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Queen Blanchette watched Rowan from the doorway. One hand lay protectively over her swollen belly.
King Rowan Winslowe, she inwardly corrected herself. The day of Rowan’s coronation—the day he’d taken her name—had been the biggest testament to the peace he’d found. It’d concluded a ten-year-old vengeance while summoning a dynasty that might last a thousand years.
The Black Wolf and the Raven.
He sat on the edge of Mary’s bed, vibrantly telling her a story. One he’d told her many times over the past year. And one that Mary never tired of.
“Once upon a time, a fair maiden named Little Red Riding Hood lived in a quaint village. She was known for her blond hair and striking appearance and went about donning a scarlet hooded cloak her beloved grandmother had sewn one winter…”
Blanchette glimpsed at the far wall, where her red riding cloak hung. She smiled as Rowan fell deeper into the story and changed his voice to sound like a wolf’s. Mary’s eyes widened, and she shrank under the cover. A muffled squeal rang out as she pulled it over her head and buried inside. “Oh no, no, no!”
“You’re not scared of a wolf, are you?” he asked in a growly voice that inspired another burst of giggles from Mary. “Hmm, my Little Red Riding Hood?”
“No wolf! Please, Father, not the wolf!”
Blanchette tiptoed inside the room, a wavering candle in hand, fighting hard not to disturb them. She watched as her signet ring sparkled in the dim chamber.
A black wolf pup lay at the foot of the canopied bed. Its ears were floppy and far too large for its small head. It tilted its face at Blanchette’s approach and gave a defiant yelp.
Mary pushed down the cover, an enormous smile on her face.
Blanchette sighed and lay her hand over her belly, where little Joanna or Willem kicked.
She smiled at the trio as warmth spread through her. We’re soon to be a foursome.
Rowan returned her smile with a grin that looked downright wolfish.
Beyond the window, a light snow glided from a bespectacled, star-filled sky and blanketed Norland—a kingdom fully at peace.
And somewhere, hidden among the wood’s sentinel trees, a wolf howled.
THE END.
