Chapter 56

Claire POV

After breakfast I went back upstairs to dress for the day. Megan was already in my room, pulling out a selection of outfits for me to choose from, as she did every morning.

And every morning, it was still a shock. To have someone assigned simply to be my assistant in any way I might need. To have so many clothes to choose from.

To just have the time to spend getting ready for the day.

As a nanny my life - and my schedule - had revolved around both Nathan’s and Andy’s schedules. And even at the clinic, my days had been hectic, full of an endless list of tasks.

Now, for the first time in my life, I could actually take my time.

Of all the luxury I found myself surrounded by, simply having time was one of the most surreal. For a week now I’d spent every day exactly as I chose, not hurrying or doing anything for anyone except myself.

As I walked into the room I realized that was the definition of a vacation.

The realization made me laugh to myself a bit. I’d never had a vacation before. It had been amazing.

Today, however, marked the end of that vacation.

Because today I was going to work.

“Are you nervous, Princess?” Megan asked as I chose an outfit. It was a pretty plum suit, fashionable and sophisticated.

“More anxious to get started,” I decided, slipping into the suit.

She helped me choose a few pieces of jewelry, then did my makeup and styled my hair.

By the time I was dressed and ready to go I not only felt prepared, I felt more put together than I ever had in my life.

I truly felt like a princess.

I stared out the window of the towncar as we drove to the pack headquarters, hungry to see the land I now called home. This was the first time I’d left the palace grounds since I got here.

I was not disappointed by what I saw, even on this first brief ride.

Silverfang pack was wealthy, and regarded as one of the most sophisticated and developed packs in the realm.

But the Royal pack far exceeded it.

I was almost overwhelmed by the wealth and refinement I saw, from the sheer size of the city we drove through to the architecture of the buildings to the style of the people we passed.

“Quite a change of pace, isn’t it?” Dad asked, watching me take it all in.

I sat back against the luxurious fabric of the seat and blew out a breath. “Yes, sir. It’s…amazing.”

Our ride didn’t last much longer. The pack headquarters sat in the middle of the city, a tall graceful building arching over the buildings around it.

Once inside, Dad showed me where his office was - and then led me to my very own. A corner office overlooking a busy part of the downtown area, the view from the windows was dizzying.

And so were the duties I was expected to fulfill.

“The Royals have always overseen upper-level concerns for the pack, our allies and in fact the entire realm,” Dad explained as I took in the view.

“We issue decrees, oversee legal proceedings, deal with the allocation of funds - all the things that keep things running smoothly.”

I nodded as he explained, but in truth I was more than a little daunted by the idea of having to take on not only that many duties, but that much authority as well.

Being in charge was so far out of my experience that I’d never even thought about what it would be like, or how to do it.

Noticing my discomfort, he came over to stand beside me.

“Don’t worry, Claire. You’ll have plenty of help from the staff - they’ll prepare you for any major Royal duties.

“And on a day-to-day basis, your work will largely revolve around the clinic. That’s where you’ll spend the bulk of your time. I imagine that’s how you’d prefer it.”

I smiled, relieved. “Oh yes, it is.”

The clinic was where I really wanted to be, and I couldn’t wait to dive into the work there.

But first I had a day filled with meetings to get through.

So many people wanted to meet the long lost Princess. I spend the day greeting and chatting with members of the Royal court, high ranking pack officials, diplomats and emissaries from neighboring packs, and most of the administrative staff here at the headquarters who helped run things with Dad was away, or ill.

It was…overwhelming, to say the least.

By late afternoon I was exhausted. My face hurt from smiling, and a headache had started to pound in my temples.

One last meeting, I assured myself. After that I could go home and take the world’s longest bath and relax.

But I was excited about this meeting, and had been looking forward to it: I was going to meet the interim head of the clinic, the doctor who had been acting as the person in charge until the position could permanently be filled.

I looked up at the knock on my open door, and rose from my desk with a smile.

“Dr. Baldwin, hello. It’s so nice to meet you.”

A slightly older man stood in the doorway, smiling back at me.

“Hello, Princess. I’m very happy to meet you.”

I invited him to sit in one of the chairs, and we began to chat. I had so many questions about the clinic!

But he had a lot of questions himself - and they were all about me.

“Tell me, Princess, where did you grow up? It’s astonishing to have found a long lost Royal. How were you separated from your family?”

A tiny alarm bell started to ring in my mind, but I wasn’t sure why. After all, it was natural for people to be curious about me.

But this was going beyond curious. His questions came out too fast, and were too pointed. It was clear he had a list of information he wanted to get.

And then I realized what else was making me so uncomfortable.

While his face and voice were both pleasant, his eyes were cold and calculating.

“Who are you?” I demanded. “You’re not Dr. Baldwin, are you?”

With a small smile, he inclined his head. “Well spotted, Princess. My name is Fletcher, and I’m a reporter with The Star. Now…”

He returned to his questioning, clearly not bothered to have been caught in a lie.

Standing, I said, “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

“Of course,” he said, rising as well. But in the doorway, he paused. “If you wouldn’t mind, I have just a few more questions…”

I felt like an idiot. I had led him to the room’s only exit, and allowed him to walk ahead of me. Now he stood, blocking the way out, refusing to move.

“Sir, you need to leave,” I said, speaking evenly. I was beginning to be frightened, but didn’t want to show it.

“You know, I don’t think I will. Not until you answer my questions.”

I drew in a breath at the threat in his voice, but before I could think of what to do next, another voice spoke up from behind Fletcher.

“What’s going on here? Are you harassing the princess?

“Security! To the princess’ office!”

Immediately a security detail was swarming into my office, knocking Fletcher aside and securing him. Within moments he’d been led away, and I was in shock at the speed with which things had changed.

“Are you alright, Princess? That must have been alarming?”

I realized the person that interrupted Fletcher’s interrogation was now standing in front of me. I blinked to clear my mind, struggling against the headache that had now grown even worse.

“Yes, I’m…I’m okay. Thank you for helping. What’s your name?”

He smiled a bit self consciously. “I’m the real Dr. Baldwin. And I was running a few minutes late, which is how that sneak was able to worm his way in here pretending to be me.”

Baldwin was a pleasantly handsome man, not much taller than me, with very kind eyes. Kind and observant eyes, apparently.

“You’re in pain,” he said, studying me. Then he held out a hand. “May I?”

Confused, I nodded.

He laid his hand on my forehead, his touch incredibly cool and soothing.

And in a moment, my headache was gone. So was the tiredness dragging along behind it.

As he removed his hand, I stared at him, stunned.

Baldwin was also a healer??