Chapter 92

Claire POV

I left pack headquarters once I took care of the transportation of the final enemy leader out of our territory.

There were so many details to take care of now, so much work to rebuild my territory. So my people could be safe again, and move on with their lives.

I should have been celebrating, returning to the palace victorious and ready to begin laying plans for our next steps in recovering from this terrible time.

Instead I felt exhausted and overwhelmed.

Confused, and a little heartbroken.

That moment with Nathan, the kiss we shared…

It was like nothing we’d ever shared before.

For a long moment - too long - all I’d wanted to do was to sink into the kiss, and into Nathan. To hand over everything and let him take care of it all, and take care of me.

But that wasn’t who I was anymore.

It couldn’t be.

I had people to lead, a pack to take care of.

My heart may have wanted to spend more time with my mate, but my duty declared I had better things to do.

And my pride whispered doubt into that heart, doubt about how serious Nathan was about wanting me. About whether or not we could even still have a relationship at all.

Struggling with my emotions, I went to the clinic, needing to see my father.

Wishing I could talk to him.

“How’s he doing?” I asked.

Amelia straightened up from checking his vitals.

“Well, he’s stable, and his body is healing well. But there’s been no change in his mental state. I’m sorry, Claire.

“I wish there was more that I could do.”

I shook my head, assuring her that she’d already been doing plenty.

In fact, if she hadn’t come to help me by keeping the clinic running, I don’t know what I would have done.

Feeling the weight of the day settling on my shoulders, I sat down next to my father and tried, once again, to heal him.

And just as before, I hit the same block deep inside of him.

It was as if his mind was locked behind a steel door.

Exhausted, feeling heartbroken and helpless, I ended the healing session and sagged back against the chair.

What was I going to do??

Dad was in a coma unlike anything I had ever seen.

And we had a kingdom that needed desperate healing and repair.

“Any luck?” Amelia asked, coming back into the room.

I shook my head, feeling my eyes fill with tears.

“I know you’re trying your best,” she said, walking over to put a hand on my shoulder. “But you know you can’t go on at this pace forever, right?

“You need rest. Real rest, not just napping here in the chair.”

I nodded, knowing she was right.

“About that,” I said. “I’m going to need to start spending more time at court, and at headquarters. There’s just so much work to be done…”

For a moment the amount of work that lay ahead of us as a kingdom threatened to overwhelm me. I drew a deep breath and just focused on taking the next step.

“And while I intend to stay on as head administrator for the clinic, coming in a few times a week to do that work and to make some rounds with the patients, I just won’t be able to be here every single day.”

Amelia was already nodding. “And you need someone you can trust running the show when you’re not here.”

I smiled up at her, relieved she had seen where I was going. “Exactly.”

“And you’ve decided that you’re talented, intelligent, cool and also gorgeous friend Amelia is the perfect fit.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Amelia’s sense of humor never failed to make me feel better. “But of course.”

Her own smile widened. “Good thing I’d already planned on asking you if I could stay.”

“Oh, Amelia, really??” I jumped up from my chair to pull her into a hug.

The relief I felt was intense. Not only would the day-to-day operations now be handled by two people I really trusted, Amelia and Dr. Baldwin, my closest friend in the world would once again be in my life.

I’d missed her so much after I left Silverfang.

Amelia hugged me back, then shooed me out of the room. “Now, you go home and get some rest. We’ll figure out all the details later.”

Relief fighting with exhaustion in my body, I didn’t even try to argue. I went home to the palace.

“Your highness, welcome home,” Megan said, greeting me at the front door of the palace.

A palace that seemed so empty without my father’s presence.

“Would you like something to eat, Princess?”

Thanking her, I said I was just going upstairs to bed.

I was too tired to think about food.

But as I lay in bed - a soft bed, such a change of pace after weeks of sleeping on the ground or in a small cot - sleep was a while in coming.

The day just kept playing and replaying in my head.

From negotiating the surrender of my enemies to the conversation with Amelia about the clinic - it had been a long, grueling, productive day.

But of all the events that happened that day, the one I kept coming back to was the moment with Nathan.

That endless moment where we stared into each other’s eyes.

That kiss.

A kiss we shouldn’t have shared, and yet…

I’d been helpless to stop it.

Our fated mate connection, despite all the drama and complications of the last few months, was still so strong.

In fact, it seemed to be deepening.

How could that be possible?

I touched my fingertips to my lips, replaying the kiss yet again in my mind.

And felt so conflicted.

Should I follow that pull growing stronger between us?

Should I fight it?

Did I even have the time to think about that right now, with so much of my pack still in desperate need of care?

Eventually I gave up on sleep, slipping out of bed and out into the sitting room area of my suite. Wrapped in a thick robe, I made myself a cup of tea and turned on the news.

For weeks now my mind and time had been filled with news and reports from the field, updates on the most recent rogue attacks, supply lists and mobile clinic updates.

And even though the rogue attacks had finally ended, I still received plenty of reports from the clinics that were still set up along the borders, from the crews surveying destroyed towns and villages.

But now I could afford a slight change of pace, and see what was going on outside of our territory.

It was time I caught up with the rest of the world.

To my surprise, Nathan’s face was the first thing I saw.

The initial jolt of seeing him after having spent so much time thinking about him made it difficult to understand what I was seeing at first.

Then I realized this was a replay of a live interview he had given just days ago:

“Tell me, Alpha Nathan, what is your true relationship to Princess Claire?” the reporter asked.

I saw Nathan’s jaw clench, and recognized that small sign of discomfort and annoyance.

And watched as he denied all knowledge of me.

He claimed he never met me before I began working at the clinic.

“I had no knowledge of her before that,” he said, his voice so hard and cold.

As if all the years between us, and the fated mate bond that even now pulled at us, meant absolutely nothing.

Even now that it was clear I’d never truly been an Omega, and never should have been considered someone shameful to be associated with, my own mate still wouldn’t claim me.

I turned off the TV, and closed my eyes.

And my heart broke.