Layla was frozen in the middle of the banquet hall. She was shaking. She never publicly went against Alistar, privately she frequently went toe to toe with him. She was proud of herself for standing her ground but she couldn’t tell if everyone else in the room would agree with her or if she had made matters worse.

She stared at her father and waited for him to say something but he never did. He simply looked her up and down, nodded his head, and the party continued. She felt ...