Ember Frost’s POV

“My sweet girl… my heart,” my mother murmured as she pulled me into her arms, holding me so tightly it felt like she was afraid she might lose me. “What you just said hurts me more than anything. Why would you think of yourself that way?”

My father let out a soft sigh, his voice softer than I’d ever heard. “You’re being far too strict with yourself, Ember. Sometimes I wonder if the way I raised you, as a king, always talking about balance and rules, made ...