ena

ed at me. Dante stood before me, a pillar of

least now there were no more coughs, no more

f my torn gown, an act of deliberate n

ice even. "What matters is that I know

ble shake of his head, and the guards held their p

oble girl's memory, because every court in the kingdom whispered about it. The second prince sent away as a political guarantee. The son w

seen tonight. A man supposedly too weak to stand had moved with the reflexes of a trained fighter. A forgotten prince had Shadow Guards hidden in

in a dusty corner of the palace. But in the shadows, you built your power

t. His silence w

ting for the perfect opportunity. A way to step back into the cente

Or rather, my dear stepsister, Jaylin, came along. She cooked up a pa

on. "Her original plan was simple enough. Drug me. Place me with s

t a rogue. It was you. A prince who supposedly could barely leave his own estate somehow appear

s. A tightening of h

, my voice sharp with certainty. "So you hijacked it. You let her

m to question what he saw. He would reject me publicly. You also knew my father,

l conflict. And the King, your father, is a man who values stability abo

to his other son? The 'harmless' cripple. A politically perf

d a wife who brings with her the loyalty of the pack's entir

till. Rhys and the guards were staring at me as if

astonishment, Dante began to clap.

edatory smile spreading across his

Jaylin's pathetic plot to my advantage." Then his s

an eyeb

e said, his voice dropping. "Jaylin is far more vicious than you g

formed in

ante continued, his eyes boring into mine. "He was there to mark you. To

nal Celena... she had been meant

with a shrug. "I disposed of the rogue, and

of dark amusement. "So you see, Ce