POV: Alex
The mirror image of myself circled slowly, her movements fluid and predatory. Every step she took echoed through the emptiness around us. She looked exactly like me—same face, same eyes—but there was no warmth in her gaze. Only judgment.
“You pretend to be strong,” she said coolly. “But deep down, you’re afraid.”
Her voice was mine… yet twisted.
I clenched my fists. “Everyone is afraid. That doesn’t make me weak.”
She laughed softly. “Doesn’t it? You doubt yourself every time you lead. You fear you’ll fail Riley. Fail the kingdom. Fail Mason.”
Her words struck painfully true. Images flooded my mind—moments of hesitation, nights spent staring at the ceiling wondering if I was truly worthy of the crown, of the power, of this fate.
“You think leadership is power,” my reflecti
