LOGINTo destroy him, I've traded my pride for a maid's uniform. My plan is simple: infiltrate his estate, seduce him into breaking his royal engagement, and lead his enemies to his doorstep. I want to see his pack burn. I want to see the light leave those storm-grey eyes as how he did to my mate
View MoreLet me be clear," he said, his Alpha voice coming through. "I don't make staffing decisions based on someone's appearance. If she's doing her work well and not causing problems, she stays where she is.""Kael-""Elder Moira hired her because we're short-staffed before the ceremony. Unless you have a legitimate complaint about her work performance, this conversation is over.""I have legitimate concerns about her intentions," Celeste shot back. "The way she looks at you-""The way she looks at me?" Kael's voice sharpened. "Celeste, I've barely noticed the girl. I couldn't pick her out of a lineup of servants if you asked me to. This sounds like jealousy, and it's beneath you.""I'm not jealous," Celeste said, but her voice had risen slightly, losing some of its usual cool control. "I'm being protective. You're about to be mated, Kael. We're about to form an alliance that will strengthen both our packs. I won't have some opportunistic servant undermining that.""One maid doesn't have th
On her tenth day of working in the garden, Sera discovered bulbs buried beneath the weeds in one of the beds-tulips, maybe, or daffodils. They'd survived thirteen years of neglect, waiting underground for someone to give them a chance to bloom again. She carefully cleared around them, gave them space to breathe, and felt something uncomfortably like hope stir in her chest. She crushed it immediately. Hope was dangerous. Hope made you soft, made you hesitate. She was here for revenge, not redemption. It was a Tuesday morning, barely past dawn, when Celeste found her. Sera was on her knees by the fountain, scrubbing years of grime from the stone basin, when she heard the sharp click of expensive heels on the pathway. She looked up to find Celeste Ravencroft standing at the garden entrance, immaculately dressed as always, her expression a mix of surprise and something darker. "What are you doing?" Celeste's voice was cold, imperious. Sera climbed to her feet quickly, wiping dirty
Kael studied her for a moment, and Sera could feel the weight of his Alpha presence, could sense him assessing her in the same way Celeste had, but differently. Where Celeste had looked for threats and deception, Kael seemed to be looking for... honesty, maybe. "Look at me," he said, not unkindly. Sera raised her eyes, meeting his grey gaze directly. This close-maybe six feet away-she could see the individual colors in his eyes, grey shot through with silver. Could see the lines of stress around his mouth, the exhaustion that came from carrying too much responsibility for too long. He was handsome. She'd noticed that before, but in an abstract, clinical way. Now, meeting his eyes directly, feeling the full force of his attention focused solely on her, she understood why people followed him. Why women might want him. Not her, of course. She felt nothing but cold assessment. But she could see how others might. "Elder Moira speaks highly of your work," Kael said. "Says you're effici
It was a Tuesday morning, barely past dawn, when Celeste found her. Sera was on her knees by the fountain, scrubbing years of grime from the stone basin, when she heard the sharp click of expensive heels on the pathway. She looked up to find Celeste Ravencroft standing at the garden entrance, immaculately dressed as always, her expression a mix of surprise and something darker. "What are you doing?" Celeste's voice was cold, imperious. Sera climbed to her feet quickly, wiping dirty hands on her work pants. "Miss Celeste. I'm sorry, I was just-" "I asked what you're doing," Celeste interrupted, moving closer. Her eyes swept over the cleared pathway, the pruned roses, the evidence of restoration. "Who gave you permission to work in this garden?" "No one, ma'am." Sera kept her head down, projecting deference even as her mind raced. "I just... I saw how beautiful it used to be, and I thought maybe it could be saved. I'm doing it on my own time, not during my shift. I didn't think-"
That afternoon, Sera was cleaning the formal sitting room when she overheard voices approaching-Celeste's sharp tones and Kael's deeper, more measured responses. She immediately moved to slip out through the servants' entrance, as protocol dictated, but Celeste's next words stopped her cold. "-th
Sera had to remind herself of that, had to keep the cold core of rage burning beneath the soft, vulnerable mask she was wearing. "You may continue working on the garden," Kael said finally. "On your own time, as you've been doing. I won't have it torn out. I'll speak to Celeste about reconsidering
For a moment, Sera considered lying. But Elder Moira would see through it, just like she'd apparently seen through Sera's entire carefully constructed facade. So she told a version of the truth. "I lost someone I loved," Sera said quietly. "Six months ago. It broke something in me. I've been drif
The garden became Sera's refuge.Every morning, she woke at four AM-a full hour before her shift-and worked in the cold pre-dawn darkness, coaxing life back into Elena's dying dream. She cleared weeds, pruned dead growth, cleaned debris from the fountain. Her hands grew callused and dirt embedded i












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