AMELIA’S P.O.V

Serena and I sat alone in the middle of her living room drinking vodka and taking ice cream. To be fair, she did most of the vodka and I stuck with ice cream. I had never truly been a fan of alcohol, the first sip was just out of solidarity for her. Thankfully, she didn’t get drunk seeing as it was just plain alcohol. Our systems didn’t work the same way humans did and it took a shit ton to get any wolf drunk.


It was sometime around evening when the door opened and I saw her parents walk in with a little girl. She was the splitting image of Serena but she had the same eyes as Aiden. There was no denying that she was their child. Her parents froze when they saw me and I saw brief panic in their eyes. They were not sure how much I knew so I gave them a gentle nod to let them know I was aware.

I glanced over at Serena but her eyes were fixated on her daughter. I could tell she wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab her but something kept her still and I realized I was in the way. I slowly stood to my feet but her gaze didn’t break once and I made my way over to stand next to Serena’s mother.

“She will be a good mother,” I didn’t know why I said it, I just believed it to be true. “Just give her chance.”


“She already is a good mother,” she said simply before slightly nudging Iris forward.

That was all the little girl needed before she took off in Serena’s direction. It all happened in slow motion, she ran and leaped into her arms and I watched as Serena shed tears of pure and undiluted joy. My heart ached and I couldn’t help but think about how much I wanted that, the innocent love of a child. The kind of love that couldn’t stay angry at you no matter what, the kind of love that stuck by you through thick and thin.


“I have to go,” I muttered more to myself than anyone. “When Serena is better, tell her that I said thank you.”

“What for?” her parents looked confused.

“She’ll know,” I said simply before rushing out of the house.

The drive back felt long and it was filled with my anxious thoughts. I knew what I had to do but I couldn’t help but think about the worst case scenario. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making the right choice. The thing was, this was the kind of choice that I could never go back from. I was potentially putting myself in harms way and it could all be for nothing but somehow, I knew it was what I needed to do.

When I got to the house, Clara was anxiously pacing and she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw me. “I was so worried about you. I thought you had gotten hurt. I was five minutes away from going to find you.”

“I need you to help me pack,” I announced and she stilled. She knew exactly what I was going for but I could tell that she didn’t want to believe it. She crossed her arms over her chest and cleared her throat. “We don’t have much time. I need to be out of here now.”

“Amelia,” she began slowly. “When we said we thought something was wrong, that wasn’t an indication for you to go back. You don’t have to be there. Until we know what is or isn’t wrong, we have to keep you safe. Kaden is very unstable and he could potentially hurt you. I don’t want that to happen.”

“I know that,” I sighed deeply. “But if something is wrong with him then I should be there. I need to keep whatever part of him is sane and I need to make sure that I protect it. I also need to keep her off your back. If she really is doing something then she will also make sure that she has eyes everywhere so that thing isn’t stopped. You know that.”

“I don’t like this, Amelia and I am not going to give my support for this. You could get badly hurt and all for what? What good would it do you if you’re hurt and possibly dead?”

“I know how to take care of myself. I know what triggers him and I will do everything possible to avoid it. You just need to trust me, Clara, you need to trust that I can do this. I need to believe that I can do this and I cannot if I don’t have your support.”

The silence stretched thing. We were the only two in the entire house and the only audible sounds were our breathing that echoed through the air. I stared at her for a full minute waiting and praying for a good response from her and then it finally came in the form of a heavy sigh.

“I’ll help you pack but make no mistake about it, I do not support this and I have been against it since day one. I need you to remember that.”

I smiled sadly. “That is what makes you such a great friend. You would help me but you still want to protect me.”

“You’re not the same girl that wandered onto this pack, are you?’

“I think that’s what they call growth,” I suggested with a shrug and she laughed. “We don’t have much time. Kaden will be getting off work soon and I want to be home when he arrives.”

It didn’t take us long to pack mainly because I wanted to get everything ready before anyone else came home. Clara was quick to let my wishes prevail but I knew the others would not be so easy to convince, especially Caleb. They were all very protective and as much as I loved that, I knew that this was something I had to do on my own. It was between Kaden and I , no one else. This was our battle and I couldn’t run from it.

When I got into the car, Clara stood off to the side. “Do not forget to call or text me if anything goes wrong. I don’t care if it is three a.m. if you need my help, then reach out, okay?”

I laughed to hide how nervous I felt. “I can handle myself, Clara. I will keep you updated. Make sure to let me know the moment Caleb finds something.”

“I will,” she promised and I drove off into the unknown.

Memories of the last time I left the house flashed before my eyes and more than once, I wanted to turn the car around and head back towards the house and tell Clara that I made a mistake but I knew it was just the fear talking. I could do it, I had what it took and I just needed that little push. If it were Kaden, I knew he would do everything possible to ensure that I was safe. I had to do the same for him.

By the time I got to the house, my palms were sweating and I felt like I was going to throw up. I got out of the car and took my box out only to notice something weird. There was a car in the driveway that looked suspiciously like Aiden’s and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Aiden would be in the house. I decided to be quiet and instead of knocking, used my key. I suddenly felt relieved that U never gave the key up.

The house was quiet and I could hear some noise coming from upstairs. I left my bag at the front door and creeped up the stairs but I made the mistake of stepping on a loose tile on the steps and cursed. It wasn’t loose when I left the house which to be honest was only a few days ago. All noise from upstairs stopped and I knew I had limited time to figure out what was happening so I rushed up the stairs but was met at the top of the staircase by Aiden.

He looked perfectly normal but there was nervousness in his eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you were kicked out.”

“I left but I should be the one asking you questions. Kaden doesn’t like you, I have no idea why you would be here unless you are here without his consent.”

“I brought him here,” I looked behind him to see Nadine coming out of Aiden’s room. Just the sight of her had my blood boiling but I forced myself to remain stoic. “He is Kaden’s cousin and I thought it would be good if they bonded. I couldn’t possibly stand to know that he was fighting with his cousin. What are you doing here?”

“I took a momentary escape but I am back home. Do you have a problem with that?” she started to speak but I cut her off. “I don’t care if you do. This is my house and Kaden is my mate so you,” I turned to Aiden. “Get the hell out of my house before I call guards to take you out.”

To his credit, Aiden didn’t protest. He just raised his hands in mock surrender, winked at me and walked off. As he brushed past me, I couldn’t help but smell something on him, something suspiciously similar to Nadine’s perfume.

I turned to Nadine. “I don’t have anything to say to you. You can go back to your room because I need to set up.”

“Didn’t you know? Kaden and I are sleeping in the same room now.”

I knew she was saying it just to rile me up so I just shrugged. “I don’t care if you were, it ends now. That is my room so you can return to the guest room or you can sleep outside. I don’t give two fucks what you do.”

“You cannot talk to me like that. He chose me over you. He doesn’t want you, he said as much. Why won’t you just accept the fact that you are not wanted and move on? Are you some kind of masochist who thrives off pain? He will not choose you for coming back. I will make sure that he doesn’t.”

I could feel my wolf struggling to take control and rip her face off but I held her back. I wasn’t going to stoop to her level or take the bait that she was dangling in front of my face. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at her blankly.

“Move your stuff, you have five minutes or I’ll throw them out.”

She scoffed and stormed off. I peeked into Kaden’s room and to my relief, there weren’t any girl things. I knew she was lying but it was a relief to know that I was right. I took my box in and put my clothes into the drawers. It was a relief to see that my old things hadn’t been moved. It meant that he still felt something for us.

It meant that I still had a chance.