LOGINELENA'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
RYAN'S POV,“Which is exactly why some of us believe you overstepped. And I agree with them.”I looked around the room and noticed many heads nodding in agreement with him. This was what I feared when I declared our support for Prince Andrew—the cracks were starting to appear in the pack. While it w
“Is this true, Elena?”“Is your real name, Princess Sofia, Elena?”“Were you hiding your identity all this time from us?”“Did Julian know about you?”“Was your divorce to Julian related to your new identity?”I swallowed hard, my throat tightened as I looked for answers that could satisfy them. I w
RYAN'S POV,The meeting ended with a round of applause from both sides.It was polite, measured and rehearsed. They were clapping hands not out of joy, but out of obligation. I saw it on their faces. The chairs scraped softly against the marble floor as everyone rose, the advisors murmured congratul
“She should stay with us, in this palace,” I continued before he could say anything about taking her back to the Lycan Kingdom. “You know this is the safest place for her, amongst the people who will fight for her till their last breath.”This time, Andrew turned fully toward me. “Ryan—”“I know,” I







