1
“He’s here!”
A rough hand curled around Ana’s elbow and tried to tug her up from her chair.
“Quick, Ana. We need to go.”
Ana blinked rapidly, readjusting to her surroundings as she pulled her mind from the world contained in the thick book on her lap. “Milly?”
Her lady-in-waiting leaned over and closed her book as a group of guards fanned out to surround her chair. “Up, princess. We must leave now.”
Ana rose slowly, a crack of anger suddenly charring the delightful calm she’d sunk into—that soothing peace that always came from visiting her library. “But, Milly, it is only just early morning, and I haven’t been here long—”
“No arguments, Ana,” Milly said briskly. Strands of her usually impeccable dark brown hair flailed around her head. “We cannot take any risks while he’s here.”
Ana frowned. “Who?”
Milly’s voice sharpened as she turned to leave. “Make haste!”
She followed Milly out of the library, and the profanity forming in her mouth almost escaped her. It hummed between her lips, promising to satisfy the annoyance churning in her chest, if she’d only let it slip past them.
But princesses did not curse. Especially not a princess like Ana.
“Who’s here?” she asked again.
Milly’s head whipped around, her eyes narrowed. “Shh!”
Ana stared at the back of her head as she hurried after her, her irritation twisting into alarm. Milly had never acted so harshly before. Yes, she was stern, diligent, and protective—she’d practically raised Ana—but this behavior, particularly in public, was out of character. Something was wrong.
As they navigated the corridors toward her bed chambers, Ana realized the atmosphere in the palace had drastically changed since this morning, and not in a way she recognized.
No one openly spoke of it, but the high society of Allandis was a grotesque web of scandal, intimidation, and indecency. Every so often, a juicy bubble of gossip burst into the open, forcing the court nobility to pretend to be both outraged and disinterested while they secretly scrabbled for every morsel of information they could get.
Ana found it amusing at times. It changed the mood of the palace and caused the courtiers, the staff, and sometimes even the guards to behave inappropriately. Watching them entertained her most of the time, and gossip broke up the monotony of her schedule. Even though she never had access to the secrets circling, she’d learned a lot about high society, and the royal court, based on the behavior she’d witnessed—things that did not find its way into her lessons.
But this felt different. The haughty ambiance that characterized the palace was laced with a tang of tense agitation. Courtiers huddled in small clusters exchanging hushed words out in the open. Servants kept their eyes down and practically ran along the corridors—something that was expressly forbidden. And armed guards had been stationed at every corner, their bodies alert and eyes watchful.
Ana said nothing more until they arrived at her bed chambers.
“Forget the bath, start with her hair and face,” Milly called as soon as they entered. Four handmaids were already inside, flitting around the room with tools in their hands that suggested to Ana she was being prepared for a court event.
“What’s happening, Milly?” Ana asked, as Milly headed to her wardrobe. “Is this to do with Father?” The king had been critically injured while out on his last hunt a month ago. That was the only time the court had been justified in acting so panicked. Milly had come to collect her then also, only she’d been more subdued. Father had, thankfully, fully recovered, but Ana wasn’t keen on any more news like that.
Milly approached her with an elaborate lavender dress while one of the handmaids unzipped her out of the one she wore. “There is to be a court assembly. The whole court and the royal houses will be in attendance. We must get you prepared quickly.”
Ana tried to question her further, but Milly was in a focused frenzy that somehow prevented her ears from working. For the next quarter of an hour, Milly and her handmaids groomed Ana more intensely than any other time she could remember, ignoring her questions in favor of discussions about clashing colors and matching jewelry.
Ana held in the steady annoyance building in her chest. Sometimes she wished she were brave enough to stomp around the palace and force everyone to listen to her, not caring if she offended anyone. She was frequently told how important she was—to her father, to her court, to the kingdom. Being an Omega automatically meant she was revered and even idolized, but in reality her opinion wasn’t important. She used to think she would become more forceful, like her father, or cleverer with words, like her mother, but she realized she didn’t possess those qualities. She’d never been brash or rude or reckless. Her upbringing had centered around meeting the expectations that weighed heavily on her, and since she didn’t like disappointing Milly or her parents, she worked hard to please them. As a result, she was known as the perfect princess; her father’s strongest asset and the kingdom’s greatest treasure. If only she’d known the extent to which she would lack control of her own life… maybe then she would have behaved differently, taken more risks. Still, it wouldn’t be this way forever. Next month she would marry an Alpha and a new phase of her life would begin, one where she would have more control.
Finally, Milly stepped back to survey her, and Ana tried again, her voice firm. “I wasn’t aware of any event happening today, Milly. What is this one about? Is it a wedding announcement?”
Milly stepped forward again, lifting her hands to press smooth and fix Ana’s newly styled rose-copper hair. “No. It’s much bigger than that. It’s to be the most important event in the history of the court.”
Ana pursed her lips as she frowned. That was an interesting thing for Milly to say. Although Milly was always knowledgeable about court gossip, she rarely talked about it with Ana, and she certainly didn’t make extravagant statements. “What is it then?”
Milly glanced at her and finally stilled. She stepped back and composed herself, though her eyes remained stained with an uneasy glint. With beautifully rich brown hair, deep blue eyes, and slightly leathery skin, it was difficult to guess Milly’s age. She’d been Ana’s lady-in-waiting since she could remember, and behaved like a stern older sister, a teacher, and sometimes even a mother, though she certainly wasn’t as old as the queen. She constantly bristled, with her hard edges at the forefront, but she had her moments of softness. As a noble woman, Milly was well versed in royal procedure and politics, even if she didn’t like to discuss every part of it with Ana. Regardless, Ana had learned a lot from her that she didn’t learn from her mother and father, and sometimes it was from simply observing Milly’s behavior.
“A criminal has arrived at the palace.”
Ana’s brows drew together. “That is a big event?”
“It’s Maddoc.”
A cold rush tingled up Ana’s arms, and her lungs expelled a gust of air. “Maddoc? As in…”
Milly nodded. “There is only one Maddoc, Ana.”
Ana stared at her, dread creeping into her throat. The most feared criminal known to the kingdom. The brutal, vicious Alpha who had eluded capture for over a decade while striking damaging blows to the royal sovereignty was at the palace? “Are you sure?” Her voice was raspy. “Why would he come here and allow himself to be captured?”