Chapter 494 - CH 494 — The Broken Crown

The cold had settled over Regina Palace long before midnight, turning the marble balcony into a silver-black terrace beneath a clouded moon, and yet Alessandro remained there without a cloak, his hands resting upon the stone balustrade as though the chill were nothing compared with the weight pressing against his chest. Below him, thousands of windows burned through the darkness, each little flame belonging to a household that had once looked to him without hesitation and now waited to discover whether their Alpha still possessed the strength to lead them. Behind him stood Elara, silent for several moments, watching the rigid line of his shoulders and the way his fingers tightened whenever the distant bells marked another passing minute.