Raine's POV

Alaric hadn't referred to the King as his father. Instead, he called him by his first name, and there was no warmth in it at all. Abruptly, I remembered Talia's words, "King Quinn is not sadistic; however, he is neither gentle nor kind. He rules with a firm hand, never showing mercy and always exacting due punishment when earned. Do not make the mistake of crossing him, because you will regret it."

And General Raed had reinforced Talia's assessment, "The King is not a lenient man. The penalty would be harsh if you tried to escape, exactly the same as if you defied a direct order from Armand....