Chapter 0425


    My wolf cowered inside of me, hurt crashing in on all sides. Rejection. It seeped into every pore and


    every bone.


    I knew I shouldn’t feel that way. Nichs was pragmatic and cautious. He wouldn’t want to have a baby


    out of wedlock with anyone, even me.


    But my wolf’s reaction is visceral, as if I had been directly rejected by my


    mate.


    It took every sliver of willpower I had to keep from whimpering and pulling myself into the fetal position.


    I bury it all down deep, right there alongside


    dream I secretly held of making a family with Nichs.


    any


    When he nced at me again, he found me just as closed off as he was.


    Slowly, I began to slink out of bed.


    “Piper? Where are you going?” He sat up in the bed, watching me as I gathered my clothing off the


    ground and shimmied back into them.


    “I’m going to head back to my room.”


    A bit of hurt shed through his eyes. I tried to ignore it.


    “You can stay here the night. Sneak back in the morning,” he said.


    “It’s safer if I go now,” I said.


    Safer for who? That was the question left unanswered. My heart was already cracking. If I stayed, it


    might implode into dust.


    I slipped out of Nichs’s room, thinking I might findfort in the solitude of the hallway. Instead, I


    only felt emptier somehow.


    The walk back to my room felt even longer than usual, and I wasn’t even particrly careful. It was by


    pure luck that I returned to my room without being seen.


    At rehearsals the next day, I avoided Nichs as much as possible. It was difficult to do with Elva in


    tow. I wouldn’t deny Elva from spending time with her Nickss, even when I’d rather not see him. So I


    wasn’t terribly shocked when five seconds into entering the ballroom, Elva made a B–line straight for


    Nichs.


    “Nickss!”


    Nichs smile was bright for my little girl. “Elva.” He kneeled down to hug her. Over her head, he


    looked up at me. That smile dimmed by arge margin. “Piper.”


    “Prince Nichs,” I said, using his formal title. I hadn’t done that in some time. His expression soured


    further.


    He schooled it back into a warm smile, when Elva pulled away to look at


    him.


    “Mommy says I can be in the y?” she asked.


    Nichs nodded critically. “It’s a very special role, just for you.”


    “Can I do it now?”


    “Sure, I think we can get Bridget to help show you. If that’s okay with your mom?” Nichs looked at


    me. Elva turned to look at me too, all doe eyes.


    “Of course it’s okay,” I said, even though my insides were all twisted up. I’d rather keep Elva far, far


    away from Bridget. But that was unfair. Elva wanted a part and Bridget was the best one to help show


    her how it was


    done.


    I was no actress. I wasn’t even a movie buff. Elva deserved a chance to learn


    from a real life honest–to–goodness professional.


    So I watched as Nichs led my daughter away, up onto the stage that was fullypleted now, to


    where Bridget waited. Bridget seemed so excited to see Elva, that they immediately hugged like old


    friends.


    2/5


    Watching them, my sad, lonely heart ached. They looked like a family up there


    Bridget took Rhost’s one hand while Nichs held the other. Together, they hed her to her starting


    spot, then walked with her across the stage, showing her the route she would take when she threw the


    flower petals.


    I couldn’t hear their words, but Bridget was bright and energetic and she was making Elvaugh and


    smile. Elva was entirely charmed.


    My heart sunk down to my stomach.


    “You shouldn’t make that face,” Julian said, suddenly appearing beside me. He could have sneaked up


    on me, or just walked up while I was so enamored with the others on the stage, I wasn’t sure. Either


    way, I jumped and heughed, “Careful, Piper. I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack.”


    “It’s my fault,” I said, shaking it off. “I didn’t sleep muchst night.”


    “Ah, I don’t need to hear about your exploits with my brother.”


    “It wasn’t because of that,” I said. Though, in hindsight, I really didn’t need to rify that. It wasn’t any


    of Julian’s business.


    “Then why couldn’t you sleep?” he asked.


    I shook my head once, just a little. I didn’t want to talk about it, not even with him. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t


    know if I’d ever be ready. The hurt was too


    deep. The rejection too raw.


    Nichs wanted a family. He just didn’t want it with me.


    No, that was the hurt talking. I tried to remind myself, Nichs was just being careful. If I got pregnant,


    the entire royal house of cards coulde tumbling down. It wasn’t worth the risk.


    Nichs and I weren’t like Mark and Susie. We couldn’t just run away together. Nichs would never


    turn away from the crown or his kingdom,.


    not even for love. Or family.


    Not even for me.


    Watching Bridget, Nichs, and Elva frolic across the stage again and again, I shifted my focus from


    one hurt to another.


    If I couldn’t have Nichs’s children, did I even want more? It was so difficult to think of wanting


    anyone else. My wolf was so sure Nichs was


    my mate.


    And well… it was easy to believe. When I so much as thought of being with anyone else, my stomach


    twisted into ufortable knots like I was going


    to be sick.


    Julian was quiet beside me, respecting my wish not to talk about it.


    And while that felt like the correct decision, I supposed I could talk about something, even if not the real


    cause of my heartsickness.


    “Have you ever thought about having children, Julian?” I asked him.


    “Me?” He seemed surprised to be asked. I had no idea why.


    “Yes, you.”


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He considered it a moment. Looking at him, I noticed his attention too was drawn to the group of three


    on the stage. Though his eyes were drawn to one woman in particr.


    “I guess I’ll give my love whatever she wants,” he said. “Many children? None? It wouldn’t matter to me


    so long as she was happy.”


    I frowned a little. That didn’t seem like a particrly healthy answer. I understoodpromise in a


    rtionship, but I felt like when it came to having kids, there should be a line whether you wanted them


    or not. Doing it or not doing it for someone other than yourself felt like a fast pass to


    resentment.


    Maybe Julian thought it was romantic. Maybe to someone else it would be. And I understood special


    circumstances could exist.


    +15 BOHUS


    But… I also knew Julian was thinking of Bridget when he said those words, the woman who barely paid


    him any attention except for a flirt here and there as if to keep him on the hook romantically.


    Julian deserved better.


    “Okay,” I said, pressing. “But your wants and needs are important too. So I’m asking, what do you


    want?”


    Julian looked surprised again. This time, he turned from Bridget to look at


    1. me.


    “What I want doesn’t matter,” he said, and it was so hollow, so chilling, I shivered down to my bones.