ANMELDENElara's POV The morning light through the palace windows felt unusually cold. I stopped at the top of the grand staircase, my hand tightening on the polished banister as I looked down into the foyer. Elias was there, but he wasn't alone.A woman stood in front of him, her hair a waterfall of spun silk that shimmered under the chandeliers. She was tall, poised, and radiating a level of confidence that made my stomach do a slow, sickening flip. She was laughing—a bright, musical sound—and Elias was smiling back at her, his posture relaxed in a way I’d only seen when we were alone."She arrived an hour ago," a voice muttered beside me.I jumped, seeing Sarah standing there with a stack of linens. "Who is she?" I asked, my voice coming out thinner than I wanted."Don't know her name," Sarah said, eyeing the pair below. "But look at them. They look like they were made for each other, don't they? Word is she’s from his home territory. A high-ranking bloodline, for sure."My chest tightened
Elara's POV The morning sun hit the sparring ring with a brutal, golden glare. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, my lungs burning, but for the first time in years, the ache felt like a victory rather than a burden."Again," Elias called out. He stood in the center of the ring, his shirt discarded, muscles rippling under skin that looked like polished bronze. "Your footwork is improving, Elara, but you’re still anticipating my strike instead of reacting to it."I shifted my stance, my bare feet gripping the packed dirt. "It’s hard not to anticipate when you look like you’re about to take my head off, Elias."He laughed, a deep, rich sound that made my heart skip. "If I wanted your head off, you’d be on the ground already. Come on. Show me the strength we found yesterday."I lunged. Instead of the clumsy stumble I would have produced a week ago, I pivoted, swinging a practice staff in a tight arc. He blocked it with a dull *thwack*, but I didn't stop. I stepped into his space, using
Elara's POVThe morning mist clung to the training grounds like a damp shroud, chilling the air and making my lungs ache with every breath. I stared at the heavy wooden practice swords and felt a familiar, sinking sensation in my gut."I don't think I should be here, Elias," I whispered, my fingers nervously twisting the hem of my tunic. "I’m not a warrior. Nathan always said my form was... well, he said I was clumsy. A liability."Elias didn't look up from where he was tightening the leather straps on his forearms. "Nathan says a lot of things, Elara. Most of them seem designed to keep you small. Pick up the blade.""It’s heavy," I complained, though I reached for it anyway. The weight immediately strained my wrist. "Balance it with your core, not just your hand," Elias said, stepping behind me. He didn't grab me roughly; he just placed his hands lightly on my hips to adjust my stance. "There. Feel that? Your center of gravity is your strength. Now, swing at me.""I’ll hit you!" He
Elara's POV I woke up with the sun streaming through my window, my head feeling heavier than usual. For a moment, the crushing weight of Nathan’s rejection threatened to pull me back under the covers, but then I remembered Elias’s face. I remembered the way he had looked at me—like I was a puzzle he was dying to solve rather than a problem to be hidden away.A knock at the door startled me. "Elara? It’s Elias. I hope you’re decent."I scrambled out of bed, smoothing my hair. "I—yes! Just a second." I pulled on a simple cream-colored dress, the fabric soft against my skin, and opened the door.Elias stood there, looking far too handsome for eight in the morning in a charcoal suit jacket and an open-collared shirt. "Good. You didn't run away in the middle of the night.""I considered it," I admitted, my voice a bit raspy. "But I think you still have my maps."He chuckled, gesturing toward the hall. "A tactical advantage I plan to keep. Come. I’ve had breakfast set up in the conservator
Elara's POV "I really shouldn't be here," I said, my voice barely a whisper as Elias led me into a secluded lounge. "The Alpha will be furious if he finds out I’m wasting the time of a visiting Prince."Elias didn't look back as he closed the heavy oak doors, muffling the distant sounds of the celebration music. "Let him be furious. I am the one who invited you, and last I checked, I am a guest of honor. My time is mine to spend." He gestured toward a plush, velvet armchair. "Please. Sit."I sank into the chair, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on me. The room was dim, lit only by the orange glow of a dying fire in the hearth. It smelled of old books and expensive bourbon."What do you want, Elias?" I asked, my fingers nervously picking at a loose thread on my sleeve. "If you’re looking for gossip about the Goldstone Pack or why the alliance is so important to my father, you’re asking the wrong person. I’m the daughter they keep in the shadows."He walked over to a sideb
Elara's POV The sound of the celebration followed me like a pack of hunting wolves. Every burst of laughter from the great hall felt like a physical lash against my back. As I stumbled through the gilded corridors of the palace, my ceremonial gown—the one I thought would be my wedding dress—felt like a shroud."Did you see her face?" a voice whispered from a side alcove."I can’t believe she actually thought she could be Luna," another hissed, followed by a cruel giggle. "Look at the size of her. She’s lucky Nathan didn't have her hauled off for daring to stand next to him."I didn't turn around. I couldn't. My chest was so tight I could barely draw breath, and my vision was blurring with hot, stinging tears. I practically ran the rest of the way to the guest chambers I had been assigned only hours ago. I slammed the heavy oak door and threw the bolt, the click of the lock sounding like a finality.I collapsed onto the floor, my knees hitting the plush rug as the first sob tore out o







