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

  There was no answer at the door, so I tried the handle. It was locked fast. I stood there for a minute, not sure what to do. I didn’t like Jasper wandering around the castle at night, not when Seth was chained up here. I knew that my husband was strong and brave, but I was neither of those things, and terrified of losing him.

  “Christine?”

  I was so startled, having been lost in my own mind, that I nearly screamed. When I saw Jasper step from the shadows, my heart steadied. I breathed.

  “There you are!” I hissed, sounding annoyed but really feeling very relieved instead. “Where have you been?”

  Jasper put his arm around my shoulder and began to guide me back down the hallway.

  “Let’s get to your room,” he whispered, careful not to wake our sleeping son. He bent down and picked up the lantern, and held it out in front of us as we walked to my quarters. Jasper opened the door softly and we passed through the seating area into the bedroom.

  “Where were you?” I asked again, and Jasper put a finger to his lips, nodding toward the baby.

  I raised my eyebrows at him, letting him know that he was not getting away with not telling me.

  “I went to go see Seth,” he said.

  “You did what now?” I asked. That had not been the answer I was expecting.

  His shoulders fell. “I wanted to talk to him, brother to brother, before the trial tomorrow.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed. “How did that go?”

  “Not well.”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “Not at all. Still, I thought I’d try to make amends before the elders decided his fate.”

  “What did he say to that?”

  “He used some very choice words to indicate that I was only doing this to soothe my own conscience. Honestly, he’s probably right.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to soothe your conscience,” I said after a minute. “What’s wrong with wanting to make sure you did everything you possibly could do?”

  He came and sat next to me, kissing me on the forehead. “This is why I love you.”

  “I alleviate your guilt?”

  “Far from it! But at the very least, you make me feel guilty about the things I should feel guilty about, no more and no less.”

  “I didn’t realize that was a desirable trait.”

  He rested his head against mine. “It keeps me grounded.”

  “You were grounded already.”

  “Perhaps. But now I have a beautiful wife and an adorable son. It would be easy for my ego to become inflated.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Here, let me see him,” Jasper said, holding his arms out.

  I passed Lowell over to Jasper. Father cradled son in his arms. I never got tired of the look of adoration that Jasper gave to our baby. Somehow, it was an even purer love than what he felt for me. I didn’t mind.

  Jasper stood up, gently rocking and bouncing the baby, singing to him under his breath. These two were my entire world. If anything were to happen to them, I would be left with nothing. They were my whole reason for being. I needed to protect them in whatever way I could, including giving a successful testimony.

  “You can lie down, if you like,” Jasper said. “No point in both of us being awake.”

  “No,” I said. Jasper tilted his head at me, confused. “I need to go see Seth.”

  Jasper raised his eyebrows, and his mouth fell open in surprise. “You want to do what?”

  I stood up from the bed. “I want to go see Seth.”

  “Christine, that is a horrible idea.”

  “It’s not, though,” I insisted.

  Jasper sat down in one of the chairs by the window. “Please, explain your logic.”

  “Tomorrow, I have to give my testimony, right? So I need to be clearheaded. I can’t be overly emotional. I can’t come across as hysterical. But I might be, if the first time I’ve seen Seth in months is in front of everyone. If I go see him tonight, I can get all that anger and rage out before I take the stand.”

  Jasper thought about it for a long time, staring into the fire. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, he spoke.

  “Christine, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “You know how Seth is,” he said. “I don’t want him getting into your head and making you doubt yourself.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  “You can’t promise that. I’ve known Seth my entire life. He’s manipulative. You may not even realize what he’s done until you’re standing in front of the jury tomorrow.

  “It won’t be like that,” I promised. “Please. Let me go down there. Let me yell and scream and cry. Let me get out all those emotions so that I don’t show them on the stand tomorrow.”

  Jasper sighed. “I’m going to maintain that this is a horrible idea. But if it’s what you really want to do—”

  “It is.”

  “Then we can go.”

  I nodded. “Thank you,” I said.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Jasper said. “Let’s see if Bridget can watch him while we go.”

  I pulled my dressing gown tighter around me and waited while Jasper stood up. His mouth was pressed into a tight line. This was not something he wanted to do, but it was something I needed to do.

  We stepped out into the hallway and Jasper knocked on the door on the other side of mine. After a few moments Daisy appeared at the doorway, yawning.

  “Yes, ma’am?” she asked.

  “I need Bridget,” I said.

  Daisy’s face flushed. “Um, she’s not here, my lady.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course not.” I turned to Jasper. “Which room is Conor and Adam staying in?”

  “Two more down,” he said, shaking his head. At least this seemed to have brought a smile to his face.

  We walked down the couple of extra rooms until we landed at the right door. Jasper knocked, and we heard a commotion from inside.

  “Oi, just a minute,” Conor called out. A minute later he opened the door, wearing only pants, completely shirtless. Now I understood why Bridget liked him so much.

  “Bridget?” I asked.

  He took a deep breath, like he was about to protest, but I raised a brow at him. “We already know she’s here.”

  Bridget appeared behind him. “Yes, my lady?” She didn’t look nearly as embarrassed as her fiancé.

  “Can you watch him for a few moments?” I asked, motioning to Lowell.

  “I’d love to,” she said, taking him from Jasper’s arms. “What are you up to?”

  “We’re going over some things for the trial,” I told her. It wasn’t a lie, per se. I didn’t really want to deal with more people trying to talk me out of this. “My room is open if he needs a new diaper or anything.”

  Bridget cradled him in her arms. “I’m sure we’ll be just fine,” she said.

  Jasper and I started off down the hall. I held the lantern out in front of us as shadows danced across the floor and the walls.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “This way,” Jasper said, pointing down a black hallway. We moved slowly. I didn’t want to trip over anything, and I certainly didn’t want to wake anyone. Jasper guided me to a small, arched doorway that led to a set of stone stairs. We descended them cautiously. The lower we got, the colder and more humid the air became. Down here it smelled like earth and mildew. I wrinkled my nose.

  The floor here wasn’t stone like it was in the rest of the castle, but rather packed dirt. I was thankful I had thought to put on slippers, though they’d surely be dirty when we got back to my room.

  We were underneath the castle now, traversing a series of twisting tunnels lit only by torches flickering on the walls. We paused at a fork. There was one door to our right, and another to our left. We chose the door to the left.

  “What’s through the other door?” I asked.

  “Tha
t’s where they keep the rest of the prisoners.”

  “The rest?”

  “Seth’s henchmen, and other men awaiting trial. The elders put Seth in solitary. He was too dangerous to be in a cell with someone else.”

  Jasper greeted the guard, who let us through with a nod. The guard pulled out a heavy ring of keys and unlocked the thick wooden door. We crossed the threshold into the elders’ prison, a hallway lined with silver cages.

  Seth’s cell was at the very far end of the hallway on the left side. I saw a shadow move while we approached. He was sitting up on his dingy mattress when we approached.

  “Back for round two?” he asked, looking at us through greasy dark hair.

  “This wasn’t my choice,” Jasper said, motioning to me.

  Seth tilted his head at me. “You brought the whore.”

  “Seth—” Jasper warned, but I cut him off.

  “Seth,” I said, stepping forward. “You’re looking mangy.”

  “Where’s the spawn? Last time I saw you, you were swollen like a pig.”

  “The baby is safe.”

  “A pity. I was hoping that our little adventure would have caused a stillbirth.”

  “Charming as ever,” I said, keeping my voice steady, though my heart was beating fast and I was sure he could hear it.

  “At least I’m no liar,” he said, his eyes flicking to his brother.

  I laughed, the sound filling the nearly empty room. “You think you’re not a liar? You have hardly spoken a word of truth since I met you. You lied about your true intentions for returning to Wolf’s Peak. You lied about trying to poison me. And not only that, but you’ve tried to kill me on several occasions, so don’t you dare try to pull the superiority card here.”

  “Fine,” Seth said, throwing his arms in the air. “I’m the bad guy. So why are you here?”

  I stepped closer, probably too close, but I didn’t care. “I’m here to tell you that tomorrow, I’m going to ensure that, at the very least, you’re going to stay behind bars forever.”

  He grinned at me, showing off pointed white teeth. “Is that what you think?”

  “That’s what I know.”

  Seth stood up from his bed and crossed his cage, the only separation a set of silver bars. “You come down here, and you talk tough. But I think you’re scared, right? You’ve come down here to reassure yourself that you have no reason to be afraid of me. You’re just a sad little mewling quim, and you’re stupid if you think you’re going to be able to keep me locked up.”

  I stepped closer to him. “And you know what I think? I think that you’re the one who’s scared, because you know that there’s no way for you to talk your way out of this one.”

  He clutched at the bars of his cell, his skin hissing as it came in contact with the burning silver. “I’m not scared. I’m excited.

  “Suicidal, perhaps.”

  He shook his head. “You have no idea what you’re in for.”

  “You talk big, but tomorrow, I’m going to tell everyone what you did to me. They’ll know everything.”

  Seth tried to reach through the bars, his fingers lingering on my dressing gown. “Everything?”

  I took a step back. “Everything. I’ll see you hung.”

  Seth shook his head. “You’ve chosen a violent one, haven’t you, Jasper? Though, I hear you didn’t have much say in the matter. Imprinting, right? Whoever would have thought that a silly fairy tale from our childhood would turn out to be true.”

  “You’re a werewolf,” I pointed out.

  He tilted his head again, as if he were trying to study me. “And how is that sitting with you? You married a werewolf, gave birth to a werewolf. What if he turns out to be like me?”

  “He won’t.”

  “But what if?”

  “I would never raise my son to treat others the way you do,” I said. My voice was rising in volume, becoming shakier. Jasper put a hand on my arm.

  “Come on, Christine. I think we should go.”

  “Yes,” Seth said. “Goodnight, Christine.”

  “Fine,” I said, looking up at Jasper. “I’ve said everything I wanted to say anyway.”

  Jasper took my hand and we began walking away before Seth called out.

  “Say hello to your son, will you? Lowell, is it? I’m sure he’s beautiful. Would be a shame if something were to happen to him.”

  I lost it. I whirled around, storming back down the hallway to his bars, where he sat grinning, hands still burning around the silver bars.

  “Don’t you touch my son,” I hissed.

  “Didn’t say I was going to.”

  “Don’t you dare—”

  Jasper took my arm. “Christine, come on. Let’s go.”

  “If you touch a hair on his head—”

  “Christine, he can’t. He’s locked up.”

  “I swear to God—”

  I was still shouting as Jasper dragged me from the prison.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jasper roused me the next morning. It took me a few minutes to get my bearings, since I hadn’t slept well. I’d hoped that meeting with Seth would help me sleep better, not worse, but Jasper had been right. It had been a bad idea.

  Someone had brought us some breakfast, and the smell of the tea was what finally woke me. I pulled myself from my bed and changed Lowell’s diaper, trying not to wake him. When I was done I propped myself back against the headboard of the bed to feed him, sipping at my tea as he ate. I still wasn’t fully awake, but I was trying.

  “Are you all right?” Jasper asked me as I gently set the teacup back on the saucer.

  I yawned. “Fine, I suppose.”

  “Nervous?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiled at me. “You’ll do great,” he promised.

  I stroked Lowell’s hair, the motion comforting me more than him. “I hope you’re right.”

  Lowell finished eating, and my hands shook as I changed him into a new outfit. I took a deep breath to steady myself, but it didn’t work.

  “Here, let me,” Jasper said, taking him gently from my arms. Jasper cradled the baby, speaking softly to him as I finished my breakfast. I forced myself to eat, knowing we had a full day ahead of us, but my stomach was uneasy. I picked at my crumpet until I finally had no more will to try to eat.

  I climbed off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom as Jasper went to fetch Bridget. I looked at myself in the mirror. My reflection was haggard, with dark circles and sallow skin. That wouldn’t do. I couldn’t let Seth see that he had gotten to me. Perhaps Bridget could help.

  I stepped out of the bathroom. She had set out clothes for me, that pale blue dress, a slip, hairpin, and slippers. I carefully climbed into the clothes. Bridget buttoned up the gown, and secured a choker around the lace collar. We stepped to the mirror and she pulled my hair back, twisting it, and fastening it with the hairpin.

  “Do you think you can fix this?” I asked, motioning to my face.

  “Fix what?”

  “My face.”

  She looked at me in our reflection. “I don’t understand.”

  “The bags under my eyes. Can you get rid of those?”

  “I think so,” she said. She vanished to her room to get her cosmetics, then returned to work her magic on me. I sat down in a chair while she applied the cream under my eyes. She smoothed it carefully over my face, then added a touch of rouge to give my cheeks some color. Finally, she took a step back, smiling.

  “All better,” she said. I leaned around her to glance in the mirror.

  “What am I going to do without you?” I sighed. Despite the abundance of makeup that she had worn while living on the streets, Bridget had never used that heavy hand on me. It looked completely natural, although now anyone who glanced at me would assume I had actually gotten sleep.

  Jasper had been waiting in the sitting area, and poked his head in the room. “Are you ready?”

  I took another glance in the mirror and nodded, smoot
hing my hands on my skirt. “Yes. I’m ready.”

  Because Ingrid wasn’t testifying, she was available to watch the little ones while the rest of us went to the courtroom. We dropped Lowell off at her room, and she promised to come get me if there were any problems or if he needed to eat.

  Jasper took my arm as we shut the door behind us. He gently kissed me on the lips, holding me protectively in his strong arms. He rested his forehead against mine, looking deep into my eyes. “You’re going to be brilliant,” he said.

  I swallowed. “Thank you.”

  He pulled me close under his arms and we continued down the hallway. We took a back staircase to the main floor. I clutched the back of his jacket, taking a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Where to now?”

  He motioned to one of the side corridors. We followed it past the library again, turning to the right. We ended up in a lobby of some sort, a rounded room filled with chairs that all faced a tall set of double doors. Most of our party was already gathered there, and they greeted us as we walked in.

  “Everyone ready?” I asked, exhaling. There were nods around the room, but no one looked completely at ease. Even the men’s wives, who were not testifying, didn’t say much.

  Jasper guided me over to an empty settee and we sat together. The clock over the doorway showed that we had just about five minutes left until our trial began. I clutched Jasper’s hands tightly, trying to squeeze away my anxiety. He wouldn’t mind. He was tough.

  I pinched my lips together nervously as Jasper leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. He knew I was still nervous, but he wasn’t saying anything because he didn’t want to draw attention to it. Instead, he sat comfortingly by my side.

  At exactly eight o’clock, the double doors opened and Benedict stepped out. “You may enter,” he said.

  The room was large, with an arched ceiling and stained glass windows. In the back of the room where we entered were rows of pews divided into two sections. In front of us was the judge’s bench and the witness stand. Because Benedict was the elder of Great Britain, he’d be sitting on the bench, overseeing the proceedings. The rest of the men would fill the jury, to the right.