LOGINMiraMy mind was already spinning.A Princess who values loyalty. A Princess who cherishes old friendships. A Princess who returns to places that hold sentimental value.Perfect.I straightened my dress and stepped out of the dressing room with a new purpose in my steps. By the time I reached our suite, a clear, ruthless plan had formed.I wouldn’t fight the Princess.I would attach myself to her.Tomorrow at the banquet, among the many gifts we prepared for the Princess, I would present an exact replica of that lost friendship necklace. Once she saw it, she would automatically call me forward. I would then tell her the polished lie — that I was her long-lost childhood best friend who had lost most of her memories in a terrible accident years ago. The court loved sentimental stories. They loved loyalty and kindness. If I played the role well, I could become untouchable: the humble, devoted friend who had waited and prayed for the Princess’s safe return.My plan was flawless.
MiraThe door clicked shut behind Ian as he left for the pre-banquet reception. Only Alphas were allowed to attend that part, he had told me. I stood in the middle of the lavish suite, the silence pressing in on me like a weight.I should have been thrilled. We were in the royal palace, everything was falling into place, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what he said.I paced the room, my heels clicking against the marble floor. No. It couldn’t be. She was dead. We made sure of it. I made sure of it.Still, the doubt gnawed at me.I snatched my phone from the side table and dialed one of the guards who had been responsible for disposing of her body that night. The phone rang twice before he answered.“Yes, Miss?” His voice was cautious.“Tell me exactly what happened after we left the courtyard, Lucas” I demanded, keeping my voice low. “Did you follow the orders? Did you dump her deep in the forest like I told you?”There was a long, uncomfortable pause on the other end.“We
IanThe attendant led us down a wide, sunlit corridor lined with ancient tapestries and gleaming marble statues. She stopped before a set of ornate double doors carved with the royal crest and pushed them open with a graceful motion.“These are your quarters for the duration of your stay,” she said warmly, stepping aside to let us enter.The suite was breathtaking. A spacious living area opened into a luxurious bedroom with a massive four-poster bed draped in silk. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the royal gardens, and fresh flowers filled crystal vases on every surface. The air smelled of lavender and polished wood.Mira let out a soft, delighted gasp as she stepped inside, her eyes wide with awe. “Oh, Ian, look at this!” she exclaimed, spinning around the room with girlish delight. She ran her fingers over the embroidered curtains, opened drawers filled with fresh linens, and stepped onto the balcony with a happy giggle. “This is even more beautiful than I imagined. We’re re
IanThe rumors had spread like wildfire through Shadowveil and beyond.Everywhere I turned — in the training fields, during meetings with the elders, even in casual conversations with warriors, the topic was the same: the long-lost Princess and the Grand Banquet being held in her honor. The entire kingdom seemed electrified by her return.I sat in our private living room that evening, the golden scroll resting on the low table in front of me. Mira lounged beside me on the couch, flipping through a catalog of luxury items while sipping herbal tea.“Have you been hearing the stories?” I asked, unable to keep the intrigue from my voice. “They say the Princess is extraordinarily beautiful. Silver hair like moonlight, eyes the color of storm clouds. Graceful, elegant, and kind in a way that makes people remember her years later.”Mira glanced up from her catalog, her expression carefully neutral. “The entire kingdom is obsessed. It’s all anyone can talk about these days.”I leaned ba
YaraThe heavy thud of boots echoed against the stone floor. Ronan instantly stood up, a rare, genuine smile breaking across his otherwise stern face."Ah, he's here," Ronan announced, stepping away from the table. He turned to my father and me, offering a brief, apologetic bow. "Forgive me, father. With the morning drills, I completely forgot to inform you that Alec would be joining us for breakfast today.""Alec?" I repeated, the name slipping from my lips before I could stop it.I looked toward the doorway, and my heart completely stopped. My breath trapped itself in my throat.Standing there, dressed in a sharp, dark military uniform that bore the crest of a powerful general, was the young man from the hospital. The stranger I had collided with. The one who had picked up my ultrasound from the floor."Yara, allow me to introduce my closest friend and one of our most powerful generals, Alec," Ronan said, completely oblivious to the sudden, icy dread paralyzing my limbs. "Alec
YaraThe impact knocked me backward. The printed ultrasound, the prescription, and my bag slipped from my grip, scattering across the polished linoleum floor."Oh, I'm so sorry!" a male voice apologized.My heart hammered against my ribs. I didn't look up at him. Desperate to hide my face, I dropped directly to my knees and began frantically sweeping the papers together with trembling hands.The young man crouched down beside me to help. His fingers closed around the glossy piece of photo paper that had slid the furthest away. He picked up the ultrasound image, his eyes dropping to the unmistakable shape printed on it.A warm, genuine smile broke across his face as he held it out to me. "Looks like you're expecting a baby. Congratulations."Panic flared into pure survival instinct. I snatched the image roughly out of his hand, jammed it into my cloak alongside the other papers, and scrambled to my feet. Leaving him confused on the floor behind me, I burst through the hospital do
YaraI stood frozen in the middle of our once-beautiful bedroom, the scent of roses now turning my stomach. Ian’s words hung in the air like smoke after a wildfire; thick, choking, and impossible to ignore.“You can’t be serious,” I whispered, my voice barely holding together. “You’re kicking me
IanI woke up with a clear head and a strange sense of lightness in my chest. The pack felt calmer. More stable. As if a long-standing weakness had finally been cut away. I rose from the bed and dressed, leaving Mira to sleep a little longer. The pack house was already buzzing with activity when
YaraChaos erupted in seconds.Mira’s screams pierced the night, raw and desperate, drawing guards and maids from their quarters like moths to a flame. I stood frozen in the guesthouse doorway, my hands still outstretched from where I had tried to catch her. Blood pooled beneath her on the stone p
YaraI smoothed the deep crimson silk over our bed for the third time, my fingers lingering on the petals I had scattered across it. Red roses — his favorite. The entire room smelled of lavender and vanilla, the candles flickering softly in the golden afternoon light streaming through the windo







