Elara
Her words hung between us like knives. I crouched before her, taking her chin lightly so her eyes met mine. “And your schemes? Tell me those too. If I am to guard you, I must know the whole storm you’ve summoned.”
Her face crumpled. The queen’s mask slipped away. She sank onto her knees, clutching at my dress like a beggar clawing for alms.
“I wanted everything,” she sobbed. “The crown, the title, the power. I wanted Dominic’s strength, Xavier’s fear, the elders’ respect. I thought if I stood beside him, no one could touch me. So I lied. I twisted. I poisoned. I” She broke, trembling against my legs. “None of it matters now. If Dominic learns the truth, he’ll kill me. He’ll kill the child.”
Her tears fell hot against the hem of my gown, soaking fabric with the salt of desperation
