The door clicked shut behind me, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. The room was quiet, dim, the only light coming the heart. I shrugged off Asher’s jacket and draped it over the nearest chair. The weight of it lingered on my shoulders even after it was gone. I guess I was
LilaElite Group. Evaluated under direct observation. His Majesty will serve as Primary Judge.Even in ink, it felt like a trap.This was supposed to be Elena’s strength. She was bred for this kind of thing, literally. Diplomacy, negotiation, and political cunning disguised as grace. Not me. I was b
“Thought you might stand me up,” he said when I approached.“Still might,” I replied, folding my arms.He grinned. “Feisty. You’re either terrified or completely over it.”“It can be both.”Asher’s eyes gleamed. “Smart. You’ll need that.”He gestured toward the edge of the fountain. I didn’t sit. Ne
LilaRows of tiered seating ringed the space above us, shadowing the faces of the judges and spectators. Somewhere up there, I knew Damon was watching.The center of the room had been transformed into a living map; raised terrain etched with ridges and markers, depicting the territory of two neighbo
DamonI shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was.Standing in the upper gallery with the judges, I’d expected Elena Ashford to falter. Not because I wanted her to, I didn’t, but because she kept walking into things no one else dared to touch and somehow emerged unscathed. Sooner or later, the illusi
I scented her before I saw her. Elena turned the corner with her head down, fingers curled slightly, gaze distant.She nearly collided with me. Again.“Oh, sorry!” she gasped, stopping short, clearly startled.“Elena,” I said quietly. And when she froze, I added, “Congratulations.”Her mouth parted,
LilaI was brushing out my hair by the window when the mind-link pierced through. The pressure hit behind my eyes like a vice. It started as a prickling along the base of my skull—then sharpened. I knew the sensation well.Lila.His voice slithered through my mind.I froze, the cool night air brushi
The garden was quieter than the palace halls. I slipped into it without a shawl, letting the cold air sting my arms and clear my head. The adrenaline from the mind-link still sat bitter on my tongue, and I needed distance from everything.From Henry. From Damon. From all the lying and pretending. I
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