Page 50 of Ascendant King

Turning my head slightly, I whispered to Cade, “Are you okay with that?”

Cade nodded. “With what we know about the ley lines, we have no future keeping these woods to ourselves. The dryads have proven to be useful allies.”

His cold words were perfectly true but bloodless. Was that how he’d talk about me when this was all done? The Emperor Wolf was a useful ally?

Movement startled the wolves with us. Loping wolves tumbled over the sidewalk, coming from one of the buildings. Nia grabbed Cade and shoved him back so she could come close while Three Lakes East and West both crouched and growled in threat.

The wolves pulled up short, and when they were still, it was obvious how small they were, that their paws were overly large, their fur still baby soft.

“Wait,” I said sharply, and the wolves with me froze.

Crouching low, I said, “Justin?”

The biggest wolf shifted, turning into the teenager I’d met. He looked clean, more meat on him than he’d had last time. Everything about him looked healthier. His hair was cut and didn’t hang shaggy, his eyes were bright, and he grinned so happily that it brought me up short, worried that it was a different kid altogether.

“Alpha!” He opened his arms and threw them around me, hugging me tightly, rubbing his face on my shirt.

“Pups.” It should have been a reprimand, but the elder dryad smiled, shaking her head.

Heavy steps shook the ground, and a dryad ran out from behind one of the houses, clearly chasing the wolves. She wasn’t panting, her skin still smooth, but her expression had the tension of worry.

When she saw us, she crossed her arms, moving subtly so she was inching between us and the pups.

“Redbud! This is him, the alpha who saved us.” Justin released me, drawing back, and the dryad reached out, pulling him close to her.

Beside me, Nia growled, and the other wolves picked up on it. The dryad, Redbud, glared back at her, and wood cracked and groaned as the dryad grew subtly, her body taller, heftier.

The elder seemed to notice too. “Redbud.”

At the rebuke, Redbud looked over, and after a long, silent moment, she nodded, backing away.

“Elder—” I licked my lips, trying to figure out how to say what I needed to say.

Cade reached out, his fingers brushing over my arm, there and then gone, and when he spoke, something unclenched in me.

“I know that Miles has been worrying about the werewolf pups since you took custody of them,” his words were so smooth, as though we’d talked about the pups in the months since we’d last seen them. “Would it be possible for him to talk to them alone?”

The elder kept her eyes on Cade, but Redbud stiffened before relaxing. The other pups wound their way between her legs, one leaning heavily on her. They trusted her, a dryad who could kill them easily.

“Of course,” the elder said. “Now, I must go and find sleeping arrangements for your fellow wolves.”

Redbud glared at me, her narrowed eyes shrinking into her face. Around me, the very ground itself suddenly felt unstable as roots flowed underneath us, slightly too close to the surface.

Justin didn’t seem to notice. He reached out again, wrapping his arms around me. I was struck again by how young he looked. There was no way this child was more than fourteen, although initially, I’d thought him closer to fifteen or sixteen.

“Well,Redbud? I think you had your marching orders,” I said.

“Perhaps you could go get their clothes,” Cade said. “Before they shift back into humans.”

Redbud looked between us, but then the air grew still, and I saw the elder dryad standing still further down the street, her attention on the human she was talking to, but something told me that Redbud was finding out exactly how annoyed the elder was.

“Iwillreturn,” Redbud said, bending low to run her wooden fingers over the fur of one of the wolves.

I watched her leave until Nia jostled me with her shoulder.

It could have been accidental, but when I turned to look at her, she presented the question that Heather had texted her. I pursed my lips before smoothing out my face.

“There he is!” Declan was leaning against one of the porches, arms crossed. “The man who would be king trying to convince everyone he’s not just pulling plans out of his ass.”