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
Alexander seemed to read the hesitation on my face. "There's no obligation," he said gently. "I can have someone drive you home if that's what you'd prefer."I hesitated again, not wanting to offend him. But the truth was, I did need some space. My parents would undoubtedly want to talk about everyt
I was too. It was true, that most would think her story was impossible, but given what I knew about David, I wouldn’t put anything past him. It seemed obvious to me that he was capable of betraying the kingdom.He only ever cared about himself, after all.“Their plan was to help David win the electi
Ella POVAlexander and I entered the room slowly. It was a small room witha single table and several chairs around it. It looked like it was probably a break room for the employees of the warehouse at some point.I could see the discoloration on the wall where a refrigerator had once been and there
“I appreciate that you want to protect me,” I said, the tension in my voice evident, “but we’re past that.”Alexander stared at me, then reached out and took my hand. The contact sent a jolt of electricity through me, and I allowed him to lead me forward. He approached the door of the warehouse, tap
Ella POVAlexander gave me the rest of the day to rest, sleep, eat, and build up my strength. By the following morning, I was anxious and ready to jump back into reality. We were in the middle of a serious situation, and I had taken an entire day just to nap.I felt ridiculous.Although Alexander in
If he didn’t, I wasn’t sure how I would react.Alexander POVI stared at Ella, watching the pretty pink blush bloom on her cheeks as she looked down into her coffee, an odd but undeniably happy smile on her lips. For the hundredth time since yesterday afternoon, my wolf rumbled in the back of my min
Ella POVI was so exhausted that I could barely get out of bed for the rest of the day.Alexander made sure I ate and showered, but beyond that, he let me rest.Most of the night passed in a haze—I drifted in and out of consciousness, the voice of my wolf a strange yet welcome presence in the back o
That’s when I noticed that most of the fighting had stopped. People were piling into the cars.Then I heard it.Shouting.Strange voices. Men I didn’t recognize."Get the car ready," one of them ordered. "We have the asset."More shouting.Dr. McIntyre.David broke free from our grip while I was dis
Ella POVFight.I smiled at the sound of that familiar voice—the one I had begun to think I would never hear again.Despite all my efforts to reclaim my wolf, I had started to believe she was lost forever. David had worked tirelessly to rip her from me, and for years, he had succeeded.But now, he w
Ella POVI watched as the other cars reached the building. Alexander had just entered, the door hadn’t even swung shut behind him yet.The black car, the one that Alexander’s men were in, stopped first. Four men, each in a black suit, jumped out of the car immediatley. One of them ran towards the bu