Ayla’s Point Of View
“What am I?”
The words slipped out of my mouth like broken glass, sharp and trembling, cutting my tongue on the way out. I didn’t even mean to say them out loud, but they forced their way into the open, like they’d been waiting for this exact moment to pounce.
I sat there on the bed, my knees drawn up to my chest, arms wrapped around them so tightly that my fingertips were white from the pressure. My whole body felt wrong, too heavy, too fragile, too full of… I didn’t even know.
I was shaking. Not from cold, not from pain.
From everything.
That dream… That nightmare… It wasn’t just a bad dream. It was a memory, I felt it was, but how could it be? I’ve never sat on a throne. I’ve never worn crowns or held kingdoms in my hand. I’ve never been called Queen.
Never.
I’m just Ayla. Broken. Bruised. Unwanted.
The girl who wasn’t even good enough to be loved by her own mate. The girl whose own brother tried to drown her like a dog too broken to keep.
I don’t belong on thr
