Where had she gone? She couldn’t be dead! My wolf howled again. This time it was long and full of mourning.
“Arianna!” Kade’s voice broke through the dream and I felt my consciousness rising to wake up.
I was jerked awake, opening my eyes to see Kade with his arms around the sides of my face. Something felt different and it took me a second to realize I had shifted into my wolf in my sleep.
“What’s wrong?” His features were broadening and I could see that he too was on the verge of shifting.
I had never been so out of control to let my wolf shift in my sleep. Never! I focused my inner energy toward my beast and she let me have control back. The shift to my human form was fast, giving me just enough time to wonder how I was going to tell the man I loved that I was the offspring of the very people keeping my best friend hostage. A princess of the most warmongering and power hungry court in the fae realm.
Once I was human, naked and lying beside him, I couldn’t postpone the truth any longer. Gathering up the sheet, pulling it over myself because I needed the comfort, I sat up and met my mate’s eyes.
“It was another dream,” I said slowly, my voice trembling. “Violet is … it’s bad. We need to get to her now. Without delay.”
He nodded, rubbing a thumb over my hand. “Okay. We’ll set out immediately. Is that all?”
He knew. Of course he could feel it. That wasn’t all.
I bit my lip and tears fell down my cheeks. Hot, salty, and bitter were my tears, and my heart felt like it was barely even a functioning organ anymore, sluggishly pounding in my chest. I slowly shook my head.
“You can tell me anything,” Kade said as he cupped the side of my face and forced me to meet his eyes. “Anything.”
I took a steadying breath. “Violet told me that the winter prince, Luca … is … my father.”
Kade’s face did not change, not a single reaction across it, but his eyes were dark and swirly, and his body was as hard as rock. He was upset, and probably shocked. It was not something either of us were prepared for.
Keeping that same calm expression, he leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to mine. “I don’t care who your father is, Ari. Or your mother. They aren’t you and nothing you could tell me would change the way I feel about you. Or how your people feel about you. All I care about is you … I’m worried about you. Are you okay?”
His instant support and love was more than I’d ever expected. More than I had ever had from anyone, except Winnie, and she loved with the ferocity of a child.
“I’m not sure how I feel,” I finally said. “I have no idea how it could have happened. My mind is denying the possibility, and yet it makes sense.” I let out a growl. “The shifters will never accept me back as their queen now.”
Kade gathered me closer, wrapping his heat and strength around me, lending me his optimism. “Our world is slowly changing. We need to make them see that your father does not matter. It is not who you are.”
I didn’t say anything more, but both of us knew it wouldn’t be as easy as that. Family lines were important in the shifter world, and mine was tainted with darkness. I was part of the enemy.
With a deep breath, I dropped the sheet and forced myself to let go of those immediate worries and focus on Violet. She was my priority. I pressed my face into Kade’s hand for a brief second before hopping out of bed. I faced him, naked and vulnerable, but trusting in our bond.
“I love you, more than you could possibly know, and I appreciate your reassurances. Right now, though, we need to regroup and get my best friend back. She’s close to death. They are torturing her pretty badly.”
He nodded and leapt out of bed to dress. Both of us threw on the first clothes we could find, while I chastised myself for stopping here last night. I loved having some alone time with Kade, but while we were making love Violet was being tortured. It was selfish of me and I just hoped Violet wouldn’t pay for my actions. I would not lose focus again, I would not let her down.
“From what you’ve told me about your mother…” Kade said, breaking me out of my morbid thoughts. “I just can’t ever see her having a secret affair with a fae. I would have said it was impossible.”
I found him fully dressed, eyes locked on me. He was right, my mother had been a diehard wolf shifter who swore by breeding for society and class. She would never sleep with a fae. There was really only one conclusion I could draw from that.
She wasn’t my mother.
Thirty minutes later, after grabbing a quick breakfast and restocking our supplies for the rest of the journey, we left the little village. I told everyone the CliffsNotes version of the dream, leaving out my newly discovered father, and everyone agreed to make the remaining sixteen hour trek without stopping. Dalia and Rowan said it was actually the best way to proceed, because from here on there was pretty much nowhere safe for us. We were right in royal territory now. The winter queen controlled these lands with brutal force.
The plan was that once we reached the outer areas of the castle, we could take turns resting while the others stood guard. Then, in the early hours of tomorrow morning, we would break into their dungeons, or wherever they kept prisoners, and rescue Violet.
Our initial pace was brisk and grueling. No one complained though. Well, not out loud. After about six hours of marching through cold, windswept plains and frozen forests, my body began to protest the abuse. I hadn’t felt sore like this in ages. Muscles ached dully. The cold was so brutal it made everything harder. Our metabolisms were in overdrive and there just weren’t enough calories to fuel us.
Despite all that, my story of Violet chained to that tree kept us pressing on. Monica had blisters on her feet and she winced with each step but pushed on. They would heal if we could have stopped, but there was no time for that. Finn nuzzled his huge head into my side, offering some of his mecca and energy. It was like a cool balm on a burn, the sweet flow of mecca. Leaning down, I kissed the top of his head, running my hands through his soft pelt. I was grateful to have him here, even though I feared the danger we were all walking into.
For Violet we must press on, he said. I closed my frozen fingers into his fur, allowing his warmth to ease my chill.
Yes, we will save her, and then I’ll figure out what to do about my father.
He said no more, but I felt his concern. I understood it, of course. I would feel the same way if it were Finn with the evil megalomaniac parent. It’s really unfair that children don’t get to choose their parents, because I sure as hell would have asked for a redraw in the genetics lottery. Even if it meant never being a queen heir.