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grace.
    “Chase.”
    The reply was curt and cold. Oh, damn it to all hells, he’d really messed up this time. Mimi was never angry with him; not when he ignored the endless parade of legs she liked to submit him to, not when he’d come back dripping mud over her carpet, not even when he forgot to buy her chocolate and cakes.
    Giving up on acting as though nothing had occurred, he confessed right away: “I’m going to apologize. I was out of line with our guest, Grandma.”
    The thing was, Lana was female, therefore even if the fault had entirely lied with her, the only way to move forward was to say “ever so sorry, my bad.” Any man worth his salt knew and accepted that fact. As the fault was his, his apology ought to be sincere, and served accompanied with a bouquet of at least three different kinds of flowers. On such short notice, he’d had to forgo the peace offering, but he had he was quite happy to resort to bribery.
    The Queen lifted her head, and while some of her anger seemed to fade, it was replaced by exasperation.
    “Sit down, Chase.”
    Here comes the I am disappointed speech. Chase would have preferred the prospect of facing another snarling wolf pack, but he obeyed.
    “What do you know of the last Jereenan war?”
    Surprised, unsure where that was going, he replied, “It lasted longer than expected; Jereena had to call to Alenia, and even then, months passed until they managed to beat back the rebels.”
    “So, I take it you haven’t asked either of your friends for details.”
    He nodded his agreement: he hadn’t. When it came into light that his friend and ally’s kingdom was under attack, he’d offered his help, on principle, and after Aiden had politely declined, Chase let it drop, concentrating on his own kingdom’s issues.
    Enom wasn’t very well equipped for war; they had an army, of course, but if they were attacked, their main defense would come from their extensive alliances.
    They built the best tools – both their firearms and blades were so artfully crafted most kingdoms had signed peace treaties just to ensure that they’d carry on selling to them – but there weren’t many soldiers retrospectively, considering they were a nation twice the size of Jereena.
    They all knew that: Aiden had appreciated his generous offer of a few thousand soldiers he couldn’t spare, Chase had appreciate Aiden’s kind refusal.
    “It wasn’t a civil war, Chase. No one advertised it, but they were attacked by Wilderlings. Five hundred Wilderlings, against over fifty five thousand men. Young Armand told me all about it,” she said, referring to the previous King of Jereena, Aiden’s father.
    To her, he was “young Armand” because she’d seen him in diapers, a few decades back. The respectable King had been vocal in his protests, until he’d realized that she called anyone from the following generation “little.” Then, he’d wisely shut it, before finding himself demoted to little Armand. 
    “More than five thousand men died, another ten were wounded so badly they had to be honorably discharged. Jereena may not have won, if little Dane hadn’t somehow managed to get rid of the leader of their enemy.”
    Mind: blown.
    He could see it, though. Humans were no match for those humongous wolves, that much had been apparent the previous day.
    “It may be a very small society, but it’s a significant one. Making an enemy of not one, but two of their leaders, is a mistake I hope our kingdom will not pay for. We would not survive a war against the wolves.”
    He’d woken up ashamed about his behavior, now he was also horrified by what he might have to pay for it.
    “Do not fret, boy,” Mimi sighed. “Lana may not be overfond of you, but she likes me. Besides, she lacks the testosterone that accounts for most stupid decisions rulers generally make. We’ll not see her teeth and fangs clawing at our doorstep. Just try to think things through if you ever see her again, hmm?”
    That made