a's

rising, casting a pale, bruised lig

e dirt path to find

he perfect, obedient pet. Kisses on both cheeks. A whis

s hair, and then turne

hat raked over my frame. She scrutinized my simple dress and my lack of

e stated loudly, ensuring the nearby guards could hear. "A prop

Serena immediately for your pathe

side me, his presen

ingers digging into my side. A

ce me to step f

ove. My elbow connected with his r

n the dirt path, my

single word of apol

a let out a trembling sob and beg

t of Serena, a knight

d an ord

w, or the wedding i

icate dowry-and every inch of your family's territories-to Serena instead. Your moth

flushed, angry fac

lood‑money to Serena," I told him, my voice

nt you," I added. H

ack on them a

rkably light again

panic. His voice cracked as he roar

ait for you to come crawling

t break

te courtyard ten minutes later

a sigil I had only ever seen in whispered legends-the frost‑wolf of the Northern Estate. Alec's me

g in the center of the boxes,

yndicate dowry list. Not a dowry. A bride‑price. A king's ra

inspected the op

le of gold bars was a

secure, beautifully designed secluded villa. It

g it pathetic and beneath them, and how he had explicitly forbidden me

er phones, the operational ledgers, the framed photos, and the cheap gifts from the past decade-all of it, the sunk cost of my youth, was piled into a missh

hing a decade of me

the sirens. N

gi