Now, how can I supposed to face Cara…? *** Cara's POV My home is finally quiet again. I’ve driven my brothers and Alaric out of my room, and now I collapse onto my sofa, too drained to return to my bed. I don’t want to go back to the bed—it’ll remind me of last night. Of the way Alaric tou
Cara’s POVI’m not ready to be alone with Alaric inside my house again so soon. A public place would be much safer for my willpower and my heart.So I take Alaric to a nearby coffee shop.The moment we walk inside, we are greeted with the crisp aroma of fresh coffee and a touch of cinnamon. Someone
I gaze at him with sorrow.“Maybe what we had was a toxic relationship, but we were together for three years. And look at you—you never truly understood me. What right do you have to say you love me?”Alaric’s lips tremble. “…Cara, I…”He leans forward, ready to argue. Cutting him off deflates him s
Cara’s POVI wait for Alaric to say something, yet he seems content to simply stare at me. His expression is blank, revealing nothing of his thoughts.I unloaded a lot on him just now. Maybe he needs time to adjust? To let things sink in?Or maybe he hasn’t been listening to me at all.He can come h
Cara’s POV“So soon?”I ask, though I suppose, in hindsight, it really isn’t that soon. I’ve been working as the pack Beta for a time, doing a good job behind the scenes.“You’ve made significant contributions to the pack collaboration,” Eamon says. “It would be a disservice to you to not be properl
Alaric’s POVWork has kept me busy these past few days, tying me to my office and my desk more than I would otherwise like.But proposals needed approved and papers needed signed. Though my heart remained in BloodyMoon pack lands, I couldn’t abandon all of my responsibilities to pursue it.Besides,
It was all just a dream. A horrible nightmare, reminding me of my many mistakes of the past.If I didn’t go through with the wedding…If I had accepted my feelings for Cara, keeping her close rather than pushing her away…If I hadn’t driven her to run away from me…Maybe our child would still be ali
Cara’s POVAs the revelation of my identity as Aylon won’t be revealed until much later this evening, I dress in my less elaborate beta work clothes for the beginning of the festivities.In the morning, and most of the afternoon, I will be assisting with the preparations and behind the scenes work a
Cara’s POVBack under the pavilion for another break before the next contest, I sat at one of the picnic tables with my arms stretched out and ice packs over my aching muscles.“There’s no reason for you to participate in the final event,” Charlotte said to me, echoing previous warnings made by both
Cara’s POVThe day was filled with contests with very little time to break in between. As such, I wasn’t able to talk with Alaric, my brothers, or Noel. Instead, though, I filled in the Claw Sisters and Georgie on what occurred.“A secret stabbing is so cowardly,” Charlotte said. “If she had any hon
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