Wolf’s Princess by Maddy Barone

him. His face was smooth and false. She was beginning to able to identify his emotions, or at least when he was hiding something. She looked away from him to the building. It didn’t have many windows, and none on the bottom floors, but it looked like it was built in the last fifty years, and windows had been in short supply then. “Very stately. And the other building?”
    “Omaha’s Cultural Center. There’s a museum and a library there, and a theater for plays.”
    “A library!”
    Behind her she could hear Paint and Snow grunt to smother their laughter. “What?” she demanded over her shoulder. “I like to read.”
    “I know,” said Paint. “You’ve read every single book in Kearney’s library at least once.”
    Snow added, “Maybe this library will have some different ones.”
    Sky glanced down at her with a small smile and a thoughtful expression on his face.
    “What?” she said again.
    He shook his head. “I didn’t know you liked to read. There’s so much for us to learn about each other.” He changed the subject by gesturing to the fourth side of the square, which was open to a street. “We can hire a carriage on the next block to take us home.”
    The street was busy, to Rose’s eyes. Pedestrians dodged around horses carrying riders and other horses pulling carts and wagons. But the thing that caught her eye was a box on wheels at the curb half a block past them. No, not a box. She stared, trying to identify the black thing. There was a window at the front end of the box. A windshield? Just as she turned her head to look up at Sky, a voice boomed.
    “Sky!”
    The man who’d shouted her mate’s name came toward them from the Justice Hall with a wide smile on his red face. His brown hair was graying, cut in a short style that didn’t hide his receding hairline or the fringe of hair’s tendency to curl. His brown suit was cut in the same sleek style as Sky’s, but he didn’t look nearly as elegant in it. His narrow shoulders sagged forward over a nearly hollow chest. His long neck and beak of a nose reminded Rose of a vulture.
    Sky went to meet the man with an equally wide smile. “Tim, good to see you.”
    They shook hands with warm vigor. “Where have you been, man? You missed the council meeting.”
    “I know, I know,” Sky said apologetically. “Family issues came up that simply couldn’t be put off.”
    “Really?” Tim’s gaze went past Sky to fix on Rose. “And who is this charming lady? I don’t believe we’ve met.”
    Snow and Stone stepped up to flank Rose, and something in Tim’s face made her glad for their presence. He was probably less than sixty, well dressed and well groomed, but the way he licked his lips as he looked at her made her think he qualified for the title Dirty Old Man.
    Sky came back to her to grab her arm and pull her forward, leaving Snow and Stone behind with a quick warning glance at them. “Tim, this is my wife, Rose Wolfe.” His tone was disturbingly obsequious. “My dear, this is Tim McGrath, the Mayor of Omaha.”
    Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the well-dressed man. He shot a look of laughing surprise at Sky before reaching for her hand. “Family matters that couldn’t be put off, huh?”
    The mayor caressed her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss. Rose froze, expecting Sky to attack the man who touched his mate. But Sky stood very still, a faint smile on his lips. The mayor’s mouth was warm on her fingers; she jumped when his tongue tickled her skin. A low rumble of growls sounded behind her. It was cut off by Sky’s sharp gesture.
    “He’s a lucky young dog, but are you sure you want him?” McGrath straightened to his full height and put his shoulders back. “A man in my position can offer you so much more.”
    “Hey!” Sky protested with a façade of good nature. “Don’t tease her. My wife is shy.”
    Shy? No one who knew her would call her shy. But she followed his lead, ducking her head and smiling at the