Maybe she always had been.
The sheikh kissed his Briar, and he knew at that moment he would never let her go.
Not for pride.
Not for duty.
Not for anything.
Once upon a time, a prince fell in love with the wrong sister.
But in the end, the fairy tale found its way.
And they lived...
Well.
That part was still being written.
Epilogue
TWO MONTHS.
It had been two months since the sheikh made me his wife, and still I found myself standing before the mirror, searching for the woman he claimed to see.
The queen’s chambers were far grander than anything I had ever imagined calling my own. Silk drapes in shades of ivory and gold framed windows that overlooked the palace gardens. The vanity before me was carved from rosewood, its surface cluttered with jeweled combs and perfume bottles that sparkled like tiny stars.
And in the center of it all sat me.
Aurora,hisqueen.
The thought still made my breath catch and my fingers tremble as I fastened the last of my earrings—teardrop sapphires that matched the delicate beading on my gown. Tonight was my first official engagement as queen. A charity ball in honor of orphaned children from broken families, and the irony of it was not lost on me.
I knew what it felt like to be unwanted. To be the child no one chose.
Even now, the echoes of my mother’s voice drifted through my mind like smoke I couldn’t quite wave away.
