Mag-log inThen 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
Esther’s POVThe bank clerk had barely looked at me before sliding the stack of loan documents across the counter. My hands shook as I signed my name—Esther Arden—over and over, each stroke a reminder that I was binding myself tighter to a debt that I could barely afford. Every signature, every init
Kevin’s hands fell to my shoulders, firm and grounding. “You’re not asking. You’re not alone. Let me carry some of this weight.”I looked into his eyes, saw the intensity, the truth, the unwavering support. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to let go completely. My pride, my fear of gossip, my need t
Esther’s POVThe fluorescent lights of the hospital flickered overhead, casting cold, harsh shadows across Carl’s small form. The beeping machines, the whir of ventilators, and the sharp scent of antiseptic pressed down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake.Every breath he took was a battle. Every m
Esther’s POVI pressed my hand to my lips, feeling the imprint of him still there as if the room itself had recorded the memory. My chest felt tight, my heart still thundering in a rhythm that refused to slow.I hated that part of me. I hated that the mate spark still flared whenever he was near, ha







