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
“Put… me… down,” he rasped.His voice was weak but the hostility in it shocked me.“I’m taking you inside,” I said quietly.“No!” His small hands twitched like claws against my chest.“Carl, stop.” Esther’s voice cracked. “He’s helping.”The boy’s eyes darted to hers, then back to me. His lip curled
Esther’s POVI’d barely closed the infirmary door when the vibration against my hip startled me. My phone pulsed with a message from the caretaker assigned to the twins in the guest wing:Kids won’t nap. Acting restless. Asking for you.I stared at the text until it blurred. They’d been restless for
Kevin’s mouth tightened. “Three months?”“Yes,” I whispered.He leaned closer. “If he hurts you—”“He won’t.” My lie burned my throat.Finally he let out a harsh breath, stepped back, and gave a sharp nod. “Fine.”I exhaled shakily.He turned to go, casting Nicholas one last look of pure loathing. T
Esther’s POVKevin’s scent reached me before his voice did. Pine and iron, sharp as a storm front. I’d been in the palace infirmary checking inventory when the alarms rippled through the halls. There were raised voices, hurried boots, then a Beta’s barked orders. By the time I reached the main hall,







