AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In the low lamplight, the barely-there smile spoke of welcome. Of secrets. Of a soft place to lay my head.
I imagined that smile turning toward me, saying my name, enquiring after my comfort, my pleasure, being my solace…
“Spying, are we?”
My softly voiced question inspired a squeak and a whirl. Instead of clutching her heart, Olympia’s index finger and thumb were pressed together, as though she were ready to call on her powers to defend herself.
I leaned against the wallpaper, crossing my arms as I studied her parted lips and quick inhales.
“Zoei,” she breathed. “You scared me.”
“That much is obvious,” I remarked. “Honest people don’t scare easily.”
She blinked once, twice, confusion rife in her gaze.
“Did you just make that up?” she questioned, a light furrow touching her brow.
I was surprised by the smile that creased my lips.
“Perhaps.”
PerhapsPyke was right after all.
Although decades had passed since we’d last spoken, it seemed that Olympia remembered my penchant for concocting fake phrases just for the hell of it. Being royalty had its advantages, and one of the best was that no one questioned me. Not even members of the council.
Most would assume the king’s words to be true, but not Olympia.
“Are you lost?” I questioned, raising a brow.
“No,” she said, mirroring my stance. “I needed a break from the crowd.”
“Ah, I see that age hasn’t quelled your social anxiety.”
A ghost of a smile played with her lips. “Unfortunately, that demon is here to stay.”
“A queen who’s afraid of people,” I teased. “Seems questionable.”
“Large groups of people,” she corrected, unperturbed. “And besides, it will be some time before I’m queen. Mother doesn’t wish to retire quite so soon.”
“It might not be her choice,” I quipped, feeling a dull throb erupt in the vicinity of my heart. “Sometimes theirretirementis forced onto you. I assumed my old cur of a sire wouldn’t vacate the throne for decades, not because of the good he could do for our people, but out of sheer stubbornness. But here we are.”
“Stubbornness can be a good quality for a king—he was resolute and purposive to the point of tedium, but still saw that his words were made law.”
“What if the very same stubbornness made his heart expire?” I queried.
“I…” She paused as though grappling for words. “I heard about what happened. You have my condolences. While there is no perfect way to pass, I can’t imagine it was pleasant to leave our star halfway through a dreary council meeting.”
“I received your letter of condolence,” I acknowledged, hating that I still had it secreted away in my bedside table so I could analyze the curves of her penmanship. “It seemed sincere.”
“Seemed?” she echoed. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“My sire was a hard Alpha. A difficult Alpha,” I stated, although Olympia was probably fully aware of the fact. “It’s not tough to believe that there was more celebration than mourning after his death.”
A wince creased her pale cheek.
“No one’s death should be celebrated,” she said neutrally.
“Not usually,” I agreed. “But Sire was a narcissist—he made people’s lives difficult for his own pleasure. To inflate his ego.”
