Tyris
I lay still on the bed, my eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. My mind had drifted far away from this room, my thoughts consumed by Denera.
Denera. The mere thought of her filled me with a powerful longing to have her here in my arms. But she was out of my reach, belonging instead to my own brother. I found myself thinking back to the first time I had seen her, that moment when I had realized she was my true mate.
If only I had spoken up and acted more quickly, I could have claimed her as mine before my brother had the chance. The whole kingdom would already know that Denera was meant to be with me.
For just a brief moment, I even felt a twinge of blame towards myself. After all, it was because of my own persuasion that my brother had agreed to hold this mate-picking ceremon
