I laid on the dirt-covered stone floor of the dungeon cell watching a rat eat something it found in the corner. The floor was cold against my cheek. The ice sank into my skin, chilling me. Yet, I didn’t feel the bite of it.

I didn’t feel anything.

Not sadness, self-loathing, or the anger of being caught and placed back in the hell I left a year ago.

“Tia, honey.” My aunt inched closer to me and brushed the hair that fell into my eyes. “Please get up.”

The sob in her tone seeped into my awareness. When she touched my hand, I curled my fingers around hers. Still, I said nothing and watched the rat. It was done eating and proceeded to clean itself.

Even the rats were free.

I would never be free.

A primal growl sounded in the cell next to mine. I lifted my head and studied the form through the bars. A wolf. A whimper sounded from him and my chest tightened. Then the anger I’d been waiting for bubbled to life.

Jonah.

Pushing to a stand, I went to the bars separating us, careful to not startle the wolf. “Jonah,” I whispered as I eased to sit, reaching a hand through the bars.

Across the narrow walkway, Conell warned, “Tia, don’t. He’s injured.”

My anger spiked again and I ignored Conell. My wolf needed me. My fingers brushed against his copper-colored fur and he growled, deep. “Hush. It’s Tia.”

Another whimper escaped him before he lifted his head and stared at me. A mix of green and brown eyes held mine. Jonah was in there and that sent a shiver of relief through me. I’ve heard stories where wolves would completely take over—like the Hounds in the king’s pack.

I sank my fingers into his fur and made a gentle fist with my hand. “I’m here. I’m not harmed.”

He stirred and with a few more growls, managed to turn around and place his head under my hand. Chester eased up next to me. I met the older man’s tired gaze. “How bad is it?”

“Not sure.” He then asked Jonah, “Are you bleeding?”

Jonah shook his head no.

Chester frowned. “Internal injury. I’m not a healer or a doctor. But his wolf will heal him while he is that form.”

Nodding, I stroked Jonah’s head. “We’ll get out of here. When we do, my step-father will pay.”

My anger was a numbing calm. I knew the layout of castle, every hidden door and passageway. I also knew how to escape these damned cells. “Jonah, I’m going to leave for a little bit. I’ll be back. Your job is to heal.”

He growled as I stood and made my way to the lock on the door. I ignored him and met Conell’s gaze. “Is this part of the plan?”

“Partly. not really.” He raised his brows. “What are you doing?”

“Breaking out. Martha, Chester, and Jonah are safe down here. You two and I will attend the ball as planned.” I worked at the lock with a hair pin I had to hold my long bangs from my face. I learned a long time ago to always have one or two. Old habits saved lives.

Elion laughed. “Our princess is a thief. No, an escape artist.”

Conell frowned. “And seems to be changing the plan.”

Once my lock sprang open, I crossed to their cell. “We need to put in modern locks. Upgrade the castle security, too. Right now, we can use your father’s fear of technology to our advantage.”

“We need to find Ayen and Kieran.” Conell exited the cell with Elion behind him.

Yes, we do. “How did Elion get caught and Ayen and Kieran didn’t? Weren’t you together at the house?”

Conell’s blue eyes sparked with mischief. “The guards are on our side.”

My eyes grew large and I stared at him. “Then this was the plan. The get captured?”

Elion wrapped me in a hug. “Not really. Well, it was always a possibility that we planned for.”

Conell nodded. “But it changed when Trace came to me yesterday. He told me DD had spies following us. That he stopped relaying information to Trace. Then there was the poison. We’d been giving it to Father in small doses to weaken him. But it wasn’t working. Trace confirmed the journal noted how Father built up a tolerance for it.”

Elion nodded and added, “It wasn’t until Trace read the journal that he made up his mind to support the right king.” He pointed to Conell and grinned.

The sound of boots against the stone floor froze me in place for a moment. Dread burned my insides and twisted in my gut. When I caught the sight of Kieran and Ayen, I sagged in relief.

Kieran lifted a brow. “How did you get out?”

I smiled and held up a hair pin. “Hanging out with the staff children, I learned a few things.” I turned to Conell. “By the way, we won’t call them servants. They are the staff and will be treated no different than us.”

Conell pulled me from Elion’s arms and kissed me. “We’ll build them their own house next to the castle.”

My heart sang at our plans to make things better. We’d have to take one project at a time. “Our first step to making the kingdom the beautiful place it was is dethroning the king.”

“I’m so on board with that plan.” Ayen held up the journal. “Shall we entertain our ball guests with story time?”

“Yes, let’s.” Hope filled me while the anger and fear swirled deep within.

If the guards were truly on our side, then the king was outnumbered. I so hoped that was the case.

We made our way to Conell’s room where we cleaned up a bit and changed clothes. After all, we were attending a ball. There was no need to alarm the people with our dirt-covered, disheveled appearances.

Our attire wasn’t as formal as it would had been if we had more time, but it’d have to do. Although the princes wore their formal uniforms. Kieran wore a black suit that perfectly formed to his body. I wore a royal blue floor-length dress that hugged my modest curves. The guys said it was for smaller parties but would have to do. My formal gown was at the safe house.

When we entered the ballroom, all eyes turned to us. The room silenced to a low hum of whispers. My heart hammered. Conell placed a hand on my back and leaned in. “They are looking at you.”

“You’re not helping.”

He chuckled and directed our small group to the stairs that led to the second floor of the ballroom. We stopped on the landing and turned to face the crowd. I glanced to Ayen on my right, then Elion on the other side of Conell. A quick glance behind me, I found Kieran hanging a few feet back, scanning the crowd for threats.

When Conell began to speak, the whispers stopped. “Thank you, good people of Kregon, for coming out to celebrate the harvest season with us. There is change coming. The implementation of this change will not be pleasant, but I’m here to pledge that I will do everything in my power to make things better. For everyone.”

He paused and rumblings of voices started. Ayen handed him the journal and a lump formed in my throat while my heart ached for the guys to have to relive the pain of losing their mother. Ayen linked his fingers with mine and squeezed.

Conell held a hand up to silence the guests. “I have here a journal written by the hand of the king, my father. Normally, I wouldn’t pry into the private thoughts of the king. However, it was brought to my attention that my mother, as well as Princess Tia’s mother, did not fall ill as the king claimed.”

Then he read the first passage. “Today, I delivered the final dose of the poison. The burden the queen places on me will end. She passed peacefully and I was relieved in a way. The people should not respect the queen more than their king.”

Gasps sounded around the room. Tear burned my eyes. The passage for my mother was less caring. His words read as if he were excited by her death.

My stomach soured and my legs began to shake. Then my muscles twitched. I squeezed Ayen’s hand to get his attention. He placed his lips near my ear. “Do you need to sit down?”

I nodded. Just then someone from the back of the crowd started clapping. Everyone turned and stepped back and parted, leaving a walkway through the middle of the crowd. The king clapped loudly. “That was a great story. However, none of it is true. My sons seem to be conspiring against the throne, starting an uproar. By law that’s treason.”

Conell didn’t miss a beat. “It’s treason to spread lies and organize a rebellion to overthrow the king. While I do plan to overthrow the king, I’m doing it within the laws. These are not lies. They’re words written in your handwriting, Father. But the people don’t need to take my word for it. They can listen to the confession themselves.”

Balsatra narrowed his gaze. He worked his jaw, making the muscles in his face twitch. Behind him, the guards moved in. Nervously, I glanced to Conell, who pulled out a small voice recorder. He stared right at his father as he pushed the play button.

“Is it true, Father?” Conell’s voice sounded loud and clear.

A crash of glass and something metal exploded out of the recorder a moment before the king growled out, “I killed the bitch. And that princess you’re so fond of will never sit anywhere near my throne. In fact, I’m selling her with a few of the other slaves. The seller will be here tomorrow.”

Conell shut off the recorder. The king exploded in motion while yelling, “That doesn’t prove anything!”

Two guards stepped in the king’s path. Conell laughed humorlessly. “It doesn’t matter. Killing anyone without a trial is a capital offense, punishable only by death. The king is not an exception to that rule.”

The light in the king’s gaze dimmed and fear paled his features. I stood there, thankful Ayen was holding me up. My heart broke all over again. It was one thing to read the words, but to hear his voice admitting he’d done it brought back the pain of losing my mom all over again.

“Arrest him,” Conell commanded the guards. They seized the king, well ex-king, and drug him out of the ballroom.

Kieran stepped closer to us. “I expected a bigger fight from him.”

Conell faced me and frowned. “He knew he was outnumbered. Plus, he’d never been a strong man. His wives made him look weak. I believe that’s the reason he killed them. But I’ll have a doctor examine him for an illness.”

Another twitch in legs made me lose my balance. The three of them reached for me. Ayen said, “Make your big announcement so we can all enjoy the party.”

A smile lifted Conell’s lips. To me he whispered, “Will you be my Queen? Our…Queen?”

It felt a little incomplete without Jonah. As if the thought of his name called to him, he stepped through the main door. Behind him was Martha and Chester. Tears stung my eyes as I looked back at Conell. “Yes. Five times, yes.”

Conell kissed my forehead, then addressed our people. “On the next full moon, I will officially take my place as King. It will be a double celebration. The Princess Tia Ashley has accepted my proposal to be my wife and your new Queen.”

Cheers and clapping rang around the room. Joy filled the space, scaring away the tension from the king’s arrest.

Next to me, Ayen said, “Let’s begin the Harvest Ball.”

The music played and the people started to dance and mingle, their attentions off us.

Jonah made his way to me. When he reached the top of the stairs, he took my hand and pulled me out of sight from too many people. “My wolf likes you better than he does me.”

I laughed and framed his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. After you guys, left a couple of guards came down and let us out. They brought a healer from the local pack. Luckily, nothing was too seriously injured. Just some broken ribs, which are still tender.”

I kissed him, careful not to squeeze him. The others joined us. “I love you. Each of you. And all of you.”

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