ELRETH

Elreth froze.

How did she always end up in these places? She was going to have to get a lot better about keeping her own secrets. That was as plain as the nose on her face.

They both came alive in the same moment—when Dargyn swore.

Aaryn suddenly jerked away from the wall, letting her slide through his hands so she could find her feet. Both gasping, Elreth's cheeks flaming hot, they unwrapped their arms from each other as quickly as possible. She could feel his eyes on her, feel him measuring her—fear threaded into his scent when she couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"So, um… unless this is some weird rite I'm not familiar with, I… I don't think you're that protective of me, El," Gwyn said quietly a few seconds later.

Rak spluttered into laughter, and Dargyn's lips twitched.

Elreth covered her face with her hands and Aaryn pulled her into his side. His warmth was immediately comforting—and the way he curled a hand at her waist made her want to grab him again and to hell with who was watching. But she knew she couldn't do that—and she couldn't look at any of them.

Thank the Creator that Gar wasn't here. He'd have a field day with this.

She'd spent the last five years rolling her eyes at her friends while the females giggled and the guys peacocked about whoever they had their eyes on at the time. She'd told them they were wasting time and energy. She'd mocked them for getting obsessed, tried to patch them up when they were heartbroken—always by distracting them with something else to do. And she'd been utterly confused by how insistent they had all been on giving so much of their time and energy and thought to whoever they were attracted to.

And here she was, the Queen, pawing Aaryn behind the market because she couldn't keep her hands off of him, even just for the course of a meal.

"I… um…"

"Wait, are you guys…" Gwyn leaned in and sniffed and her eyes flew so wide she could see the whites all the way around. "Your True Mates?!"

"Whoa!" Rak chuckled. "For real?"

Dargyn's eyes snapped to Aaryn, a hint of calculation in them as he scanned Aaryn from head to toe, but he didn't say anything.

Aaryn held his eyes and Elreth felt her heart slam harder at the look of pure, masculine certainty in that gaze.

Creator's Light she loved it when he went Alpha.

What was wrong with her?

"We haven't… the mating bond took, but… we're still…" Elreth stumbled.

Aaryn sighed and put a hand to her back. "We're waiting for the Flames and Smoke. There's going to be enough drama about this as it is, we didn't want to flaunt it. Yet," he said through his teeth, holding Dargyn's eyes again. "You guys have to keep this to yourselves."

They all nodded and made the right noises, but Elreth's nerves trilled. "Guys, seriously, we can't… the elders won't even know until tomorrow, and we know there's going to be some push back. We're just… we have to be careful. I have to be careful."

"It's fine, El, we won't talk," Gwyn said, but her voice was quiet and she was staring at Aaryn. Elreth tensed, ready to step between them, but Aaryn's fingers tightened at her back and she could feel him urging her to be calm.

She rolled her head on her neck. "Thank you," she said through clenched jaw. "We… we trust you."

"Apparently not," Rak laughed, "but I can't blame you, this is huge! Do your parents know."

They both nodded.

But Elreth felt Aaryn suddenly tense at the reminder of his mother and she smelled his scent wash in guilt. She turned to him, put a hand to his arm and held his eyes. He couldn't do that to himself. He'd come here for Elreth, she would get him home—and with something for his mother.

"I'm sorry, guys," she said returning her attention to her friends. "We were just about to leave. Aaryn's mom is sick and we need to take her some dinner, and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—you don't drop this on us and then run! When did this happen? How? Elreth, since when!? And how long until you walk the flames and smoke?"

"And why wait?" Dargyn added.

Elreth couldn't decide if he was being supportive, or an asshole. His expression was blank. Then he turned and looked at her—the first time he'd really met her eyes since she turned him down. "I'm happy for you. I'm glad you found your way," he said quietly.

Aaryn was still tense beside her, but he didn't say anything.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

"You could have told me," Gwyn said. "I wouldn't have told anyone." She looked back and forth between them—Elreth wasn't sure which of them she was speaking to. Both, she supposed.

"We didn't tell anyone. The only reason my family found out was because Gar saw Aaryn come back to the cave and set me up. He made sure dad walked in on us," she ground out. Her friends knew all about her up and down relationship with Gar.

She expected sympathy. Maybe even some supportive growling at Gar.

She did not expect the raucous laughter that all three of them broke into, so loud she was certain those in the market would hear them.

She growled and Aaryn pulled her in tighter to his side. "It wasn't an easy moment for Elreth, you guys," he said.

Were his lips twitching?!

She frowned at him, about to challenge him—he hadn't looked too comfortable about her father being there either!—but Rak broke in again. "So, when's the ceremony? And when will you announce it to everyone?"

"We're meeting with the elders in the morning and they'll help us figure that out," Aaryn said, then looked at her.

"We just have to be careful because this is a big deal. No one knows how it will work bringing a male in with a dominant female," Elreth said, though her jaw felt so tight, like it didn't want to hinge. "So, I don't really know how any of it's going to work yet," she said. "I just know that he's my One. And… the rest we'll have to figure out."

Aaryn's eyes went soft and she smiled at him.

Rak made a gagging noise and Dargyn rolled his eyes.

But Gwyn… Elreth could hear her swallowing. There were no tears in her eyes, no sign of tears even, but her face was a blank mask. Aaryn had told her Gwyn had offered friendship and apologized for pushing him.

But maybe she wasn't quite a far past her feelings as he'd thought?

Elreth prayed this wasn't going to cause more tension between them. She knew Gwyn was a good female, and would be useful to have around. She'd stay calm in a crisis, and she wouldn't fluster when other people panicked.

But could Elreth spend the rest of her reign bringing a female along that pined for her mate?

She looked at Aaryn again who was staring at her with that soft adoration in his eyes, and she swallowed.