A breeze stirred between us, tugging at the hem of my skirt.“I want to be chosen,” I said. “Not used. Not tolerated. Not evaluated like a potential weapon.”Damon’s mouth parted like he was going to speak—but no sound came out. And that silence, it gutted me.I should’ve stopped there. Should’ve tu
DamonThe hairpin burned a hole in the corner of my desk.It sat in the open, harmless in appearance—silver, slender, shaped like a crescent moon—but it may as well have been a dagger.It wasn’t just a trinket. It was Natalie’s. I remembered the curve of it in her hair the night she died. And now I’
I’d met half a dozen council hopefuls in this room over the past month. All of them wore the same expression—deference gilded with hunger.I expected another version of that as I stepped inside.What I found instead was the bride candidate Vanessa.She was alone and waiting. Seated, poised in a figu
LilaThe morning air was tight with anticipation. I felt it before I heard the announcement—something electric weaving through the halls, sharp as static before a storm. Word spread faster than usual.By the time I entered the common hall for breakfast, the other candidates were already whispering.
He’s asking for a chance, Ruby said. You’re allowed to want it.I pressed the envelope to my chest, the paper warm from the heat of my palm.I didn’t know if this was another game, or something real. But either way, I’d just been invited to walk back into the wolf’s den.I stared at the letter for a
LilaThe dress hung on the armoire door like a question I didn’t know how to answer.I stared at it while the light shifted across the room, dragging the minutes toward a dinner I was not ready for.It all felt surreal. Like I’d dreamed the note and was about to wake up to it being some cruel joke.
LilaI paused at the threshold of the greenhouse, breath catching. This place was spectacular with stars caught in glass panes overhead. It felt like a delicious secret.Damon stood a few steps inside, waiting; his dark shirt rolled at the sleeves, collar slightly open, the kind of rugged perfection
“You surprise me,” he said after a while, voice low, “Every time.”“That makes two of us,” I murmured.“I thought you were trying to stay away from me.”“I am.”His jaw flexed. “And yet you’re here.”I swallowed. “You asked.”That earned me a half-smile. “I could’ve ordered.”“But you didn’t,” I sai
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