Colin’s POVTo his credit, Grayson did not as much as flinch at my words steeped heavily in accusation. Instead, he just seemed sad and tired.“I diagnosed her,” he said. “Surely you’ve noticed her weakness?”My stomach dropped. I had, as did my brothers. Though she had collapsed, and the Healers lo
Alaric’s POV“Cara was feeling lightheaded again,” Colin said, claiming my attention away from Aidan and his fierce glare. “The nurses offered her a room to rest in for a while. She asked you to please continue to look after the kids and said she would join us again soon.”Of course I would look aft
Cara’s POVThe diagnosis was difficult to process, and I spent a lot of time in that small room in the hospital, trying to come to terms with everything.Grayson believed that unless I found my wolf, I would only have a few months left to live. I would of course find a second opinion, but I had no r
Alaric’s POVThe first thing I wanted to do after seeing Cara enter Mia’s room was to get her alone so I could ask what was going on, but with the kids so happy to see her, I couldn’t subtly pull her away without upsetting them.For now, I had to push down on my curiosity and my fear and act like ev
Alaric’s POVCara’s words shook me to my core. She wanted to… leave?Until this health scare – or whatever this was – things had been going well for us. Just the other night, I had held her in my arms all night long. Our love felt rekindled. But now – she just wanted to go away and not have that any
Cara’s POVI couldn’t stand looking at Alaric anymore, with the hurt in his eyes, so I excused myself and went back upstairs to spend more time with the kids. After all, I’d told Alaric what I needed to say – that I was planning on returning to the BloodyMoon pack. To talk any longer might give him
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t think he’ll be able to come with us right now, though I’m sure he wants to continue to spend time with all of us.”I spent more time with the kids, right up until bedtime when I tucked them in. Then I discovered that Noel was still here, sitting in the backyard with Col
Alaric’s POVWatching Cara sit with Noel and Colin sent a shred of ugly jealous straight through my chest. I knew I had no reason to be jealous – not really. Despite Noel and Cara’s closeness, nothing between them indicated that they were anything more than friends.Yet… he knew her secret and I did
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