Page 107 of Ascendant King

They looked up when they saw me, nodding their chins.

“How’s it going?” I let my voice carry. There was no sense in hiding my concern.

“Everyone’s behaving,” Heather said.

“Good, because we’reallieshere.” I glanced significantly at my wolves, then looked over the House Bartlett mages and consorts.

They were all older than my wolves. Of the younger generation, only Sonja, Rhys, and the mages we already had kept consorts. I could see why that would be a problem.

Older generations of mages would expect certain levels of respect. But as soon as they saw me staring, one of the mages stood. I recognized her as Olivia, the only mage that had been able to stand at House Bartlett, who had tried to defend her consort from a strange pack of werewolves.

“Alpha, we thank you for your sanctuary.” She reached down, and her consort gripped her hand tightly. “We offer aid in the fight against Leon.”

I nodded, already tired of having the same conversation while knowing that I probably would have to have it a half dozen more times before we actually went into battle against Leon.

I nudged Cade toward the food, and he went. “Where’s Sonja?”

“Tyson is ill.” Olivia dropped her eyes. “Do you want me to go get her?”

Shaking my head, I said, “I’ll go.”

Cade started to step away from the sideboard, but I shook my head, glancing significantly at the mages. I trusted my people, but it would be very easy for someone to misconstrue the closeness between mages and consorts as something darker than it was.

“Olivia, darling, is thatyou?” Rhys’s voice rose, cutting over the quiet. They turned to the woman’s consort. “Cynthia! You look absolutely ghastly. Whathappened?”

Rhys knew exactly what had happened. We had just discussed it, and even if we hadn’t, he had seen the evidence inother houses. Still, it was enough to break the awkward silence, the uncomfortable iciness between mages and wolves.

As the story began to spill out, Cade made his way around the table, coming up next to me. He tilted his head, and I shrugged.

Leaving Rhys behind would prevent any bloodshed, and by the sympathetic looks from the wolves around the table, there was plenty of empathy for someone who had been laid so low by Thorn.

As we slipped out of the dining room, Joel caught my eye, flashing me a thumbs-up and looking between me and Cade significantly. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the warm creep of satisfaction when I looked at Cade.

All the secrets, all the hurt between us had curdled over time to the point where I thought we would never be free of it. We were trapped in an endless maze of thorns, never allowed free of the past.

But we had found a way out. We had found a way out, and we had found each other. I smiled, looking down at him.

When we went upstairs, I felt a deep uneasiness at the existence of the third floor. It was identical to the one below and looked as though it had always been there, but I could feel the vibration of magic against my skin as we stepped onto the landing.

Cade shook his head, looking around. “Petrona and Siobhan overextended themselves.”

At his words, Sonja appeared in a nearby doorway, glaring at him until she saw who it was. She dropped into a bow.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized automatically, the words clearly habit more than genuine regret.

I waited, pausing until she shifted uncomfortably.

“Petrona is still sleeping. Shedidoverextend herself, and now she’s paying the price. I’m worried about her. She shouldbe enjoying her retirement, helping train the new generation of mages.” Sonja’s face paled before she looked up, blinking. “Did you need something?”

I needed to ask her to contact Phelan. Instead, I said, “How is Tyson?”

She blinked, startled, but then looked down. “Unwell. He’s been with me for years, and we had both forgotten how ill he was when we first met.”

“Can’t you just become consorts again?” I asked.

Sonja’s lips pursed, her eyes fixed on the carpet.