Achilles never could have thought he would ever relate to Lidia.
She was insufferable. Loud. Dramatic. A complete menace.
And yet, the words she spoke last night...
They hit far too close to home.
"I would never keep myself in a situation where I am unwelcome or being treated unfairly just because they're above me."
She had said it so easily, as if the very idea of standing against the weight of expectation was as natural to her as breathing.
Achilles sat by the dying embers of the fire, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular. The cold morning air bit at his skin, but he welcomed it. It was better than the heat clawing inside his chest.
The wolfless Alpha Prince.
A taint to the royal bloodline.
The shadow of his younger brother, who stood proudly in the light, basking in honors that were never his to claim.
The dog of the royal family, doing their dirty work in the darkness, while they sat on their thrones and raised their goblets in celebration.
