Lila wasn’t Natalie. She never had been. She was the daughter of a man I despised. A girl who'd grown up clawing her way into a world that didn’t want her.But all I could think about was the sound of her voice in the greenhouse, trembling and brave, asking if what we had was real. It was. Gods help
DamonThe sting of steel against my wrist felt good. Clean. Honest.I pivoted, blade arcing low, slamming into Ronan’s guard hard enough to rattle bone. He grunted, deflected, and shoved back, sweat glistening along his brow.Our boots scraped violently against the stone floor of the private trainin
The audacity of it soured the air. He hadn’t heeded my warning or my orders. And it pissed me off.He rose when he saw me, but the smirk on his face stayed rooted. “Your Majesty,” he drawled, inclining his head in a gesture that was technically respectful, but only just. “I was told you requested th
DamonThe moment Ronan stepped into my study, I knew something had broken.He didn’t bother with ceremony. Just set the folded parchment on my desk and met my eyes with the kind of tension that came before war. “You need to read this.” I opened it in silence.Each line slashed across the page like a
I turned back to the painting, hands curling into fists at my sides. Her face smiled back—calm, composed, untouchable.I wanted to tear it off the wall.Instead, I whispered, “He doesn’t love you, Lila. He loves her.”I pressed my palm against the cool wall next to her likeness, voice low, venomous
ElenaFrom wearing silk gowns to drab rough linens. From banquet tables to discarded trays. From favored daughter to invisible maid.Invisible. Until someone needed to sneer. Or wanted something scrubbed. I was starting to feel like Lila.The borrowed servant dress chafed at my shoulders, rough and
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