17. Night Of Freedom

|| Lilac’s POV || The silence of my room was a welcome reprieve after the chaos of the evening. The engagement was off. But as I sat on the edge of my bed, staring out the window at the moonlit garden, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The engagement might be over, but my fight was far from finished. Kael was still the future Alpha King, and his influence over the kingdom was undeniable. I had bought myself some time, but I needed a plan, a way to ensure that my fate was truly in my hands. I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I tried to organize my thoughts. The events of the evening played over in my mind like a broken record, Kael’s defiance, Coco’s dramatic entrance, the crowd’s murmurs of shock and pity. I had played my part perfectly, but I couldn’t afford to rest on my laurels. Not when Kael was still out there, still a threat. A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts, and before I could respond, Elara burst into the room, her face flushe