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 POVAfter a few minutes, the driver pulled onto a narrow road that looked more like a service entrance. It took me a moment to realize we were entering through a private gate. The driver flashed some kind of ID to security, and we were waved in without hesitation."I didn’t know there was anoth
Ella POVAlexander used his grip on my cheek to guide me gently into a more comfortable position, allowing him better access. The press of his lips was soft yet firm, and my heart began to race, the effect of the kiss more powerful than I could have anticipated.This didn’t feel like the fake kiss w
Ella POVThe night we had been working towards for so long was finally here. It didn’t seem real, but it was finally happening.It was election night.All day Alexander and I had been answering questions from reporters and making phonecalls to voters, hoping to get as many people as possible to show
He glanced at me, a knowing look passing between us. We would face whatever came next together.After dinner, Sabrina and Alexander took Lexie up to get ready for bed. She wanted a bedtime story from Alexander and he seemed happy to do it.Once we were alone in the living room, my mother pulled me t
Ella POVAlexander and I spent the day in my family’s packlands with Lexie, a rare moment of peace before the election.The official statement revealing Lexie’s identity had been carefully crafted—Alexander had asked for privacy for her sake.The response had been mixed, but most people saw it as a
“It does,” Elizabeth said. “But people also fear what they don’t understand. Alexander has spent years in the shadows. Half of what he’s done is still a secret. People don’t know that he’s…” she hesitated, looking away for a moment. “Now, they’re being asked to trust him with the kingdom.” She sighe
Ella POVI sat across from Elizabeth at a quiet restaurant, a half-empty glass of wine in front of me. The air between us was lighter than it had been in months, but there was still an unspoken tension—a lingering wound that was still healing.Elizabeth had taken the revelations about Alexander, Dav
Ella POVThe news of Ironfang’s arrest tore through the kingdom like wildfire. Fear gripped the people as they learned the horrifying truth—powerful figures within their own government had been working with the North.For years, the enemy had been closer than anyone had realized, pulling strings in
Alexander POVI stood before the King, my body still weak from the poison, but my mind sharp and steady. Ella stood at my side, her presence grounding me, a silent promise that we would face whatever came next together.I could feel the weight of her gaze on me, the quiet strength she offered just b
Ella POVIt took several days before Alexander could stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time.Those days felt like an eternity to me, sitting at his bedside, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, hoping for any sign of improvement. The doctors assured me that the worst had passed, b
The King’s orders were not something you ignored. And though I had no desire to leave Alexander’s side, I couldn’t risk further angering the King—especially when I had no idea what he would do with the information I had.Still, my resolve weakened as she glanced at Alexander one last time. “He’ll be