LOGINAurelia’s POVMy hands fumbled over the keys, fumbling, shaking, trembling so violently that I dropped one onto the floor. It clinked against the wall like a harsh alarm, and I froze as my heart hammered so loudly it felt like Dominic would hear it from inside the cell.“Please, please, please,” I whispered, voice trembling, “Be alive.”Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I found the right key. My fingers were slick with sweat, my knuckles white, but I turned it. The lock clicked, and my chest heaved with relief.The door creaked as I pushed it open, the shadows of the dungeon swallowing me. And there he was. Dominic. My heart broke all over again.He was slumped against the far wall, chains cutting into his wrists, his body exhausted, hair matted and smelling of damp stone and other things I didn’t want to think about. His normally sharp, alert eyes were dull with pain, though the moment they landed on me, I saw how happy he was.“Dominic…” I whispered, rushing forward. I drop
Aurelia’s POVThe first thing I felt was cold. It was like a biting chill that soaked straight through my skin. A wet drop landed on my forehead. Then another, this one slid down the bridge of my nose and into my mouth.I gasped and bolted upright.Water was dripping from the ceiling again.I stared up at the cracked stone above me, watching as a thin stream leaked through a hairline fracture, swelling with every second before surrendering to gravity and falling onto me like the palace itself was spitting in my face. My clothes clung to my body, damp and heavy, the thin mattress beneath me already soaked through.Of course it was leaking again.I swung my legs off the mattress and stood, my bones protesting the movement. Every joint ached. My shoulders felt like they had stones tied to them. I had slept curled in on myself, guarding my ribs the way one does after too many blows, as if even in sleep I expected pain to come.“Pull yourself together,” I whispered to myself, my voice hoar
LIAM'S POVThe chair shattered against the wall with a sound that echoed far too loudly for my liking.Wood splintered, fragments skidding across the stone floor, but it did nothing to ease the rage clawing at my chest. My hands were shaking. I flexed my fingers, then curled them into fists again, breathing hard through my nose like a caged animal.The image of selena standing in the council chamber, fearless, powerful, burned behind my eyes. The way she had looked at me like she wanted to challenge me. She had thrown my guards across the room like toys. In front of the council. In my seat of power. It was the freaking audacity that she had that amazed me. His she could muster the courage to even stand in my presence and challenge me. At this point I just couldn't control myself anymore, I want her out of the damn way for good.I slammed my palm against the table. “She’s forgotten herself,” I growled to the empty room. “Forgotten who put the crown on her head.”No. That wasn’t true.
Selena’s POVI couldn't move away from where I standing. I honestly felt like maybe I was dreaming.Elizabeth’s words hovered between us, and I still couldn't believe it.I could she say she will give birth to an heir for me?For a long moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart, loud enough that I was certain she could hear it too. My hands trembled at my sides, and I hated that she noticed, hated that her eyes softened, as if she had expected this reaction all along.“Sit,” I said hoarsely, gesturing toward the chair near the window. I needed space. I needed air. I needed to know if she was playing another one of her games.She obeyed without protest, lowering herself into the chair with a calm that only made me more unsettled. I paced once, twice, then stopped in front of her.“Are you serious?” I asked. “Elizabeth, look at me and tell me you’re serious.”She lifted her gaze to mine, and there was no teasing there. Infact she looked dead serious.“I’m dead serious,”
Selena’s POVI couldn't bring myself to scream. My eyes were wide opened as I stared at her and gasped.I did not step back the moment I saw her standing there, framed by the corridor’s dim torchlight like a ghost that had crawled out of my past.I froze.Because Elizabeth was not supposed to be here.This wasn't a good time at all! I couldn't just imagine how I'd deal with her and everything that was going on in the palace. My fingers tightened around the doorframe as I glanced down the hallway, my instincts screaming first, my pride following close behind. The guards were gone. The servants had been dismissed. The hallway was so quiet and thankfully no one was there to see her Only then did I turn fully to her.“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice low and sharp. “Have you lost your damn mind?”Elizabeth smiled.That same slow, infuriating smile that had once undone me in ways I hated to remember.“Long time no see, Selena,” she said lightly, as if she hasn't br
Selena’s POVI had never hated anyone the way I hated Aurelia.At first I kept asking what she had that I didn't, infact I was ten times more beautiful and yet every damn man that I have wants her.I hated the way he still drooled over her in this worn out clothes that she wore. Although laim wasn't the type of man to have good taste, I still expected he wouldn't disgrace himself like this.I stood at the entrance of the kitchen, my fingers curling slowly into my palm as I watched her. She was pale, trembling, her gown torn and stained, her hair loose and tangled around her shoulders. Liam stood too close to her.I felt something hot crawl up my spine, something ugly and violent. How many men had she ensnared now? Dominic. And now Liam’s attention lingered on her like a sickness.I walked in and slapped her so hard across the face.The sound cracked through the kitchen like a whip.Her head snapped to the side, her body stumbling as if she might collapse. I leaned close, and muttered







