ELRETH

"I have a question," one of the younger elders said, a middle-aged Equine. She had deep, red-brown hair, so thick her braid was the width of Elreth's wrist.

Aaryn nodded and Elreth wondered why she felt nervous. She knew he meant it when he said he wanted to bring his pseudo-tribe into unity with the others. But… deep down she feared there was something he hadn't told her and that it would come out today.

As Huncer took her seat, he Equine stood, clasped her hands at her waist, and fixed Aaryn with a penetrating gaze. "Who was the first to organize the disformed, and why did they not seek the throne's approval?"

Elreth opened her mouth, wanting to come to her mother's defense, but Aaryn answered faster.

"I was only a pup when the disformed were organized and I didn't even know about the group until I was fifteen or sixteen. But the leader I grew under was always focused on keeping us aligned with the tribes—in our instructions, and in our behavior. He disciplined any disformed that were caught fighting—or especially if they baited conflict. When I took Alpha two years ago the first thing I was certain to make clear to every disformed was that we were established only to support each other and create a network in the event that the tribes ever attempted to banish us, or created other threats. We were always to align with the throne—and my close ties with the Royal family helped, even in times of tension, because the others knew I had the ear of the King."

"Did the King know you had his ear on behalf of an entire tribe?" the female asked. But Elreth was still waiting for Aaryn to tell them the whole truth—that her own mother and Uncle Gahrye had been the ones to organize them.

Aaryn had just told the elders he would answer their questions, and yet here he was dodging the very first question they put him. Agitated, she signed without looking at him. 'Tell them.'

She watched from the corner of her eye, but he didn't respond. He kept his attention on the elders, and continued.

"To my knowledge the King knew only that I am passionate about issues surrounding the disformed. He knew I forwarded the disformed point of view because I am in their ranks, and we suffer for it. He never told me he'd become aware of my position within the disformed, so I never raised it to him."

"Can you see how your secrecy creates a sense of distrust for us, as leaders of all the people?"

Aaryn nodded. "Can you see that the disformed are rejected, marginalized, and undervalued from the day they're born? Not to mention that they're kept from positions of leadership. It is natural that they wish to keep the reins of power within their ranks in the hands of other disformed—and not risk an edict from the King—or Queen—about allowing another Alpha oversight. A non-disformed Alpha."

Elreth signed again, 'Tell them,' adding the sign for his name at the end, but again, he either couldn't see her hands, or he was ignoring her. Her anger spiked. But he didn't react.

"I have been clear with them since the day of my dominance: We do not, and will not conflict with the crown. We abide by the laws and measures of every tribe. Our organized unity was only to strengthen us within the WildWood, not to create tension."

"How many of you are there, those that submit under you?" Lhern asked, his eyes piercing.

Elreth, still very tense that Aaryn had evaded the questioning, was curious about that herself. She knew they didn't bring their young under the leadership of the disformed until after they were adolescents.

Aaryn took a deep breath and his jaw twitched. Elreth's heart fluttered. What was making him tense?

"There are approximately four hundred and fifty adults that recognize me as Alpha," he said quietly.

Gasps and murmurs of shock filled the room.

Elreth had to fight to keep her face straight. She'd had no idea! She thought it was only the young and the disenfranchised that came to Aaryn, but that meant…

"You are the largest tribe… by a margin," Lhern breathed, his eyes wide. "With more offspring—and across tribal lines as well…" The Elder was smiling through his shock.

Elreth understood Lhern's pride—he wanted to see his nephew's life improved. But she was horrified. She'd thought about the issue of numbers the other night when Aaryn first brought his leadership of the disformed to her. But he'd downplayed that side of the problem and she'd gotten distracted again.

In that moment, seeing Lhern admire him, it hit her just how powerful Aaryn was.

She couldn't speak because she'd give herself away, but she turned to look at him and saw him with new eyes. Again.

Aaryn sat forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees. At twenty-four, the only person younger here was her. Yet he did not waver under all the eyes of the gathered elders.

He'd tied his hair back this morning so his face was clearly visible. His shoulders were back, his chin down and strong. His large hands clasped in front of him, the tendons standing proud.

He nodded at Lhern, then turned to look at her, his eyes alight with pride, and she realized he'd been working as a leader for two years without others knowing. Sure, the disformed knew and understood, but she realized he'd so often spoken to her about her ability to lead and rule—he'd been a large part of the confidence she'd built that she could do this. Yet, here she was, taken unaware and stumbling, while he looked Anima more than twice his age in the face and stood strong.

But when he looked at her, she sensed pleading from him as well—he did not want to scare her. He was proud of what he'd done—but also aware of how it could create problems.

"We are not engaged with the disformed at the level of most of the tribes. Our members still see themselves as a part of their family groups, and tribes. But they find a level of comfort with other disformed that they often don't enjoy with their birth tribe, beyond their immediately family groups. And for some, even those people do not embrace them. Many disformed are… pitied. It is… frustrating," he said through his teeth. "We have much to offer. I want to bring our strength to the Crown as an asset, not as a challenge."

Elreth swallowed. They should have talked about this more before they came to this meeting. She should have pursued this with him.

She was failing as a leader. She should have brought this to the elders, not allowed them to lead this discussion. She'd just been distracted—first by Aaryn himself, then by what was happening with his mother.

A fierce sense of failure made her stomach drop. If she hadn't had an audience she would have sworn. And maybe cried.

Why the hell hadn't she thought this through?

She'd been arrogant, thoughtless, and… and overly confident. She should have confronted him harder about this. She trusted too much.

Aaryn, probably catching the sudden spike of anger and self-loathing in her scent, turned to look at her, a question in his eyes.

The love she felt for him swelled in her—and right alongside it, a wave of fear.

The elders were going to ask all the questions she should have asked. They were going to think she was too young, too inexperienced to navigate this.

They were going to see her mate as a more capable, more experienced leader.

And she was going to make him King!