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“Did you see anyone while you were there?” Grey asked, his tone bristling with condescending implications. Like he had to dumb it down for Matthyw to understand what he meant.
“Considering I was told this would be an easy job and there was nothing for me to worry about, I hadn’t thought about it,” Matthyw said, leaning forward. “Turns out, she was some legacy.” He paused. “Was there someone I should have been aware of that did see me?” His eyes narrowed, careful to take in any flutter of the eyelids, any twitch of the lips, that would revealsomething.
But Grey was difficult to read, as he had always been.
His eyes twinkled. “If you didn’t see anyone, I wouldn’t worry about it.” He frowned, picking up a couple of papers and straightening them. “How long can we expect your presence?”
Matthyw snorted. He fell back on his heels and angled his torso to the bookshelves, though he remained where he was. “We both know that depends entirely on you,” he quipped.
Master Grey said nothing but smiled with acknowledgment. “I’m bound by the prophecy, you know,” he said.
“Prophecies are horseshit,” Matthyw said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Until they come true,” Grey pointed out, leaning forward. Matthyw sneered at the twinkle in the old man’s eye.
“And you think this one will?” He snorted. “Light Bringers and wolves have always hated each other. What makes you think forcing a Marriage Law on humans and wolves will unite the Light Bringers as well? If anything, they’ll laugh and take advantage of the situation.”
Grey still had that stupid smile on his face.
“How’s your wife?”
Matthyw’s jaw clenched. He’d rather talk about fairytale prophecies than the bitch Viktor all but forced him to marry. Reese wouldn’t inherit the Stone pack, nor did he harbor any feelings for her whatsoever. He hadn’t even bothered to consummate the marriage and she didn’t push him to do so. If anything, he liked to pretend he wasn’t married. Certainly, he acted that way. Vows spoken weren’t bound by blood, they were mere words expected of him and nothing more.
“I wouldn’t know,” Matthyw remarked as casually as he could, but even he could hear the resentment in his tone. “I haven’t seen her in weeks.”
“You’ve been married these past two years, yes? Just after graduation from here?”
The bastard still wouldn’t look at him. He kept fiddling with papers, setting them in one corner before grabbing a different stack and moving them as well. Odd how he didn’t touch the Scarlet parchment.
“Why are you suddenly interested in my marital status?” he asked.
Grey’s eyes flashed up and caught Matthyw’s. “Certainly, you’ve heard of the Marriage Law being passed, haven’t you?” he asked.
“I thought it was still in the process of being passed by the Alpha and the human royals,” Matthyw said.
“Oh, it is, it is.” Grey waved his hand dismissively. “We’re waiting on the official announcement, but it’s officially unofficial at this point.”
“And?” Matthyw pressed, taking a step toward the desk, still casual but curious. “What does that have anything to do with me? I wouldn’t be eligible to be thrust into the lottery.”
Not that he would want to. He loathed his wife, and he doubted he would find anyone he could hope to stand much less like. Happiness wasn’t even a thought. As far as he was concerned, marriage was a political arrangement, nothing more, nothing less. Anybody who thought differently was a fool.
“I hear your sister will be entering the lottery as one of the first participants, as well as your father,” Grey said. Though his eyes still sparkled, there was something in his tone that gave Matthyw pause. He wasn’t sure he could trust the old man, but he didn’t know how telling Matthyw this would benefit him either. “I thought you might like to know.”
Actually, Matthywdidwant to know. If Viktor married again and produced a boy, Adrya’s entire claim to the pack could very well be threatened. Viktor could retain her as his heir and nullify anything the council tried to put forth, but would Viktor do that? Or did he want to maintain the tradition of their pack?
More than that, what of Adrya? What if she was married to a bastard who couldn’t comprehend what a prize she was? What if she was married to someone who couldn’t bear the burden of being a Consort to the Alpha if she did inherit the pack? And, if she didn’t, would he fight for her birthright?
“I take it there’s nothing in my power even if I do know,” Matthyw said after another moment of consideration.
Grey paused his shoulder shuffling and his lips twisted up. “The act of knowing itselfispower, Matthyw.”
Adrya
By the time I got to training, everyone was talking about the new girl. It was almost annoying if I didn’t feel sorry for her. There were vicious rumors already — how she was a sex slave to one of the captains, how Grey owed her mother a debt, how she was homeless and desperate, how she had killed her own family. It was only her first day, and already the rumors began. Part of me was grateful no one seemed to know about my late-night excursion, but even thinking about that caused guilt to ripple across my stomach. I pushed it away, deciding to focus on training rather than anything else.
I hung my bag in my locker and changed into the uniform sweats we were issued at the start of term before tying my hair in a high ponytail. I took my time. I was always early and I didn’t want to trickle out and linger on the grounds. People always wanted to see if I could handle myself, if I could truly be a good Alpha, especially as a female.
Especially since it had never been done before.
