BREAKING NEWS: The Royal Family Continues Search for Their Long-Lost Daughter.
My pulse spiked.
The king and queen had spent over twenty years searching for their stolen child, the princess taken from them at birth. The only clue to her identity? A birthmark on her left wrist—a crescent-shaped mark.
I glanced at my own wrist.
The familiar mark stared back at me.
No. It couldn’t be. Just a coincidence. It had to be.
Yet, no matter how hard I tried, the thought refused to leave me. My mind spiraled, but before I could dwell on it, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I checked the screen. My heart clenched.
Harland
I ignored it.
Then, more messages flooded in.
“The house is on fire. Where are you? Are you inside? Answer me now.”
Another.
“I knew you weren’t there. Where are you? Maureen is sick. I heard you have the Moonstone—you need to come back. You can help her.”
I almost laughed. Even now, they still wanted something from me.
Then, a new message.
“What’s with the divorce papers? I never signed them. What’s happening? Just talk to me. I can explain.”
Explain? Now he wanted to explain?
Another.
“Why can’t I feel the mate bond anymore? Why does it feel… gone? Avery, where are you?”
I didn’t reply. I wouldn’t. I blocked his number, severing the last tie between us.
The mate bond? It had broken the moment he chose Maureen over me.
I leaned back, watching as the plane taxied down the runway.
I had done it. I had left it all behind.
I was finally free.
And I was never coming back.
