THE RISE OF THE WOLF KING

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The Life She Had Before Me

I woke with a crown on the floor and another man’s scent clinging to my mate.

For several long moments, I lay motionless beneath the tangled sheets, staring at the carved beams above my bed while the previous night returned to me in broken pieces.

My father’s blood on the ceremonial stone.

The weight of Dios del Sol entering my bones.

Hundreds of wolves bowing.

Carmen standing near the kitchen doors with torchlight glowing against her dark skin.

Mate.

The word settled inside me again, powerful enough to stir my wolf from sleep.

Then I remembered the young man who had approached her after I escorted her away from the celebration.

He had been tall and lean, with sun-browned skin, dark hair tied at the nape of his neck, and the unmistakable scent of horses worked permanently into his clothes. He had pushed through the servants gathered outside the kitchen, his eyes fixed on Carmen with concern.

He had reached for her.

Not carelessly.

Not as a stranger offering assistance.

He had touched the small of her back with the familiarity of someone who had done it many times before.

Carmen had stepped away quickly, but not before I smelled his scent on her dress.

Not before I saw the hurt on his face.

I sat upright.

Pain split through my skull.

The enchanted wine had apparently decided I was not immortal after all.

A quiet knock sounded against my door.

“Enter.”

Carlos stepped inside carrying two cups and wearing the same formal trousers from the night before. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair stood in several directions, and there was a faint smear of green fabric dye across his cheek from Lucía’s dress.

He handed me one of the cups.

“What is this?”

“Doña Isolde’s cure.”

I smelled it.

The liquid carried notes of bitter herbs, burnt roots, and something that might have once been an onion.

“It smells poisonous.”

“She promised it would cure the consequences of enchanted wine.”

“Did she say it would do so by killing us?”

“She was unclear.”

Carlos drank from his cup and immediately gagged.

I watched him suffer.

“Better?”

“No.”

I set mine aside.

“Coward,” he muttered.

“You stole the wine.”

“You drank it.”

“You placed it in my hand.”

“You are Alpha now. You must take responsibility for your choices.”

I looked at him.

Carlos lowered himself into the chair beside my bed. “You are also responsible for ordering the stablemaster’s son to release your mate.”

“I did not order him to do anything.”

“You growled at him until he removed his hand.”

“He was touching her.”

“He was helping her walk.”

“She can walk without his assistance.”

“Perhaps she was dizzy. She discovered her mate before several hundred people and learned in the same moment that half of them objected to the color of her skin.”

The memory destroyed what little humor remained in me.

“She should not have been forced to experience that.”

“No,” Carlos agreed. “She should not have.”

I swung my feet onto the floor and reached for the trousers lying across the bench.

“Who is he?”

Carlos did not pretend ignorance. “Tomás Vega. Head stable boy.”

“He is young to hold the position.”

“His father was killed by rogues last winter. Tomás took over his duties.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Is he a good man?”

Carlos studied me. “Would you prefer that he wasn’t?”

“I asked you a question.”

“He works hard. He sends part of his wages to his mother and younger sisters. Your father trusts him with his stallions, and Lucía says he has never spoken cruelly to anyone.”

I pulled on my trousers with more force than necessary.

Carlos leaned back in the chair. “Very unfortunate.”

“What is?”

“He appears to be a good man.”

“For him, perhaps.”

“For you. Hating him would have been much easier if he kicked puppies and stole from old women.”

My wolf pushed against my skin, irritated by the thought of Tomás touching anything that belonged to us.

Carmen does not belong to you, I reminded him.

The wolf did not agree.

Neither, if I were honest, did the newest and ugliest corner of myself.

“She is dating him,” I said.

“They have been spending time together.”

“That was not my question.”

“No, but it is the only answer I have.”

“Find a better one.”

Carlos raised his eyebrows. “Are you giving your first official order as Alpha?”

“I am asking my best friend to tell me why another man smells like my mate.”

“Then ask Carmen.”

I fastened my trousers and reached for a clean shirt.

“I intend to.”

“After breakfast.”

“Now.”

“It is barely sunrise.”

“She will be awake.”

“How would you know?”

“I can feel her.”

The admission silenced us both.

The bond between Carmen and me had not been completed. We had not marked one another, nor had we exchanged vows before the pack. Yet I felt her presence at the edge of my awareness, distant but unmistakable.

She was awake.

And anxious.

Her unease moved through me like a thread pulled too tightly.

Carlos followed me into the corridor.

The pack house was quieter than I had ever known it. Wilted flowers lay across the courtyard stones, abandoned cups rested beneath the tables, and several warriors slept against the outer wall. Servants moved among the remnants of the celebration, gathering dishes and sweeping away crushed garlands.

Every person we passed stopped working to bow.

“Good morning, Alpha.”

The title followed me down the stairs.

Yesterday, I had dreamed of hearing it.

This morning, it felt like another obstacle between Carmen and me.

We found Lucía near the servants’ wing, helping an elderly woman carry folded linens. She looked far more rested than either Carlos or I deserved.

Her expression softened when she saw her mate.

Then she noticed me.

“You are not going into the women’s quarters.”

“I need to speak with Carmen.”

“You can speak with her somewhere else.”

“She is my mate.”

“And the women living inside those rooms deserve privacy.”

Carlos smiled sleepily. “This is why she will make an excellent mother.”

The folded linens slipped in Lucía’s arms.

She caught them quickly, but I saw the same strange expression that had crossed her face during the celebration.

Carlos did not.

He leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Lucía turned away under the excuse of handing the linens to the older servant.

Something was different about her scent. There was a faint sweetness beneath the lavender oil she wore, so subtle that I might not have noticed it before receiving the Alpha bond.

I looked at her more closely.

Lucía avoided my eyes.

She knew.

I was nearly certain of it.

Whether Carlos would discover it today or months from now belonged to them. I would not steal the moment from her.

“Where can I speak with Carmen?” I asked.

“The eastern garden,” Lucía said. “I will bring her to you.”

“I can find her myself.”

“I know.” Her gaze became pointed. “Wait in the garden.”

Carlos touched my shoulder. “When a woman uses that voice, obedience is the safest choice.”

“You obey no one.”

“I obey Lucía constantly.”

Lucía and I stared at him.

He reconsidered. “Occasionally.”

The eastern garden rested between the servants’ wing and the oldest portion of the pack house. It was smaller than my mother’s formal gardens, with no marble fountains or carefully trimmed hedges. Herbs grew in rough wooden boxes beside rows of squash, peppers, beans, and tomatoes. A narrow path led to an old live oak whose branches shaded a simple stone bench.

Carmen entered several minutes later.

She had changed from the cream dress she wore during the coronation into a plain brown work dress with a white apron. Her thick black curls were gathered beneath a pale scarf, although several coils framed her face. Morning sunlight warmed her deep brown skin and caught in her eyes.

My wolf quieted the moment he saw her.

Carmen stopped several feet away and lowered her head.

“Alpha.”

The title sounded wrong in her voice.

“Enrique.”

Her eyes lifted. “You are the Alpha.”

“And you are my mate.”

“That does not make you less of an Alpha.”

“No, but I would like it to make me Enrique when we are alone.”

She folded her hands in front of her. Her fingers were work-roughened, and a thin red cut crossed her palm from the tray she dropped the night before.

I wanted to take her hand.

I wanted to bring it to my mouth, kiss the wound, and ask who had failed to bandage it properly.

Instead, I remained where I was.

“Enrique,” she said softly.

My name in her voice did something dangerous to my heart.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For kneeling last night. You did not have to do that.”

“Yes, I did.”

Her mouth curved slightly. It was not a complete smile, but it was enough to make me want another.

“You are accustomed to getting your way,” she said.

“I became Alpha less than twelve hours ago.”

“You were the heir for eighteen years before that.”

“I am not certain what you have heard about me.”

“That you once rode your horse into the great hall because your father told you the animal was not properly trained.”

“That story has been exaggerated.”

“Did you ride the horse into the hall?”

“Yes.”

“During a council meeting?”

“It was the most effective way to prove my point.”

This time, she smiled fully.

The sight struck me harder than the transfer of Alpha power.

Carmen’s beauty had stunned me the night before, but her smile changed her entire face. It was warm and unguarded, carrying a sweetness that made the morning seem brighter.

Then the smile disappeared.

“I need to explain something to you.”

“Tomás.”

Her eyes widened. “How do you know about him?”

“I saw him touch you.”

“He was worried.”

“He touched you.”

Carmen’s eyebrows drew together.

The bond carried the first spark of her irritation into my chest.

“He has touched me before.”

My wolf snarled.

I forced him back.

“How many times?”

“That is not your concern.”

“You are my mate.”

“And yesterday morning, I did not know you.”

The words stopped me.

Carmen held my gaze despite the power surrounding me. She was gentle, but she was not weak. There was something steady beneath her softness, like deep roots beneath quiet earth.

“You are right,” I said.

Her expression shifted. “I am?”

“You had a life before the Goddess decided to place me in it. I would still like to know about him.”

Carmen walked toward the live oak. I followed her but allowed several steps to remain between us.

“Tomás was the first person who was kind to me when I arrived,” she said. “I became lost while carrying linens to the western rooms. He found me crying near the stables and walked me back.”

“You were crying because you were lost?”

“I had been here for three days. The pack house is enormous, everyone moved as if they knew exactly where they belonged, and I was afraid the head housekeeper would send me home.”

Something tightened in my chest.

“Where is home?”

“A small pack southeast of here called Luna Creek.”

I knew the name, though I had never visited. Luna Creek held a narrow stretch of land near the human settlements, with fewer than seventy wolves and no strong warriors among them. They survived by keeping to themselves.

“How did you come to Dios del Sol?”

“My parents sent me.”

Her hands twisted together.

“My father tends orchards. My mother cooks for our Alpha’s family. They are good people, but Luna Creek has little work and too many mouths to feed. When word reached us that Dios del Sol needed servants for the coronation, my mother wrote to someone she knew in your kitchens.”

“You came here for the celebration?”

“I came here for a better life.”

There was no self-pity in the statement.

Only hope.

“My parents believed that if I worked hard, I might earn a permanent place here. Dios del Sol pays servants more in one month than my mother earns in three. I can send part of my wages home. My younger sisters might have proper winter shoes. My brother may be able to train under a real blacksmith instead of working in the orchards.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Two weeks.”

Two weeks.

My mate had lived beneath my roof for fourteen days, and I had not known.

“You sleep in the servants’ quarters?”

“With five other women.”

“You will move.”

The warmth vanished from her face.

“No.”

“Carmen—”

“I will not be moved into your chambers because the Goddess chose me.”

“My chambers are safer.”

“The servants’ quarters are not dangerous.”

“You would have privacy.”

“I would have people whispering that I climbed into your bed before learning your favorite food.”

“I do not care what they whisper.”

“I do.”

I stared at her.

Carmen’s voice remained gentle, but every word held its ground.

“I have been here for two weeks,” she continued. “Most of the people in this pack do not know my name. Last night, they learned it because their Alpha knelt before me. Today, if I move into your chambers, they will believe they were right to think I do not belong beside you.”

“They will question your place no matter where you sleep.”

“Then I will give them fewer weapons to use against me.”

Her reasoning frustrated me because it was sound.

“What does Tomás have to do with your plans?”

Pain moved through the unfinished bond.

“He asked me to walk with him after supper four times. We sat near the creek and talked. Two nights ago, he asked if he could court me properly.”

“And you accepted.”

“Yes.”

The answer came quietly.

My claws threatened to emerge.

Carmen noticed.

“I did not betray you.”

“I know.”

“I did not know you existed.”

“I know.”

“Then please stop looking as if you intend to tear down the stables.”

“I am not looking at the stables.”

“You are looking through me toward them.”

I dragged my attention back to her.

“How do you feel about him?”

“He is kind.”

“So you have said.”

“He listens. He makes me laugh. He helped me feel less alone.”

“That is not what I asked.”

Carmen lowered her eyes.

“I care about him.”

Jealousy moved through me so violently that the Alpha bond stirred. Somewhere beyond the garden walls, a nervous wolf whimpered.

I closed my eyes and forced my power down.

Carmen was silent.

When I looked at her again, fear had entered her expression.

Not fear that I would harm her.

Fear that she had already harmed me.

She stepped closer.

“I am sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“But you are hurting.”

“So are you.”

Her eyes glistened.

“I do not want to hurt him either.”

That was who she was.

Standing between a fated mate and a young man she had known for two weeks, Carmen’s concern rested with the pain either of us might feel.

“You are too kind,” I said.

Her brow furrowed. “Is that an insult?”

“I have not decided.”

“My mother says kindness only appears foolish to people who have forgotten how much it costs.”

I smiled despite myself. “I would like your mother.”

“She would be terrified of you.”

“Why?”

“You are an Alpha.”

“My mother is not terrified of me.”

“Your mother threatened to have you scrub the ceremonial stone yourself after she learned you were drunk.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Who told you that?”

“Everyone in the kitchens knows.”

“I have been Alpha for one night, and already there are spies in my house.”

“Servants are not spies. Powerful people simply forget we are standing near them.”

The words held no accusation, but I felt their truth.

“What else do you know about me?”

“That you love your brother and sister.”

“I tolerate them.”

“That you would fight anyone who harmed Carlos.”

“He is my Beta.”

“You loved him before he had a title.”

I did not answer.

Carmen came another step closer.

“And I know you were willing to embarrass yourself in front of your entire pack so I would not stand alone.”

“I did not embarrass myself.”

“You knelt at the feet of a servant.”

“I knelt before my future Luna.”

Her breath caught.

The space between us disappeared one careful inch at a time.

She smelled exactly as she had the night before—brown sugar, vanilla, and jasmine—though now I could detect soap, fresh herbs, and the faint smoke of the kitchens beneath it.

I lifted my hand, giving her time to refuse.

When she remained still, I touched one loose curl beside her cheek.

It wrapped around my finger.

“You are beautiful,” I whispered.

Carmen looked down. “You do not have to say that.”

“I have spent most of my life avoiding saying things I do not mean.”

“Perhaps that is why so many people find you arrogant.”

“Who finds me arrogant?”

Her eyes lifted again, amusement returning. “Would you like the names arranged by age or rank?”

I laughed.

The sound surprised both of us.

Carmen’s hand rose toward my chest, then stopped before touching me.

“You may,” I said.

Her palm settled over my heart.

The bond warmed instantly.

My wolf pressed toward her, wrapping himself around the small thread connecting us. I felt her wonder and fear. Her kindness. Her homesickness. Her hope that Dios del Sol might become a place where she could build something better for the family she loved.

Beneath all of it was an attraction she was trying very hard to hide.

I covered her hand with mine.

“You feel it,” I said.

“Yes.”

“Do you want me?”

Color rose beneath the deep brown of her cheeks.

“That is a very bold question.”

“I am told I am arrogant.”

“You are also impatient.”

“Do you?”

Her pulse quickened beneath my fingers.

“Yes,” she admitted. “But wanting you does not mean I am ready to belong to you.”

The distinction mattered to her.

So I made myself accept it.

“I will not force the bond.”

Relief moved through her, followed so quickly by gratitude that it shamed me. She should never have needed to be grateful for the freedom to choose.

“I will court you,” I said.

Carmen blinked. “You will what?”

“I will court you properly.”

“You are the Alpha.”

“I am aware.”

“And I am a servant who is currently being courted by your head stable boy.”

“He has an unfair advantage.”

Her lips twitched. “He met me first.”

“The Goddess chose me first.”

“I do not think the Goddess intended the bond to become a competition.”

“Then why does it feel like one?”

She laughed again.

I decided in that moment that I would spend the rest of my life finding ways to make her produce that sound.

“I need to speak with Tomás,” she said.

Every pleasant feeling inside me disappeared.

“I can do it.”

“No.”

“It would be faster.”

“You would frighten him.”

“I would be polite.”

“You growled at him last night.”

“He touched you.”

“He held my arm.”

“With both hands.”

Carmen stepped away, but her smile remained.

“I will speak with him after breakfast. Alone.”

My wolf objected.

“So do I,” I told him silently.

“He is owed honesty,” she continued. “He was kind to me when he had nothing to gain from it. I will not repay that kindness by sending another man to dismiss him.”

Another man.

The words were reasonable. I hated them anyway.

“Very well.”

“You will not follow me?”

“I will consider not following you.”

“Enrique.”

“I will remain far enough away that you cannot see me.”

She folded her arms.

“I will send Carlos.”

“That is worse.”

“For Tomás, certainly.”

She tried to remain stern, but another smile broke through.

A bell rang from the servants’ wing.

Carmen immediately glanced toward the sound.

“I have to return to work.”

“You do not.”

“I do.”

“I am Alpha.”

“And I came here for a better life, not an easier one.”

She lowered her head out of habit.

I touched beneath her chin before she could bow fully.

“Not when we are alone.”

Carmen’s eyes searched mine.

“Then do not use your title to take away every piece of my old life.”

The request entered deeper than any command could have.

“I will try.”

“For someone as arrogant as you, that may be the best promise I receive.”

She turned toward the path.

“Carmen.”

She looked back.

“What is my favorite food?”

Confusion crossed her face. “I do not know.”

“Neither do I.”

“You must have one.”

“I have never needed to choose. The kitchens prepare whatever I request.”

“Then how will I learn it?”

“We will discover it together.”

Her expression softened into something so tender that I forgot the crown, the council, and the hundreds of wolves waiting for me beyond the garden walls.

“All right,” she said. “We will discover it together.”

I watched her walk away until the servants’ door closed behind her.

Carlos stepped out from behind the live oak.

I turned slowly.

He held both hands up. “Before you become angry, Lucía sent me to make certain you behaved honorably.”

“You were listening?”

“I attempted not to.”

“You were behind a tree.”

“There was nowhere else to stand.”

I advanced toward him.

Carlos retreated around the trunk. “You should know that I found the conversation very moving.”

“I will kill you.”

“You cannot. I pledged my life to you last night.”

“That makes it mine to take.”

He laughed and ran.

I chased him out of the garden, past the servants carrying linens and the warriors fighting their hangovers. For a few minutes, I was not the Alpha burdened by a divided pack or the fated mate of a woman whose life I had overturned.

I was eighteen again.

I was a brother, a son, and Carlos’s oldest friend.

And somewhere inside the pack house was a sweet, stubborn woman who smelled like jasmine and had agreed to let me court her.

I believed winning her heart would be the greatest challenge of my life.

I had no understanding yet of how easily a man could confuse protecting love with controlling it.

Or how much of himself he could destroy while insisting every cruel thing he did was for the people he loved.