Lucian’s POVI braced myself for the rejection I knew was coming. Dr. A had even less reason to stay with the pack than Aria did. Yet, losing them both felt much too cruel.Dr. A and I had only barely been friends. We’d had fleeting moments of closeness, but more often than not, those had been broug
Either they had gotten used to seeing us here, or they weren’t ones for the political or social gossip. The people who ate here were all of the working class. They cared more about their own families, and their own pizza, than they did about whatever we were doing.The laid back attitude of the plac
Aria’s POVMy plans set, I moved through my days with a new sense of purpose. Having something to look forward to helped me maintain my focus on the events to come. No longer was I a prisoner to the past.At least, that was true most of the time. There were sometimes, unfortunately, when Lucian crep
“Thank you,” I said instead, though I had no idea what I would do with this much money. As Dr. A, I’d already acquired all I would need for the move, as well as enough to live on for a good long while. I didn’t need this gift from them, and I felt guilty having it.There had to be something I could
Lucian’s POVMost of the elders are shocked by my words and the harsh tone I delivered them. The elder who recovered first, the senior to the others, glared at me instead.“You do not take that tone of voice with us, Alpha King or not,” he said flatly.I didn’t have the patience for his threats, my
Aria’s POVAdoption?!“Uh. No. No, that’s not why I’m here,” I said, stumbling over my words in shock. I hadn’t meant for this to be any kind of newsworthy event. I just wanted to support the orphanage that had taken care of me after my parents died.“What other reason could you have for being here?
Aria’s POVAt work, Cathy, Piper, and I gather in the office that morning over coffee. At my insistence, Cathy didn’t bring the newspaper with my photo on it, but to my dismay, Piper already had one. I believed she was fully ready to frame it and hang it behind her desk.“You know that my identity i
Weak with heartsickness, I peeled back the cover of the diary and began to read a later chapter, from nearer the end of our marriage.Dear Diary,Tomorrow is Lucian’s birthday. While he’s never been much for celebrating, I still want to do something special for him. With hope, maybe this will start
Aria’s POVI called in Piper to go over my findings. Together, she and a few other Healers that I trusted from the hospital reviewed all the work that Lucian and I had did.I wanted everything peer-reviewed, cross-checked and checked again, before I risked administering the cure to Cathy.While the
Aria’s POVLucian might not have gone to medical school, but he was intelligent and a fast learner. And above all, to my surprise, he took direction well.Together, we started early and worked long until the evening. While I ran the tests, Lucian took notes. If I asked, he would grab me things, or k
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