Nadine stood before the towering gates of the palace, her heart pounding with a mixture of trepidation and resolution. After weeks spent with the various marginalized, witnessing their struggles and feeling the burden of their hardships, she had made up her thoughts. She would return to the palace and provide herself to mate with Kael, regardless of the reservations and doubts that lingered within her.

As she entered the palace grounds, she could feel the mixture of comfort and pleasure that swept through the corridors. news of her return had spread like wildfire, igniting desire in the hearts of those who had mourned her absence. Alpha Bartholomew, her father, stood...