*Xelina*

I step into the ballroom, and for a moment, everything around me seems to freeze as heads turn in unison, fans halt mid-wave, and conversations drop to a hush, leaving me surrounded by hundreds of eyes filled with curiosity, admiration, and speculation. Yet not one of them knows the truth of who I am hidden beneath the delicate mask. What’s more, there are no snide words of “servant” or sneers of “mutt.”

All they see is the shimmering gown and the radiant light that clings to me, but fear surges through me like a sudden storm, wild and consuming, crashing against my ribs with every panicked breath. Under the...