Chapter 16

Claire's POV

Claire sagged as Nathan stormed out of the room, her energy suddenly leaving her. She sat back down and closed her eyes.

When Oliver put a comforting hand on her shoulder, she leaned into it, grateful for his company. But she was also embarrassed by the scene that had unfolded in front of him.

She opened her eyes as he took the other seat. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Oliver.” She smiled half heartedly. “I understand if lunch no longer sounds appealing.”

Oliver tried to return her smile, but couldn’t quite. “Frankly I’m still a bit in shock over here,” he admitted. “You’re the Alpha’s lover?”

Claire nodded. “Yes. His ‘fated mate,’” she added ruefully. “Though you wouldn’t know it by the way our relationship actually was. He made me act like I was just the nanny. Even our son doesn’t know who I really am.”

Moved, Oliver’s shock was displaced by sympathy. He took Claire’s hand in his. “That’s terrible, Claire. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

Claire looked down at their joined hands for a long moment, waiting for the old familiar pain to come. But while it was still there, it wasn’t as strong or overwhelming as it used to be.

Instead, she felt the warm caring presence of her wolf at her core, and that new sense of purpose and confidence that grew stronger each day.

She raised her head and met Oliver’s calm, compassionate gaze. “You’re right. I didn’t. But things are going to be different now. I’m planning on leaving the pack,” she confessed.

A smile lit Oliver’s face. “So am I! It’s been painful staying here after the divorce. It would be better for Beth and me to start over somewhere. If you come with us, I can help you with your plans to leave. I think I can even find you a fairly high-paying job.”

“That’s…an incredible offer, Oliver. Thank you.” And yet… “I’m sorry, I can’t accept it.”

She needed to leave the pack, and permanently distance herself from Nathan. But to leave with another man, one who clearly still had feelings for her beyond the simple friendship that she felt for him, would be inappropriate.

“It’s important for me to do this on my own,” she added, wanting to make it clear she wasn’t rejecting him.

Oliver was clearly disappointed, but said he understood. “At least let me help you by giving you a job now. If you help me take care of Beth until you leave, that would give you some extra money. Please, Claire. At least accept this.”

Claire thought of Beth, her sweet nature and easy laugh. It wouldn’t be a hardship to spend some time with the child, and the extra money would definitely come in handy later.

“Alright,” she agreed. “But only for a short while.”

Oliver’s face brightened, and he smiled. “Excellent. Now, let’s go lunch. My treat.”

When Claire came back from lunch, she found Amelia waiting for her, clearly angry.

“I heard Nathan was here with Andy,” she said, hurrying over when she saw Claire. “That worthless man. Who does he think he is, coming in here to bother you like that?”

Claire’s lunch with Oliver had been a pleasant outing with a friend, and had done a lot to soothe her nerves after Andy’s appointment. But she was still worn out by the fight she had with Nathan.

She didn’t have the energy to join her friend when Amelia continued her rant about her heartless Alpha mate.

When Amelia told her she’d already cleared Claire’s afternoon schedule, Claire thanked her gratefully.

She needed to be alone for a while.

Third-person's POV

Meanwhile, Sabrina was visiting her father in his hotel suite. She was currently pouting, lounging in an overstuffed armchair with her hands crossed over her chest.

“Daddy, I want to marry Nathan. But the stupid man refuses to even think about it! You should make him do it.”

William was used to his daughter’s temper, and demands. He’d found the best way to deal with them was not to take them too seriously. Whatever she was asking for today would be forgotten by tomorrow, when a new obsession and set of demands took its place.

“Now, dear. I can’t make the man do anything he doesn’t want to do. Would you really want to marry someone that had to be forced into it?”

Sabrina’s frown deepened. Of course she would, as long as it meant she got what she wanted.

“Besides,” the Royal Alpha continued. “This is no time for a wedding. He’s in the middle of a crucial election period.”

He came over to stand beside her and pat her shoulder. “But don’t worry, sweetie. Nathan’s dealing with a lot of stress right now. Once he’s won the presidency I’m sure he’ll realize that you two belong together.”

Sabrina shrugged away her father’s consoling touch. He just didn’t want to help her, she was certain of it.

He could make Nathan marry her. He could do whatever he wanted, he was the Royal Alpha.

Her resentful thoughts were interrupted when her father coughed, and kept coughing. She jumped up out of the chair, not wanting to get coughed on, but pretending it was just to get a glass of water.

“Here, Daddy. Try to take a drink.”

She rubbed a hand over his back while he drank and finally calmed the coughing fit. But inside she fumed.

Why won’t he just die??

Once her father passed, Sabrina would inherit the Royal Alpha position. Something she believed she deserved. In fact, she felt her father should have stepped down and handed it over to her a long time ago.

Inside, Sabrina’s wolf also cursed the old Alpha.

When Sabrina first shifted as a young woman, her wolf turned out to be a totally unremarkable gray, not the usual white of most other royals.

Like Sabrina, her wolf knew her father had been surprised and disappointed. And that it had led others to question her true royal nature, and if she even deserved to rule when her father was gone.

If only William would die, so she could take the throne. Once she was the Royal Alpha, no one would dare question her or the difference between her wolf and the other wolves in her family.

Sabrina and her wolf knew her father’s disappointment was why he didn’t really love her - at least not enough to let her have her way whenever she wanted something. Or someone.

Her wolf snarled, urging her to take care of the old Alpha herself.

William looked up at Sabrina, puzzled. His wolf sensed a threat, but the old man couldn’t understand where it was coming from.

“Sabrina, are you…Is everything alright?”

Sabrina reined in her wolf with some difficulty, knowing now wasn’t the time to do anything drastic. She answered her father’s question with a puzzled look of her own.

“Of course.” She touched a hand to his head. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need to take your medicine? You know how confused you get when you haven’t taken it in a while.”

Relieved, William nodded. Yes, that must be it. Having his wolf perceive his own daughter as a threat made no sense otherwise.

“I’ve run out. I was about to send Beta Garrett to fetch it for me.”

“Why don’t I do that for you?” she offered, acting considerate. The old Alpha gratefully accepted her offer.

Sabrina left, glad to get away from her father’s ridiculous helplessness for a while.

At the clinic she stood waiting for her father’s prescription to be filled. Two nurses stood nearby, talking, and mention of her father caught Sabrina’s attention.

“It’s so amazing that the Royal Alpha actually comes to our clinic!” said one.

The other agreed with her. “It is great, but also - why wouldn’t he? We’ve got the best healer anyone’s seen in a generation. Or even longer.”

The first nurse nodded. “The way they’ve bonded is remarkable. I saw them talking together the other day, and he treats her like his own daughter the way he dotes on her.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. Her father may be friendly toward that new miracle worker of a doctor, but Sabrina was his only daughter. He wouldn’t treat someone else the way he treated her.

The nurses continued their ridiculous conversation, then called out to someone coming down the hall.

“We were just talking about you!” they said. “The Royal Alpha treats you so well. It’s really sweet to see.”

Sabrina realized they were talking to the actual healer everyone was talking about, the one that was supposed to be such a mystery. Nobody knew who she really was or where she’d come from.

Curious, Sabrina followed the nurses’ gaze down the hallway. Then her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

They were talking to Claire. They were talking about Claire, and her father.

Claire was the great healer??