EMMALINE
The dream begins the same way it always does.
It’s daylight, everywhere is bright and clear. With sunlight rays spilling over the garden I grew up in. The breeze carries the scent of roses, the ones Mother planted along the stone path, and for a moment, everything is warm, perfect, safe.
The annual Alpha’s summit had just concluded, most of the visiting dignitaries already gone. But Alexander had stayed. For me, he’d stayed.
That day was supposed to be the beginning of everything. But even in dreams, I know what’s coming.
I stand in the palace halls, my hands trembling as I face them—my parents. Their expressions are tight, their eyes shadowed with something more than disapproval. Fear. Genuine fear.
“I love him,” I say, my voice breaking but sure. I’ve rehearsed these word
