Alice howled with joy and Laurel looked at him skeptically.
“Back?”
Chasel groaned, “The king accepted the invitation of some packs and went to inspect the kingdom at noon yesterday. He was not in the city. I didn’t know what happened until Sam told me.”
Laurel averted her gaze. It wasn’t as bad as she thought, but was it good enough to go back?
“Why didn't you talk to me?” Chasel pressed. “I would have stopped this. It’s obviously not your fault. When the king returns, he will punish them for all this, but--”
Laurel shook her head, “I'm sorry, Chasel, but I'm not going back.”
Chasel paled, “W-What?”
“I’ve had some time to think about it,” Laurel said and wrung her hands nervously. “It's not appropriate. I was invited by the king to stay in the castle, but no explanation has been g
