Page 16 of Spar of Hearts

She deposited her spectacles onto the soft grass, ripped a stick from the hedge, turned her head to the side, then whipped it at the window. She waited with bated breath, praying to the moon and the stars that her friend was in there. Crickets chirped in the silence.

“Woof.”

Anya whirled around and bared her teeth, then snapped her jaws shut and tucked her tail. Her eyes flared wide at the sight of her mother looming over her.

Anya had no pack besides her family. The only Lycanian in her line was her great-grandmother, now in the Eternal. The rest were humans. There were many, many times where she yearned for her great-grandmother’s guidance. Maybe she’d know why Anya could shift when none of her kind could, save for one—and that was only a rumor.

But despite her parents’ humanity, among Delemonds, her mother was the alpha. This moment proved it. The maternal behemoth glared down at her, slippered foot tapping on the grass.

“Judging by your spectacles, you were not just out to stretch your paws. Come. You will explain yourself inside.”

Anya picked up her spectacles in her jaws and plodded to her bedchamber, tail tucked low in shame. The moment her mother shut the door, she shifted back with a gasp onto her hands and knees, staring into the golden stars embroidered on the rug beneath her.

“I have had enough of your wild antics,” her mother chided, striding over to the wolf-eyed changing partition. “What was it this time? Drinking? Dice?” She threw a silk robe over Anya.

Anya stood silently, slipping her arms through the sleeves and cinching the waist.

“A masquerade,” she muttered.

Her mother hissed through her teeth and pinched her temples. “Well then, that makes it all right. A little mask takes care of everything! Have you no sense? The people already whisper about you. You’ve bitten two suitors, growled at the Duke of Avonford, been caught buying anti-fertility tonics, ah yes, and the latest one, throwing the Earl of Petorus overboard!”

“How do you know about that?” Anya backed toward the fireplace until the heat became unbearable.

“The crew sent us reports after they docked. Your name was either glaringly absent or tied to that shameful display. I was willing to overlook those blunders. I really was. We indulged your restless feet by appointing you to command the evacuation, and this is how you thank us? You’re twenty-six for Divine’s sake. We thought that mission would get it out of your system. But perhaps that will never be the case.”

Anya stiffened. “What are you saying?”

Her mother sighed and slumped onto the silver settee, burying her face in her hands.

“We cannot stake the future of our kingdom on a reckless, wandering wolf. Your instincts are nothing but trouble. You will lead Valeria straight into the ground. Consider this your final warning. Any more slip ups, and your cousin will take your place as our heir.”

Anya’s heart cracked at those words. She would have preferred a slap to the face, screaming, yelling, anything.

“No!” Anya cried, falling to her knees before her mother. “Please! I excel at my studies, diplomatic mediation, and the evacuation was a success.” She sniffed, trying to hold back tears. Explaining why she let Lord Bryson trample her lead would do no good now. It would seem a hollow excuse, made up in the moment. “Please…I love Valeria with all my heart.”

“Apparently that is not enough.”

Anya’s heart sank as she watched her mother leave on the heels of those stinging words. The mahogany double doors gave a hollow thud behind her.

How could mother not realize how much Anya had sacrificed to please them? The wolf within her cried and whined for freedom every full moon, so badly it hurt. The howls would build up inside her and suffocate her heart like smoke. She had to let it out. It wasn’t an indulgence. It was breathing. It was her lifeblood and her heritage.

Even as a pup, when she couldn’t control herself, they did it for her.

Twenty-Three Years Ago

Soft moss squished under Anya’s tiny paws as she stalked through the back garden, nose firmly pressed to the dirt.

Birdy. Birdy. Birdy, birdy, birdy.

The birdy was close. She could smell it. Every ruffle of its feathers dropped its yummy scent onto the ground. Her tail flicked back and forth silently in the air. She was an all-gold wolf from nose to tail, with fur that shimmered in the sunlight. It was hard to be sneaky with those colors, but she did her best.

Chirp chirp!

Anya’s ears perked up. She swiveled her head to the right, nose wiggling at full speed.

Drool pooled on her tongue as the scent grew stronger. She was hungry. Hungry. So hungry. Her golden eyes locked in on the birdy’s tail feathers as it disappeared into the bushes, rustling the pink peony flowers.

Anya dove after it headfirst, claws narrowly missing the meat of its back. Branches dug and scratched at her fuzzy flank as she pummeled through the bush and flew onto the street. A whine burst out the moment she landed flat on her tummy.