's

settle into my bones. Beside me, Aiden was buzzing, clutching a new gaming console box.

No Sienna. A flicker of irritation-she was supposed to be here. It

"Alpha. Madam left early this morning for a business trip to

ettling feeling pricked at me. Sienna had never been spontaneous. She didn't have it in her. But my own arrogance provided an imm

oom. Hide the console before you

e scampered up the stairs. This was our game, a silent alliance a

f she wanted to play games, let her. I wen

d for the day. He was already hooked up to the new console, face illuminated by the screen. My g

years ago before I'd convinced her to give up such foolish hobbies. Intricate, clever. I'd always known she h

?" I asked, sharpe

es off the screen. "I don't know.

rong. Sienna could leave behind the jewels, the clothes, the life I gave her. But she was se

I dialed her number. It went straight to a disconnec

amiliar, soft presence of her mind, always passively open to me. Instead,

t worry-the fury of a king whose authority had been cha

na's

Stress, lack of sleep, emotional upheaval-it had all caught up. I'd just ended a call with Clara, confirming the deta

and with no staff to bring tea, no doctor on call. This is the p

nd weak, until I found a bottle of fever reducers. I swallowed two pills with a gul

's

tudy and barked an order to my beta over the phone. "I want a full report on my wife's mo

le game she thought she was playi