MasukElla POVThe night we had been working towards for so long was finally here. It didn’t seem real, but it was finally happening.It was election night.All day Alexander and I had been answering questions from reporters and making phonecalls to voters, hoping to get as many people as possible to show
He glanced at me, a knowing look passing between us. We would face whatever came next together.After dinner, Sabrina and Alexander took Lexie up to get ready for bed. She wanted a bedtime story from Alexander and he seemed happy to do it.Once we were alone in the living room, my mother pulled me t
Ella POVAlexander and I spent the day in my family’s packlands with Lexie, a rare moment of peace before the election.The official statement revealing Lexie’s identity had been carefully crafted—Alexander had asked for privacy for her sake.The response had been mixed, but most people saw it as a
“It does,” Elizabeth said. “But people also fear what they don’t understand. Alexander has spent years in the shadows. Half of what he’s done is still a secret. People don’t know that he’s…” she hesitated, looking away for a moment. “Now, they’re being asked to trust him with the kingdom.” She sighe
Ella POVI sat across from Elizabeth at a quiet restaurant, a half-empty glass of wine in front of me. The air between us was lighter than it had been in months, but there was still an unspoken tension—a lingering wound that was still healing.Elizabeth had taken the revelations about Alexander, Dav
Ella POVThe news of Ironfang’s arrest tore through the kingdom like wildfire. Fear gripped the people as they learned the horrifying truth—powerful figures within their own government had been working with the North.For years, the enemy had been closer than anyone had realized, pulling strings in
Ella POVIt took a while for August to calm down enough to leave. He wouldn’t give me any more information than he already had, but it did seem like he felt a little better now that he wasn’t the only one aware of the gravity of the situation.I was still standing in the doorway where I had spoken t
Alexander POVWithout thinking, I stepped forward, placing myself between Ella and Ironfang, my body a shield in front of her.My eyes met Ironfang’s, and I knew that he could see the fear there and that he knew the cause of it.The silence between us was thick with tension, and in that moment, the
Ella POVThe atmosphere in the king’s home was tense. Servants and guards moved briskly through the halls, their expressions unreadable but their urgency undeniable.The entire building was bracing itself for what was about to unfold—the king’s official statement on the arrests, the fallout of the i
“I can’t,” he said weakly, his voice choked by tears.“Why?” I asked, frustrated.He looked away from me and I realized that I already knew the answer to that question. “Alexander is keeping something from me,” I said softly.He nodded, but couldn’t seem to meet my eyes.I could only imagine how har







