Chapter 223

Cara’s POV

The next day I was somewhat exhausted from the event on the night before. The organizers of the event must have taken that into consideration because today was the last day of rest before the contests started the next day.

The cooking showcase was my first event, and I was already nervous about it. Though the event didn’t rely on my ability to shift, I still felt the pressure to do well. Perhaps because it didn’t depend on it, I needed to do better than the rest.

I desperately needed to excel where I could, so that when I inevitably failed the events I could not shift for, I could still maintain good standing in the overall rankings.

Because of this, I intended to practice, and had a kitchen full of supplies.

In the morning, however, it was family time, so I sat with the kids and Alaric in the living room as we watched some of the opening ceremony’s highlights on the news.

The kids’ babysitter had allowed them to stay up late to watch most of the event. While Georgie had been a hot topic all morning – the kids had never seen a big cat shifter before – when they saw me, a lone human on the stage of shifted animals, their whole attention shifted.

“Was it scary, Mom?” Mia asked. “Being on stage with so many wolves…”

“They can be just as scary in their human forms,” I reminded her. “It only takes a second to shift.”

“But were you scared?” Ethan asked.

“No,” I said. “I was nervous from being on stage, but I’m not scared of any of the contestants.”

“Not even…” Mia’s voice trailed and she shuddered. At once, Alaric pulled her into his arms as they sat side by side on the couch together.

There wasn’t any question really that she was speaking of Lilia, her captor. Mia had been in therapy for a while now, but seeing her former kidnappers face on the screen must have come as a shock.

I truly wished the babysitter had asked us permission before hand, before letting the kids watch the ceremony.

I’d spoken with Mia a few times, letting her now that her former kidnapper was in the competition but that she was safe. Since then, she had stuck to Ethan’s side like glue.

“She can’t hurt you anymore,” I said.

But Mia shook her head. “I know that,” she said. “But what about you?”

Her words surprised me. “Me?”

“You are alone with her, Mom,” Mia said. “She was right next to you on the stage. She could have hurt you.”

I thought of the ruined dress and of the red paint, but I also thought of Georgie and the Claw Sisters coming to my rescue.

“I wasn’t alone on stage,” I said, “Just like I won’t be alone in the competitions. Lilia won’t be able to hurt me, honey. There are far too many eyes on me at all times.”

“Like mine,” Alaric said.

“You’ll protect Mom?” Mia asked.

Ethan turned, clearly also interested in the answer to that question.

“With my life,” Alaric said and nodded.

That seemed to satisfy both children, though Mia stayed tucked against her father for the rest of the morning.

Later, in the afternoon, I made them all my test subjects as I cooked in the kitchen. I had learned to cook a long time ago and could make many meals well enough. But there were only three I felt like truly an expert at.

Though they were quite common. Perhaps, for the sake of the event, I should try to make something more complicated, newer.

So with my cookbook out, I made my three usual meals, as well as too newer, more difficult ones.

The first three were winners, Alaric and the kids humming with delight. The last two were not as well-regarded.

Alaric ate them with a polite expression, but he wouldn’t lie to me, “Not these two. Not for the showcase.”

Ethan ate both, but I saw him spit the second one out into his napkin when he thought I wasn’t looking.

Mia picked at the first. The second, she fully turned away from. “Why does it look like that?”

One of the regular three meals it was.

“Which of the three are we thinking?” I asked them to vote.

Chicken Parmesan was the clear winner. I hoped it would be enough to convince the judges.

For practice, I made the meal three more times that day, pushing well into the evening, even after the kids went to bed.

Alaric sat in the kitchen with me, sometimes coming up behind me to hold me, ever diligent in his promise to bring back Lucy. Though I also suspected he wanted to hold me because he loved me too.

And maybe… a touch of lust…

I had seen the dark look of desire Alaric had given me when he had caught me undressing the night before. Truthfully, in that moment, I had also felt the heat of desire all my own and nearly lost myself to it.

Even now, I felt a remnant of it, a low thrumming deep in my core.

After three meals, I was satisfied that my cooking method for this particular meal was as good as it was ever going to be. I wrapped all the meals to be given to my brothers tomorrow. Nothing was going to go to waste.

With that done, I reached into the oven and retrieved a special surprise I had made in secret – a tray of chocolate fudge brownies.

“Is that what I’ve been smelling?” he asked. “I thought I was going mad.”

“I wanted to surprise you, as a thank you for all your help.” Not just today, but every day, Alaric had been beside me, helping me through. Brownies were only a small way I could repay his kindness.

Immediately, he reached for one. I batted his hand away. “Let them cool.”

He groaned softly, mostly teasingly.

“Go and sit down at the island,” I told him. “I’ll cut them out of the pan.”

He did as he was told, moving to sit at one of the stools by the island. Meanwhile, I cut the brownies in the pan into squares, then removed a few to place on a plate. They were so soft and warm that they almost seemed to melt right there on the porcelain, the fudge gooing down the sides.

By the time I took the plate to Alaric, the brownies were cool enough to eat. He reached for them, but again I stopped him, with my words this time.

“Allow me,” I said.

He lifted his brow at me.

Plucking one of the brownies between my fingers, I lifted it up to his mouth. He opened and took a bite. Yet before he chewed, he leaned in kissed me, and sneaked the bit of brownie right into my mouth.

He pulled away with a smirk as I chewed and swallowed.

“That was supposed to be a thank you gift,” I told him after.

“It was indeed,” he said. With his arm around my waist, he pulled me close. “And so is this.”

Then he kissed me again, for real this time.