I felt the blood drain from my face. “You... you can’t be the Ice King,” I stammered, but the look on his face told me everything.The legendary crime lord of the Roguelands. The one rumored to be more powerful than any Alpha... it was Alexander.“That’s why they were scared of you,” I whispered. “T
Alexander POVI sat in my office with an untouched cup of coffee in front of me, steam curling from the mug in lazy spirals. My laptop sat open but dark, its blank screen reflecting my hollow expression. I had work to do. There was always work to do.But I couldn’t focus.What I had just done was re
August sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I get it. We couldn’t risk her accidentally exposing everything. You told her... everything?”“Everything.”“Well, shit,” August muttered under his breath. “What do we do now?”“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I trust her, so I don’t think there’s anything else to d
Ella POVJames stood beside me, his posture tense and alert. I felt a pang of guilt for asking him to join me for a walk after everything that had just happened, but he had agreed easily enough.He didn’t try to chat with me like he normally would, and the silence hung heavy between us. It didn’t bo
Ella POVAlexander ended up working late, which was probably for the best—it gave us both time to clear our heads. I wasn’t sure if we even needed to have a follow-up conversation after his confession, but I wanted to be prepared if it happened.My conversation with James had helped more than I expe
Ella POVAlexander lay on the couch with my head resting on his chest, his fingers moving lightly through my hair.We’d spent most of the night tangled up together, and when he took the unprecedented step of calling off work this morning, I was shocked.But instead of worrying about it, we spent the
He looked at me for a long moment, blinking slowly as if processing my question. Then, with a small shrug, he nudged me gently so we sat up straight. “I suppose I do owe you an explanation at this point.”“An explanation?” I asked, frowning slightly.“About my past relationship issues,” Alexander sa
Ella POVThe next morning, Alexander still hadn’t returned to the apartment. Needing a distraction, I decided to head to the gym. I’d been training more and more with Trevor ever since my wolf awakened. He was an expert in weight training—his broad shoulders were proof enough—and he’d explained tha
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