Chapter 60

Claire POV

I stood in my room, staring at the gowns in my closet, feeling nervous.

There was a banquet this evening being held in my honor, a semi-formal dinner at the Royal country estate. And my nerves were stretched thin.

What was I doing here??

Working at the clinic, I was sometimes able to forget about being a princess. But sometimes, like today, it just slammed into me all over again.

And I’d feel completely lost.

“Claire! You aren’t dressed yet??”

Catherine came into my room, looking gorgeous in a dress that was a swirl of pinks and purples.

“No,” I said, feeling miserable. “I…Catherine, I have no idea how to do this. I’ve never been to a banquet, or socialized with all the high ranking people who are going to be there, or - ”

“Relax,” she said, hurrying to my side. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve seen you at other events recently. You handled yourself wonderfully.”

She rubbed my arm. “You’ll be great tonight too. Now.” She turned to my closet and began looking through the dresses. “Let’s find something amazing for you to wear.”

Two hours later, wearing the deep rose gown Catherine chose, I felt a little more confident.

But I still couldn’t help marveling at the wealth I now found myself surrounded by.

The country estate was nearly as big as the palace, surrounded by sprawling manicured gardens. Lights outside the house lit it up in a warm glow as the sun began to set.

It looked…magical.

As we stepped out of the car at the entrance, we unexpectedly met Dr. Baldwin.

“Princess Claire!” he smiled, revealing a dimple in his cheek. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you as well, Dr. Baldwin. This is my cousin, Princess Catherine.”

He bowed to her, then fell into step beside me as we walked inside.

“I have to admit, I’m actually really happy to see you,” he said. “Big events like this make me so nervous. It’s nice to have someone I already know here, someone I know I like talking to.”

“That’s so sweet,” Catherine, walking on my other side, said. “Dr. Baldwin, why don’t you two go as each other’s date? You’ll be able to sit next to each other at dinner, and have plenty of time to…talk.”

I caught the wink Catherine sent me, and was confused by it. Then it dawned on me:

She thought Dr. Baldwin was interested in me.

And, as he agreed to be my date, I realized something else:

I kind of liked it.

“You’re welcome,” Catherine whispered, grinning at me as she slipped away into the party, leaving me alone with Dr. Baldwin.

With a shy smile, he extended his arm. “Shall we?”

Returning his smile, I placed my arm through his and walked into the party.

As the evening went on, I made sure to pay more attention to Dr. Baldwin than I might have otherwise.

It certainly helped my nervousness. Instead of being nervous about how I was supposed to act, or what I should and shouldn’t talk about with people, I focused on the man standing beside me.

And I couldn’t help but notice how easy it was to spend time with him. How comfortable I felt in his company.

So I let myself wonder what it might be like to return his interest. He was a kind person, attractive, easy to talk with. And a fellow healer.

Maybe we could have a good relationship.

A touch of sadness washed through me. I was happy to be in a place where I could think about possibly being in a relationship with someone else - but I also couldn’t help thinking about Nathan.

What I felt for him still ran so deeply inside of me. But was it really love?

Was it really a fated mate bond?

Since my wolf hadn’t yet emerged when we met, I had only ever had his word that what we felt for each other was a mate bond.

But what if it wasn’t?

What if I’d been so desperate to be loved, after a lifetime of loneliness, that what I thought was a bond between us was actually just my longing to be with someone.

I followed Dr. Baldwin onto the dance floor, deep in thought. Maybe what I was sensing I could feel for Dr. Baldwin was what real love was built on.

And then, as if just thinking about him had someone conjured him, I saw Nathan.

Tall and handsome in a well cut formal black suit, he towered over the people around him.

And his gaze, when it met mine, felt almost like a physical caress.

He held my eyes as he made his way through the crowd, and I struggled to know what to do.

“Excuse me,” he said when he came over. His deep voice carried easily over the noise of the crowd. “May I cut in?”

Dr. Baldwin looked up at Nathan, surprised. Then he looked down at me. “That’s entirely up to the Princess.”

I looked between the two men, feeling torn. I couldn’t think of a way to politely say no with so many people around us.

“Alright,” I said reluctantly.

I didn’t want this to encourage Nathan, or let him think there was still anything between us. At least, not anything that could be salvaged or repaired.

And yet…

As soon as he put his arms around me, my entire body responded to his touch.

The warmth of it, the urge that shivered through me to move in closer - the chemistry between us in that moment was undeniable.

And I could tell I wasn’t alone in feeling it.

Nathan and I exchanged a shocked look. My lips parted as I tried to speak, but no words would come out.

I had no idea what to say.

Nathan, his eyes burning into me, breathed my name like a sigh as we began to move with the slow tempo of the music.

He lowered his forehead until it almost touched mine.

“Claire…I - I miss you.”

The admission, the obvious raw emotion in his voice, was stunning.

Nathan was normally very closed off about his emotions. So I knew what it must have cost him to say something like that, to admit it. And in public, no less.

The idea that it could be true was just as shocking.

When he tried to stop me from leaving the Silverfang pack, when he kept calling and trying to see me - I had believed all of that was more about his pride than his heart.

But now, with his arms tight around me and our lips inches apart, I wondered -

Could it be true?

Did Nathan truly want me after all??

Sabrina POV

I watched Nathan and that worthless Omega dance, my eyes narrowed.

The signs of attraction between them were unmistakable. And disgusting.

How could Nathan still have feelings for that wolfless trash?

It was beyond frustrating.

It was unacceptable.

And it was worrying.

If Nathan and Claire rekindled their connection, all of my plans to marry him would be put into jeopardy.

He wouldn’t marry me if he still thought he had a chance of being with Claire.

Which just made it clear:

If I wanted Nathan to be mine, I was going to have to do something drastic…