تسجيل الدخولThen I whispered, “She woke because of truth.”Nicholas’s POVTruth.The word cut deeper than any blade.Watching Esther’s wolf awaken, seeing that glow ripple through her, was like watching dawn break inside my own ribs. Norman howled in joy, circling like a storm.Mate. Whole again.I wanted to re
Esther’s POVThe moon hung low over the palace courtyard, pale and thin as if it too had been hollowed out by truth.I hadn’t slept in days. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Carl’s face in that hospital bed, the IV line glowing red with Nicholas’s blood, a thread connecting them that could never b
I couldn’t stay. Not then. Not with the room spinning around the truth.I turned on my heel and left.Outside, the evening had turned cold. The palace gardens stretched wide and silent, shadows long across the stone. I made it halfway to the fountain before the first surge of fury hit, hot and wild
Nicholas’s POVIt was supposed to be an ordinary morning.A quiet one, even the kind where the palace felt less like a fortress and more like a home. The smell of breakfast bread drifting through the halls, the faint laughter of children somewhere near the east courtyard.Then came the scream.High.
I turned the page without a word.Inside, the fragile hope I’d been nurturing began to splinter.Nicholas found me near noon.He stormed in, half out of his formal jacket, eyes dark and wild. “Who leaked this?”“You’re asking me?” I said.“I’m asking everyone.” His voice was a snarl. “They’re saying
Esther’s POVThe palace had never been this bright.Golden banners fluttered across the courtyard, musicians tuned lutes and violins, and trays of sugared fruit glimmered beneath the sunlight. All of it, the music, the laughter, the illusion, was for Sofia.My daughter. My little girl who had someho
“Sir?” one guard hesitated. “The east cell is—”“Do as I said.”When they seized her arms, she jerked against them, eyes blazing. “You can’t do this.”I stepped closer, lowering my voice to a snarl. “I can. And I will.”Her chin trembled but she didn’t look away. “I came here because I thought you m
Esther’s POVThe hall outside Nicholas’s office smelled of cedar and iron, the scent of him. Even after six years, it still crawled under my skin. I kept telling myself I wasn’t here to plead or to crawl. I was here for Carl.I paused before the huge carved doors, palms sweating despite the cold. In
If I told him the truth, would that Nicholas resurface? Or would he crush me harder for daring to lie all these years?Carl stirred again, his small hand twitching against mine. His skin was warm, feverish. The monitors blipped warningly.I bent over him, my hair spilling around his face. “I’m here,
Esther’s POVThe clock on the pediatric wing wall ticked so loudly it felt like a hammer inside my skull. Each second was another beat of dread. I’d sat through dozens of these checkups before—Carl’s symptoms waxing and waning—but tonight something in Dr. Reynold’s expression made my stomach lurch b







