Dane stood on the front lawn of the packhouse, his bereaved packmates assembling to listen to his address as the acting Alpha of the Green Cape Pack. This should be an auspicious moment for him, but all he could think of was Cara’s distress. He’d done that to her.  He quickly pushed it from his mind. This was how it had to happen. It would be painful for Cara in the short term, but long term, she would have the life she’d always dreamed of. With him.  She would keep her place as Luna, and their child would still be the future Alpha. In his mind, he knew that he would treat them better than Lucas ever would have. “Green Cape Pack, it is with tremendous sadness that I confirm the passing of Alpha Lucas. Early this morning, a small group of for

Cara broke free from Dane’s grip and stood in front of the pack. She ran through everything in her mind one last time. She wanted to be able to forgive Dane, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t live her life knowing what he’d done.   She knew she was no better. She’d taken his mate’s life and he’d returned the favour. But she’d changed, she’d moved on, she wanted to be a better person. She couldn’t forgive him for trying to drag her back into the life she’d made a conscious choice to leave behind.   “Thank you for the outpouring of love I’ve received from each and every one of you since Lucas’ passing. I appreciate the way you’ve kept me in your thoughts. Lucas isn’t gone, though. He lives on, through his pup – our pup – that is growing each day.”   Murmurs spread through the cro