he Papers Be

hina'

e stiff, hospital sheets against my skin in the palace hospital. I closed my eyes for a second longer, my hands gripping, my mind say

ned m

beside my bed, and Elder Magnus Voss was

Ka

uickly and the room s

er his hands. "The king is

or the rest of the sentence to make sense! It never came." I

icant meeting,

his mate? "My voice cracked on the

as he does to all of us, calm and unreadable, as though we

out the King's time," he said.

knee and placed them on t

n th

ut didn't touch the

, "read them and y

n that still weighed on my bones or the cold that was creeping over my stomach as I saw the

the title of Luna w

"It's forcing me t

es

ew why. I had to he

explain to a child. "A Luna that gets weaker with each season; a Luna that does no

pers down and wrapped my fingers aroun

already sa

an they were meant to. "I don't t

king for from the bottom of the signature. I had seen that hand sign on my wedding contract 5 years back. I had see

has approved this at the b

him, not from you, not from a piece of paper. I w

aphi

I didn't mind if anyone heard it through the wall

with Magnus saying exactly the same thing to me, and

e replied. "I

the papers on my blanket, as if they might chan

, and then it was Kae

n each version, Kael walked across the room and took my hand and said it was a mistake, he would fi

by the door. He d

ssion, anything, in his face. "

, I barely heard it. "The council has

slowly, like it might be easier for him if I said

toll on you." He s

he avert his gaze did I shift back to human form. "I lost six of these to try to give you an heir, Kael. Six. I've shed blood for this kingdom, I've buried s

personal."

aughed aloud, a cracklin

ernal reality to each of his decisions. "That's never changed, but love isn't the answer to what the kingd

an even when Magnus was f

"My years, my body, my tails, and I am

eed to. He never spoke a word t

e if I did think about it I knew that I'd break down before I even left this room. I signed it quickly, my hand making hard mar

ers into his chest with such force that

u have what your cou

es, not even looking at me. I didn't look back. Not once. I walked on through when the corridor opened up to the courtyard and

oint, as I walked, the palace was behind me, swallowed by the dark line of the

the trees were unfamiliar, till the air

terr

t came to me, i

shadows between the trees. My body was exhausted, I started to run, but it wasn't going to

n twenty steps th

pact on the b

as the last