Chapter 151

• Sophia’s POV
• The news of Aldric’s death hit me like a storm I hadn’t expected, leaving me feeling both unsettled and strangely relieved. He had been a thorn in Ian’s side since I had entered his world, always questioning our relationship, always doubting my place in it. Aldric had been one of the most vocal members of the council, always disapproving of Ian’s decision to involve me in vampire politics and, more importantly, in his life as king. Now, he was dead, and I didn’t know how to feel about it.
• Sitting in the living room of Ian’s condo, I tried to wrap my mind around the news. Aldric had been in the council meeting earlier that day, as if nothing was wrong, and then, suddenly, his body had been found in the woods. Killed by someone—or something. Ian had told me everything when he returned from the realm, his voice laced with concern as he explained the confusion surrounding Aldric’s death. It didn’t make sense. How could someone have been alive one minute and dead the next, especially when he was in a room full of people?