ELRETH

Elreth wanted to bite something. Or someone. She couldn't believe Tobe was the one to bring a petition. Tobe! Her father had trusted him second only to Uncle Behryn! What the hell was the male thinking?

But deep down, she was pretty sure she knew. She saw the tension in him. He'd been pressed to this. The question was, why had he allowed the people's questions to go this far? What had occurred in the Equines to put him in a position where he couldn't answer these questions to his Tribe, or persuade them to wait to find the answers?

Who was planting this dissension?

She stared at Lhern, standing on the balls of her feet, waiting for him to ask her to answer the question. She knew she'd overstepped earlier and she couldn't afford to do that again. But it was just so frustrating!

Finally, Lhern looked at her. "What do you say to this question?"

"Firstly," she growled, "I would like to know who brought these accusations so they can be examined for the agenda of which they accuse my True Mate." Lhern looked disapproving and opened his mouth, but she rushed on. "I do not deflect. I will answer the question. But I raise this to the elders for later consideration.

"The truth of this matter is personal, but I will share it here to soothe your fears: I am a female who has never shown interest, or felt driven towards love or mating. It has simply not appealed to me. And so every male in my life—including my True Mate—was forced to keep something of a distance from me.

"Aaryn has been aware of his feelings, of our bond, for some time. But he waited to allow me time to become aware. It was only after I asked him to Cohort that he realized I was not seeing it. He refused me because of the bond! Because he knew it was true.

"Because I was ignorant of that fact, I confronted him, accused him of wanting to derail my rule because his actions seemed so counter to what he had always encouraged me to do: Which was to use my dominance for the good of the people."

She took a deep breath and cursed her heating cheeks. "It wasn't until that night after he had refused me that he admitted his feelings and we kissed that my eyes were opened."

Lhern frowned. "But that was weeks ago. You have known the bond since then?"

Elreth muttered a curse. "Yes, and no. I became aware of my attraction to him. But we were both confused and… uncertain of each other. It took us until last week to finally clear up the confusion. Once we were free with each other, the bond snapped into place even before we mated," she said through her teeth, shooting a look at the equines who had essentially forced her to admit these private details.

Tobe's brows pinched together hard, forming a V between his eyes. "But if the bond is in place, why are you scents not entwined?"

Elreth glared at him. "They are, but only softly. We have not completed the bond. Despite how difficult it has been, we are both aware of the vast changes that my rule has brought to the people. We decided that adhering to the old traditions, as a mark of our commitment to the people and their comfort, was the best way forward. But the bond is in place. Scent me true."

Lhern's expression didn't change, but his eyes twinkled. "We have an elder skilled in the identification of the bond. Akhela, could you come forward and test the Queen and her Mate?"

A lithe, middle-aged female stood without speaking and made her way to the front.

Elreth wanted the floor to open up and swallow her when the women leaned in, sniffing deeply, first at Elreth herself, then on Aaryn.

She turned to Lhern and bowed. "The bond is present. It is weak so far, but it is present."

Neither she nor Aaryn gave any reaction to that—but Elreth was deeply relieved. Not because she had questioned the bond, but there was always a concern that an Anima wasn't quite as skilled in these discernments as they claimed.

She turned to Tobe and gave him a flat smile. "I am not manipulated, and would not misrepresent myself or my Mate to the people, Tobe."

He nodded. He looked relieved more than anything. Elreth wished she could let hers show on her face.

They all turned back to Lhern.

"Very well, then it seems we have only one question left to answer," the older man said, some relief showing in his eyes as well. "Tell us, Aaryn… what power do you gain to stand, what has been agreed between you?"

Aaryn's head jerked back. "There is nothing agreed between us," he said abruptly. "I stand in submission to her. Any power I gain will be because she invites me to it."

"There must have been some discussion," Tobe insisted. "Some idea, at least? She wanted him for her Primary Advisor, her Cohort. And she has not filled that position. Will it be given to him?"

"Yes," Aaryn said. "She has asked me to take the role after the Flames and Smoke, when it would be allowed. But that is not a power or role that I aimed to receive. That was her idea and hers alone."

"It also isn't a deviation from tradition," Elreth said through her teeth. "Of course I would trust my Mate to see the way ahead for me—of course I would want to have him as an Advisor."

One of the males with Tobe leaned into his ear, stabbing one finger into his own palm as he hissed words to the leader.

Tobe frowned.

Lhern nodded at Aaryn, but his expression was thoughtful. "It is a new role to have the male in submission to his female. None of us can truly know how that will work in practice."

"It will work exactly as it works among the people," Elreth insisted. "I understand this is an adjustment—for all of us. But my Mate has put himself in submission to me throughout our lives together. That will not change—"

"But there is more to this. He leads already, in secret!" the male who had been whispering to Tobe snapped. "They speak to deceive the elders! This male has planned to take power from her since the beginning—and give it to the disformed!"