A knock. I jumped. I wiped my face and opened the door a crack. Simon looked exhausted. Hollow."Amelia. Let me in."I moved back. He stepped in and closed the door. The silence between us was thick."You’re not okay," he said finally.I didn’t meet his eyes. "What do you want?""I want you to stop
I told myself I was down in the archives to clear my head, to figure out what to do next, to put that damn kiss out of my head. I was trying to figure out how the fallback plan even got leaked and how to make it make sense. I was trying to prove I could still help. That I was worth keeping here.The
I tore my arm free. “I’m going to find out who did it.”Richard didn’t blink. “Do it quietly.”Jenny’s smile said she was planning her next move.Adam waited in the hall. Storm-light lit his face like a threat. “Amelia.”I didn’t stop. “What.”“You’re tearing the House apart.”“I’m telling the truth
I shoved open the Council chamber doors. The smell of wet wool and thunder settled heavy in the room. Nathan’s face was red with anger. Papers flew. Voices layered over each other.I noticed Elder Tavish glaring at me from across the table, and it wasn't the first time. He'd always been one of the m
When he saw me, he went still.For a split second, his eyes softened, so subtle I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been staring. Then the mask slammed back into place.“Amelia,” he said evenly. “You have something?”I forced my chin up. “Yes.”The room fell silent.Emma nudged me forward.I cleared
The news hit before sunrise.My tablet wouldn’t stop buzzing with alerts, notifications stacking like falling debris. Even half-awake, I could see the headlines screaming Richard’s name in every possible permutation:“Alpha King Detached and Dangerous?” “Richard’s Empire of Silence” “Where’s the T