The Night Prince (The Wolf King, #2)(42)

I navigate the shadowy corridors, walk through the entrance hall, and slip out of the castle into the small courtyard. My breath mists in front of my face, and I rub my arms over the long sleeves of my dress.

I stand here for a few minutes, before the big arched door swings open behind me. Claire steps outside. She’s clasping a goblet of red wine, and her dark hair tickles her face in the wind.

“Aurora. I didn’t know anyone was out here.”

Her stare is assessing—as if she’s sizing up whether or not I’m a threat. I don’t know if it’s because I’m the daughter of her enemy king, or whether it’s because of my relationship with Callum. I hold her gaze, equally wary of her.

“Callum is looking for you,” she says. “Although he just got cornered by Ryan, so it could be a while before he finds you.” She leans against the wall by the door and sips her wine. “The lad thinks he’s going to storm Madadh-allaidh by himself.”

“Oh dear.” An awkward silence hangs between us. “I like your coat.”

“Thank you.” She nods at my dark-blue dress. “Nice dress.”

We continue to stare at one another.

“Are you on our side?” I ask.

“I could ask the same of you.”

“I’m on Callum’s side. I have no love for my father, if that’s what you’re asking.”

She nods. “If you want to know whether I’ve picked between James and Callum, I have not.”

“You were on your way to Madadh-allaidh before you came here.”

“My clan is based in the north, close to Highfell, where the nights are getting darker. An old threat seems to be returning.” Her expression darkens. “There is something coming. We can sense it, and I want to move my people as far south as possible before it arrives.” She swills the wine in her cup. “I’ll respect whoever wins the challenge. James or Callum, it makes no difference to me.”

“I heard you had a. . . history with James.”

Her jaw tightens. “That was a long time ago.”

“What happened between you?”

She bites her cheek. “My uncle was alpha then, and James and Callum’s father was king. As a way to form an alliance, we were invited to Madadh-allaidh, and they agreed for James and me to marry.”

My eyebrows raise. “The match was arranged? Did you wed?”

She laughs. “No. It never came to that. When I found out I was being offered up like cattle, I was furious. I stormed into James’s bedchambers, slammed him against the wall, and put a blade to his balls. Told him I’d cut them off unless he put a stop to it.”

A faraway look appears in her eyes, as if she is enjoying the memory. “It turned out he knew nothing about it. He fought against it, but his father was a prick. We began fighting publicly with one another at every opportunity we had. We pretended to hate each other, so everyone could see how difficult an alliance would be with us at the heart.” A coy smile plays on her lips. “Secretly, though, we’d begun courting one another.” She shrugs. “The ultimate act of defiance, I suppose. Until we realized. . . it’s complicated.”

I suck in my bottom lip. I want to ask about Callum, but I know it’ll come across as insecure. I don’t want her to think I feel threatened by her. Her brow creases, as if she’s trying to decipher my emotions.

“Go on,” she says. “Out with it. What do you want to know?”

I exhale. “Lochlan said you had history with Callum, too.”

“Lochlan’s a shit-stirring arsehole.” She shakes her head. “I suppose we do, in a way. It was about five years ago, but it’s not what you think. Callum didn’t know I was courting James—we hid it well. Like everyone else, he thought we despised one another, and that I had a miserable future ahead of me. He could see his father wouldn’t relent.” She shrugs a shoulder. “He offered to take James’s place.”

I feel as if I’ve been doused with cold water. I thought he’d tried to bed Claire, but this is much harder to stomach. “He offered to be your husband?”

Claire rolls her eyes. “It wasn’t like that. Callum. . . he’s an honorable male with a weakness for a damsel in distress.”

Her words don’t make me feel any better. They’re an echo of what Lochlan said. Callum rescued me, once. Is that the main reason we’re together?

She shakes her head, her expression solemn. “He thought he was saving me from misery. He didn’t realize I was never rebelling against being with his brother, but having my future decided for me by others. He wanted to rescue me, not marry me.”

I look at her, taking in her curves, her bright eyes, and her delicate features. “I’m sure he didn’t.”

“You were betrothed yourself, at one point, weren’t you?”

“Sebastian was not as pretty as you.”

She laughs, and her stare becomes curious. “There are rumors that James killed him at the battle. Callum said James is lying. He says you were the one who did it.”

Adrenaline swirls like wind in my chest. I clench my fists to stop my hands from shaking as the memory of slitting my betrothed’s throat flashes through my mind. “Yes.”

She must hear my pounding pulse. “I’ve had to kill in order to become alpha. It’s never easy, and always leaves a mark on one’s soul. You shouldn’t regret it, though.”