She should have been excited—she was excited. After all, this was Queen Alia’s territory, the domain of the one wolf with the reputation of wisdom and power rivaling that of kings. But excitement was tangled with unease.
She remembered all too clearly how she was received at Nightshade Castle.
The whispers. The scrutiny. The judgment in the eyes of the Queen and noblewomen who looked down on her because she didn’t wear silk or speak in carefully curated tones. Even being Heiko’s mate hadn’t been enough to sway their opinion. To them, she was still an omega—a servant-born girl without rank or bloodline, undeserving of a prince.
Why would Queen Alia be any different?
Heiko squeezed her hand as if sensing her shift in mood, but River kept her gaze outside. She couldn’t let herself hope t
