Chapter 69

Cara’s POV

"Is it time yet? Can we go？" Mia shouts excitedly.

"Not yet. We need to finish getting ready," I respond for at least the tenth time.

"We’re going to DarkWood today!! And Ethan gets to come, too!" Mia exclaims.

All morning, she’s been so excited about her hospital appointment in Pack DarkWood. She has barely taken the time to eat her breakfast, too energetic to sit still.

Ethan smiles happily to himself, taking another bite of his own breakfast. As his mother, I can tell he’s also very excited to finally get a chance to go, but he’s trying to play it cool.

Like he’s steeling himself for something, I think to myself.

I shake the thought from my head, trying to stay focused on the difficult task of getting two very energetic six-year-olds out the door without forgetting anything.

"Are you coming with us, Honey?" I call to my best friend Ruby who’s sitting next to Ethan.

She shakes her head no, "I’ve got to spend time packing my luggage today. Now that Ethan has finished his competition and proved himself as the science champion—" Ruby ruffles his hair affectionately with her hand, making the boy smile wide and blush, "I’ve got to prepare for my trip."

I frown slightly, sad that Ruby will be leaving us shortly. She’ll be off to study at the Illari School, a prestigious medical school that has been researching disorders like Mia’s. Ruby hopes to return with a cure.

But none of us are sure how long that might take.

We have no idea how long she’ll be gone.

This thought is still in my mind as I hug Ruby goodbye, holding on for a few precious extra seconds, and get the children buckled in the car to venture to DarkWood.

When we arrive at the hospital, Mia skips inside, eager to introduce her brother to all of her favorite nurses.

The little girl’s face falls and she notices we’re not exactly receiving a warm welcome.

Instead of smiles and “Good mornings!,” the people that pass us instead say nothing, not even looking at us.

It’s like we’re not even there.

The staff ignores us completely, leaving Mia feeling very nervous. “Why aren’t they being friendly, Mommy?” she whispers to me.

I hold her little hand tightly, escorting both children to Mia’s appointment room. “I’m not sure… maybe everyone is just really busy?” I offer.

Mia bites her lip and shrugs, not convinced.

“You didn’t tell me it was going to be like this…” I hear Ethan whisper loudly to his sister.

“Usually it’s not! I don’t know….” Her voice trails off, disappointment noticeable in her tone. “Mommy, my belly hurts….”

“Shhh… it’s just the nerves making you feel worse. Try to stay calm. Remember the deep breathing we practiced earlier? Give that a try,” I attempt to soothe my daughter, knowing how strong emotions usually make her physical symptoms worsen.

I get the kids settled into the appointment room when Mia starts asking for a bottle of water. In our rush to leave the house, the kids forgot their refillable bottles, so I leave the room to find a vending machine to purchase water.

When I walk out of the room, I see a blur as a person walks close to me, nearly knocking into me.

“Watch where you’re going, Your Highness!” a nasally female voice calls snidely.

“She doesn’t have to watch herself! The princess can just pay someone to look out for her!” another voice barks out a laugh.

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion. “What are you talking about?” I ask them calmly, keeping my tone light.

“Oh, I’m surprised you can see us with your nose in the air so high, princess!” one of the she-wolves laughs.

I stay calm, determined not to let their comments upset me. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding. I’m looking for some water—”

“Good luck finding it!” a she-wolf staff member says bitterly. “We only have the lowly water, not the kind good enough for royalty. You’ll find no water here for you, princess.”

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m just trying to help my daughter—”

“We don’t serve your kind here, princess!” this comment from one of the she-wolves is met with loud laughter from a small group of nurses who have gathered around.

“Our water isn’t good enough for you!”

“Nothing here for the princess!”

“We wouldn’t want to disappoint such a high and might royal!”

The comments fire one after another, all dripping with sarcasm and malice. I turn, scanning each of their faces, and seeing only disdain in their eyes.

I have learned about my growing reputation within Pack DarkWood as an arrogant royal, I’ve faced harsh comments before. But this? To deprive my sick daughter from water just because they’re mad at me?!

I didn’t realize until now how serious this situation had gotten.

I’ve got to find some way to address this… for Mia’s sake.

Suddenly, a raspy older voice rings out amongst the crowd.

“That’s enough! Leave her alone!”

I turn to see who is speaking, and recognize her immediately. It’s Nurse Nadya!

The nurse who aided me when I was hospitalized after my car accident. We had reunited not long ago in this very hospital. And she had treated me with the same kindness, just as she had done those six years ago when she took care of me.

“Here’s your water, Dear.” The old nurse says, thrusting a bottle of water into my hand.

“Thank you!” I say to her graciously. “Thank you so much!”

“You just take care of that darling little girl of yours,” Nurse Nadya says to me with a wink. A playful smile rests on her old lips.

“What are you doing, Nadya?! You’re supposed to be on our side!” one of the other nurses cries out angrily.

“Nadya’s probably only helping her because I bet the Princess paid her! Anyone can be your friend as long as you pay them handsomely, isn’t that right, Princess?”

The crowd is clearly not happy with Nadya’s kindness towards me.

“Don’t any of you remember what this she-wolf has done for this pack?! What she’s done for each of you?” Nadya asks, looking around at her peers, pointing at me.

“So what?”

“What difference does that make now?!”

“She’s changed!”

They all have a response, a reason why they shouldn’t listen to Nadya’s beckoning to treat me with respect. But the growing crowd is angry and getting more unsettled with each passing moment.

“She served as the pack’s Beta for years! She took care of all of us!” Nadya’s voice is more insistent now.

I look at the older woman giving her a smile, thanking her for trying to defend me. But I need to speak up for myself. No one else can do it for me.

I open my mouth to speak when I hear a particularly angry she-wolf voice behind me.

I turn to look at the speaker, seeing their wild eyes as they exclaim, “She wasn’t even that good of a Beta anyway! She was hardly good enough to be worth remembering!”

My eyebrows raise at the comment, surprised to hear such a strong opinion about my work.

Then I shock them all by looking directly at the person who said that, and I smile. I smile sweetly, a genuine grin, and the crowd is hushed into silence, clearly not expecting this response.

But I ask in a voice rich with kindness.

“Really?” I smile.