WHERE THE CROWN ENDS

Aaliyah Hudallah has spent years away from Sokoto, building a life in Canada far removed from palace rules, royal expectations and the traditions she grew up with.

She returns home for a family wedding expecting nothing more than beautiful clothes, endless celebrations, family chaos-and a quick return to the life she has built for herself.

She doesn't expect to see Abdulhameed Ayyan again.

The Emir's son.

Twelve years older than her.

Quiet. Composed. Intimidating.

And, in Aaliyah's opinion, far too serious for her liking.

She has a boyfriend, a life of her own, and absolutely no desire to become entangled in palace affairs.

What she doesn't know is that Abdulhameed has remembered her for years.

Long before she ever noticed him, he saw her once in Abuja-standing with her friends, laughing and completely unaware that he was watching from behind.

She walked away without a second thought.

He never did.

Now, years later, Aaliyah has returned to Sokoto.

And Abdulhameed is no longer simply the man she barely remembers.

He is an Emir's son, raised beneath the weight of tradition and duty, with a future already mapped out for him.

Then an old family decision resurfaces.

A decision that threatens to change everything Aaliyah thought she knew about her future.

Because sometimes, the hardest part of wearing a crown isn't the duty that comes with it.

It's discovering who you are when the crown ends.

And perhaps, somewhere beyond the crown, is a love he has carried.