I expected a system notification or a breaking news alert. Instead, it was a text message.The blood drained from my face as I recognized the number. It was the same one that had sent me the strange warning weeks ago.I looked at the body of the message, but it didn’t make sense. There were no words
Ella POVBy the time we returned to the apartment, Alexander was noticeably agitated. Seeing him in such a state did absolutely nothing to calm my own nerves.“It’s David, isn’t it?” I asked as Alexander closed the door behind us.He looked at me, startled for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I d
“I don’t think that,” Alexander replied, his tone unnervingly calm. “But I need to get to work and handle this situation before it escalates. You’re upset, but I don’t have time—”“To what?” I cut him off, my voice rising. “To talk to me? To tell me the truth? Just how much are you hiding, Alexander
Ella POVThe contents of the box were baffling. It was filled with a chaotic assortment of papers: business receipts, handwritten letters from people whose names I didn’t recognize—or who hadn’t signed them at all.From the few lines I skimmed, the letters seemed meaningless, scattered fragments of
With shaking hands, I picked up the photo and shoved it back into the box. My movements were frantic as I snapped the lid shut, hurried to the kitchen to grab a chair, and climbed up to return the box to its place on the top shelf.Once it was back where it belonged, I sank into a kitchen chair and
Alexander POVI hadn’t expected Ella to still be awake when I returned to the apartment. I’d been gone less than an hour, but as upset as she’d been—and as late as it was—I figured she’d have given up waiting and gone to bed.Instead, she was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with
Ella’s annoyance was palpable. Without so much as a glance in my direction, she redialed.I watched her carefully. The phone rang again. And again. Her frustration grew with every unanswered ring, her lips tightening into a thin line. When the call finally rang out for the second time, she practical
Third person POVThe fiasco of a wedding had all but guaranteed a messy marriage. David Lake had never believed in sayings like that before, but now, as he and Amanda wallowed in misery, he couldn’t deny its truth. And whose fault was it? Ella’s.She had ruined everything—again. Her ridiculously ext
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