His Regret, The Crown's Claim
The moment the heavy doors of the hall closed for the long diplomatic meetings, I would fly to the willow tree, my chest bursting with an anticipation I had never known before.
And like clockwork, a rustle in the ivy would announce his arrival. He grew faster than I did, his shoulders broadening, his eyes shifting with the sharp intelligence of a rising Alpha. Yet, the moment he dropped into the dirt beside me, he was just Cade.
"I brought you something from the capital," he said one autumn afternoon, dropping a heavy, leather-bound book onto my lap. It was an illustrated collection of old northern folklore, the pages crisp, the gold lettering gleaming. "I know you like the stories about the