Chapter 49

The next day, during the barbecue held in the gardens, Elva finally got her wolf ride. Nicholas helped her up onto the massive wolf Night, who then trotted slowly around the field under Nicholas’s watchful eyes.

Confined to my wheelchair, I stayed on the patio, not wanting to take my chair into the grass on the chance of getting stuck. It had been embarrassing enough yesterday, having Nicholas haul me around. I didn’t want a repeat performance.

It was a little lonely so near the door, while everyone else was out in the gardens, but I was happy to watch from afar.

Eventually, Silver came over to see me. She let me scratch the top of her head, and licked my hand.

“Thank you, Silver, for yesterday,” I told her. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you.”

She chuffed at me. I wished I knew what she was trying to say. She didn’t seem to mind, though. She just lowered her big wolf head into my lap and made herself comfortable.

“Interesting how the only person who can’t talk to wolves is the one who made the best friend of one.”

Julian sauntered toward me, moving slowly like he hadn’t a care in the world. I had parked myself near a stone bench in case anyone wanted to chat with me. He plopped himself down there now.

“She’s beautiful and deadly.” I scratched between her ears. She closed her eyes. “I’m happy to be her friend.”

“Makes sense, I suppose, then. Why she would choose you.” Julian glanced out at the other girls standing in the garden. Their companion wolves had all mostly abandoned them. Instead, they played amongst themselves out in the grassy field.

Only Susie had deigned to join them, enjoying the company of the wolves more than her human colleagues.

“Most of the girls saw their wolves as mere tools, not as living breathing creatures with their own thoughts and opinions.”

“Sometimes when you have everything, you take certain things for granted.”

I had never been ultra-rich or popular, but I remembered what it had been like in my academy days. When the world was at my fingertips, it had been so easy to almost-forget the needs of others.

Nicholas hummed. “You are something special, Piper.”

“No,” I said. “I’m just not what you are used to. The novelty of me will wear off eventually.”

He glanced at me sideways. “I’m not so sure.”

Beyond him, out in the field, Nicholas glanced in our direction. His face immediately hardened and he glared.

I tried my best to ignore him. I knew Nicholas had warned me about Julian being a playboy, but he wasn’t hitting on me. We were just talking.

“I showed Lena your broken bow,” Julian said, snaring my full attention.

“What?”

“She denied any knowledge of the clear sabotage, but I have no doubt she at least knew who did it, if she hadn’t ordered it herself. I made my intentions clear to her, though, so you shouldn’t have too much more trouble from her for now.”

His words sat heavy on me. “What are your intentions, Julian?”

He shrugged, carefree. “She may have her plans to sabotage you, Piper, but now she will have to worry about my plans to sabotage her.”

His tone was so casual, so flippant, it sent a chill up my spine. He was a little bit terrifying. Who knew what he would do, all with a smile on his face? I was relieved, in this case, that he was on my side and not my enemy.

“Oops, I’ve been spotted.” Julian waved to a group of girls who had begun to inch closer. “I better head them off or they will come over here.” He hopped to his feet. “Always a delight, Piper.”

“Don’t break too many hearts,” I called after him.

“Only the correct amount,” he replied. The scoundrel.

With Julian gone, I was once again left alone with my thoughts. I continued to stroke Silver’s fur as I considered that this might be my true last night of fun. The elimination ceremony was only a few nights away, with not much planned in between.

I desperately tried to memorize all that I could from this moment.

Nicholas being sweet with Elva as he lifted her up off of Night. Night licked at her face and she giggled.

Julian had been so kind to me, making me laugh even though I had fully intended on sitting here quietly and alone.

Silver, so relaxed and protective, head resting in my lap.

Near the end of the night, Elva fell asleep in Nicholas’s arms. Mark took her from him to carry her back to my room.

Most of the other girls had retired by now. The stars were bright in the sky, and the hour was late.

Nicholas approached me and asked, “May I walk you back to your room?”

He pushed my chair for me through the palace toward an elevator in the back. It was tucked out of the way, but helpful for situations like these. Nicholas said the servants used it to bring heavy loads up and down the stairs.

Outside of my room, we hesitated. Now was the time to say goodbye. Neither of us said it.

“The next time we see each other will likely be at the elimination,” he said.

That was true. Though we would be under the same roof, the royal family only interacted with the girls during specific scheduled events, none of which had been arranged for the next couple of days.

“We both know I’m going to be sent home,” I said.

He didn’t reply, basically confirming my assumption. I nodded, expecting it, yet oddly, I still felt a bit sad inside.

“Elva will miss you,” I said.

“I’ll miss her too.”

“You could still reach out to her, if you wanted. Even after we’re gone. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”

Nicholas swallowed hard. His gaze fell to the ground. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. I’d be duty bound to both the throne and whichever woman becomes my wife. My own family would require my loyalty.”

Another pang of hurt sliced in between my ribs. I understood, of course. Princes belonged more to their country than themselves. And if Nicholas was my husband, I wouldn’t feel all that comfortable with him keeping tabs on his ex-girlfriend and her child.

But understanding didn’t ease the pain.

Worse, I had no idea how I would explain Nicholas’s sudden absence to Elva.

“Thank you, Nicholas. For everything you’ve done, for me and for Elva.”

Nicholas nodded. He didn’t say anything more.

His gaze could never quite hold mine again, the longer we stood there. Longing ached within me. I wanted to see his eyes once more, to look into those golden depths and find those flecks of green.

Yet he denied me that too.

For the best, most likely. If he looked at me, and I looked back, I wasn’t sure I would want to look at anything else ever again.

Such a foolish notion that was, knowing I meant so little to him.

I hadn’t once. Even know, he had been the greatest love I’d ever known. I genuinely doubted that would ever change.

It didn’t affect the present in any way, except to make this moment even more bittersweet.

We both knew this was the end again, even if we couldn’t say it.

At least this time, I would get to leave with some of my dignity intact.

“Goodnight, Nicholas,” I said.

He closed his eyes. “Goodnight, Piper.”

He stood there silently while I entered my room. I wondered, long after I closed the door, how long he stayed there. If it equaled the same amount of time I spent on the other side of the door, wishing this wasn’t the end.