MasukELENA'S POV, The room they had given me to wait in was small by palace standards, which still made it larger than most rooms I had lived in during the years between then and now. Someone had placed flowers on the narrow table by the window, white ones, and I didn't know whether that was intentiona
RYAN'S POV, “Ollie needs stability,” he said, leaning back on his chair. “She's been patient, she's always been too patient for a child her age, and I've been asking her to share me with an entire nation for years.” He paused, turning the pen in his hand slowly, like he was still working out how to
ELENA'S POV, “Support the Queen,” he said, and the way both of them were talking through their eyes, it made me shake my head in embarrassment. “I have control over both of the packs. I will be their new Alpha, and after that, I will ensure that the packs publicly come forward in your support, wit
ELENA'S POV, Three weeks had passed, and I was still learning the weight of the crown. Not the physical one, that stays in a glass case in the east wing and comes out only for the formal occasions, like coronations or state dinners. The other kind, the kind that lived in every decision made befor
The King's jaw tightened. "I will not hand the Crown of this Kingdom to a woman based on a prophecy and a viral video." "Then we'll take it based on those things and the army standing outside your gates," Ryan said, still perfectly even, still without heat. "Your choice is not whether this happens
"They came out," Ryan said quietly, watching the road ahead. "At this hour. They came out." I didn't answer because I didn't have words for it yet. I just watched the faces moving past the window and let the weight of it land where it needed to land. --- The Palace gates were already breached
ANDREW'S POV,The letter arrived before dawn.I was still on my bed, twisting and turning anxiously, waiting for the news. Even though I was certain that Elena was my sister, there was a small ember of doubt burning inside my chest, mostly because of my conversations with Georgina and President Ryan
My chest tightened because I could feel more coming out of his mouth. Somehow, in my heart, I already knew that I was one of the girls, but I didn't know he was on the mountain too. I never saw him in my vision, it was always the other girl—older and more beautiful than anyone I'd ever seen, and me.
“Good morning,” I said quietly, trying to keep the sudden yawn from bubbling up. He didn't respond immediately, instead of, he studied my face as though it were a wound he was afraid to touch.“You didn’t sleep,” he finally said, but it sounded more like a last-second observation than what he actual
RYAN'S POV,The light spilling from the half-closed door of Elena's bedroom cut across the floor like a thin blade. I stood there longer than I should have, listening for any sound from inside, but nothing came to welcome me. There was just the silence of the night on that side of the palace, contra







