His palace. His rules.I swallowed hard, having forgotten for a second who I was talking to. But my curiosity got the better of me.I glanced up at him, biting my lip before finally asking, "That hairpin… Who did it belong to?"Damon’s jaw twitched."It’s important to you, isn’t it?" I added, watchi
LilaThe insignia on my lot shimmered faintly under the morning light, the golden ink standing out against the dark paper. My stomach twisted.Someone had switched my lot.I clenched my jaw, my pulse thudding in my ears as the realization sank in. It had to be the same person who took my clothes. An
Helen led us down to the grand hall where Damon waited with Ronan and several guards. The other candidates were gathered loosely around.Damon’s imposing figure stood at the center of them all, arms crossed over his chest, his expression carved from stone. His eyes flickered toward me as I entered.
LilaThe tension in the hall hadn’t dissipated when Damon dismissed everyone. The girls hurried off, whispering amongst themselves, and Vanessa stomped away with her jaw clenched, her shoulders stiff with barely restrained fury.But before I could follow, Damon’s voice cut through the air."Elena. S
DamonAsher’s hand lingered on Elena’s shoulder, casual but firm. Irritation curled hot and sharp in my chest.I had no reason to care. No reason to feel this slow-burning irritation coil inside me.Yet, before I could think better of it, my feet were already moving.My long strides carried me acros
“I can’t train with the person I’m supposed to fight against,” I shot back, stepping backDamon didn’t react immediately, just tilted his head slightly, eyes scanning me like he was trying to decide how to serve me my own ass on a platter. His silence only made my frustration spike.“I can’t train w
LilaThe moment Damon stepped back onto the training grounds, my breath caught in my throat.He wasn’t wearing the royal black attire I had seen him in before. Instead, he was dressed in dark training gear—fitted black pants that hugged his powerful legs and a sleeveless top that left his arms and s
LilaThe moment I stepped into the training grounds, I felt it: eyes, whispers... that crawling, stinging sensation that spread across my skin like a rash I couldn’t scratch.“She must be sleeping with him. Why else would the king train her?”“Did you see the way he touched her yesterday? Shameless.
Henry tried to recover. “Still, appearances—”“Don’t concern me.” Damon’s voice was a blade now, smooth and sharp. “And if you ever try to leverage her again, for anything, I’ll remove every Ashford from the royal roster. Permanently.”Silence dropped like a stone. Henry stared at him, face twitchin
LilaThe summons arrived just after breakfast.A folded parchment sealed in black wax, delivered by a silent steward who refused to meet my eyes. I didn’t need to open it to know who it was from. The weight of it pressed into my hands like a stone.Henry never requested. He summoned. And when he did
Damon I hated these events.But tonight, I was expected to play the gracious host. So, I nodded. Smiled. Let my eyes move from one noble to the next.I greeted alpha pairs from the east and dignitaries from the coastal Pack lands, spoke in tones that made them feel important while Zane snarled quie
We stood in our assigned places like jewels on display—gowned, graceful, every hair pinned to perfection.I smoothed my skirt with one hand and forced myself to smile as the first of the Alphas entered the hall.There were so many. Too many to count without appearing distracted. Nobles from the sout
LilaBy the next morning, I wasn’t just recovering, I was reentering.Word had spread quickly through the palace that I would be returning to the selection. Not everyone said it out loud, but I saw it in the way people looked at me—like I was a ghost they hadn’t expected to see again.Some with resp
Moonlight spilled across the stone paths in silver sheets, turning hedges into shadows and marble into bone.I hadn’t planned on coming out here specifically, but something in me was restless, and I followed it down the hallways until the air turned cool and the world opened wide.Damon stood near t
LilaThe ache was dull today. Manageable.It nestled behind my ribs like something leftover from a bad dream—present, but fading. I sat propped against a stack of pillows, the sun filtering through the high infirmary windows in long gold slants.Outside, I could hear faint voices in the hall, the oc
LilaI woke to the sound of my heartbeat in my ears, too loud in the quiet room. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.The ceiling above me blurred and shimmered, the beams twisting in and out of focus like they were underwater. My throat was dry. My skin too warm.I blinked slowly, once, twice,
Her voice was too even; in the way I’d seen soldiers get to make it through the worst of things.“My father couldn’t bear the scandal of pulling her out of this selection due to pregnancy. Or at least that’s what I assume. So I was his only option to not breaking the agreement. Send Lila, the bastar