I woke in the peacekeeping hospital, Nick's shadow looming close, his face buried in a stack of papers Victor had handed him. His long lashes cast a dark veil over his chiseled features, his jaw tight. The air in the room grew colder, heavier. Victor's head bowed lower, like a wolf awaiting judgment.
Finally, Nick looked up, his ice-blue eyes a winter storm ready to break. "So, Clara came back to the pack lands, got in a car crash, and was trapped in that castle for five years. And all I heard was she was doing fine?"
Victor dropped to his knees, voice trembling. "Master, forgive me! I failed you."
"Was it my stepmother?" Nick's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence.
Victor hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. Monica blocked all news of Clara, and with Julian controlling the pack's whi
