect Finn and Ivy and all the Royal Fairy children. Daphne possessed great powers, and Coral’s fairy magic had grown stronger and stronger. They would be able to fend off any threats.
“No matter what happens, stay connected to me.” Dayton’s massive paws vibrated the wood planks. The guards parted, making way to royalty.
Her parents stood with her brothers as did Aron and a dozen other officers from the Twilight Crossing Council along with at least fifteen other wolves from the pack.
She couldn’t imagine that any of the faces that stared at her would betray her family and murder innocent people. But she’d also never in a million years thought she’d be the queen of anything. Other than when she’d been in the drama club, her entire life had been played out behind the scenes. Something she’d been perfectly happy with until she found out Chaz was the wolf in the Legend of the Princess and the Wolf. It was that moment that she realized she wanted more purpose in life. She wanted to matter on a grander scale, and historian just wasn’t cutting it.
But queen was over the top.
Taking long strides, she made sure she stayed in pace with her fated mate. Her brothers and Isadore all bowed their heads.
“This is the one true King and Queen of the Wolfairies,” Chaz said. His voice was filled with pride and humility.
Cheryl puffed out her chest. Every doubt she had about her life disappeared in a flash.
“They will rule alongside me. The Crescent Moon Pact and the Kingdom of the Wolfairies are one.” Chaz raised his hand. Fairy dust flowed in a steady stream from his palms. “As it turns out, my siblings and I are not werewolves. We are Wolfairies. The direct descendants of King Lear and Queen Aria. We join with the Royal Fairies, ensuring the Wolfairies’ existence and seeking peace among all species as we work closely with the Twilight Crossing Council. This is truly a day that will go down in history.” Back in the day, Chaz would snub his nose at such rhetoric, but now, as he said the words, Cheryl gained a new respect for her parents and her brother.
She scanned the row of wolves in their human form. All bowed their heads except one.
Aron.
Sour grapes. She should feel bad for Aron, but she didn’t. For as long as she’d known him, she felt no connection to him. She never understood why everyone bent to meet his needs. He’d been abandoned by his parents, and therefore by his pack. He hadn’t any recollection of who his original pack had been. He’d told her parents that he’d been roaming the woods of Vermont for months before he started stealing food from the family farm.
Her father had taken that as he must have been a member of the Crescent Moon.
But she never bought it.
Didn’t matter as her father made him a full member of the pack and helped him into becoming a Twilight Crossing Officer. Her father wasn’t necessarily a do-gooder kind of guy, but he had an enormous amount of compassion, and he couldn’t leave a stray alone.
She didn’t blame him. Having a kind heart is what made for a great leader, but right now, she questioned Aron’s loyalty.
Something that made her shudder in shame. Aron had been nothing but loyal. He would never do anything to hurt her or the pack.
He loved both.
But she didn’t return his love, and that could be a problem. Aron was the type of werewolf that held a grudge. She’d always seen him as being the jealous type. He never totally respected Chaz and often mentioned that he could think of a few wolves that might better serve as leader.
At least he never named himself.
Looking at him now, and the way he snubbed his nose at Dayton and refused to look her in the eye, she wondered how jealous he really was.
The hair on the back of her neck stood straight. The enemy was close.
Too close.
She scanned the faces that flanked left and right of her family. The only one that bothered her was Aron, but that didn’t count because she simply didn’t find him attractive when he sought after her for years. He wasn’t a bad werewolf, but he just didn’t have what it would take to keep her happy.
Not like Dayton.
And she’d mated with Dayton the first time she’d met him.
That was true fate.
“We are one,” her father repeated.
Her mother waved her hands in the air, fairy dust filling the morning sky. “We are one.”
Everyone followed her mother’s actions.
Except Aron.
“Aron is the traitor,” she projected to her family and to Dayton.
“We know,” her father said.
“What’s the plan?” Dayton asked.
“We all leave and wait for Aron to show his hand,” her father said. “You and your mate
