All Chapters of The Counterfeit Mate: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Florence POV: Florence Suspects Lucio In Quirell's DeathSusie stands aside, Lucio gives her a meaningful gesture of thanks. She says, "I'll just leave you two."I can sense the quiet disapproval in my best friend's eyes as she leaves the room. Well, who could blame her? But I am running out of options. Half of my heart is still desperately holding on to Jason. The other half, though—the half that's coasting on survival—is seeking a father for my baby. He notices that I am not smiling. Lucio drops his charming facade and clears his throat."Um," he says, looking down at the flowers in his hands. "I had to go get these the moment I heard you were coming back. Betty's Florals was already closed. Had to wake her up. She jumped out of bed the second she heard who they were for.""Sounds like the whole pack knows what happened to me," I say dryly."You're famous."He sets the flowers on the dresser next to the bedside lamp. Then he sits beside me. I clench my teeth involuntarily. I can s

Florence POV: Whispers in the HarvestI wake with a start. My ears ring with a harsh buzz. I bolt upright in the dim light, gasping for air."Jason." I had been dreaming about him. He was tangled in white bedsheets. He was writhing and romping with a woman. It was a woman with dark hair, or maybe she was blonde. It was impossible to tell in the shadows of the dream. Weary from the fatigue of the anxiety, I close my eyes. The bedroom door opens. Tony stands at there. "Are you alright?""Huh?" "You screamed," he says.Images I drew on the white ceiling with candle flames long ago stare down at me. "Bad dream?" Tony asks.I nod silently, incapable of speaking.After a long beat, he says, "It's Tuesday, Florence. It's been weeks."I turn my head to look at him. I'm reminded by how fast time is slipping through my fingers. The weeks had passed in a dull, muted blur. So much so that we completely forgot to make our routine check on our mother at the sanatarium. Usually, the thought of

Jason POV: Echoes in the CorridorMy gaze instinctively drops to her belly the second she gets up. My heart leaps into my throat. "What are you doing here?" Florence asks, her voice breathless."Tony mentioned you might have come over here," I say, taking a step toward her. "When I couldn't find you, I cornered Franz. He refused to tell me anything until I made it very clear what would happen if he didn't.""You threatened him? You have no right to do that, Jason!""I am the Alpha. I can goddamn well do what I want," I snap, stepping closer, my voice dropping into a rumble. "Are you pregnant, Florence?""You don't get to ask me that!" she shoots back.I reach out, with my fingers around her wrist, I pull her down the corridor away from the waiting area. Several women gape at us. Florence stumbles slightly, shocked by my sudden aggression, but I don't care. I have never laid a rough hand on her in my life, but if she is carrying a child, I have a fundamental right to know the truth.

Florence POV: A Mirror of the Broken MedallionIsobel takes a slow breath, her gaze fixed on the far wall. "I watched what happened to you happen to another family once. A mother was trying to do right by her family. It was a difficult time, and the only way out was through a marriage alliance. My mother was the Prefect of that pack at the time. She eventually discovered the woman had used outlawed magic. The poor woman begged her not to report it to the Royal House, but my mother was a stickler for the rules, you see . . ."She look at me. Her eyes cloud with a fleeting, wistful sadness."My mother wanted to obey the law," she continues. "But sometimes, the rules just get in the way of . . . love. That woman loved her family far too much to stand by and watch them suffer. She broke the law by turning to magic. My mother reported her immediately, and had her banished, sort of.""What do you mean, sort of?" I ask, my brows drawing together.She gives me a faint, bitter smile. "That fam

Florence POV: The Edge of SurrenderI sit in the middle of my bed, staring blankly at the far wall of my bedroom. Someone knocks on the door and blink. "Come in." My throat feels like it has been lined with sandpaper. My eye hurt. They feel heavy and swollen, as if someone replaced my them with hot boiled eggs.The door opens and Lucio walks and I stiffen at the sight of him. And it's not because of his clothes that are drenched. Rain is dripping from his collar, and his dark hair is matted on his forehead. He smiles. I look past him into the empty corridor. Neither Tony, Shawn, nor Todd is out there."Your brother said I could come up," he says.He looks at casserole dish sitting on the dresser. "Did you eat already?""Susie brought me some soup earlier. Why? You aren't thinking of taking me out in this downpour, are you?""Nah, I wasn't," Lucio says, taking a step closer. "I was just hoping I could make you something downstairs in the kitchen."I stare at him coolly. This would