Page 44 of Ascendant King

When we had been fighting Elizabeth together, I had almost felt as though we were back to the partnership we had shared when we were running from House Bartlett together. We had worked in sync, two parts of the same whole.

His words still echoed in my head sometimes, asking if I wanted to be his consort. There was a world where I was, where I wore his collar proudly. There was another world where we redefined what it was to be a consort.

I swallowed.

“Thanks.” It was all I could manage. I couldn’t put into words that the push and pull of his forgiveness meant everything to me. That even though I had explicitly told him I was no longer seeking it out and I just had to accept he was going to hate me for the rest of his life, I still lived and breathed for the cracks when it looked as though he would almost forgive me.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” He closed his mouth, lips going pale as though he was biting down on a thought he didn’t want to talk about.

“I don’t know that we can do it another way.” I tried to leave the words open, letting him tell me if there was, letting him give me another option.

He shook his head. “We could go ourselves, get permission from the dryads first.”

“The other wolves won’t wait. As it is, we need to move quickly. I want to attack before they have a chance to talkthemselves out of helping us.” I smoothed out a shirt I had bunched in my hand. Refolding it, I said, “We can explain to them the same thing you just told me, that marching up to dryad territory with an army isn’t going to endear us to the dryads. They’ll stay out of town, and we’ll go in with just a few people.”

“You said dryads were the thing of wolf nightmares. You aren’t afraid?” Cade came close. I could smell him, feel the heat from his body, but I didn’t dare turn around or look away from what I was doing.

“No. Not with the most powerful mage prince in the country at my side.” I twisted the words, trying to make a joke, but they came out weighted.

“I don’t think anyone would call me that,” Cade said. “That was always a reference to House Bartlett’s position,myposition in House Bartlett.”

“Not to me.” I stopped because everything else I wanted to say would swallow both of us and consume whatever goodwill Cade had left for me. It would force us to examine the fact that even though he hated me, there was still a spark there. I knew he felt it too.

“I would tell the two of you to get a room, but you’re literally in a bedroom, and you still won’t screw him.” Declan made a disgusted noise.

I couldn’t help the convulsive jerk at his words. Cade frowned at me, coming even closer to examine my face.

“Are you all right?” He looked me over, and I forced a smile.

“I’m fine. You should pack. We’re leaving soon.”

I continued to meet his eyes until he dropped mine, retreating out the door without even saying goodbye. When I looked over to the wall where Declan had been, he was gone.

The door was still open, so I kept my lips closed, swallowed down a swear. Then, I grabbed my packed bag and slung it over my shoulder. When I got downstairs, Nia handed me a list.

It was organized by pack, with ours being the entire front page. Evelyn and Joel were staying behind to make sure nothing went south while we were gone. Heather and Gabe were coming with us, along with a little over half the pack. I frowned down at one of the names.

“Emilio is coming with us? He just got here. He needs to settle in.” I looked up at Nia, who shook her head.

She tapped her chest where Emilio’s brand had been burned into his skin—the brand proclaiming him loyal to Ghost Pack.

“He doesn’t have to show us loyalty this way. He needs to keep his family safe. That’s the reason I brought him back with us.”

Nia gave me another annoyed look, then gestured to her own hand, tapping the finger I wore my mother’s ring on.

“I don’t want to be emperor like that. I don’t want to be an alpha like that.” When Nia continued to give me an annoyed look, I shook my head, turning back to the list. “I still don’t have to like it.”

Everything else on the list was expected. I flipped to the next page. Most of the packs that had pledged to join us were there, each sending three or four members. Together, they made up about the same number of wolves I was sending.

It was about what I had expected. No one was willing to trust me far enough to give me most of their pack or even a significant chunk of their pack.

“Do you know any of the people the other packs are sending?” I asked Nia.

She shook her head, glancing at the list.

“Show the list around, see if anyone we’re taking with us knows any of the other wolves.” I considered the names. If it were me, I wouldn’t send my second, but I would send someone high up. Evelyn or Gabe. Someone I knew would be able to handle themselves and would report back to me honestly.Someone who would be able to protect the other wolves I was sending, even if the entire situation turned into a bloodbath.

She nodded and turned, but I said, “Wait. Cade and I were thinking that we need to go into the dryad village with just a select few people. We can’t overwhelm them, or we’ll end up paying the price. So that means you, me, Cade, and someone else from our pack. I’ll let the allied packs decide who else should come from their side.”