Violet’s POV

I had been watching her all night.

Alora.

Her smile was perfect, her posture steady, but I could see the cracks. 

I had always been good at reading people, their tells, their fidgets, their hidden weaknesses, and I could see her clearer than anyone else here. 

She was pale beneath the shimmer of her dress, the glass in her hand never empty and her ignorant mate had been drowning her in wine.  

She was straining to stay present in her own party while her body begged her to ...