Page 10 of The Wolf Queen’s Curse

“I’m sorry about Silas,” I say. “I know you supported Bishop, but I’m still sorry. He was your brother.”

Oliver doesn’t answer for a few steps, and I wonder whether I’ve misspoken, but he’s taking time to formulate a response. When he speaks, his words are low and measured.

“Silas and I were never close,” he says. “But he ensured I received a measure of respect I might otherwise not have gotten. I’m quiet and unambitious. But I’m loyal, and a hard worker, and that was enough for Silas. He protected me, and I appreciated that. I am grieving in my way, but if you’re concerned that I blame Bishop, I don’t.”

I nod, saying nothing.

“My brother chose his own path,” Oliver says. “There was a time when I hoped he might see that I could be an advisor of sorts. Not replacing Reginald, but perhaps as a confidant. Being quiet means I observe a great deal, and I think I could have helped guide Silas to a path where this might not have been his fate. But no one wants advice from their younger brother.”

“He should have seen past that.”

Oliver shrugs. “Maybe I flatter myself, thinking I could have changed anything. Or maybe I’m looking from the vantage point of a little boy who idolized his older brother. Silas made his choices, no matter how hard others tried to dissuade him.” His voice drops. “What he did to you and your mother and aunt is unforgivable, and I hope you know I’m not trying to defend him.”

“I do.”

“My brother was a strong Alpha, but not a good Alpha or a good man. Bishop is all three. I supported him for a reason, however disloyal it felt.” He glances over. “And how are you? I’ve been wanting to ask but not wishing to presume I could have anything to offer.”

I glance to where Bishop is talking to Julius and an older wolf. “I could always use an ear.”

“One that won’t interpret concern as a sign that you want to run for the hills, leaving your new husband behind?”

I laugh softly. “You really are observant.”

“It doesn’t take much to see how Bishop feels … and to understand how he’ll worry, given the circumstances of your marriage. You can tell me anything, Cordelia, and it will stay with me.”

“Thank you.”

FOUR

I walk and talk with my uncle for a while. While my intention was simply to express my condolences, I find that I really do need someone to talk to. And, yes, someone who won’t see my worries as a sign I want to leave.

I talk mostly about my guilt over what happened last night. I keep replaying it in my head, looking for a way I could have responded to Beryl that would have saved Claude, that would have kept her forces from attacking the Pack and murdering wolves, that would have stopped her from burning down Trevelyan. Deep down, I know nothing I did would have changed things, but I still worry. More than that, I worry that the Pack will blame me and, by extension, blame Bishop, as if he sacrificed half his Pack to protect me. Even if they don’t think that, I fear it sets his Alphahood off to a bad start, forever stained by what came immediately after he won the crown.

I spill my fears to Oliver, and he reassures me, but they’re thoughtful reassurances, not empty ones, and he gives me space to feel guilty, doesn’t tell me I’m overreacting.

Bishop makes sure there’s meat for us when we return from our walk. And then it’s time for him to talk to the wolves.

We’re gathered under the trees. Ann and Tabitha keep their distance until I summon them over. I suspect it’ll be up to me to reinforce their new position, not servants but equal members of the group. The wolves all treat them with kindness but forget they aren’t there to cook and clean. Bishop is too busy with the Pack to notice and, to be bluntly honest, too accustomed to seeing them as maids.

Bishop takes his place at the front of the group, with Julius to one side and Oliver to the other. When I try to tuck in with Ann and Tabitha, though, Bishop waves me to the front.

I’m not a Pack wolf, and I’m only the Alpha’s mate by my father’s command. But I was raised to understand that, as a woman, if I want power, I need to take it, because no one is going to hand it to me. It’s enough that I was willing to stand with the others. Now, at Bishop’s wave, I have the right to take my place at his side, so I do.

First he speaks about those they’ve lost and how the dead will be remembered. He then addresses the elephant in the room—the fact that the person who did this to them is the grandmother of their new Alpha’s bride.

Bishop doesn’t try to downplay that. He hits it head-on, and when he does explain the extenuating factors, they’re given as information, not excuses.

“Silas told no one about his deal with this witch?” someone asks.

“As far as we know,” Bishop says. “I can swear, on my life, that he didn’t tell me. However, I also didn’t find the information out on my own, and I accept responsibility for that.”

“You were a little busy,” Julius says.

“With his new mate,” Harry grumbles.

“With his plan to challenge the Alpha,” Julius says firmly.

“I still take responsibility,” Bishop says. “But what matters now is recouping our loss—our home.”