Amber’s POV

    I was frightened of what Julian knowing the truth might mean for Alice and for our future. Yet, in this

    moment, seeing Julian and Alice hug filled me with nothing but pleased, joyful feelings.

    My daughter should be praised, she should be loved and acknowledged by her father. For so long, I had

    thought he would simply reject her if he knew the truth, cast her aside as he had cast me aside, or keep

    her to the shadows.

    Now, I could see that his affection for Alice was genuine.

    There was much to talk about, much that could yet go wrong. But knowing he epted her lifted a lead weight that I had carried in the pit of my stomach since he had focused on Olivia instead of me, since I boarded that ne, since I decided to start a new life elsewhere.

    When their hug was done, Julian stood once more. He looked at me and a long moment passed where we just looked at each other. I didn’t know what to say, my insides a torrent of emotion. He didn’t say

    anything either, at least not until he gestured to the table.

    “Please,” he said. “Sit.”

    Julian sat down on the far side. Taking Alice’s hand, I made her sit in the booth across the table facing

    his. Alice tugged on my arm, clearly wanting to sit with Julian, but I needed her beside me right now.

    There were too many uncertainties here. While I was pleased they were getting along, now that the hug was done, my fears were starting to bubble up within me.

    If I let them sit together, would he just take her and run? I couldn’t chance it.

    Alice frowned at me, but ultimately obeyed without too much fuss. Her excitement made her more

    easygoing than usual.

    “So, Alice,” Julian said. “How is school going? Are you making many friends here?”

    “I’m making a ton of friends!” she said, then started to list some of them on her fingers. “I’ve never had so many friends before…”

    Julian smiled, though his brow pulled together somewhat with worry. “I’m sure you had friends in my pack…”

    Alice shrugged. “Not really. Some, I guessb. /bBut everyone was afraid of me…” Instinctively, she reached up and touched her ne. Her expression dimmed.

    “Why would they be afraid?” Julian asked.

    “What should we have to eat?” I asked brightly, distracting Alice from the question. “I’ve heard they have

    a really good chicken sandwich here. What do you think, Alice? Do you want chicken?”

    “Maybe chicken fingers…” she said, her features brightening again.

    Julian lifted his gaze from Alice to me, but I pretended not to notice. He had to have questions about this, about why the other kids would be afraid of Alice.

    He’d only just learned he was Alice’s father. I didn’t know how I felt about revealing her condition to himb, /bespecially now that we had the ne to counter it. It wasn’t a permanent solution of course but it did

    stop her shifting for now.

    Julian hadn’t been there to watch her suffer. He didn’t know what it was like to feel the fear and anguish,

    watching your child feel pain.

    It was such a big burden to bear. I didn’t know if I could trust him to carry it.

    For the rest of the meal, Julian avoided that conversation, instead asking Alice questions about her favorite subjects, her favorite books and shows, and about other things she liked to do. Alice engaged

    eagerly and the two seemed to be getting along.

    asionally, Alice would look over at me, and I would smile encouragingly.

    As nervous as I was about this entire thing, I wanted the two to get along. It wasn’t as if I didn’t want my

    daughter to have her father. It was more… I didn’t trust him to be good for her.

    Yet here he was, proving me wrong.

    I wasn’t ready to rx just yet though, knowing things could still take a turn. I had many fears about this situation that had yet to be relieved. Those weren’t things for Alice to be afraid of though.

    After dinner, we walked to the nearby park. Recognizing some children from school, Alice ran ahead to

    y with them on the slides and swings.

    Julian and I found a bench. He gestured for me to sit first. Once I had, he took the spot beside me. Together we watched Alice y. We were silent for a while, before Julian spoke up.

    “I’m d you agreed ito /ithis,i” /iJulian said.

    “Alice is already fond of you,” I said. “She heard on her own that you were in town. I couldn’t keep her away even if I had tried.”

    He smiled, and it was dazzling. He was such a handsome man, and fatherhood looked good on him.

    “I’m d,i” /ihe said. “That will make things easier in the months toe.”

    Immediately, I tensed. Was this the part I feared finally happening? “What do you mean?”

    “I’m nning on personally working with you on this project, Amber. I think we should travel to various

    packs together to help the less fortunate children. We’ll bring Alice, of course.”

    The project would call for some travel. That he wanted to personally help did speak to his generosity and

    leadership.

    But that didn’t sit right with me. He was talking about the next handful of months. I was waiting to hear

    what his ns were like for after that.

    I nned on staying here. I liked my little clinic and Alice loved the school and her friends. But we weren’t close to Julian’s Thorn pack. It wouldn’t be an easymute for him to visit with his daughter.

    I was sure we could make it work though. Alice could go there on the weekends, or Julian coulde here. There wasn’t any need to fully uproot either of our lives.

    Fear lobbed up in my throat, I asked, “And then..?”

    I was ying with fire, asking that question. Maybe it was better not to know. But I couldn’t y pretend now, like I might have done in the past, convincing myself that everything would work out. I had Alice to look out for now. It wasn’t just my heart bon /bthe line anymore.

    “Then,” he said, and looked back at Alice, who was at bthis /bmoment sliding down the big slide in the

    center of the yground. “Alice cane back to bThom /bpack and we can announce her as my official daughter and heir.”

    The blood drained from my face. “I’d prefer if Alice and I stayed here.”

    Julian huffed a breath, as if the notion was ridiculous. “I am the Alpha, Amber. She would have the best

    life in my pack under my care.”

    The fears I had held amplified until they now swallowed me entirely whole.

    This was what Anna had warned about. This was what I had been afraid of most, second only to worries

    he would totally reject Alice.

    He wanted to take Alice away from me.

    At my stunned silence, Julian looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

    I didn’t even know where to begin!

    Yet at that moment, Alice ran up to us. Giggling, she said, “bMy /bfriends say you look like ba /bcouple. So when are you going to get married?b” /b