Alexander POV Ella lay quiet and still beside me, her breathing steady but her body tense. Despite her insistence that this arrangement was fine, I knew she was uncomfortable. I couldn’t blame her—this situation was awkward, to say the least. As I lay there, the memory of that night crept into m
Listening for the sound of his footsteps returning. Hoping to feel the mattress shift under his weight again. But the room remained quiet, and he never came back. I drifted in and out of the awkward space between sleep and wakefulness, only opening my eyes when I heard birds chirping outside t
Third Person POV Diana stared at Ella in disbelief. Diana had never expected such confidence from such a young girl. Most of what she had heard about Ella Rowan was from a few months ago. It all led her to believe she was timid, innocent, and too nervous to stand her ground. But seeing her now
“Let me know about that dress shopping trip,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting your mother.” “I’ll speak to her when I get home and let you know the details,” I replied, though the idea of spending the afternoon with Diana and my mother seemed far less appealing now. Still, I was d
Ella POV Even before I fully processed what I was seeing, an uneasy feeling settled in my chest. Beside me, Alexander stood silent, either gauging my reaction or caught in disbelief himself. The ground was ruined. Deep furrows crisscrossed the earth in jagged, uneven lines of soil and stone. Mix
“That’s a good idea,” I said, switching my phone to record mode. We walked silently across the uneven ground, the crunch of our footsteps breaking the stillness. The damage stretched as far as I could see—deep furrows scarring the earth, the soil peppered with white grains of salt. There wasn’t a
Ella POV I looked up at Alexander, my eyes wide as my thoughts took form. I knew what to do with the land. He was already watching me, a grin spreading across his face. I propped my chin on my fist, staring seriously at the map of the border region. The Lunar Lake land adjacent to the farmland
Ella POV My father was staring at me expectantly. I felt silly for how nervous I was, I knew that I had done nothing wrong. Facing his anger wasn’t something I was used to. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “Alexander and I spent the afternoon figuring out a use for the land we gained from Da
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