"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 POV"Yes."Alexander’s smile deepened, and I could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he found my response amusing. No doubt, he would tease me about this later, but I didn’t mind. It was going to be easy for us to appear to the public as a real couple, especially since we genuinely enjoyed eac
Alexander POVI stepped into the hallway, leaving the door open behind me, waiting for Ella to follow. She hesitated for a moment, giving me a strange, quizzical look.I chose not to ask about it. We were in her pack’s territory, in her father’s house—there was no room for mistakes now. Our performa
“You don’t need to worry about that,” I replied, forcing the words out with a firmness I didn’t fully feel. “It’s never going to happen because there’s no such thing as love.”A tense silence fell between us. I knew August was speaking from a place of concern, reminding me to keep my guard up and no
Ella POVThere were easily two dozen in the massive bouquet. When he reached us, he held them out to me.I took the flowers, feeling a surge of surprise. “These are beautiful,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.“Your favorite flowers, according to my sources,” he said, winking.“Sources?” I a
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