“What do you want?!” Alaric says, voice strained. *** Ruby's POV I need a fucking break. Cara’s surgery took longer than expected. Way longer. If I would’ve known… I never could’ve predicted… I never should have helped her with that stupid plan. The stupid plan that almost got her kille
Richard's POV I’ve been sitting at Cara’s bedside for hours, trading watch with Ruby. She takes a shift watching Cara while I take care of my actual patients at the hospital, then we switch, and she sees patients while I watch Cara. It leaves little time for much else, like sleeping. But Cara
... ... SIX YEARS LATER. *** Alaric’s POV “Where are those reports I asked for?” I speak to my Beta, my former butler. After that disaster of a wedding and Cara’s accident, I had a hard time than usual trusting anyone. I promoted my butler, reasoning that he at least had been with me lon
Eamon's POV If the last six years have taught me anything, it’s that Cara and Lilia are nothing alike. Lilia was a princess in every sense of the word. She loved to be doted upon, loved to be the center of attention. Cara couldn’t be more different. Cara almost never thinks of herself. She’s
“Yes, please, make yourself comfortable.” I do as he instructs, keeping a curious eye on him. “Walter is retiring,” he says simply. I nod, unsurprised. Walter has been the BloodyMoon Beta since Eamon’s father was Alpha King. My father. Even now, six years later, it still takes me a second to
Cara's POV Today we're having a family party. Or rather... a family meeting that mix business and pleasure. We’re having a barbeque in the backyard, and the sound of Mia and Ethan’s laughter in the background warms my heart. The Arbun family is very nice. No matter what comes their way, they t
Colin says, “How can we ask this of Cara? As Beta, she’d likely encounter their Alpha King at some point.” “Wait, Cara’s Beta now?” Landon asks in surprise. He should be second in line to the throne by birth, but leadership never interested his free spirit. “Amazing what you miss when you’re gon
Eamon’s POV Alaric is a real prick with Cara,but he's definitely a great king. I’m not surprised that Cara made the right choice to reopen diplomatic relations with Pack DarkWood. It only makes sense to continue a business relationship with such a strong pack. It’s just one more drop in a sea
Cara’s POVAt once, I moved my arm up to shield myself, desperate to protect my vital organs.Yet, when the knife stabbed into me, I surprised to find that the blade pushed back, harmlessly, into the handle. I’d seen such a thing happen in the past, during stage shows. Her knife was nothing more tha
Alaric’s POVWith Colin watching the kids, Ryan, Aidan, and I went to spectate the cooking event. The event itself was being held in a large gymnasium, with special mats set up to protect the typical gym floor. Atop the mats, each contender was given their own section, with their own counters, appli
Cara’s POVThe next day I was somewhat exhausted from the event on the night before. The organizers of the event must have taken that into consideration because today was the last day of rest before the contests started the next day.The cooking showcase was my first event, and I was already nervous
Alaric’s POVI was ready to start throwing hands a minute ago, but now, seeing how quickly and resolutely the BloodyMoon pack came to Cara’s defense, I allowed myself to calm down, at least enough to sit back down and contain myself.My fury at those that had spoken against Cara remained, however, a
Cara’s POVAs we started to move about the stage, following the steps of our routine, I kept an eye on Lilia and her can of paint. I had my suspicions that it was intended for me. At a crucial moment, when we were at the front of the stage, the routine would bring us directly side by side.Perhaps t
Cara’s POVGeorgie asked me to return to my dressing room, where she arrived shortly after carrying the gown that she was supposed to be wearing that evening. On herself, she was wearing a robe.Looking at my own dress still filled me with a sense of mourning. It had been such a beautiful thing, des
None of them seemed even remotely guilty. They were all entirely confident, I could see it in their eyes.Only Lilia wore a different expression. When no one else could see her but me, she seemed smug, smirking. She pointed to a nearby camera.“I’ve been on camera this entire time, too, if you don’t
Cara’s POVIn my mind, there could only be one person responsible for this: Lilia.The beautiful embroidery, torn out. The rainbow-shimmering lace, in tatters.It had been such a gorgeous dress, a true work of art.To see it destroyed like this sent an icy chill down through my veins. This was worse
Cara’s POVThe night of the opening ceremony came much quicker than anyone would have liked. Even me. I’d been preparing as best I could for the events, and spending as much time with Alaric whenever possible to help revitalize Lucy.So far, I mostly just felt tired, not prepared, and Lucy remained