Ella POV"I'm sorry, I have to take this," I said, motioning to my ringing phone. “It’s my father.”"No problem," Elizabeth answered. "Go ahead, I don't mind."I smiled appreciatively at her and put the phone to my ear. "Hello?""David is here," my father said, his tone laced with obvious irritation
Ella POV“How does a creep like David Lake get two beautiful Alpha's daughters to fall for him and screw it up with both of them?” Posted today at 9:15 AM.“Ella Rowan deserves so much better.” Posted today at 9:23 AM.“Has anyone heard from Amanda, or did she just drop off the face of the planet?”
"Don’t I?" His voice dropped, his usual playfulness replaced by something more serious. "Well, it’s the truth. David’s erratic behavior isn’t just troubling—it’s dangerous."I sighed, sinking back into my seat. "Yeah, I’ve just been looking at his latest posts. He’s doing everything he can to make t
Ella POV"David cannot be allowed to continue making these slanderous statements," my father said angrily."I agree," my mother added, "but we have to handle this carefully.""I'm beginning to think we've handled it too carefully," my father replied, his anger evident.I felt a pang of guilt. By ope
"Okay," I said. "Right, we focus on the future.""Exactly," my mother agreed.Suddenly, the image on the television screen changed. I looked up, shocked, as I recognized Alexander. His photo was being shown on the screen."What is this?" I said in surprise. Both of my parents turned to face the scre
Ella POV"I had no idea you were going to be so forward, Alexander," I said.Alexander smirked. "Did you think I was going to play games?" he asked with obvious amusement. "I'm afraid that's against my nature.""I have a feeling there's much I have to learn about your nature if we're going to move f
Ella POV"Mr. Black, I'm sure you can understand why I'm hesitant about this," my father said firmly.Alexander sat across from my father’s desk, calm and composed, while I stood awkwardly beside my father. The tension in the room was making me too anxious to sit down.My father, who typically gave
There was a quiet intensity in his words, as if he was making a promise more to himself than to my father. The room seemed to still, waiting for my father’s response."How long have you felt this way about Ella?" my father asked, his voice probing.Alexander looked away thoughtfully before respondin
Ella POVElizabeth and I sat across from each other at a small table in our favorite restaurant at the shopping center. An untouched appetizer sat between us, the ice in our drinks melting slowly.I didn’t want to push her. Whatever she had to tell me, she was clearly struggling with. But I also nee
She lowered her gaze. "I just don’t want my friend to get hurt," she admitted. "I'm trying to figure out who's targeting Ella so I can stop them."Dr. McIntyre scoffed. "By killing them?"Elizabeth met her eyes without flinching."If that's what it takes."There was a long silence as the two women s
Third Person POVElizabeth descended into the basement of her house, a heavy weight pressing against her chest. She had no idea what was going on with her father or why he was acting as he was, but she knew it was dangerous.He didn’t seem to understand how serious the situation was. Someone was sch
Eventually, out of desperation, she had called Diana. Her aunt had agreed to pay for housing on one condition: that she return to the South.Now, here she was, in the capital, feeling like a ghost in a place that no longer belonged to her. Every day, she lived in fear of running into Alexander.And
Ella POV“We could ask Sabrina.”"I can't," Alexander said, his voice barely audible."Okay," I replied easily.He was silent for a long moment before loosening his grip just enough to look at my face. "Okay?""Of course," I said. "I'm not going to pressure you to do something that's painful for you
"Why are you still awake?" I asked."I’m going over a report," she replied, barely glancing up from her laptop."On what?"She turned the screen toward me."Diana’s actions over the past two months," she said.I stared at her, stunned. How the hell did she know something was going on with Diana?"Wh
Alexander POV"There’s one more thing I should tell you… but please, don’t get mad at me."Michael’s voice was tight with unease. He was truly afraid, which only made the fact that he had come to me even more impressive.I understood why he had hesitated. I must have been more obvious than I realize
He had to know that if he exposed my ties to the Roguelands I would do the same to him. Was that the plan? If he was going down anyway, did he intend to take me with him?But he had been released from custody. The king didn’t have anything on him that could stick. It would be self destructive of him
Alexander POVThe headlines the next morning were dominated by Archer’s announcement. Any attention or goodwill we had hoped to gain from the party was completely overshadowed—exactly as he had intended.It was a calculated move, and I couldn’t deny its brilliance.Ella was shaken. Of course, she wa