“I have to admit, I’m concerned,” my mother said, her voice sharp with worry."You really don't have anything to worry about," I replied, trying to keep my tone steady."Don't take this the wrong way, sweetheart," she pressed, "but I’m afraid you haven’t shown the best judgment recently. Are you cer
Ella POVI had been spending so much time in the capital lately that my father had offered to get me an apartment. The upper levels of our family’s small pack building had bedrooms, and one could easily be converted into a space for me. I had declined, though I knew it might be useful in the future.
Ella POV“You're delusional!” The fifth woman, a short redhead, finally pushed her way to the front of the group, her eyes blazing with rage as she locked onto me. “You're either completely delusional or you know the truth about Alexander and don't care. Is that it? Are you just trying to help him h
Hyacinth seemed to grasp the weight of my words as her gaze bore into mine, searching for any hint of mercy. After a long, tense moment, she blinked heavily and finally looked away. “I’ll write up an apology,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, before turning and rushing off in the same dir
Ella POV“Several women have come forward in recent days to confess that their stories about Alexander Black were fabricated,” the female reporter said, her dark eyes fixed directly on the camera.I wasn’t looking at the television; my gaze was locked on my mother, who stared at the screen, her mout
Alexander stepped away from the microphone, and the sound of reporters shouting questions flooded the air. He shook his head, and I could hear him say, “No questions, thank you,” before he directed Nadia and Miranda to walk away from the reporters, seeming to shield them from the invasive questions,
Ella POVI hadn't attended the carnival in the capital in a very long time. In fact, I hadn't even realized it was coming up until Alexander invited me to go with him.At first, I couldn't picture someone like him at a carnival—with children running around, people eating cotton candy, and playing si
Alexander POVI gasped in surprise as Ella put her arms around me.I hadn’t expected it. I thought she'd call my bluff, put her hands out and push me away, or pull back in some way. But instead, her big, dark eyes had closed with anticipation.The soft press of her lips against mine, the warmth of h
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