ChiaraMy heart already stopped beating when I saw Dad coming out of nowhere, but it just got worse when I hear his question. Then even progressively more horrible when I realize that he knows about Alessio being in my bedroom.Suddenly I feel dizzy with embarrassment. As much as I’m trying to be indifferent to Dad, I still feel really bad about hiding this relationship from him, and the fact that I know that he knows just what happened last night.“Dad,” I begin to say, but he really seems upset because he steps around me and starts to head up the stairs.I immediately get the idea that he’s going to my bedroom to probably drag Alessio out of bed, so I follow him and try to hold him back. However, he already reaches the hallway where my bedroom is. I grab him by the arm and steer him away as far as I can, even though he’s fighting against my grip like a petulant child.He jerks away from my touch and glares at me. “Why are you trying to stop me?”“Because Alessio didn’t do anything w

AlessioThe sheer shock that reverberates in my body almost freezes me to my spot. Riva, who looks a lot like Amari, starts to choke on her own blood, and that somehow rouses me to move.I pick her up in my arms and Amari points the way, with tears streaming down her face and her hands shaking in nervousness as she directs me to the infirmary. I set Riva down gently, and immediately Amari begins to work.She rummages through the racks and the containers beside the bed, whipping out all sorts of potions while Riva heaves and gasps for breath.It’s a harrowing sight, and I want nothing more but to help but I know that I shouldn’t interrupt.Amari is working double-time, dabbing potions on Riva’s body and muttering incantations. At first it looks like nothing is getting better, but then I see that Riva’s body begins to relax on the bed. Her breathing becomes more stable.Chiara and I clasp hands, relieved by this.Meanwhile, Amari herself nearly collapses against the wall as Riva coughs

ChiaraEveryone in the whole area steps back in shock when they heard what Alessio just said. It’s almost like the entire party deflated in one go, like someone just ripped out something important from the inside and ran away with it, leaving everyone bereft.Amari especially looks gutted. She actually staggers back as though Alessio’s statement was a dagger that stabbed right into her soul. She propped herself against the tree, clutching her heart. When I come up next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, she looks up at me, and from there I can see that she has tears shining in her eyes.“That means we are here for nothing,” she murmurs, and the pain in her voice is so strong that for a while I can’t breathe. “I can’t believe this.” She rakes through her hair and looks at Alessio. “Are you sure you checked everything? Are you sure this is really the case?”I can tell that Alessio is disappointed by her line of questioning, but he extends a hand and pats her shoulder, looking a

AlessioI can feel myself zoning out as I slowly process the things that Savina just said. I stand in my spot, feeling sick to my stomach, propping my hand against the back of the chair to keep myself steady.Denial is rising in my throat like bile, and for some reason my brain could come up with a thousand ways to justify everything. I want to argue with Savina and tell her that Cavaliere Ombra couldn’t possibly come up with such a risky plan, with something so big it has a chance of being foolproof.But the more I think about it, the more my justifications seemed stupid.Of course Father would do something like that. Of course he would want to announce to the world that he’s the strongest, and of course he would do that by invading an entire city.And everyone in that city would be food for monsters.Meanwhile, everyone in the dining hall is starting to speak over each other, covering the fact that they are disturbed with attempts of denial. As I start to slowly emerge out of my rev

ChiaraThe moment I saw Dad smiling proudly, my urge to slap someone has never been so strong. It’s like a demon possessed me, and before I knew it, I’m already pushing the others away to get to my dad.But instead of slapping him like I originally intended, I end up pulling him for a hug.Then I settle with slapping his arm.“What the hell were you thinking?” I demand, and to my horror, tears start to fall. I bury my face in his shoulder and reluctantly, he hugs me back, rubbing the back of my neck. “I thought something bad happened to you!”“Hey,” he says consolingly, holding me at arm’s length. He smiles at me and wipes my cheeks. “I wasn’t going anywhere, darling. I just thought that hey, maybe I could help. I mean, I’m the only human in this pack, even with your boyfriend losing his wolf and everything.” He looks at Amari. “I’m sorry for causing all of you this trouble, and I hope I didn’t overstep something by inviting everyone here.”For one tense second, it seems that Amari wi