Aria’s POVWhatever plans I had to break away and retrieve my diary immediately leave my mind the moment Harold started to drop.Lucian caught him first, then eased him down to the ground. But, in the next moment, I was right there beside him, checking his heartrate and his breathing.His pulse was
Jasper’s POVJasper had known Lucian all his life, but this was the first time he had ever seen Lucian looking so defeated. The Alpha King, usually so regal and composed, was, in this moment, like a shadow of his former self. He was hollowed out, curled in on himself with his forehead pressed to the
Jasper POVJasper felt privileged learning Lucian’s story, though he also felt undeserving. Lucian and Jasper had never been close, always on the out edge of each other’s social space without every fully crossing over it. Yet, they were still cousins, still family.Lucian was still Jasper’s King.No
Lucian’s POV“Harold will pull through,” Dr. A said.Jasper, Mom, and I released a collective breath.“Is he awake? Can I see him?” Julia asked.“Yes.” Dr. A motioned for Cathy, who stepped forward. “Follow Cathy and she will take you to him.”“Thank you, Dr. A. Thank you so much.” Mom, with tears i
Aria’s POVThe next morning, at home, I worried that photo taken of Lucian and Dr. A was going to show up on the news. Coffee in hand, I watched and waited with dread for confirmation that I’d be further pulled into drama regarding Lucian and Sheila.Yet, as I watched, the only time Dr. A seemed to
Jasper’s POVJasper overslept that morning, so he didn’t hear about the latest report on Sheila until he read about it in the morning paper over his eggs and mimosa. It nearly turned his stomach, though not quite enough to stop eating his breakfast.Sheila had to be playing some kind of game. That w
Aria’s POVI’d never met this man before, not even in passing, that I could recall. I had no idea why he held such affection for me, or why he even thought I’d be receptive to the idea of a date.Yet I was so flabbergasted, words failed me for a minute.“Do I know you?” I asked, because maybe I had
One man jumped straight past the courting phase and asked, “Will you be my mate?”“No,” I told him, more firmly than I’d told the others. He didn’t even know me! I’d seen him a few times at a few events I attended as Aria, but even then, I hadn’t spoken more than two words to him at any one time. Wh
Aria’s POVI expected some pushback at the hospital, given the revelation. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I imagined it would be something. Though the Healers had been generally accepting of me since my return to the pack, I could still remember the times in the past when they had dislik
Lucian’s POVI had no idea how some of these nobles received permission to be in this room for this revelation, but at this point, I was beyond caring about logistics. The facts were, they were here and they were giving Aria grief. That was more than enough reason for him to, not just lose his tempe
Lucian’s POV“No,” I said quickly. “I couldn’t be.”Early in our marriage, Aria and I had tried rather enthusiastically to have children, but we never managed to succeed in getting Aria pregnant. Eventually, I came to the realization that we couldn’t get pregnant, for one reason or another.Likely,
Aria’s POVI waited until I was back at Cathy’s at the end of the day to pick up her phone and call Jasper. Of all people I knew with the connections I needed, he was the one I could most depend on. Silas was still in Moonglow, too far away to help me, and I wasn’t ready to face Lucian again so soon
“You should have went with her to Moonglow,” I insisted.“She would have refused me,” he said. “She’d already rejected me.”“But those kids needed you –”“They need their father,” Jasper said. “Their real one.”His words hit me hard, and I finally realized what he was trying to say. “You aren’t the
Lucian’s POVI stormed into the Alpha headquarters building, looking for Jasper, ready to go to war. With my hands curled into fists, I thought I might start throwing punches before I would even be able to speak.My wolf was even angrier, prowling back and forth in my mind, scratching at my consciou
Lucian’s POVAs Aria checked to ensure that her disguise was in place, I stepped out of her personal office and back into the main one. The kids, by now, were showing each other their crayon drawings, while Cathy sat patiently in one of the waiting chairs.Cathy was watching me. Maybe she could see
Aria’s POVLucian’s question wasn’t unexpected, considering all he had witnessed up until this moment. However, that did not make it any easier to answer.This secret of my identity was one that I had kept for so long, lately just to stop Lucian from learning the truth.It had become more habit than
Aria’s POVSeeing Paul, Frank, and Harry walk through the office door, entering just behind Lucian made my stomach drop. I’d expected them to track me down, and knew there would be trouble when they did. But I had no idea it would be while Lucian was actually already in the room with us!What could