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“I didn’t know how Cade would react when he found out I’d left. I couldn’t risk you knowing anything in case he got it out of you,” I explained. “It was better that you didn’t know anything at all.”
“You could have asked me to come with you.”
I was aghast at the thought and shook my head so wildly, Aradia’s hairstyling almost came undone.
“And put you at risk, too? I would never!” I inhaled. “I knew you were safe here, Maywin, but out there…” I gestured toward the windows. “I still don’t really know what’s out there. I couldn’t ask you to come with me.”
She nodded. “I understand. I’m glad you were found and are safe.”
“Thank you, Maywin.”
She hesitated, and I sensed she wanted to ask me something else, so I rose to face her, placing my hands on her shoulders gently.
“What is it, Maywin?”
“Why did you come back if you were so determined to leave? What did he say to convince you?”
Affection for my friend overcame me, and I drew her toward the delicate silk of my dress gently so as not to ruin the intricate design. Maywin returned my embrace eagerly, relief sagging her body entirely at my touch.
“He didn’t have to say anything, May. He’s my mate. I should have never left in the first place.”
She jerked back, her eyes wide and dubious. “Truly?” she gasped.
Tittering, I nodded. “Yes. I know. It seems unlikely, given how much I rejected the idea of coming here, but it’s a fact. We are bonded. I’m exactly where I am supposed to be.”
Joy colored Maywin’s face, her eyes gleaming with happiness for me. “Then we shouldn’t waste another second here,” she breathed. “Let’s get you down to the ballroom. Your king awaits you.”
“Indeed,” I murmured, excitement tickling my stomach. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”
* * *
Only the closestmembers of the household had been invited to this ceremony, the planning time much less for an impromptu wedding. Staff filled the ballroom, and I looked around for familiar, friendly faces in the crowd, but found very little in the way of comfort.
Except Shay, who had made the trek from Anderlane, as she had promised. She stood in the shadows, near the door, as if she intended to make a break for it if things went south. But when I saw Cade, handsomely dressed at the altar before Aradia, my worries melted away with his growing smile.
Nothing mattered but spending my life with my mate. I was precisely where I was supposed to be.
I glided toward him, the train of my milky dress trailing behind me, Maywin gathering the hem at my back as I passed the rows of servants. A low murmur met my ears, but I couldn’t tell if they were pleased or annoyed. It didn’t matter. All I could see at that moment was Cade and his extended hands, waiting for me.
When my palms clasped into his, warmth extended through my body, my eyes fixating on his face as Aradia began to chant the traditional wedding hymn. We were supposed to hang our heads in prayer, but we couldn’t seem to keep ourselves from staring at one another, as if we worried that, if we looked away, the other might disappear.
Of course, no one dared to reprimand us. We were the King and Queen of Ironhelm now. We could do as we pleased.
The realization sent a rush through me, one that I hadn’t allowed myself to experience before. With all the changes, the move from Carrottrove, the uncertainty of Cade’s feelings, the escape to Anderlane, I had not for a moment stopped to consider my position as queen.
A thrill electrified me then, my fingers gripping Cade’s harder, and his smile widened as though he could read my innermost thoughts.
Aradia cleared her throat lightly, and I turned my head, realizing that she had finished.
“Do you, Cade, the Alpha King of Ironhelm, first of this name, take Zephyrine, the First Fae of Carrottrove, to be your queen?”
“I do!” Cade agreed almost before Aradia had finished speaking.
My heart swelled, my head cocking back to study his features. I wanted to remember this moment forever, to recall it whenever I was feeling sad or low.
“Zephyrine, the First Fae of Carrottrove, do you take Cade, the Alpha King of Ironhelm, to be your husband? And do you promise to honor the King, and to abide by the laws of Ironhelm forthwith?”
I raised my eyebrows.
