Crownless

Everyone has a secret. He has five friends who know all of his, and one enemy who knows more. Prince Alexander Blakemore has no kingdom. His family's crown was taken forty-nine years before he was born, but at Ashbourne Academy, Georgia's most exclusive private school, none of that matters. He is still golden. Still magnetic. Still the boy the whole world orbits. He built his own kingdom instead: four friends, chosen one by one since childhood, who are the only real thing in a life made entirely of performance. Nicolas, the heir to a dynasty far more dangerous than anyone at Ashbourne knows. Camila, who watches everything and says nothing. Sienna, building an empire of her own out of nothing but nerve. Elliot, the conscience none of them asked for. Then an anonymous account appears. CROWNLESS. It begins exposing Ashbourne's secrets, one elegant, cruel post at a time. At first it's entertainment. Then it's personal. Then it's inside the walls of Alexander's own home, in the group chat that only five people share, in a kiss that only two people saw. Someone close enough to love him is close enough to destroy him. As junior year unravels into blackmail, betrayal, and a disappearance no one can explain, Alexander will learn the truth his family has always known and never said aloud: a crown was never a birthright. It's an agreement, and agreements can be broken by anyone standing close enough to reach it. Long live the king of nothing at all.