The Wolf's Cub (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 3) Read online

  “I wish we could take the ferry the whole way.”

  Annabelle laughed. “And what happens if we hit a storm? And where would we sleep?”

  “Technicalities,” I said with a wave of my hand. She laughed.

  I glanced over and saw Jasper and Stephen standing at the rail, heads bent together as they talked.

  “What do you think they’re talking about?” I asked Annabelle.

  “Probably the court case.” She sat up and put her hand over her eyes as a visor so she could get a better look.

  “Ugh. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “Are you worried?”

  “A little bit,” I admitted. “If I mess up, Seth could go free.”

  “I’m sure that won’t happen. Would you like to practice your testimony?”

  “I’ve been practicing. Honestly, I’m more worried about the questions that Seth’s defense attorney might ask me.”

  “It doesn’t matter what they ask you,” Annabelle said. “We’re all giving our testimony. With all of us together, there’s no way that Seth is going to go free.”

  “I know that you’re probably right, but I’m still nervous. Seth is clever. You never know what he might try to pull off.”

  “True, but there’s only so much he can do. Remember, the elders saw much of his chaos first hand. If anything, this trial is more to determine the severity of his crimes rather than to determine his guilt.”

  “Do you think?”

  “I do.” She lay back against her chair.

  “Have you ever visited the elders’ castle?”

  She shook her head. “Stephen’s been a few times, of course, but I haven’t. I’ve heard it’s pretty impressive.”

  Jasper and Stephen left the rails of the boat and came to sit with us.

  “I hope the weather is going to be this nice in Sweden,” I said as I adjusted Lowell where he was sleeping on my chest.

  The men exchanged a look and laughed.

  “What?” I asked. “What’s so funny?”

  “I wouldn’t get your hopes too far up, that’s all,” Jasper said.

  Our boat docked and we disembarked and headed to the train. Our group was so large that we filled the entire coach. Jasper and I had first–class bunks that joined together. The rooms weren’t terribly large, but there would be enough room for Lowell and me. Jasper helped me get my luggage squared away in the compartments too high for me to reach. While everyone else got settled in their rooms, I fed Lowell and savored the peace. After he was done, we joined the others in the dining car.

  The train had just begun to depart from the station when we sat down. Once we were moving at a steady pace, servers came around with tea for us. I sat at a table with Annabelle, Hazel, and Daniel as we ate.

  This was my first time in mainland Europe, so I was anxious to watch the scenery go by. Soon enough we left the city, then the small towns, and after a little while we were traveling through trees as we headed north.

  After tea was over, Lowell and Daniel were both beginning to get fussy. Both of them really needed to take naps. Annabelle and I took our little ones to our compartments. I was feeling just about as tired as Lowell was, so I lay us down on our bunk and pulled the blanket up and we fell asleep.

  I was just beginning to wake up when Jasper knocked on the adjoining door. We had decided to leave it unlocked, so he was able to stick his head inside.

  “It’s about time for dinner,” he said. “Are you hungry?”

  I stretched. “Starving,” I said.

  Jasper took Lowell from me while I freshened up, and a few minutes later we were heading down the narrow hallway to the dining room.

  The others were filtering in just as we were entering. Jasper and I sat at a table with Stephen, Annabelle, Adam, and Hazel. The sky had begun to darken. At first I assumed it was because it was starting to get late, but then I realized that clouds had gathered above us. We were halfway through our second course when I noticed it.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I sighed as I glanced out the window. Large, fluffy snowflakes were beginning to fall.

  “I’m not sure what you expected,” Jasper said. “We’re heading north. It’s colder here.”

  “But it was so nice when we left England!” I said.

  “Well, we’re not in England anymore,” Jasper said, amused.

  I slumped in my chair. I was ready for warm weather again, but spring seemed to be taking its time. Now we were back to snow, and it was more than likely only going to get thicker the farther north we went. By the time we made it to Sweden, we’d be knee–deep in it.

  After dessert we all stayed in the dining car. Lowell was passed around between our group, entertaining everyone, until he began to get a little fussy. Once he made it back to me, he was in a full–on wail.

  “I think he’s a little overstimulated,” I told Jasper. “I’m going to put him down.”

  He kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be there in a little bit to say goodnight.”

  I walked with Lowell down to our compartment. I changed him into a fresh diaper and new clothes to sleep in. He fell asleep right after he finished eating, and I nearly dozed off as well until Jasper rapped on the door.

  “Why don’t I take him,” he whispered, trying not to wake the baby. “You can get ready for bed.”

  I stifled a yawn. “Sounds perfect to me,” I said. I carefully passed the baby over, then rummaged through my trunk. I changed into a nightgown, then splashed my face with water from the washbasin. As I toweled off my face, the train slowly came to a stop. I glanced out my window, but it was too dark to see anything. My eyes met Jasper’s, and from the look of tension on his face, it was obvious that this stop was unexpected.

  I twisted my hair back and took Lowell from Jasper.

  “I’ll be right back,” he whispered to me, and I nodded. He quietly left the room, and I sat down on my bunk, pulling Lowell to my chest. My heart was racing. What could be the cause of our unscheduled stop?

  The first thing that flashed through my mind was Seth. Ridiculous, of course; he was in prison in Sweden.

  At least, as far as we knew.

  What if he had escaped? What if he had killed all the elders and was now on the loose, hell–bent on revenge? Or what if he had sent one of his men after us, to ensure we’d never be able to testify against him? Seth was the cause of every horrible thing that had happened since I’d married Jasper, and were I to find out he was the cause of this, I doubt I’d be surprised.

  Through the window I could see flashlights bobbing outside. The beams revealed that the snow was coming down heavily, thick and fast. It was too dark to see exactly what was going on, but the lights all seemed to congregate together before forming a line. Clearly, they were looking for the source of the stop. What would they find? Seth and his conspirators? A body? A bomb? I had no idea. I hoped Jasper wasn’t in danger.

  There was a soft knock on my door and my breath hitched. Stupid, if Seth had boarded the train, he wouldn’t be knocking. Still, I couldn’t breathe until I heard Annabelle’s voice murmur, “Christine?”

  I stood up from the bed and unlatched the door. Annabelle was wrapped in her dressing gown, holding her sleeping toddler in her arms. I stepped aside so she could come in.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, keeping her voice low for the sake of our sleeping sons. “Why have we stopped?”

  “I don’t know. Jasper looked very concerned when we did. We weren’t supposed to stop here.”

  Annabelle crossed to the window and looked outside. “You have a better view here than I do in my room. Everything out my window is just blackness.”

  I tilted my head so I could see better, but the lanterns didn’t illuminate much.

  “Do you think it’s Seth?” I asked, almost dreading her answer.

  She was quiet for a long time, too long. “I don’t know,” she said.

  Annabelle sat down on my sofa and I planted myself on my bunk, and the two of us
waited for our husbands to return. After an eternity, Jasper entered through our adjoining door. His jacket was damp, and white snow still clung to his dark hair.

  “What’s going on?” Annabelle and I asked him.

  “We’re stuck. There’s too much snow on the tracks.”

  My whole body relaxed. “It’s not Seth?”

  “Not unless he’s learned how to control the weather.”

  Relieved, I leaned back against the wall.

  “Did you really think it was Seth?” Jasper asked me.

  I shrugged. “I thought it was a possibility.”

  Jasper came and sat next to me. Despite spending the last half hour in the snow, heat radiated from his body. One of the perks of being a werewolf. He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped his arms around me.

  “I’m sorry that scared you,” he said. “But I promise, it’s not Seth. Just some snow.”

  “That’s good, right?” I asked.

  Jasper grimaced. “It’s not great. We’re stuck here for as long as this snow continues. Could be overnight, could be several days. We have no way of knowing.”

  “We only have a two–day cushion before the trial.” I frowned.

  “Yes, that could be a problem.”

  “What would happen if we didn’t make it?”

  He hesitated. “I’d like to think they’d wait for us. After all, the weather is out of our control. I can’t say for certain that they would, though.”

  “They wouldn’t let a murderer like Seth go, would they?”

  “I don’t think so,” Jasper said, but he didn’t sound positive.

  I glanced nervously at him. Jasper smoothed my hair, then leaned down to give me a gentle kiss.

  “It will be all right,” he promised. “Why don’t you ladies try to get some sleep?”

  Annabelle stood up from the sofa. “That’s probably a good idea. Nothing to be done about it while the snow is still falling. I’ll see you both at breakfast.”

  “Good night,” I told her, and she ducked back out into the hallway.

  Jasper gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Get some sleep, my love. I’ll come get you for breakfast.”

  “I’ll try,” I told him. The rocking of the train had been so peaceful that I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to sleep without it. Nevertheless, once I was tucked into bed and had the lights out, I drifted off to sleep.

  I dreamed of werewolves and snow.

  True to his word, Jasper woke me for breakfast the next morning. I changed and fed Lowell, and Jasper tended to him while I got dressed and got myself ready.

  “The snow has stopped,” I remarked as I glanced out the window.

  “Yes, just about an hour ago,” Jasper said. “I can’t imagine we’ll be stopped too much longer.”

  “That’s good news, at least,” I said.

  “We’ve lost about twelve hours, but it could always be worse. We’ll still arrive with plenty of time before the trial. Luckily we don’t have to catch a connection.”

  We met up with the others in the dining car. Snow had blown up against the windows, and frost had spread across the glass. Despite the cold outside, breakfast was served warm, with plenty of tea and a crumb cake that melted in my mouth.

  As Jasper had predicted, we began moving again within the hour. I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the snow–covered trees go by. We weren’t going to miss the trial, and Seth wasn’t going to go free.

  Hopefully.

  As long as I didn’t mess up.

  There were no more delays for the rest of our journey. We all spent most of our time in the dining car; it was the only place big enough for us to all come together. Daniel and Alice played with their toys in the center of the room while their mothers looked on, and Lowell spent another day being passed between his fawning fans. Annabelle had thought to bring cards, and so we switched off playing while the men sat at another table talking politics.

  We were originally supposed to arrive in Stockholm in the early afternoon, but thanks to our delay, that was pushed back to past midnight. I didn’t change out of my clothes, knowing we’d be disembarking, but after I fed Lowell, I nodded off. I was woken by Jasper.

  “Christine,” he whispered. “Wake up. We’re here.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was pitch black when we disembarked the train. Torches burned in the station as we huddled together against the cold. I pulled Lowell to my chest as the men unloaded our luggage, piling it up beside us. The station was nearly empty, our party the only one there at this time of night. I yawned and sat down on a bench while the last of our luggage was brought off the train.

  I was concerned we’d have to wait a while for someone to come collect us, but as soon as Jasper stepped off the train, there were carriages waiting. In the dark of night we climbed into the coaches, Jasper holding my hand so that I didn’t trip in the blackness. We settled into the corner of the carriage, my head against the wall, and soon Annabelle and Stephen climbed in as well. After ensuring that no man was left behind, Jasper followed suit, and we were off to the galloping of the horses.

  I wanted to be able to observe the scenery, but outside the carriage was nothing but darkness. An assessment of the Swedish landscape would have to wait until the sun rose. Clouds had cleared enough for the moon to shine brightly, reflecting back on the water we passed. I couldn’t tell if it was a river or a lake, but it rippled in the silver moonlight.

  “How far of a ride do we have?” I murmured to Jasper as I shifted in the seat.

  “About three hours,” he said, and I sighed. It would be dawn by the time we arrived. I curled up against Jasper, Lowell pulled up against my chest. Between the two of them, I was warm enough that I didn’t need a blanket. I dozed off a little, but the roads were rough, bouncing us up and down. I gave up trying to sleep; I’d get some rest once we arrived at the castle. For now I just sat in the darkness, watching the silhouettes of the trees go by in the light of the moon. The trees here were just as thick as the ones at Wolf’s Peak. Who knew what they hid.

  The sun began to rise, creating a beautiful orange and pink horizon. The trees were dark against the colors, tall pines stretching up toward the sky. A thin layer of frozen snow blanketed the ground. We passed rivers and lakes that glowed the same colors as the sky they reflected. Stone ruins dotted the landscape, breaking up the rolling green hills that interspersed the forests. It really was beautiful here, and the untouched land held an aura of ancient secrets. I sat up a little bit straighter to get a better view now that the sun was up.

  Despite the snow, the deciduous trees were budding, small bulbs of green and pink sprouting on the gray branches. The sky was clear as the sun rose, the lack of cloud coverage making the air crisp. My breath made puffs of steam in the carriage, and I huddled up against Jasper for warmth.

  Our carriage crossed a stone bridge over a wide river before coming to a stop. I wasn’t quite asleep, but Jasper still needed to rouse me anyway. I held onto Lowell with one hand while stretching with the other. My body felt tense, and I was anxious to get out of the carriage and walk around a bit.

  Jasper helped me out of the carriage, and for the first time I caught a glimpse of the elders’ castle. It was a medieval monstrosity, stretching tall and wide within the forest, with massive turrets on each corner of the castle. Ivy stretched up the stone walls, weaving in between the narrow windows. This was the type of castle that had been built as a citadel, not as a luxury residence.

  While the men unloaded the carriages, Annabelle, Hazel, and I huddled together. After a moment half a dozen servants came from the house to assist the men with the luggage, and they brought everything inside, ushering us to follow after them. Together, we stepped under the marble archway into the castle.

  Just like the outside, the entire inside was built of stone, with rounded walls and arched doorways. A thick red rug covered the cold floors, and an impossibly wide and grandiose staircase led up to the second level. Suits of armor stood at at
tention against the tapestries on the walls. Hallways spun off of the entry. To our left was a small side room, a crackling fire burning tall in the grandiose fireplace. Through this doorway a tall, thin, ancient man came to greet us. I recognized him from the last time I had met the elders. There, I hadn’t caught his name, but now Jasper referred to him as Benedict, the elder of Great Britain.

  “I’m so pleased you made it all right,” Benedict said. He wore a heavy, dark blue robe with gold trim, and clutched his bony, wrinkled hands in front of him. Jasper gave him a slight bow as they met.

  “It was a long journey, but I’m glad we’re here,” he answered.

  “I will have Ms. Skarsgaard show you to your rooms,” Benedict said. “I’m sure you’re exhausted from traveling all night. Please, take the day to relax before we begin the trial tomorrow. We do ask, though, that you all try to make it for dinner.”

  “We would be more than happy to do that,” Jasper said.

  A small woman entered from the opposite direction and came alongside Benedict. Though they had to be close in age, with their equal number of wrinkles and hair that had turned silver long ago, they couldn’t be more physically opposite, as she was short and stout.

  “If you’ll come with me, dears,” she said, her English heavy with her Scandinavian accent. “I’ve sent the servants up with your trunks already.”

  We followed Ms. Skarsgaard up the tall staircase, and she led us under an archway to a long hallway. She let us each into our rooms. Mine was somewhat in the middle of the hallway, sandwiched between Jasper’s and Bridget’s.

  There was already a fire roaring in both of the elaborate stone fireplaces. My room was sectioned into two parts. The first was a sitting area, with chairs and a sofa surrounding the fire. The second, inner part of the room was the bedroom, with a large four–poster bed piled high with pillows and blankets. A doorway to the left of this room led to a small bathroom that included a tall claw–foot tub. After the days of travel we’d had, both the bed and tub looked equally comfortable.

  Before anything, Lowell needed to eat. He was beginning to fuss and make his hungry face. I fed him while Bridget unpacked my trunk, putting everything away in the wide, ornate wardrobe. Once he was full and had drifted off to sleep, Bridget ran a bath for me. I laid Lowell down on the center of the bed, and Bridget promised to keep an eye on him while I relaxed. I cleaned away the dirt and grime from my body and lingered in the tub until I was sure I was going to fall asleep in the water. Once I found the energy to pull myself out, I wrapped my body in a soft dressing gown and stepped out into the bedroom.