Chapter 11

Cara

My body lay still in the hospital bed as my mind dreamed.

When I was young, barely old enough to be called a child instead of a baby. My hands were small, and I wasn’t quite sure on my feet.

Looking around, the trees towered over me. I must have lost my way, there was no sign of a trail or footpath. Bright, melodious birdsong caught my ear, and I followed the sound.

Suddenly, the birdsong turned into the sound of crying. It was a boy. He couldn’t have been much older than me.

He was sitting under an enormous oak tree, face in my hands. A stick snapped under my foot, and he looked up with big blue eyes.

“Are you lost, too?” I asked him.

He wiped his tears, nodding his little head.

“C’mon,” I offered him my hand with a smile. “I think we need to go this way,” I said, pointing towards the river that could be seen from a distance through the trees.

I helped him up and we walked hand in hand towards the flowing water. I was pretty sure that this might be the same river that crossed under the highway. If we could just get to the road, I figured we’d find an adult soon after that.

Sure enough, the sounds of the river were accompanied by the sounds of vehicles. The highway was close now.

We see a sign that says "Pack DarkWood."

We picked up speed, eager to run to safety. We laughed as we raced, trying to outpace each other. By the time we reached the road, we were sweating and panting together.

“You’re the… best girl… in the whole… wide… world,” the boy said in between gasps for breath. “When I grow up, I’m gonna marry you and make you my Luna.”

The little boy looked at me, bright blue eyes full of promise and contrasting with his dark hair. He looked so familiar. He looked like…

He looked like Alaric.

I wake abruptly from the dream, bright light stinging my eyes.

I close my eyes again and lay my head back on the pillow, trying to process the dream I just woke from.

The whole thing seemed so real, almost like a memory. But I can’t think of a time I’ve ever felt that lost…

Except when I was three years old.

When Pack DarkWood found me as an orphaned pup.

My head is still fuzzy, but I try to think back to what Grandmother, the she-wolf who raised me, used to tell me about my past. She said I’d been found wandering… wandering in the woods!

Yes, that hadn’t been a dream at all! It WAS a memory.

But that little boy, he seemed so much like Alaric. It couldn’t be.

There’s no way the Alpha King’s son would have gotten lost in the forest, he had far too much protection.

And Alaric never would’ve cried like that, either.

No, that couldn’t have been him. Just my silly imagination, still holding onto Alaric. Still trying to keep him in my life at any cost.

I’ve got to let go of him.

I open my eyes again, slower this time. I glance at my surroundings — I’m in a hospital bed. How did I end up here?

And why is Alaric standing outside my room?

He’s on a phone call, it doesn’t look on like he’s seen me wake yet. It’s probably Lilia on the phone. Probably asking for another expensive gift from him.

I can’t deal with him right now, I’m certain of that.

I turn to roll out of bed, going as slowly as I can to avoid making too much noise and alerting Alaric. Maybe if I’m quiet enough, I can slip out before he notices I’m going…

I manage to rise from the bed, just as a nurse walks in.

“You’re up! Oh, thank goodness! We were worried about you for a second there,” Her smile was wide and genuine.

I blinked at her, not sure exactly what circumstances brought me here.

“Thank you,” I said humbly.

She chuckled, “Well, it’s the least we could do after all you’ve done to help us here at the hospital! All that fundraising and coordination you’ve done over the years, we really can’t thank you enough.”

The older she-wolf brought me in for a quick hug, and continued warmly, “You really are the best Beta this pack has ever had, I hope you know that.”

Caught in the embrace, any plans I had of slipping out of here unnoticed were dashed. Hanging up the phone, Alaric walks into my room, right towards me.

His expression turns gloomy as we make eye contact.

I’m probably the last person he wants to be with right now. I’m sure he’d rather be with Lilia, his fiancée. His true love.

I felt uneasy at the sight of his glowering features, but my body still felt somehow attuned to him, like the sensation of an itch I couldn’t quite scratch.

Seeing the sour look, the old nurse left us alone, closing the door behind her.

I feel Alaric’s warm hand on my wrist for a moment before my body is forced back down onto the hospital bed. I look up at him, alarmed by his forcefulness.

“Why in such a hurry to leave?” He asks me gruffly. “Eager to go find a new lover? Maybe Eamon, perhaps?”

“What are you going to talk about?!” I ask him, completely confused.

“I think you know what I’m talking about. I know you’re seeing someone. Don’t try to deny it,” his voice has a hard edge.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shake my head at him.

Lowering my voice, I add, “And anyway, what do you even care? You’re engaged to your childhood love, remember?”

He growls lowly, and something inside me snaps. I feel angry.

“Look, I know you can’t stand me, but we don’t have to put up with each other much longer,” I unload my frustration on him. “I’ll be gone before you know it, and you won’t ever have to see me—”

I’m interrupted by the crushing force of his lips on mine.

He’s kissing me roughly, maneuvering his mouth like he’s savoring the taste. His lips move like he remembers exactly the way I like to kiss.

Like he remembers that I like a little nibble on my bottom lip, which he just did.

It’s the first time we’ve kissed since… since before he proposed to Lilia.

Since before everything changed.

My heart is pounding in my chest, my senses overwhelmed.

Then, just as suddenly as they arrived, his lips are gone again.

I pant, trying to catch my breath. Trying to wrap my mind around what just happened.

Alaric speaks, “Cara, I’ve been thinking this over. I can’t do without you, I know that now.”

I gasp, not quite sure that I’m understanding him correctly.

He continues, “Everything’s gone wrong without you, and I know that’s all my fault. We can go back to how things were, how you and I used to be.”

My heart is racing. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

He sends a long finger out to stroke my arm slowly. “I miss you. I miss you as my Beta… and I miss you in my own bed.” His eyes darken, “You know I can’t get enough of that sexy body, Cara…” His finger comes up to caress my shoulder.

His fingers are scorching hot. It lets me recall the love and passion I once had for him.

But my heart, which had been pounding, froze over once again.