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“Nothing happened!” I snap. “I swear it!”
“You think your suitors will care to hear the truth, if rumors begin to circulate?” He grinds out. “Wolf-Shifters do not place value on virtue, like our people do.” His face grows even redder with anger. “They think nothing of dancing nude around a bonfire and then sneaking away in the dark with a lover. But you are human, Luna—a citizen of Avalor, no less. You are held to a different standard. You arenota Wolf-Shifter, and I’ll not allow your honor to be ruined by one. Do you understand me?”
I know my parents were raised in Avalor with its strict traditions and beliefs about virtue and honor and purity before marriage, but we’ve lived in Winterhold for almost a decade. It should not be a scandal for an unmarried woman to be seen at a festival with an unmarried man.
“Father, you’re being ridiculous!” I protest. “Wolf-Shifters mate for life. They do not bed others for sport or leisure. I swear to you: nothing happened between—”
“Get packed!” he snaps. “Be ready to leave in one hour!”
“An hour?” Mother asks incredulously. “We cannot be ready that quickly. We need at least the day to—”
“There is no time,” Father snaps. “Do not question me, Melara. Just do as I say.” He clenches his jaw. “Please. You must trust me.” Father looks to me. “I am doing this for all of us.”
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back. I bite my lower lip to stop it from quivering. I have been wrongly accused and I’ll not allow Father to see me cry. “I know I should not have gone to the bonfire, but I swear to you that nothing happened between me and Malak.” I hold his gaze evenly. “Malak knows I’m human, and he respects Avalor traditions, Father. He would never compromise my honor.”
“And yet he did,” Father says. “And in front of several witnesses too, by taking you into the hedge maze alone, Luna. Can you not see that?”
“That was not his intent,” I protest. “Malak is a good man.”
“He is not a man,” Father counters. “He is a Wolf-Shifter.”
“Who are these witnesses?” I ask. “What are they claiming to have seen, exactly?” I challenge. “I would face my accusers instead of allowing them to spread vicious and unfounded rumors about—”
“It does not matter,” Father says darkly.
“It matters to me,” I state firmly.
“Do not argue with me.” Father clenches his jaw. “Just do as I say.” His gaze sweeps to my mother. “We will stay in the country home for the next few weeks. Just long enough for any rumors to fade away. Then, we will return.”
I don’t want to leave. Not now. But I also know that there is no winning an argument with my father. If I deny him now, he would probably send me back to Avalor, to my grandmother, even sooner than the end of winter.
At least this way we will only be gone a few weeks and then we can return, and I will speak with Malak. I’ll tell him how I feel. I have to. Time is running out. We will leave at the end of winter and I don’t want to go without speaking the truth that resides in my heart.
I make my way to my room and begin packing. When I’m finished, I write a letter to Mal, telling him where we are going. At a glance, it appears simple enough but it is not.
Mal and I have a system. A secret code we made up when we were children, playing at being spies. As an ambassador of a neighboring kingdom, all of the correspondence, including mine, had to be approved before being sent. So, I would always embed a secret message in each one, that only Mal knew how to decipher.
Feeling bold, I decide to not hold back. After I’m finished, I read the coded part again to make sure I did it correctly.
Dear Mal,
I have something important to tell you, but it needs to be in person. If I could, I would participate in the chase. With you. If you feel anything more than friendship for me, I’m asking you to wait for my return.
Yours always, Luna
Heat flares my cheeks, and I swallow hard as I stare at the secret message. Drawing in a deep breath, I steel my courage and fold the paper.
I hand it to one of the servants and brace myself for another argument when he gives it to Father’s assistant—Radagar—for approval.
Even though I’ve always thought it ridiculous, I understand that each correspondence must be approved. It is a condition placed upon my father by his superiors.
Radagar runs a weathered hand through his short, white hair as he scans the note, which simply states that we are going to the country house for a few weeks. He gives me a small nod before allowing the servant to continue
Worry tightens my chest. I only hope that when we return Mal will not have found a mate during the chase this night.
CHAPTER4
MALAK
