by the flickering flames of torches mounted along the walls. Outside, the wind howled through the trees, pushing against the stone of the Midnight C

he way he had looked at her, as if he could see through her, as if he knew things about her that she hadn't even admitted to herself. It unsett

dn't allow herself to be distracted. The war was still very much alive, her people still in danger, and the looming marriage to the

sh the thoughts of Asher away, they lin

her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at her waist. She had learne

voice steady, though he

is expression always serious but never unkind. His eyes were sharp, and his knowledge of the kingdom's inner w

aid with a respectful b

peak, her posture stiff an

looked up at her, his eyes dark with concern. "The alliance with t

opped. "What kind

n meeting with you personally bef

t. "A meeting?" she repeat

ur Majesty. But... there's something unsettling about it. The

her than her betrothed-the man she had never met, but whose face was already seared into her memory from the

ough her voice was tinged with something like resentmen

's more to this than meets the eye. And you must also remembe

oming harder to ignore. Every day, rumors swirled about the Alpha's movements-of raids on border villages, of whispered promises of revolution. But what w

me. "I will take your counsel into consideration. But there is litt

thin line, his worry not a

ring overhead. Her mind raced as she thought about the meeting with the King of Shadows. She didn't trust him. She di

lue eyes, the way they had looked at her with something that bordered on tenderness, even in the midst of their enmity. She had been t

't afford weak

She studied the territory of the Kingdom of Shadows, noting the strength of their fortresses and the locations of their armies. She co

r-what would her life look like if the weight of her crown were

ould never be lifted. It couldn't be. Not until the war was won, until

s snapped up to see the familiar figure of Elias, one of the kingdom's commanders. His eyes were wide

tch his breath. "There's news from the bor

heart s

voice cold and hard, her wa

his voice shaking. "They've breached the