She might as well have put a chain around my neck and paraded me around like her pet harpy.
Alanna escorted me through the crowd, introducing me to nobleman after nobleman, courtier after courtier. Their names blurred together—Lord this, Lady that—and I honestly didn't care. They smiled and bowed, but I saw the curiosity in their eyes. The judgment. The silent questions.
How did she finally catch him? What did she do to break the infamous Mad Hatter?
I answered their pleasantries with hollow words, my jaw aching from the forced smile.
But my gaze kept drifting to the double doors.
Any moment now, Alice would walk through them. And everything would shatter.
Then something moved in the corner of my eye. A flicker. A shadow that didn't belong.
Had I imagined it?
I scanned the court, my heart pounding. Nobles chatted and laughed, oblivious. Servants moved through the crowd with trays of wine. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Somewhere out there, the Uncrowned were still free. Still planning. I had to believe that. Had to believe someone was coming for us.
Then I saw it.
A pair of golden eyes flashed in the far corner—there for just a second, tilting back and forth like a pendulum. Then they vanished.
Chester.
My blood ran cold.
What the hell was he doing here? If he got caught…if Alanna discovered one of the Uncrowned had infiltrated her court…
He'd become another weapon she'd use against me. Another person I loved, dangling from her strings.
Get out, I thought desperately.Get out before she sees you.
Alanna laughed, and my attention focused back on her. She was engaged with a nobleman. Maybe she was so caught up with her plan she hadn’t noticed Chester.
A servant approached with a tray of goblets filled with the queen's favorite sparkling wine—Queen's Blush. The liquid was a garish pink, bubbles rising to the surface like false promises.
I took a goblet because refusing wasn't an option.
As I raised it to my lips, I let my eyes sweep the room. The far corner. Was Chester still there? I caught nothing—just shadows and courtiers. But that didn't mean he was gone. Chester was better at hiding than anyone I knew.
One sip confirmed what I already knew. Too sweet. Too fruity. Cloying in a way that coated your tongue and refused to leave.
Just like Alanna.
The doors finally opened. My heart seized. This was it. The moment I'd been dreading since Alanna first laid out her twisted plan.
I gulped down the rest of the Queen's Blush, wishing it were something stronger. Wishing it could numb what was coming.
Alice’s blonde hair was coiled atop her head, exposing the graceful curve of her neck. A pale blue gown clung to her slender figure, and soft pink lipstick colored her lips. She looked like a princess. Like she belonged in a fairy tale—not this nightmare.
She was the most beautiful woman in the room.
And my mate.
And I was about to destroy her.
Ari escorted her.
