Chapter Thirteen

By the time we make camp that evening, Leisel is so exhausted I fear she might fall off of Duchess. The night is chilly, so after helping her off her horse and tying their reigns to a tree I bundle her in a blanket I packed.

The pack members riding with us have given us space while we’ve journeyed through the day—whether that be on orders from their Alpha or not wanting to tempt my anger, which is so prevalent it’s palpable, I’m not sure.

I’m as tired as Leisel, if not more, considering I haven’t slept the last two nights, but I don’t let myself rest. While the shifters begin setting up tents and unpacking the food they brought, I set about starting a fire to keep Leisel and me warm.

It isn’t difficult—we stopped in a clearing in the midst of a heavily wooded area, so I assemble some sticks and logs from the forest floor as well as dead leaves, set them up in a teepee structure within a ring of rocks, and strike flint and steel a few times before the leaves catch fire. The flame quickly spreads to the rest of the sticks. After a minute, as the fire begins to grow and heat up, I add some thicker pieces of wood, and then sit down next to Leisel, huddling close to keep her warm.

We only stopped once during the day for a brief lunch break, during which Leisel and I ate sandwiches I’d packed for the journey, while the others ate whatever they’d brought with them. Still, I’m absolutely starving, since trotting and cantering for an entire day is an exhaustive task.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell Leisel.

I stand, walk over to Shadow, pluck the picnic basket of food I brought off his back, and take it back to her.

I break off a big chunk of a loaf of bread and hand it to her, before setting the pot of stew I brought on top of the fire to warm.

Leisel breaks off a smaller hunk of the bread and offers it to Chip, who’s sleeping in the folds of her shirt. He instantly wakes up, rubs his little cheek against her fingers in an affectionate gesture, and starts gobbling down the bread.

While I’m stirring the stew, Leisel quietly asks, “Can you read to me?”

I smile at her and pull Hamlet out of the picnic basket. I brought several books with me, including the old books on witchcraft passed down from my mother, wanting to ensure that my nightly ritual of reading to Leisel won’t die despite the humongous changes in our lives. At some point, I’ll have to ask Camden for access to a library, but I intend to put that off as long as possible.

As I’m turning to the page I left off on last night, I hear shuffling footsteps approaching that make me tense. Looking up, I see that Camden and Wyatt are crossing from a group of tents over to Leisel and me.

“There’ll be a warm tent set up for you two,” Camden says simply, seating himself on the forest ground not far from me.

Not wanting to accept anything from him, but also not wanting Leisel to freeze tonight, I simply say, “Thank you.”

Wyatt plops down not far from Leisel and gives her a fond look that makes her scoot closer to me. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side.

When neither brother makes a move, I ask, “Is that all?”

I want them to move along so that Leisel and I can eat in relative peace, and I can read to her without disruption. That desire comes to an abrupt halt when Aspen also approaches, sitting across the fire from me. She’s followed by several other pack members until there are at least ten people crowded around.

Aspen, examining the fire, asks me politely, “Do you have experience camping?”

“I have experience being impoverished and having to work with nature,” I respond bluntly.

Leisel looks around the gathered group with a surprising amount of contempt for such a young, innocent girl, and that sends pride soaring through me. Pride and hope that she’ll be able to survive Kinrith despite her kind predisposition—though I’ve already found out that her kindness doesn’t extend to shifters.

Once the stew’s steaming hot, I serve two portions in wooden bowls, handing one to Leisel.

Then I ask the shifters, “Don’t you all have a dinner to be preparing? Or things to be doing?”

That disperses the crowd quickly enough, but Camden and Wyatt stay, much to my annoyance.

“You know you’ll have to spend time with them,” Camden drawls. “As their queen and Alpha female, regular interaction is required.”

I snort. “I won my duel, Camden. I’m not obligated to do anything you tell me—I’m not a pack member.”

Camden clicks his tongue. “Be that as it may, the high court will decide whether or not your duel truly releases you.”

I look at him sharply. “I won. The laws on that are sacrosanct.”

He nods casually. “In many cases, amongst normal shifters, yes. However, I’m not a normal shifter—I’m an Alpha of a very powerful pack. Without you, I’ll lose strength, and then the pack will lose strength, which might lead to the entire power structure amongst shifters crumbling. If you take the case to them, I’d wager the counselors making up the high court will overturn your win in favor of ensuring the shifter population doesn’t suffer.”

I let out a laugh. It’s an empty, mirthless laugh that conveys without words just how furious I am, just how completely unfair this entire situation is.

I say in a controlled tone, “Considering the vast corruption amongst shifters, I wouldn’t be surprised if you manage to put yourself above laws that you’re responsible for enforcing on others.”

“Which is not the mark of a good leader,” Leisel pitches in between bites of her stew.

I plant a kiss on the crown of her head, wishing she didn’t have to be stuck in the middle of my conflict with Camden.

“The more agreeable you are, the easier this will go,” Camden says, his temper rising. “I have no wish to fight with you. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable.”

“If you expect compliance from me, you’ll be sorely disappointed,” I shoot back. “And you are absolutely being unreasonable. You pulled the rug out from under my carefully constructed life, disregarded the laws that protect me, used my love for my sister against me, and expect me to accept you? Are you blind to how warped that is?”

Camden’s eyes darken. “No, I’m not blind to how unorthodox our situation is, but if nothing else, this should teach you that I’ll do anything to have you. There’s no line I won’t cross, no boundary that’ll keep you away from me.”

I snort. “So I have no free will? What you say goes?”

“No,” Camden snaps. “You’ll have more power than anyone in this realm—the same amount I have. You’ll be a queen.”

“I don’t want to be a queen,” I respond, working to keep my tone even. “I’m not interested in power. I’m not interested in the world of mythics or shifters. I had a good life before you came along and ruined it.”

“A good life?” he scoffs. “You labored like a dog. Pinched every penny. Overworked yourself to the extreme, all while raising a child. You call that a good life?”

I’m surprised by how much he already seems to know about me, but I shouldn’t be. Being who he is, Camden can probably get information on anyone and everyone. What surprises me more is that he isn’t entirely wrong; my life was difficult and laborious, but that didn’t bother me because it was fulfilling.

“I was happy,” I tell him. “I was content in my routine. If you think I’ll be either of those things at your side, you’re delusional.”

Camden seems to wrestle with himself for several minutes, stirring in a tense silence. Finally, he says, “You’ll change your mind. You’ll come to know me, and then you’ll feel differently.”

I tilt my head. “What’s it like living in dreamland? Because in the real world, your words sound ridiculous and more than a little fucking pathetic.” I normally don’t swear in front of Leisel, but I can’t help myself.

Instead of getting angry and storming off like I’d hoped, his lips quirk with amusement. “Sassy, witty, and foul-mouthed. You’re my perfect woman.”

I resist the urge to drop my head in my hands and groan. Instead, I reply, “If you insist on staying here, please don’t make me suffer through talking to you. It’s the least you can do.”

Camden lets out a deep sigh, seals his lips, and finally stands. He walks off, with Wyatt standing to follow behind him after casting one last look at Leisel.