Once Lora and Kaia departed, Queen Tonya's calm facade crumbled. She dismissed her entourage with a curt wave of her hand, watching them leave the room before she allowed her anger to surface. The tea set on the table rattled as she slammed her hand down in fury.
"How dare they," she muttered, pacing the room. "Everything was perfect until that wretched Kaia came along."
Her thoughts spiraled as she considered the string of events that had led to this point. Since Markus had brought Kaia into the castle as his chosen mate, things had steadily gone downhill. Tonya had always envisioned a different future for her son, one where he was married to someone of her choosing, someone more... controllable.
Councilman Stone's incessant pressure and blackmail only added to her stress. His daughter
