Alaric’s POV“Noel,” I say, approaching the door. The butler and the security guard both step to the side, allowing me access to speak with our unexpected visitor. “What are you doing here?”“I said I’d visit,” he says. “Well, here I am. Where’s Cara and the kids? I want to say hi.”He did mention t
In the dining room, both Mia and Ethan are hugging Noel.Mia loves everyone, so that doesn’t sting. Ethan, though. He hates me but loves Noel? Why? What has Noel done that I haven’t done?Noel ruffles Ethan’s hair and Ethan laughs as he pushes his hand away. A new kind of jealousy fills me. One I ha
Alaric’s POV“No,” Eamon says. “I can’t imagine that Noel is our assassin. For one, Landon vouches for him, which is as good as any hard proof in my book.”“He could be deceiving Landon,” I suggest.“Landon is a good judge of character,” Eamon insists. “But, even if you can’t take my brother’s word
Alaric’s POVAfter ending my call with Eamon, I walked out of the office and towards the living room. Cara and the kids must have finished playing their game because the room was much quieter now. Looking into the room, I didn’t see Cara or Mia. Only Ethan was there, sitting on the couch. He had a b
Cara’s POVI can admit that in these early morning hours, I temporary forgot about the danger I was in. I should have told Alaric or security and insisted on taking someone else with me to help keep Noel and I safe during breakfast.Yet, the way Alaric is acting now is beyond the pale. I know he’s j
Noel smoothly avoids all questions, answering only, “My past isn’t a very good memory for me.”Alaric narrows his eyes, like in his suspicion of Noel, he’s trying to catch Noel in some kind of lie.“You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to,” I tell Noel, while giving Alaric a pointed
Alaric’s POVIn theory, Noel being from pack CrimsonFang should make him more suspicious. After all, not much is known about the pack, other than they are secluded and value their secrecy. Yet, for Noel to share even so much as he belongs to that pack is a huge sign of trust.Especially when I am Al
Cara looks even more concerned. “Which sitting room?”This is how I learn, with my heart sinking down in my stomach, that Mia is playing with her dolls in one of the sitting rooms.Cara and I rush there at once, to find the butler gently escorting her and her dolls from the room.“He says I can’t pl
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