Alaric had left me here.No, I chastised myself. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Too much lately I had always been willing to believe the worst in Alaric. Given our past, he had trained me to feel this way, but lately, he had been putting in real effort to be there for me and our children.He would
Alaric’s POVCara ate her breakfast and then went back to her own room to change and get ready for the day. I had to do the same, telling her that I would be gone for work-related reasons for the majority of the morning and afternoon, but I would do my hardest to be home in time for dinner.It pleas
“Do you watch the news?” I asked them. “Though even if you don’t, I imagine your contacts still explained to you what happened regarding my daughter.”“Yes,” said the head elder. “We’ve heard that you have found her and that she is unharmed. Blessings all around.”“Yes,” I agreed. “Though these bles
Alaric’s POVThere was a television hanging along one wall of the meeting. While it had been off while the elders met and while I spoke, we turned it on now. John found the correct channel and immediately, Melinda Bedford’s face filled the screen.She’d dyed her hair again, black now instead of red,
Cara’s POVI placed the back of my hand to Mia’s forehead and immediately felt her fever. Her hands were clammy. She seemed lethargic, like she couldn’t get up. When I asked her how she felt, she simply said, “Tired.”“I’m going to take you to the hospital,” I said, worry taking hold.“Please don’t,
Colin’s POVI listened carefully to my sister’s words. I didn’t know if she could tell, but as an outsider looking in, it was easily to see how much she loved Alaric. Given their past, she was likely still afraid to admit those feelings to herself, or to acknowledge them in any way.For this, she wa
“I think we need to be prepared for anything. Cara is going to need our support no matter what happens.”Hopefully my bad feeling was wrong. Hopefully everything would be fine.But I wasn’t going to count on hope alone.Alaric’s POVAs the Bedford’s were a prominent noble family with high-ranking su
Alaric’s POV“Of course not,” Melinda said, denying everything. “As if someone of my status would ever lower herself to such cruel and malicious devilry. How could you even begin to insult me by connecting me to that?”“You supported Lilia’s return to the pack,” I reminded her. “You pushed the elder
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