He just sat there and took it all. Absorbed it like a sponge, and every insult Henry hurled at him was a splash of water. But even sponges have their limits, I thought. Surely, he would tire of the harassment and speak up for himself before the evening was over. I was sure his siblings would have
MAEVE POV All of the white, hot fury that possessed my body vanished the moment I had unleashed the burdens of my mind onto the Alpha King. At first, all I felt was weightless, sweet relief upon having said everything I needed so desperately to say. But then I suddenly found myself freed from th
I saw my father staring back at me through those green apathetic eyes. And something in me snapped. I couldn’t just pay witness to all of that and pretend it never happened. Not when I had dreamed for years that someone would defend me the way I did tonight. It wasn’t right that I had to stand u
THIRD PERSON POV That wretch did it— Isabelle seethed as she furiously threw open her bedroom door and slammed it shut behind her. It was one thing for Maeve to talk back to her. It was another thing to humiliate her in front of the very people she had worked so hard to impress her entire life.
His resolution to stay neutral stung Isabelle. Before Maeve showed up, he doted on her like a perfect husband and was willing to do practically anything to please her. But now… it was almost like he was caught under the same spell as the rest of his family. A terrible, sick feeling suddenly made
XADEN POV “Well…” Henry slumped back in his chair with a huff. “I’m certainly glad that’s over with. Holding a meeting after a long night is always rough.” It just so happened that, the morning immediately following the banquet, the two of us were scheduled to hold a brief, private conference re
No matter how much I tried to delay the inevitable, however, I needed to get this done. If she was going to scold me, I would rather get it over with than simmer in the mess that was my mind. Taking a long, deep breath, I entered the palace and followed the usual route to get to the queen’s parlor.
MAEVE POV “Eric?” I questioned, surprised, thankful for the interruption, tearing my gaze away from Isabelle. What is he doing here? Eric’s lanky figure shuffled uncomfortably, yet he moved with determination. “I-I was on my way back to my room. I was just in a meeting with my father,” he shak