Royal Wolf Box Set by Haley Weir

Chapter Eighteen

Holly had fallen sound asleep in her mother’s arms, and Cassandra, in turn, had fallen asleep in Rubius’ arms. The little family slept soundly and comfortably in the peace of the forest until the morning came much too soon. It wasn’t the bright light of sunshine coming between the tree branches that woke them; it was Aeron’s voice standing over them.

“It’s time to go,” Aeron said as gently as he could so as not to startle the still-sleeping baby.

“Has something happened?” Cassandra asked as she tried to open her squinting eyes.

“No, but there are questions being asked. People in the castle are growing restless and curious about why they haven’t seen you.”

“Okay,” she said as she handed Rubius the child and got to her feet.

She turned to kiss Rubius as he held their daughter against his chest between them.

“Rubius, I think it will raise suspicion if you appear inside the castle this morning. It would be best if you walk to the castle alone and come through the city to get there, and I will take Cassandra and the baby back through the secret corridor. That way, it will look as if she’s been in her room the entire time.”

Rubius nodded at Aeron. He didn’t like it, but he understood the reason for doing things this way, and he was grateful for the night they had been gifted. He kissed Holly on the top of her tiny head as her eyes fluttered open and she woke up to see the face of her father looking down at her. Then he handed the baby to Cassandra. Before she turned to leave with Aeron, Rubius held fast to her free hand.

“I will be there,” he said to her. “No matter where you are in that city, know that I will be there too.”

“I know,” Cassandra smiled.

Aeron could tell that it was difficult for the two of them to separate, especially right now, so freshly after their child had just been brought into the world. But if this was going to work, and the kingdom and packs were going to retain peace with the humans, then they all had a part to play and they each had to play it well. Even Holly would someday have to play her part.

Aeron led Cassandra back toward the corridor as Rubius headed toward the main gate to the city.

When they got inside the castle, Cassandra headed straight into Theo’s room to show him his new little sister.

“Father told me she was a girl!” Theo said excitedly. “See? I knew it. She already liked me even before she came out. It’s because of all the stories that I read to her. She will remember them as she gets older and I will read her more.”

Cassandra beamed.

“Holly will love that,” she said. “You must always remember that you are the big brother now. You have a very important job to do.”

“What is it?” he asked. His brows were fixed into a serious expression as he waited for his mother’s answer.

“You must always protect your sister,” Cassandra said. “That’s what brothers do.”

“Okay,” he said. “I can do that.”

“I know you can.”

Cassandra caught sight of a peering eye and the hem of a dress peeking from around the doorway.

“Come in,” she said as she smiled. “It’s okay, Marquette. You can come in and see the baby, too.”

Marquette stepped into the room at the queen’s invitation. She had always been a bit timid and felt a bit out of place at the castle. Even sometimes with Theo, although they were the best of friends, she felt uneasy and got a feeling in her stomach that felt like butterflies having a fistfight.

Marquette looked at the adorable baby in Cassandra’s arms.

“Its hair is so red,” she exclaimed innocently as she looked up at the dark hair on the heads of both the king and queen.

Marquette must have immediately realized that she blurted out something that she shouldn’t have because she glanced up to see Theo’s scorning look at her. She needed to be more careful; she had promised him not to blow the secret.

Cassandra didn’t seem to think anything of it, other than Marquette being a curious child who was making a simple observation.

“Yes,” she said. “Isn’t it beautiful? It must be from my great-grandmother’s side. There was a lot of red hair in the female lines of my family ancestry.”

Aeron didn’t know if that was true or not, but he assumed that Cassandra had made it up to be a convincing lie that would stop people from questioning them about Holly’s hair color, which was very obviously not a match to either of theirs.

“Come,” Aeron said as he reached out his hands to both his wife and son. “Let’s go introduce the new princess to the kingdom.”

Marquette disappeared into another room to play, while Theo walked with his parents to the front of the castle. He occasionally looked up to see his sister’s gurgling face as they got ready to make the royal announcement to the crowd that had gathered outside of the palace gates. When they stepped outside, there were many more people than any of them had expected, and both Cassandra and Theo felt overwhelmed by all the eyes staring back at them. Aeron grabbed his wife’s hand in his to reassure her that everything was fine as he addressed the crowds. While he spoke, Cassandra scanned the mass of people with her eyes to find Rubius. It didn’t take her long to see him standing close by, just off to her right side.

“I would like to present the Princess Holly, our new daughter and heir to the throne alongside her brother, Theo.”

The crowd roared.