By the time she finally allowed me to sit, my legs were trembling, and my patience was wearing thin. But then, as I sat down, she froze, her eyes narrowing. “What is that?” I followed her gaze to my hand. My heart sank as I realized what she was staring at: the flower stem ring from yesterday, n
Elara Alaric was between us before I even realized what was happening, his broad shoulders blocking out Grace’s furious form like a wall of stone. “That’s enough, Mother,” he said, his voice low and cold as ice. Grace immediately pulled her leg away, planting it firmly on the floor before it c
Elara That night, Alaric surprisingly came to bed before I fell asleep. I was already tucked under the covers, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm circle of light across the room as I flipped through my book. He loosened his tie as he entered, barely looking at me. I glanced up furt
Elara The moment Alaric dropped the news about the Donovan luncheon, I knew I was in for a long day. Grace gave me a triumphant smirk before she turned and strode off, leaving us standing in the hallway. I sighed heavily and pulled the robe tighter around me as I turned back toward Alaric. “A lu
“Straighten your back,” Grace whispered the moment I sat down, low enough so only I could hear. “And don’t slouch like that, dear. You’ll embarrass yourself.” I pressed my lips together and obeyed, not wanting to start an argument before the meal even began. Zoe, sitting on Grace’s left, gave me a
Elara “Aren’t you going to wash my stained trousers, cleaner?” My eyes widened at Asher’s words. It wasn’t even the request itself that bothered me—I would have happily done it had he asked nicely and sincerely—it was the blatant condescension in this tone. I knew exactly what this was: an att
Elara Alaric stood in the garden with the late afternoon sun framing his figure, the small box in his hand held out between us. I blinked, unsure if I was imagining it. But when he extended it toward me without a word, and my heart stuttered in response, I knew it was real. Slowly, I reached for
Both girls practically squealed with delight, rushing forward to hug him around the waist. He stiffened at first, but then his hands came to rest gently on their backs, his expression softening ever so slightly. “Thank you, Daddy!” Zoe chirped before letting go and dragging Ella back toward the ga
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