VALORIA WILDEROSE
I brace myself before I pull my door open and step out into the all-too-familiar expanse of land I'd been caged in for most of my life.
Nothing has changed. Of course, three weeks isn't enough for anything to change.
It's just as cold and terrifying as it was weeks ago—perhaps even more—with the uncertainty that now hangs over my head.
The grand manor looms before me, its stone walls and towering windows as imposing as ever. The manicured gardens stretch endlessly on either side, beautiful and suffocating all at once.
I used to dream of escaping this place. Now I'm walking right back into it.
The moment he and I are out of the car, all the servants line up at the entrance in a choreographed manner, bowing their greetings before my family—Alpha Wilderose and his daughters—step forward to offer theirs in unison.
