Third Person POV
The numbers were impossible to ignore.
Another poll dropped before noon, sshed across every majorwork and newsfeed in the kingdom. Nn stood ten points ahead now-no longer a narrow lead, no longer something that could be dismissed as vtility or sympathy.
A margin.
A statement.
The apanying opinion piece was worse.
It dissected his recent appearances with surgical precision, praising his restraint, his transparency, his visible devotion to his family. It framed his years of secrecy not as deception, but as protection. Love, recontextualized as leadership.
An alpha who will go to any lengths to keep his children safe, the columnist wrote, is an alpha who understands the true cost of power.
The article circted faster than the poll itself.
Kieran crushed the tablet in his hand against the desk.
The crack echoed through his office, sharp and violent. ss spiderwebbed beneath his palm, the screen flickering once before going dark. He barely noticed the sting in his skin.
"This is ridiculous," he snarled. "It''s a performance. A carefully curated lie."
Rowan stood near the window, hands sped behind his back, watching the city below with an expression that bordered on grim satisfaction rather than surprise.
"Perception bes reality," Rowan said coolly. “And Nn has finally learned how to weaponize it."
Kieran paced, agitation bleeding off him in waves. "That bastard hid his children for a year and now they''re calling him virtuous for it."
"They''re calling him human," Rowan corrected. "Which is far more dangerous."
Kieran stopped short, breath heaving. "At this rate, he could actually win."
The words tasted bitter. Impossible. Uneptable,
This was not how things were supposed to unfold.
He had spent years cultivating the image of inevitability-his bloodline, his polish, his alliances.
Nn had been a cautionary tale, a monster whispered about in council chambers and taverns alike.
Now the monster had a family.
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And the kingdom was eating it up.
"It shouldn''t matter," Kieran muttered. "None of this should matter. Poprity isn''t legitimacy."
"But it does," Rowan said. "Especially now."
Kieran turned on him. "You said the tide would turn."
"And it still can," Rowan replied evenly. "But not if you continue reacting instead of acting."
Kieran dragged a hand through his hair, frustration edging into something sharper. Panic, perhaps-but beneath it, something darker.
Because this wasn''t just about the crown anymore.
Every image reying across the screens-Nn in the park, Ellie at his side, the childrenughing openly- felt like a personal affront.
Like theft.
Ellie should have been his.
The thought struck with unsettling force.
At first, she''d been an opportunity. A symbol. A goddess-touched mate whose presence would legitimize his rule and anchor him to divine favor. A strategic advantage too valuable to ignore.
Somewhere along the way, that calction had warped.
Now, when he saw her smile at Nn, felt the warmth in those images radiating outward, it ignited something raw and possessive in his chest. A need that had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with control.
She had chosen Nn.
And that was the one thing Kieran could not forgive.
"I need to remind the people who he really is," Kieran said, voice low. "Not the father. Not the martyr. The alpha who ruled through fear."
Rowan''s gaze sharpened. "Careful."
"I won''t let him take everything," Kieran snapped. "The crown. The loyalty. Her."
Rowan turned fully now, studying him. "You''re letting this be personal."
"It always was," Kieran said coldly, "You just didn''t see it."
The door to the office opened without warning.
Felicity stood there, framed by the hall light, her expression tight with barely restrained fury.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
She stepped inside and shut the door behind her with deliberate care.
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“I''ve been watching the coverage,” she said, her voice deceptively calm. “The park. The polls. Thementary."
Kieran scoffed. “Then you know how bad it is."
"Oh, I know exactly how bad it is," Felicity replied. "They''re parading that family like proof of redemption."
Her lips curled. “As if Nn has lost his edge and be some soft, gentle thing."
Her words dripped with disgust. Felicity had always loved Nn and his cold edge was part of the reason. Seeing him now treated like he was some soft, paternal martyr enraged her.
It was Ellie''s fault. Once again, she was manipting Nn with her pathetic act. Pretending she was some helpless little thing that he had to bend for and baby. Rowan stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Kieran eyed her warily. "Why are you here?"
Felicity smiled thinly. "To help."
That gave him pause.
"You?" he asked. "Help how?"
"By doing what you''ve been too cautious to do," she said smoothly. "By breaking the
illusion."
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