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“Just spit it out.”

“Do you really have a knot?”

“This is your burning question?!”

“Yes,” he says bluntly, and he does not turn away this time. “How does… where does… she is particularly small.”

Where the fuck is this going? “When did you have time to meet her?” Is he angling for a slot as a courtier or whatever the fuck they call them here? Or is this just a form of curiosity because I’m different? Maybe he wants to regale his posh friends with tales of the shifter’s knot…

“I was part of the escort when you arrived,” he says. “I have a problem, and I was just… never mind.”

“Just the one?” I muse.

His skin is a deep bronze color, but his cheeks still manage to take on a deeper hue. “It’s a personal matter,” he says.

“Do they have beer around here?” I ask.

“Beer, my lord?”

“Yes, beer, and for the love of all things sacred, do not call me a fucking lord again. I’m a wolf shifter and no one ever uses fucking titles like lord.”

“Ah, yes, we have beer. How should I address you?”

“Jude,” I say. “It is my given name, and it is not like I have any formal role here.”

“Jude, would you like to go for a beer?”

“Yes, I definitely would.”

As it turns out, there is a tavern directly outside the training facility. It is full of rowdy guardsmen and is somewhat of a relief in its normality.

I buy the first round. Gideon buys the next. We are soon surround by nosey, well-meaning fuckers. I am determined to get Gideon to loosen up so I can pump him for information on his personal problem—I admit to being curious about it now.

Nox arrives before I make much headway.

“Fawn?” I ask. He is suspiciously scent free. If he has been running with her all morning, I would expect some hint of her. Maybe he kept his distance?

“Taking a rest after her run,” he says, taking a seat beside me with a beer as the other nosy guardsmen saunter off. “You picked the worst companion. Gideon has the constitution of boulder. He can drink the tavern dry and still walk out in a straight line. If you came seeking gossip, Eiden is the better choice. He cannot keep a secret to save his life.”

“Good to know,” I say, still unsettled by his lack of scent. “You know about Gideon’s secret problem then? He mentioned my knot, his burning problem, and then clammed up.”

Nox bursts out laughing and claps a startled Gideon on the shoulder. “He still has his V card.”

“Nox!” Gideon blusters.

“Fine. That is not his problem. But I could see why he was curious about your knot.”

“NOX!”

He only laughs harder, puts Gideon into a fake headlock, and ruffles his curly hair in a surprisingly playful move. “Don’t worry, lad. When the right woman comes along, it won’t matter.”

Gideon groans, and peels off Nox’s arm.

I’m still none the wiser for what exactly the lad’s problem is. Maybe he is a quick draw… really quick draw, given he has yet to consummate matters.

“Best I take you back,” Nox says, draining his pint. “I left her alone with Eiden.”

Chapter Twenty-Three