Chapter 145

ALEXANDER’S POV I was staring down at the endless stack of reports in my office, trying and failing to concentrate. The ink on the page blurred together. My mind wasn’t in it— I was too tired. A sharp knock interrupted the silence. The door opened. “My prince,” said a guard, bowing low, “Forgive the intrusion. It’s your father. His hand… it twitched.” For a second, I just stared at him. “What?” I breathed. “His hand, my lord,” the guard repeated. “He moved it.” I was out of my seat before he’d even finished the sentence. My feet carried me faster than thought down the corridor, past startled servants and gasping nobles, down the halls that led to the King’s chambers. My heart beat loudly in my chest. Could it be…? After all this time? I shoved the doors open. “Aiden?” I called. The royal healer was already there, leaning over my father’s bed. His hands were filled with his tools and instruments. His apprentice hovered near with a basin and cloth. The king, my father lay still, but his