He glanced at her, then at Ella. “Ella, didn’t you say you’ve always wanted to go to the botanical garden?” Ella blushed, looking down at her feet. “I do like the garden, but...” She peeked up through her lashes. “I want to go to the fair too.” Alaric’s gaze shifted between the girls and me. Fin
Elara Finally, after what felt like an eternity of pleading and puppy-dog eyes from the girls, Alaric let out a resigned sigh. “Fine,” he muttered, looking out the cabin window. “Yay!” Zoe and Ella cheered, clapping their hands in delight. I couldn’t keep my expression entirely neutral. My tho
Elara Before Alaric could utter a word, his mother strode up to me, her sharp eyes narrowing as she circled me like a predator assessing its prey. “This won’t do... This simply won’t do...” she muttered, clicking her tongue with disapproval while she walked around me. My back stiffened under h
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. I stared at her fading form, unsure whether I should laugh or cry. “Is she serious?” I whispered, turning to Alaric. But he was already making his way up the stai
Elara I shivered against the sudden cold, my body revealed to the chilly morning air in nothing but my thin, silky pajama set. But Grace didn’t seem to care about my discomfort—if anything, she just seemed to revel in it. In a flash, she was already at my closet, flinging the doors open and rifl
By the time I was setting the table, a small smile tugged at my lips. The colorful plates looked inviting, and I knew the girls would be delighted to see this when they woke up. Like clockwork, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and soon Zoe and Ella appeared in the doorway. “Mommy!” Zoe exclaimed
Elara & Alaric Elara Alaric stepped into the room, his presence commanding as ever. His gaze swept over the scene: the scattered oatmeal, Zoe and Ella standing protectively in front of me, their tiny fangs poking out of their mouths. Grace stood a few feet away from me, a placid smile plastere
“There,” I said softly, setting the bowls down for them. “Eat up, and we’ll do something fun together later, okay?” The girls took their seats, looking a little wary but considerably less upset now that their bowls were filled with vibrant fruit and sweet honey. “Promise?” Zoe murmured, looking
But I forced myself to stay still. To not react. It wasn’t Sarah’s fault that her death had been faked and she’d been held captive for years. And it wasn’t Alaric’s fault that his emotions were running high. The wife he’d thought was dead had suddenly returned out of nowhere. Maybe I won’t get my
Elara The sound of all the shocked murmurs and the sight of the stunned faces quickly faded behind the heavy door as it closed behind us, leaving just the three of us in the quiet, private room. I sank down nervously onto the edge of the nearby bench, still too stunned to speak or even begin to
My heart tugged a little. I brushed my fingers over the necklace Alaric had given me the night before—a simple pendant, but the meaning behind it far outweighed the sparkle of the diamonds inlaid along its edges. “Maybe,” I whispered, the thought of Alaric standing at the altar enough to send a fl
Elara Somehow, a few months of bliss passed after that fateful night that Alaric proposed. Eventually we began to encroach upon the original six month span of our arrangement, but we barely even noticed. In fact, our arrangement had quickly become a thing of the past. We weren’t constrained by
Elara The door slammed harder than I meant it to, but I didn’t care. Let them hear it echo down the damn hall, for all I cared. Fated mate? Either Asher had lost his mind, or he really thought he could manipulate me into believing him.. I stormed down the corridor, my hands curled into fists a
“I can handle him,” I replied, my jaw tightening. Elara didn’t even flinch. “He’ll talk to me.” I let out a slow breath, running my hand over my face. This was the last thing I wanted—to have them in the same room, breathing the same air. But if Asher was the key to unraveling the rest of this, th
Alaric The cold metal of the watch glinted under the harsh lights of the interrogation room. I held it between my fingers, thumb brushing over the engraved initials for what felt like the millionth time that morning. A.S.D. Asher Samuel Donovan. The watchmaker had confirmed the watch’s owner wit
Elara Alaric’s hand was warm around mine, his thumb brushing once against my knuckles before he started toward the stairs. He didn’t answer right away, but the hesitation I saw briefly flicker in his eyes was gone just as quickly as it came. Whatever had been holding him back just moments ago se
His gaze snapped up, sharp as a dagger. “He’s not who you think he is, Elara.” “And maybe he’s not who you think he is either.” Alaric exhaled sharply, as if trying to keep his patience in check. “You don’t know him like I do, Elara. You didn’t grow up with him. You didn’t see what he was capabl