Sleep did little to dull the ache growing inside Geric as he thought about Amy. She hadn't appeared at the pond for two nights now and he was starting to think that he had scared her away with his kiss. His pulse thundered in his ears every time he thought about it and he longed to hold her in his arms again. But there were too many factors conspiring against them. She would never abandon her country, nor would he expect her to. And besides that, there was the obvious fact that she was mortal and he wasn't anymore. What would happen when she began to age and he didn't?

Entering the tavern on the ground floor of the inn, he merely grunted at Berta's greeting before going upstairs to his room. Closing the door quietly behind him, he fingered the thin leather cord around his neck thoughtfully before taking it out from beneath his shirt. The small golden ring that he had always worn on the little finger of his right hand caught the light, winking coldly in the dying afternoon sun. Turning it over and over in his palm, he studied the familiar insignia—two swords crossed over a shield with the crown inscribed on it. And over it all, a watchful wolf's head, meant as a symbol of protection.

Geric's lips twitched at the irony of it all. There had been a time when he would've been considered fit to marry Amy, but the war had taken that away too. Dropping the signet ring back into its place beneath his shirt, he wondered what Amy would say if she knew the truth about him.

Returning downstairs, he decided he might as well try and drown his sorrows at the bottom of a tankard of ale. He just wondered how much of the stuff it would take before he forgot Amy's face, probably far more than Colmar had available.

When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he immediately sensed a change in the atmosphere. He glanced at Berta who stood with a tankard in one hand, halfway through filling it with grog for a customer. She shook her head, her eyes darting quickly to something near the door that he couldn't see. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he turned to see the captain of the King's Guard standing in the doorway of the tavern, his hand resting nervously on the hilt of a silver sword.

"Geric?" he asked in a voice that belied the nervousness Geric sensed in his stance. When Geric nodded, the captain continued. "By order of His Majesty, King Merek Auclaire, I hereby place you under arrest."

He should've seen this coming a long time ago, Geric thought wryly. He should have known that Amy was no different than the rest of them. The thought brought little comfort, in fact it made the ache in his chest grow a little larger. He had been so stupid...

"On what grounds?" he demanded, trying to keep the venom out of his voice. "The king can't arrest anyone without cause."

"Trying to usurp the crown from His Majesty and his family," the captain of the guard said, glaring at Geric coldly. "Seize him."

Geric lunged out of the way as two soldiers approached him, daggers drawn. He knew fighting would only make it worse, but he had seen enough to know that none of them would hesitate to run him through with their silver knives, in fact they would probably enjoy it.

"I'll go," he growled, the threat evident in his voice, "if you tell them to leave their daggers in the scabbards."

"And why would I do that?" the captain demanded.

Geric smiled mirthlessly at him and the captain took an unconscious step backward as he spoke, his voice carrying a low and dangerous undercurrent. "Because if they don't, they're going to regret it. I'll come quietly if I have your word that none of them will attack me."

They glared at each other for a few seconds longer before the captain motioned for his men to put their weapons away. Once he was satisfied that none of the guards had a blade, Geric held his hands wearily out to be shackled.

"If you try anything, wolf," the captain snarled, securing the cuffs around his wrists and ankles. "I promise you that you will meet your end at my hand."

Trying very hard not to roll his eyes at the paunchy captain, who Geric was certain hadn't been in a real fight in at least twenty years, he allowed himself to be escorted to the waiting wagon. The doors banged shut behind him and he heard the captain putting a lock on the door, silver of course. Didn't they realize it only worked if a wolf was actually being stabbed with the silver?

The wagon rumbled through the streets and Geric didn't bother looking out the barred window. He suddenly felt too exhausted to care what happened to him, he just wanted this to be over so he could disappear forever.

When they arrived at the palace, the guards dragged Geric out into the bright sunlight where a small crowd had already gathered to watch the spectacle. He kept his eyes on his feet, not wanting to see any of the faces in the crowd but mostly because he didn't want to see Amy's face. He didn't want her to see how badly her betrayal hurt him.

The palace doors opened and the captain pushed him in front of the guards into the great hall of the palace. Running footsteps caught his attention and he knew just from their sound who it was. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed when he heard Amy's voice echoing off the high ceilinged chamber.

"Geric! Geric I'm sorry—I didn't mean for this to happen. I—"

Another voice cut across Amy's and Geric watched warily as the king approached him, his face almost purple with rage. "Do you have any idea what this is?" the king asked, thrusting a piece of parchment in Geric's face while Amy watched helplessly from the sidelines.

"No," Geric replied with furrowed eyebrows as he scanned the page quickly. The handwriting was feminine and beautiful, he assumed it was Amy's. His brows furrowed together as he read the page in front of him. Amy wanted to do away with the engagement with Prince Charles in favor of an alliance with the werewolves? Of a marriage with Geric? Was this really what Amy thought?

"It's my daughter's magnificent plans for the future of her kingdom. She expressed how much she didn't want to marry Prince Charles and that she was in love with someone else. This is her proposal she wrote to me to marry a werewolf instead."

Geric glanced up at Amy in surprise. He could see a blush creeping into her face as she stared down at her feet.

Her father growled impatiently as he snatched the paper back from him. "Now do you know what this is?"

Shaking his head, Geric replied in a husky voice, "No, sir. On my honor, I swear that Amy never mentioned these plans to me."

"Geric, I'm so—" Amy began but the king's voice cut across her's again.

"Silence! Guards, please escort the prisoner to the dungeon. And please escort my daughter to her chambers. I'll deal with her later."

"No!" Amy cried. Out of the corner of his eye, Geric saw her struggling against the restraining hands of the guards. "Father listen to me, please!"

The king ignored his daughter's pleas, following behind Geric and the guards to the dungeon. The torch light seemed as though it was being absorbed by the slimy, moss covered walls as they entered, their footsteps sending rats scurrying for cover. Once they were inside, the king had the guards chain Geric to the wall, his arms strained above his head until his toes almost didn't touch the floor.

"What do you want with my daughter?" King Merek asked coldly, pacing in front of Geric. Geric followed his every move but said nothing, his jaw set and his eyes glinting eerily in the darkness. "Are you a spy for your kind?"

This earned a derisive snort from Geric. Him a spy for the other wolves? Not likely. They'd probably enjoy watching him in this predicament.

"Are you going to answer my questions or will I be forced to use other means to get what I want from you?"

Geric shrugged, or as much as he could shrug with his arms in this position. "I'm not a spy if that helps. As for your daughter, I don't want anything from her."

The captain of the guard's fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of Geric's head, making him see stars. Apparently he could fight well after all. His body swung forward slightly before he could stop it, making the captain laugh.

"You'll treat your sovereign with respect or there will be more where that came from," he snarled just as the king said, "Wait a moment."

Geric rolled his head back up to look at the king who was staring at Geric as though he had seen a ghost. Geric frowned, following the king's gaze to the glimmer of gold on his chest. Cursing softly under his breath, he raised his eyes to the king's again. Rage and fear warred in Amy's father's eyes as he said, "Everyone out. Now."

The guards all melted back the way they had come as King Merek approached Geric cautiously, his hand snaking under the leather cord and pulling it off Geric's neck with a jerk.

"Where did you get this?" the king demanded, shaking his closed fist. Geric said nothing, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. Everything he had told Amy about his past had been the truth, or at least part of it. But she didn't know that he was the last surviving member of the Dunbroch line, the family that had reigned during the Great War. If he had it his way, she would never know. She would think that he had been manipulating her to claim the throne, which couldn't be further from the truth. The king would certainly kill him if the truth came out. He would see him as a threat to his reign. In fact, Geric wondered why he wasn't already dead.

"Tell me!"

At last Geric met the king's eyes again and muttered, "I think you already know."

Amy's father stumbled backward, dropping the ring as though it had burned him. "It can't be."

Geric remained silent, wondering if he was as good as a dead man now. To his surprise, King Merek turned back to stare at him, his expression filled with fury.

"Does my daughter know?" the king demanded acidly. Geric shook his head slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on the king's.

"No," he replied evenly. "She doesn't know who I am."

King Merek surveyed Geric fearfully, his face becoming a stony mask. "If I release you, you have to agree to never show your face in Colmar again."

Surprised, Geric stared at the king in disbelief. "Why would you do that?"

The king shook his head. "Because even if you tried to claim the throne, the humans would never accept you."

"I know," Geric muttered grimly, his gaze steady. "I've always known that."

The king pocketed Geric's signet ring, making his way back to the stairs. "Oh, and stay away from my daughter, wolf. Otherwise I can ensure that you'll meet your end at my hand."

Geric sighed, he had already heard that threat once today.

King Merek disappeared up the stairs leaving Geric alone in the darkness.