Chapter 85

Amber’s POV

I froze, my blood going cold.

I wasn’t ready yet for people to know the full truth, especially Alice, who was within earshot.

Chase wasn’t going to let this go easily though, I could tell from the way he was looking at me with wide eyes, waiting for a response.

While I didn’t want Chase to know the full truth, I knew I couldn’t flat out lie either, not without hurting Alice, who would eventually come to know who her real father was. For her sake, I had to find a way walk the line here between truth and lie, without leaning too far in either direction.

“Alice wants Julian to be her father,” I said to him, and hoped that would be enough.

“And I’d be happy to be so,” Julian said then, from across the table. I’d hoped he hadn’t been paying attention, but of course he had. He’d been watching Chase and me so closely. Also, with his amplified Alpha hearing, he didn’t miss much.

Olivia didn’t take kindly to Julian’s words, casting him a long sideways glance. “How easily you replace the child we lost,” she said. “Here you are, trying to replace them with another.”

“I will never forget them,” Julian said, but he lowered his gaze away from all of us. Leaning back in his chair, he seemed to isolate himself for a moment, building up his internal walls to keep everyone out.

I’d seen this before. So often in our past, he had built up those walls to keep me out. It was strange to see that happening again, here and now.

“Our child deserved better,” Olivia said.

“I will never forget them,” Julian said.

I carefully watched the dynamics of the pair, how Olivia seemed to use the fate of their baby as a way to cow Julian, and how Julian seemed caught in her guilt manipulations.

Because that was what this was. I could see it clearly. Julian clearly mourned the loss of their baby. Why did that mean he couldn’t also care for Alice? He could love two children at once, even if one was lost and the other living.

That didn’t seem to satisfy Olivia though, who seemed convinced that Julian’s love for their lost baby was all or nothing.

What a sad existence, to be trapped in so much grief…

To see this situation unfold made me feel sympathy for Julian. At the same time, though, I could also see the distance pushing Olivia and him apart.

They didn’t seem as close as they once had, before I left the pack. In fact, looking at them and their stilted body language, it almost seemed like Julian was friendly to her only because he was beholden to her for some reason.

Because of their lost child?

I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have clear answers. Nor was I willing to ask about it.

Yet, the strangeness between Julian and Olivia wasn’t the only dynamic at play here at this table. Curiously, Olivia seemingly kept shooting glances at Chase, who would glance away a moment later.

Perhaps they knew each other from Julian’s pack, but, even so, for them to act like this, as if they were trading secret glances in a crowded room, made some suspicions rise up within me.

…Did they know each other more than they were letting on?

It wasn’t my place to ask, though it did make me think twice about building a friendship with Chase. If he was friends with Olivia, then did he truly come here under honest pretenses?

Or was I simply being paranoid? After all, Chase really did have a heart condition, one that I was actively working to cure.

Maybe I was simply chasing shadows.

Maybe I just really wanted this evening to end. Though we hadn’t even eaten yet.

“Amber,” Chase began, and I braced myself for whatever he was about to say.

Before he said a word more, however, Carla stood up. She was holding a glass of wine, and tapped the flat edge of the knife to it, creating a chime that stopped the talking of the entire table and drew attention to her.

“It’s time for some toasts,” she said. “I think it will be fun if we go around the whole table. This is a celebration after all!”

I had my reservations, but the rest of the party seemed to want to go along with it. Seeing that, I kept my comments to myself.

“Chase,” Carla said, holding her glass in his direction.

He straightened, an easy smile on his lips. He clearly liked being the center of attention.

“When you arrived, none of us knew what to make of you,” Carla said, a small blush on her cheeks. “We only knew that you wanted some help. Since then, you’ve become a daily brightness in all of our lives…” She means her own. “I’m so glad that Healer Amber has been able to help you, but I also have to say, that we will miss seeing you around.”

“Hear, hear!” called a few others from the table.

“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Chase said. “Thanks to Amber, of course.” He grinned at me.

Carla smiled wide. “Too true! To Chase! And to Healer Amber, too! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” said the rest of the table and everyone sipped from their drink, even Alice, who had a sip of her apple juice.

The toasts continued around the table, most giving unneeded praise to me, while also complimenting Chase. I hoped there would eventually come a time when the rounds would get to me, so that I could raise my glass and celebrate the rest of my staff.

I hoped they knew how vital they were to me. Without them and their professional and talented assistance, I never would have been able to accomplish any of the things I had.

I missed the next few speeches, thinking of the best words I could say to celebrate my employees at the clinic.

Before it could be my turn though, Julian stood up. “I’d like to go next, if that’s alright with everyone.”

No one seemed to disagree. Carla even cheered him on.

“You got this, Julian!” At Olivia’s sharp look, she sheepishly amended, “Uh, Alpha Julian, I mean.”

Julian cleared his throat and began. “I’ve known Amber for a long time, second only to Anna at this table.”

He left out the fact that we were still married, for which I was grateful, though knowing it was a secret between us made my pulse quicken and my cheeks heat up.

“She has always been a kind, generous, and understanding woman,” Julian said. “It has been my great pleasure to know her and be a part of her life, something that I hope will continue for the rest of our lives.”

My heart beat so loudly I heard it in my ears.

For the rest of our lives sounded so much like for as long as you both shall live, part of our wedding vows.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I looked down at my hands.

Chase, sitting beside me, must have been able to sense my shift in mood, as leaning toward me, he stretched his arm around the back of my chair and tugged me a little closer.

He brought his mouth close to my ear and asked, “Are you alright?” His breath was warm on my skin.

I opened my mouth, ready to give some reply, most likely a lie, when –

Crack!

A glass shattered, pieces raining down on the table.

Julian’s hand was a fist, with some of the glass shards sticking into his palm. He’d totally crushed the wine glass he’d been holding for his toast into his hand.

All the while, his furious gaze was on me and Chase and our closeness.

He didn’t even seem to notice he was bleeding.