ElaraFinally, I couldn’t bear the silence in the car any longer. I turned to Alaric, my heart pounding in my chest.“What are we going to do?” I blurted out.“Play nice for six months, apparently,” he replied without taking his eyes off the road.I pursed my lips and looked away, watching the city
And it smelled like him everywhere.Suddenly, a small figure dashed toward me. “Mommy!” Zoe beamed up at me and gripped my hands. “Smile!”Despite myself, a smile tugged at my lips. This was a ritual of ours; if one of us was feeling sad or down, the other would grin as big as we could and say, “Smi
Elara“I said, get out!”Ella let loose a rather impressive little snarl. When I glanced down at her, she had her fangs bared and I could see the fuzzy tips of little wolf ears poking out through her strands of hair, clear signs of a pup’s anger. She was adorable when she was angry, I had to give
ElaraTo say that I was taken aback would be putting it lightly. Alaric, the lofty and unapproachable Alpha who couldn’t even bear to crack a genuine smile when a child was begging him to, was apologizing… to me?I didn’t know how to respond. This might very well have been the first apology of his l
Alaric took his seat at the head of the table, appearing extremely pleased. He began eating with enthusiasm, savoring each bland bite as if it were a gourmet meal. I was surprised than an Alpha like Alaric wouldn’t have the finest dishes available for dinner—this seemed like nothing more than “nutri
ElaraAlaric and I stood on opposite sides of the kitchen, moving in sync as we prepared the meal. Neither of us spoke, rhythmic sounds of chopping and stirring the only sounds that filled the space between us.I couldn’t help but steal occasional glances at him. Maybe he wasn’t as cold or unfeeling
I frowned. “I can sleep somewhere else. A guest room, perhaps.”He shook his head. “That would raise questions. It’s best to maintain appearances, even within these walls.”The idea of sharing a room with a man I hardly knew didn’t exactly excite me. But, thinking of Ella and Zoe and the importance
ElaraToday marked the first day that both Zoe and Ella would attend kindergarten together. But not just any kindergarten—this was the most elite private school in the pack. It was leaps and bounds ahead of the public school that Zoe used to attend.Early in the morning, I carefully laid out their c
His gaze snapped up, sharp as a dagger. “He’s not who you think he is, Elara.” “And maybe he’s not who you think he is either.” Alaric exhaled sharply, as if trying to keep his patience in check. “You don’t know him like I do, Elara. You didn’t grow up with him. You didn’t see what he was capabl
Elara “Smile, Mommy! Smile, Daddy! Please!” My breath caught at the sound of those words, all the heat in my chest suddenly cooling like a flame snuffed out. Smile. Our little ritual. The one thing that had always, always, cheered me up when things couldn’t possibly seem to get worse. Some
“How… How much do you remember?” I found myself asking, bracing myself for the response. He merely shrugged and stood, tossing the sandwich in the nearby trash can. “I just told you not to worry about it.” But I did worry. I worried about a lot of things when it came to him—the way he shut me ou
Elara Alaric’s arm tightened instinctively around my waist, his hand pressing firm against the small of my back. I stared up at him, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and throat. I couldn’t tell if the thudding pulse in my ears was his or mine, the bond flaring unexpectedly between us af
It wasn’t long, however, before they decided to take matters into their own hands. “Family game night!” Zoe announced one evening, practically dragging Alaric from his study and into the living room. Ella followed close behind, grinning up at him expectantly. “You promised, Daddy.” For a brief
Elara When I returned home that night, Alaric wasn’t in bed. Not that I expected him to be; when I pulled into the driveway, I could see his light on inside his study, indicating that he was likely up late working. Knowing him and the nature of this most recent problem, he’d spend all night in his
But in my fear, I had hurt Elara badly. Even if it wasn’t a curse, I was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy and harming the people I cared for. I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing the lump in my throat, and instinctively reached out toward the bond just to see if she was there. Of course, I felt
Alaric I’d been pacing relentlessly in my office for what felt like hours now, my mind whirling. But surprisingly, despite everything—despite the attempted arranged marriage to Emily, my mother’s false promises, the Harrington pulling out of several business ventures—my mind was elsewhere tonight.
“You don’t understand what it’s like living in his shadow,” he muttered, his tone just a touch lower now. “Alaric was always the golden son. The perfect Alpha. I was just the mistake. The unwanted second-born, cast aside and forgotten.” I froze. The raw bitterness in his voice caught me off guar