“Maybe we should wait until it becomes obvious to everyone.”“That would piss off my mother. She likes to be the first to know about everything.”“Well, she’s going to have to wait this time. I don’t want to be accidentally punched in the belly by anyone.”“My mother wouldn’t do such. She’s not that cruel.”“I’m sorry,” I apologized immediately. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”“I’m not offended,” he replied with a smile. “My mother is simply protective of me and my siblings. She’s not the best mother in the world but she’s not a bad person either.”I nodded, accepting his correction graciously. Perhaps it was time to extend an olive branch to Ria. I don’t want to have a tense relationship with her as I did with Gertrude.“What do you think it is?” He asked me, rubbing my belly again. “A boy or a girl?”“I think I want a girl this time,” I said with a smile.“What will we name her?”“Nyla. That was my mother’s name.”“I like it.”“Do you mean that?”“Yes.”I flew into his arms, embracin

“Oh, goodness!” I gasped and immediately released Ria who began to cough and rub her neck.“Get this crazy woman away from me!” She screamed hysterically.“What’s going on here?” Rowan asked.“It was a misunderstanding,” I explained.“She’s insane!” Ria yelled angrily.“Mother, that’s enough,” Rowan snapped at her. He handed Nyla to her nanny and said, “Take my daughter to her room.”I quickly got on my feet and intercepted the transfer. I carried my daughter from her father and hugged her tightly, inhaling her fresh scent.“I’m so glad you’re safe,” I whispered with relief.“Of course, she’s safe,” said Rowan. “Why wouldn’t she be?”“Take her,” I said to the nanny and handed over my daughter to her. When she left, Rowan faced me.“Care to explain this drama?” He asked.I glanced at Ria who was still sitting on the floor and glowering at me.“I am so sorry,” I apologized to him. “It was truly a misunderstanding. She made a statement that sounded like a threat and it sent me into a pan

He bent down until his lips were only inches away from mine. “We could have had something beautiful, Jade,” he said softly. His lips brushed against mine as he spoke.“I know, but – ““I don’t want to hear it,” he said sharply, surprising me. He straightened himself and turned away from me.“You can stay here tonight but you must leave tomorrow. That’s not open for negotiation.”He walked out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him. I let out a shaky breath. Good gracious!What was wrong with me? Had I just nearly had sex with my one-time ex? If Sahid hadn’t walked out now, would I have succumbed to his charm and let him seduce me back into his bed? What a mess!“Get a grip on yourself, Jade, “ I told myself. “That’s not why you’re here.”I strode to Sahid’s bar and poured myself a drink. It was going to be a long night here. I knew I was safe tonight but tomorrow was another matter entirely.If Dominic was still alive and out there, then tomorrow might just be my last day al

We raced into the palace and went straight to Nyla’s room. She was gasping for breath on her bed and the pack doctor was sitting beside her, holding her little hand.“What’s going on?” I asked. I hopped on the bed beside my daughter and gathered her in my arms.“We have carried out all kinds of tests and placed her on various medications, but nothing seems to be working,” said the elderly doctor. He was the best in the Highlands.“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Rowan. “Jade, didn’t you say that Nyla would recover once we got rid of the necklace?”“Well, not exactly. It was supposed to be destroyed,” I said.“But the only person binding you to it is dead. Shouldn’t Nyla be fine now?”I understood his frustration because I felt the same way. “I don’t know.”He ran a hand through his hair and began to pace across the room. “Get me Tarik!” He barked at the nanny. She ran out of the room immediately like a scared rabbit.Tears ran down my face as I watched my once lively daughter lie l

“What does that mean? I had nothing to do with that damned necklace!”“But it has become a part of you and you a part of it, like those before you,” Lunaria replied calmly.“I want to be free of it!”“I know.”“Why didn’t you destroy it?”“I didn’t have the will to. Neither did my daughter. She was the first Luna of the Moon Pack and the necklace showed her visions.”“What kind of visions?”“All sorts. It showed her the past and the future. Like me, she gave it away too.”“To who?”“A traveller whom she fell in love with. He was a Gamma from another pack. My daughter loved him but she knew she would never earn the respect of her pack by getting mated to a low-ranking werewolf.”“So she sent him away?”“Yes, with a parting gift. The necklace.”“Why would she do that? Didn’t she see any vision showing her how destructive the necklace was going to be?”“She did, and like me, she didn’t have the heart to say no to her lover who desired the necklace.”“Oh, boy…”“It was his priced possessi