Chapter 34

KARIN POV

“No, no, no!” Ada shouted inside of me. Her fear matched mine. “What have you done?!”

“I—” I couldn’t give her an answer that would explain how royally I’d messed up. It may not have been intentional, but the unhinged look in Ansel’s eyes told me it didn’t matter. Warmth flowed through my ankle, and slowly the pain subsided.

“Huh?” Looking down, the soft glow of Ethan’s hand made my eyes widen.

He glanced up at me. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you,” he whispers.

“You have healing powers.”

He nodded. “Yes. It’s one of the many reasons that I became a doctor. I know other wolves that have them as well, but for some reason, mine are the strongest I’ve encountered so far.” I can’t help but stare at him, and he softly smiles. “Please stop staring at me like I’m some kind of circus attraction.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m being rude. I’m a little surprised, that’s all.”

“I know. I was only teasing. I get that this is a lot to take in.” Ethan removes his hand from my ankle, and I whirl it around. “Any pain?”

“None.”

“Good. Mission accomplished.”

He helps me to stand, but I can’t stop looking at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to. I just didn’t want to freak you out.”

“Wait, so does that mean you’ve used it on me before?” He pauses and I nudge him. “It’s alright if you have, I’m not mad. I know you would only use it to help and not harm me. It also explains how my hand healed so fast.”

“Yes, I used it on you during your recovery journey, but only a little at a time.” He grabs my hands. “Your recovery wasn’t only physical, but mental. I understand you need to heal both. If I had just healed you physically, you wouldn’t have sat and processed what happened to you. I wanted you to put in some effort too.”

I squeeze his hand reassuringly. “No, I get it and I’m grateful. I’m not there all the way, but I’m better than I was, and it’s thanks to you. You’ve been a great friend.” Ethan smiles brightly at me, and I return the gesture, but it falls the moment I think about Ansel again. “Hey, do you think we can go back to the villa? I’m a little tired.”

“Of course.”

As we left the ballroom, we ran into Ansel. With a stoic face, he nods at us. “Karin, Doctor Ethan,” he says flatly. “I heard that you two were making use of the ballroom. I hope it proved useful for your needs.”

Ethan smiles. “Yes, it was perfect to get Lady Karin up and moving around. She’s made great strides today. I have a few reports and notes for you to review when you have time.”

“That’s wonderful news. Give them to Maggie, and I’ll look them over.” He peers down at my pointers and then at me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen those.”

There is no emotion in his voice, but I can see the fire in his eyes.

“Jeff…” Ada links, but Jeff doesn’t respond, and she whimpers.

“They’re new,” I whisper.

“I suspected, and since I have seen no charges on my cards for ballet shoes, I assume they were a gift.”

“They’re from me,” Ethan interjected, happily. “I was hoping they would encourage her to try dancing again, and it worked brilliantly.”

Ansel nodded again, but his eyes remained trained on me. “Then I’m happy about all the encouragement that she’s been receiving from you.”

“I didn’t know you’d returned,” I blurt out and immediately regretted it.

Shit! Double shit! That sounded horrible.

“W-what I meant was—”

“I know what you meant,” Ansel says curtly. “I handled things a lot earlier than expected. I have an important event to attend soon that I need to get ready for.” Brushing past us, he called over his shoulder. “Doctor Ethan?”

“Yes.”

“It’s late. Go home.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ethan and I exited the manor, and he walked me to my villa. Standing outside the door, he beams at me. “I’ve only met him a few times, but Sir Ansel is a lot more personable than I initially expected. Letting me leave early for the day is very kind of him.”

“Oh brother,” I say, rubbing my forehead. Can he really be this obtuse? I want to tell him the truth, but the smile on his face keeps me quiet. He’s happy in his blissful delusion. Who am I to change that? I decided it was best to change the subject. “So I’ve been thinking a lot about your powers, and the fact that you trust me to know and I want to do the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I have a special ability, too.”

Ethan stopped and looked at me. “Are you serious?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?”

“I can enter people’s dreams and affect them.”

His eyes widened. “Holy shit,” he murmured, and I laughed.

“I mean, it’s not anything as awesome as being able to heal people, but it’s still pretty cool.”

“Don’t be humble. That’s amazing. I want to ask you a thousand questions, but I feel like at some point I’m going to drive you crazy.”

I laugh again. “Not at all. It’s actually nice to have someone I can talk to about it.”

“Well, if that’s the case…” He places his hand under his chin. “When did you gain your powers? How long can you stay in people’s dreams? Have you ever made people do bad things to them? Oh! What about nightmares? Can you control them?” Seeing me fold my lips in humor, he rubs the back of his neck. “I went a little overboard there, did I?”

“A little, but your enthusiasm is infectious. Um, let’s see. I received my powers around sixteen. I always thought I received the type that I have because, growing up, my dad would say that my head was always in the clouds. I had big dreams and aspirations, even at a young age.” I feel a wave of happiness and sadness at the thought of my father. “He would say it was his favorite thing about me, and to never change.”

“Have you?”

“Everyone changes. You know that. Anywho, yes, so powers at sixteen. I can stay in people’s dreams for a long time, but it’s exhausting and takes a toll on my body depending on the dream, so I have to be careful. I’ve never made anyone do anything bad, per se. I did give one of the previous maids a horrible dream once, but she treated me horrendously and deserved it.”

Ethan chuckled. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

“Good idea. I’m very creative when I opt to be a villain.” We shared a laugh and then I saw his face redden. “What’s wrong?”

He reaches into his pocket, and my eyes widen at the sight of the wedding ring in his hand. “I’ve been trying to figure out the right time to ask this, and I think this is it. Karin, I’ve loved you since I was twelve and I don’t want to lose you again. Will you marry me?”

“There is so much that you don’t know about me, Ethan. The reason that I’m the Second prince's surrogate is because he’s paying me to produce him an heir. I plan to use the money to get my father out of jail, clear his debts, and start a new life.”

“Karin, I can help you do that. I know I may not be able to settle everything for your father at once, but after we’re married I promise I will figure out a way to. I want you to be my wife. I want to take care of you.” He places the ring in my hand and pats it. “Will you at least think about it?”

“O-okay.” Ethan gives me a soft smile and watches as I enter the villa and close the door behind me. Within minutes, Maggie barges in, holding her chest. “Please tell me by some miracle, Sir Ansel didn’t see you in the ballroom.”

“Then I would be lying to you,” I reply, grimacing.

“That’s what I was afraid of. How bad was it?”

I shivered. “You should have seen the look he gave me. Maggie, I’ve never seen him look like that, and trust me, I’ve made him pretty mad before. He scared the hell out of me. Then, when we were leaving, he saw my new pointers, and I thought he would attack Ethan. He told him to go home, and somehow Ethan interpreted that as him looking out for his wellbeing.”

“I’ve always been told that intellectuals aren’t the brightest bulbs in the box of common sense.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Lady Karin. I honestly thought Sir Ansel would be away for a few more days, like he said.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” I pace. “I don’t know, Mags. I just wish that we could get over this wall that always seems to block us. It’s like we understand one another and at the same time don’t. Then every time there is an opportunity for me to make it right, I make it worse.”

“You mean like with the doctor?”

It was then that I realized I had the ring in my hand. Raising it, I show Maggie and she covers her mouth. “Speaking of…Ethan just proposed,” I say, still stunned myself.

“Oh no…” Maggie says, shaking her head feverishly. “Please don’t tell me you accepted.”

“He asked me to think about it.”

“You can’t marry him, Lady Karin. Your heart belongs to Sir Ansel. You and I both know it.”

I sigh. “Maggie, I don’t know what to do. I do like Ethan, but you’re right, my heart belongs to the Second Prince. My love for him is embedded in my soul. I feel it from the time I wake up to the time I sleep. It’s been that way since I was eighteen, and I don’t think it will ever go away.”

“Then why don’t you tell him that?!” Maggie shouts, grabbing my shoulders. “Tell him that this means more to you than just producing his heir. Tell him you want the two of you to have a fresh start.”

“What if he rejects me?”

“Then you accept it, but how will you know if you never try?”

Mulling over her statement, I grin. “Okay, I’m going to change my clothes and go talk to him. He said he has an important event to attend, so hopefully I can catch him before he leaves.” Racing to the room, I change my clothes into something more casual and remove the tie from my hair.

“Wish me luck,” I say to Maggie as I make my way to the door.

“No need. You got this.”

Opening it, my heart almost stops when I see Ansel in mid-knock.

“And where are you off to?” he asks.

“I was on my way to see you. I was hoping we could talk before you left for your event.”

“I’m not going,” he says, bluntly.

“Why?”

“Because I agree. You and I need to talk, especially after the events of today.” I part my lips to speak, but abruptly stop when I see his eyes shift in color. Grabbing my hand, his jaw tightens as he stares at the ring.