“He said that?” My heart leapt into my throat. “Why?”
“Because he was in love with someone else,” she whispered, her smile widening. “It’s you, obviously, if that wasn’t clear.” My mouth fell open and Briar chuckled at my disbelief. “I wonder if he knew you were fated mates. I think he may have suspected for a long time.”
“Oh. My . . . ” I groaned, burying my face in my hands again. “He knew. He knew?”
My mind flashed back to those moments when he had tried to talk to me. He had said he needed to tell me something, but things kept getting in the way. And then in his father’s office, he’d seemed upset about a potential marriage to Tadei. He said he felt protective of me, but . . .
I clenched a hand to my stomach. “I think I’m going to throw up.”
“Why?”
“Because he loves me.”
Briar laughed as she stroked a soothing hand down my cold skin. “Put this on,” she insisted, nudging the woolen tunic squashed in my hands. “It’s colder in the mountains than in Allesdale.”
I begrudgingly pulled it over my head. It must’ve been a servant’s tunic she nicked from the wash line. The fabric drowned me and itched against my skin, but it eased the chill. “He lied about everything, Briar, all of it.” My voice wobbled again. “The King never intended to reveal who I was. He never wanted to help save Olmdere.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” she said, which did surprise me. She went on. “Grae is not the same as his father,” Briar said. “You know that. And one day he’ll be king.”
“He didn’t say anything to stop him—”
“His father’s the pack leader and a king!” Briar’s exasperated breath swept across the grasses, making them sway. “You think Grae can just openly disagree with him? The pack would tear out his throat for one ill-spoken word. The King might order you to stay, but if you wanted to ride to Olmdere tomorrow, do you think Grae would really stop you? Our Grae?”
“He isn’t our anything,” I snapped.
“No,” Briar whispered. “He’s your mate, Calla. He is your everything, as you are his. Your lives are tied together now. I don’t think he would deny you anything.”
“I don’t care,” I hissed. “He lied to me. I walked into that office like a fool and one word from him could’ve prepared me. If he was on our side, he would’ve told us as much.”
My chest clenched again.
Briar brushed her hand in circles down my back. “He didn’t say anything at all?”
“Not in the King’s office,” I said. “He followed me afterward . . .”
“And?”
“And I put a knife to his throat.”
Briar doubled over, cackling. “Of course you did.”
“It’s not funny,” I growled.
“It’s a little funny,” she wheezed, trying to stop the giggles by pressing her lips together. She wiped her eyes. “Oh, Goddess, I love you. Maybe he would’ve explained himself better if you weren’t trying to slit his throat.”
A laugh bubbled up from my chest. The sound of my twin’s cackles was infectious. Like two mischievous children, we chuckled there in the tall grasses. Briar always had a way of replacing my tears with laughter. I’d given her plenty of occasions to hone that skill.
“You’re right. I should probably have a conversation with Grae without my weapons.” I sighed.
“That’s probably a good idea.” She smiled warmly, plucking a weed from between the meadow grasses. “He’s your mate now. Killing him would end your life, too. You need a better plan.”
“You’re not mad?” I held my sister’s pale blue eyes. “You planned your whole life to be a queen. I’m taking that from you.”
“I never wanted to be a queen.”
“What?” My brow furrowed as she twirled the dried weed in her hands.
“Nobody ever asked me what I wanted.” She blew on the featherlike seeds and they scattered into the air. “I was only ever told.”
“What do you want?”
“A quiet life with someone I love.” She stared up at the stars. “A cottage in the forest, a little stream to bathe in, a garden patch to grow food . . .”
“You never told me this,” I whispered. “You tell me everything.”
“Not everything. Some things are too precious to even whisper.” Briar’s eyes welled as she grinned. “Especially when there seemed no chance of it ever coming true. But now that I’ve met Maez, I want to shout it to the moon. Gods, I feel like I love her already. How can that be? Do you feel it, too?” She pounded her fist against her stomach. “That burning ember inside you?”