Alaric’s POV I’m up late again. Working. Again. It’s no surprise, really. It’s practically my new routine: wake up, work, eat, work, eat again, work again… and so on, every day a continuation and repetition of the last. “We’ve heard back from BloodyMoon about the project proposal, Alpha King,
Cara’s POV "Is it time yet? Can we go?" Mia shouts excitedly. "Not yet. We need to finish getting ready," I respond for at least the tenth time. "We’re going to DarkWood today!! And Ethan gets to come, too!" Mia exclaims. All morning, she’s been so excited about her hospital appointment in P
I stay calm, determined not to let their comments upset me. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding. I’m looking for some water—” “Good luck finding it!” a she-wolf staff member says bitterly. “We only have the lowly water, not the kind good enough for royalty. You’ll find no water here for y
Cara’s POV “I come here to this hospital, to your pack, not as a princess, but as a mother,” I say to the group of angry nurses and staff. A small crowd of between fifteen and twenty people stand before me, circled around. They had been mocking me, chastising me for my arrogance and royal lineag
Cara’s POV I stare at Alaric as the young nurse who spoke up for me, the orphan who was also raised in the Pack House, speaks in my defense. “They don’t believe me! They think she’s lying, that she hasn’t helped our pack,” the young woman pleads to Alaric and his Beta, John. “You doubt the wor
“Do not speak ill of the Bedfords! They are the only family trying to uphold the decency that Pack DarkWood used to hold so dear!” the old woman replies. “I will speak however I wish!” Alaric yells at her. “Show such insubordination once more and you will sincerely regret it!” At this, the old w
Cara’s POV I suddenly feel overwhelmingly tired of all the charades, of all the attempts to keep Ethan a secret from Alaric. I can keep this up no longer. I can hide my child no longer. If Alaric hadn’t known for certain about my two children by now, after the science competition, then he surely
Cara’s POV “To our success!” Eamon raises his champagne glass in a toast, and the rest of the family gathered raises our glasses, too. “To the good fortune of Pack BloodyMoon!” My brother Aidan cheers before putting the glass between his lips, gulping down the alcohol quickly. “Good fortune? I
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
Cara’s POVKissing Alaric was as easy as breathing, especially when, after a moment, he gently opened his mouth and accepted my waiting tongue. His hands clenched at my waist, tugging me closer as he licked along the side of my tongue with his own before chasing mine back into my mouth and deepening