LOGINEvelynTwo Years LaterThe gardens outside the palace were alive with late-spring blossoms, their perfume carried on a gentle breeze to fill my nose, as my daughter’s laughter, bright and bubbling, carried across the lawn. I watched her reemerge into view, weaving through the rose bushes as she chas
Evelyn The throne room of my father’s palace had never looked so magnificent. Banners in silver and deep royal blue draped from the vaulted ceilings, fine designs embroidered into every piece of fabric. Torches burned in golden sconces, their flames reflected in polished marble floors. The air carr
Logan Two Months LaterThe room was awash with candlelight from the hundreds of candles lining the space. They collectively cast their amber glow on the stone walls, giving our surroundings a soft appearance.Laughter and music poured through the air, filling every corner with celebration. Tonight
LoganThe tavern was alive with laughter. It felt like everyone else there had something to celebrate as well.Around us floated the sound of clinking glasses and the scent of roasted meats wafting through the air. The scene was incredibly jovial and a far cry from the war councils and court politi
“He loves her,” I said quietly, though the words sounded fragile echoing against the empty walls of the throne room. “And you would punish him for it.”“Love is only worth so much,” my father said, the warmth of a moment ago gone. His eyes hardened. “A ruler must make decisions based on what is best
EvelynThe throne room always felt too large. It had been so long since I had been inside the vast, sprawling space, and even then, it had been filled with others for my brother’s princely coronation ceremony when he was fourteen. But now it was just us, my father and I. There weren’t even guards in
Evelyn The tension in the council chamber was so thick I could feel it on my skin like humid air. It was hot and pulsing.I sat to the right of my father, the Alpha King, but I was unconsciously leaning toward the person to my left. Logan. The man who hadn’t stopped staring at me since I entered th
“And Logan?” I asked quietly.My father tilted his head. “What about him?”“He will want to leave me, won’t he?” The thought made something inside of me want to flee. We were just developing something serious, something real. The timing was perfectly imperfect.How would he react when he learned? Wo
I turned on my heel, ignoring his final laugh behind me, the sound echoing down the corridor like a bad nightmare, lingering long after I had gone.The weight of his words pressed against me even as I resurfaced from the dungeons, stepping into the daylight. I tried my hardest to push them back and
EvelynThe marble floors echoed with every step, like it was punctuating some thought with each footfall. The hall in which the Summit was to take place was polished to perfection, and every surface gleamed. It was all opulent and a reminder of the authority of what happened in these halls.This was







