Chapter 26. For the Pack

Poppy's POV

I watch him, the way his eyes linger on the space she once occupied, the way his hand absent-mindedly traces patterns into the mahogany table. Nathan Chambers may be King of the Luparian Kingdom, but at this moment, he's nothing more than a lovesick pup clinging to the memory of Ally Cardenas.

"Another glass, my lord?" I offer, voice laced with honeyed concern as I pour the Amber liquid, hoping it will dull the edges of his fixation.

"Thank you, Poppy," he manages, his gaze never leaving the void. The glass trembles slightly in his grasp.

The sight ignites something within me- a flare of irritation coupled with opportunity. It is time for action, for if there is one thing Poppy Hale understands, it's that waiting achieves nothing.

The palace halls are silent as I slip away from the banquet, my mind a whirlwind of scheming. In the cool darkness, my resolve hardens like steel. Ally must vanish from his heart