Amber’s POV

    The next day after I entered the office, I told Anna everything that happened with Julian and the meeting with Alice. As I exined, I tried to be as non–partial as I could be, but my own feelings seeped through without my meaning to.

    It was hard not to be emotional and partial when I was talking about the future of my child.

    Her face was cloudy throughout my speaking. When I finished, she seemed absolutely furious on my behalf.

    “I knew he’d try something like this,” she said. “He never gave you the respect and consideration you deserved, always making these choices for you b– /byou’ll be a housewife, you’ll stay hidden… I’m sorry to say I’m not surprised that he is now trying to dictate everything for your child itoo/i. It must be the Alpha way.”

    “I didn’t even let Alice say goodbye…” I said, feelings some guilt over that. I still wanted the two to have a rtionship, but I didn’t want to entirely lose her to him. What was so wrong with visitations? Every other weekends? Even summers, I would negotiate. But for Alice to move to Thorn pack permanentlyb? /b

    I couldn’t stand the thought, not after I’d gone through so much to escape that pack.

    And who knew if and when Julian’s opinion on Alice would turn? Yes, he supported her now, but if she started to do things he didn’t like, would his attitude switch? Would he want to keep her hidden, or force her to be something she wasn’t?

    I couldn’t stand it if that were true, but by then, it would already be toote to do anything about it.

    There had to be something I could do. Julian’s showing up here meant that if I tried to run again, he would only keep tracking us down.

    I could try to talk to him, but he was so damn stubborn. Once he thought he had made the most logical decision, it was very difficult to talk him out of it.

    On paper, it made sense. Alice would receive the most financial benefit from returning with Julian to the pack and being raised as his heir. But emotionally, would that be best? That was much more difficult to determine.

    My point that Julian didn’t know what love was had been a low blow at the time, but it was a truth that I’d secretly harbored for years. I didn’t think him incapable. His mother was a kind soul, and surely he had inherited some of that. And there had been moments when we’d been together where I almost saw a side of him that encouraged me to believe…

    But in the end, he had cast me aside so quickly, so viciously, it was like I had never meant anything to him at all, despite being his wife. To me, that had been the truth of it Of everything

    That had been what made me doubt he even knew what love was. Because the way he treated me? That

    was anything but.

    I wouldn’t let my daughter learn those ways. Duty was important, as was pack, but it wasn’t more

    important than love and self–respect.

    Julian valued pack so highly that I worried down the line, he might even force Alice into some kind of arranged marriage or something. He’d probably tell her, ‘It’s for the good of the pack!‘

    Over my dead body.

    “There has to be something we can do to convince him,” I said, though maybe that was wishful thinking. I really didn’t want to have to run again, to keep running, to keep restarting our lives every time Julian got

    close.

    And again, I wanted Julian and Alice to have a rtionship. But not one where he totally controlled her

    life.

    And mine.

    “Alice is happy here,” Anna said, after a moment considering. “Maybe if you could show him that being

    here has benefits…”

    It was an idea. Though, in truth, I was ready to keep Alice far away from Julian. At least for now.