I braced myself, but annoyance still surged through me as Sheila’s face filled the screen. This wasn’t just an interview in passing. She was on a set. This had been arranged. “Dr. A refuses to save Caleb, who has made great contributions in the war,” Sheila said. “Whether this brings Dr. A’s loyal
Aria’s POV Cathy had a good point, so, taking her advice, I started weeding through my case load. Piper made the calls, redirecting some of my patients to new Healers. No one seemed happy about it. An angry few even came to my office to shout at me. Fortunately, the security guard removed them bef
Lucian’s POV As Dr. A slouched forward, I quickly realized that she was fainting and reached out to grab her before she could hit the table or the floor. She slumped into my arms, and as I held her I continued to marvel at just how very much she reminded me of Aria. But she wasn’t Aria. She coul
Aria’s POV My unconscious mind dreamed of the past. I’d been born into a lower class family. My parents fought hard to give me the best life they could, each working two or three jobs. But that hard work led to exhaustion, and that exhaustion left them susceptible to illnesses that they might ha
Aria’s POV Forgetting about the mask entirely, I dropped my hands to my belly instead. “Also safe,” Cathy said at once. “Both of you are okay.” Closing my eyes, I reached into myself, asking my wolf for confirmation. “The baby is safe,” Luna replied. “We both shielded her when you fell. And
Aria’s POV “Hello, Jasper,” I said. “What are you doing here?” Jasper grinned as he walked closer to my bedside. “What, a guy can’t just visit a friend?” I narrowed my eyes, immediately suspicious. Jasper had proven to be a decent friend to me, keeping my secret and helping me with Caleb’s fam
After all this time, my heart should have been numb. Nothing had changed from then to now. It was always the same pain, again and again. Lucian loved Sheila. He didn’t love me. It still hurt. My foolish little heart still longed for a day when Lucian would want me instead. Distance was going t
Lucian’s POV Knowing that if we tried to have this conversation in our home, Sheila would just storm off to her room and slam her door in my face, I called Sheila to my office in the Alpha headquarters building to have a discussion on her recent press appearances and interviews. When she arrived
He didn’t seem to mind. In this, as in most things lately, Lucian had allowed me to take the lead. He’d remained supportive and contributed his ideas and opinions, but never once anymore did he state his opinions as law or facts. Instead, we’d had conversations where we weighed the pros and cons of
Jean’s POV“Come on, Luke,” Jean said, tugging on her brother’s sleeve. “I don’t want to be late.”“We won’t be late, Jean,” Luke replied with unfounded confidence. “They won’t start without us.”While the guests had been taking their seats in the wooden fold-out chairs arranged on the beach, and th
In a flash, Lucian was there instead, stepping into the space between us. I couldn’t see what happened, but I smelled Lucian’s blood. My wolf whined in sympathetic pain.The rest of the bottle quickly smashed on the floor.In the end, William was bound to a chair, treated even as the police were on
Aria’s POVIn our little house in Moonglow, I woke up early to head into work. Lucian woke up at the same time as me, I think to have tea with me in the little kitchen. He always took the kids to school before he started his assistant job at the clinic.“You sleep okay?” I asked him, as he heated up
She was beautiful. Why had I never noticed before?Why was I noticing now?Quickly, I looked down at the menu. It was far too soon for a new romance, not if I wanted to find one for real. I wasn’t about to play around with Cathy’s heart, when she had come to be such a friend.And I didn’t want to pl
Jasper’s POVA couple of days after I punched Lucian, and he quit and ran off with Aria, Cathy invited me out to lunch. Sitting across from me now, in a café that we tended to frequent when we got together, she was looking at me as one might a wounded animal, as if trying to determine if I needed co
But Jasper’s words still rang true. When was the last time, as Alpha, I had ever been happy?The job made me miserable, even before Aria had left me. Constant pressure, constant responsibility, constant ridicule, limited thanks. Years and years of it had worn me down, eroded like a rock in the water
Lucian’s POVJasper’s punch caught me by surprised. I stumbled back, nearly into the elevator again as the doors started to close. He definitely broke my nose. Holding it, I stepped forward again, back off the elevator. Blood dripped down onto my shirt.Jasper had several different reasons to be pis
Over the next few days, I didn’t see Lucian at all. Presumably he saw the kids after I took them to spend time with their grandparents. Harold was out of the hospital and eager to see the kids.With the kids there, I returned to Cathy’s and started packing up my clothes and that of the kids. Cathy w