All Chapters of The Crown’s Greatest Regret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

“Mate? That whale?”The words hit me before I even understood what I was hearing. I had come around the corner of the banquet hall with a plate of food in my hands, looking for Cassian because I wanted to wish him luck before the ceremony. Instead I found him surrounded by his friends, all of them laughing so hard some of them had to hold onto each other.I should have walked away right there but I didn’t.“I’d rather die mate-less,” Cassian said, and the whole group howled like he had just told the funniest joke in the world.I stood frozen behind a pillar, my plate shaking in my hands until a piece of cake slid off and landed on the floor with a soft, pathetic sound that somehow felt louder than his laughter.I was seventeen. I had loved Cassian Thornwyck since I was twelve years old, back when he used to sit beside me in class and share his pencils because he said mine always broke. Somewhere between then and now, he became the person everyone wanted and I became the girl everyone

Elara’s POVThe council hall was packed by the time I arrived, every seat filled with Alphas in their formal furs, nobles dripping in jewels, and council members whispering behind gloved hands. I felt every single eye turn toward me the moment I stepped through the doors, and for one brief second my old instincts screamed at me to shrink, to apologize for taking up space, to disappear.I didn’t listen to them. I walked down the center aisle with my chin lifted, my heels striking the marble floor in a steady rhythm, and I took my seat in the front row without looking left or right.The lawyer, an older wolf named Mr. Halveth, cleared his throat and unfolded the will with shaking hands. “As per the last testament of Lord Alistair Vexley, Beta of Blackthorn Pack, the following bequests are to be honored.”The room went silent.“To his granddaughter, Elara Vexley, I bequeath the entirety of Blackthorn Territory, all assets and holdings therein, and my seat upon the Royal Council.”The sil

Elara’s POV“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that.”Draven leaned against my bedroom doorframe, arms crossed, watching me smooth down my dress for the third time in as many minutes. I forced my hands still and glared at him.“I’m not pacing.”“You’ve walked the same six steps back and forth since I got here.”“I’m nervous about the council seat,” I said, which was true, though it wasn’t the whole truth. The whole truth had golden eyes and a voice that still echoed through my dreams.Draven raised an eyebrow like he could hear the lie anyway. He probably could. Seven years apart hadn’t erased the way he always seemed to read straight through me. “Does this nervousness have a name? Maybe one that starts with a C?”“Get in the carriage, Draven.”He laughed, but he didn’t push further, just offered me his arm the way he always had, steady and familiar in a way that settled something in my chest.The ride to the palace felt shorter than I wanted it to. When