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    Amber’s POV


    Immediately, I hopped to my feet and then raced to Anna. She just as eagerly rushed to me. We met somewhere in the middle of


    my office, crashing together for a long overdue hug.


    Anna had been one of the few people I had made contact with after my ident. Sworn to secrecy, she knew everything – about


    Alice, about my wolf, about my new life and bing Healer Amanda. She also knew about Alice’s struggles. She’d evene to


    visit us a few times, though we were careful not to publically post any pictures. She couldn’t even really talk about her trip when


    she got back home.


    The only thing she didn’t know, to my regret, was that I was returning to the pack in an effort to afford that ne for Alice. In my defense, her own job had taken her out of the pack, so we hadn’t talked much the past few months. There hadn’t been a lot of


    opportunity to tell her my ns.


    “I’m back,” I said, when we finished our hug and separated.


    “I can see that,” she said. “Just like I saw you on the news the other night. Standing next to Alpha Julian while Head Healer Eric


    was being demoted…”


    “You saw that?” I asked.


    “Everyone saw it,” she replied.


    “Right.” I supposed they did. All of my new appointments and the dozens of gift baskets around the room were proof of that.


    “You…. Beside Julian,” she said pointedly.


    There was a lot to catch up on.


    Anna looked past me, to Noah.


    “Oh! Let me introduce you,” I said quickly. “Anna, this is my assistant, Noah. Noah, this is my best friend in the world, Anna.”


    “Nice to meet you,” Noah said, and they shook hands.


    “Nice to meet you,” Anna said. She smiled at him, but then gave me a look, as if asking me silently if we were safe to talk around


    Noah.


    I trusted Noah. Though he didn’t know much about my past, I didn’t mind if he did. In the short time we’d known each other, he’s


    The only secret I really wanted to keep was the truth about Alice.


    I told Anna all that in a return nce. She nodded. We’d been best friends for so long that we didn’t need to verbally say the words tomunicate our thoughts. I was pleased to see that this form of silentmunication still held up despite our years apart.


    12:40 PM Tue 26 Aug


    “Join us,” I said and pulled up another chair to my desk. “You don’t mind, do you, Noah?”


    “Of course not,” he said.


    Anna dropped into the free chair, as I moved back to mine.


    “Tell me everything,” she said. “But start with this. Are you and Julian back together?”


    “Absolutely not,” I said.


    Noah’s eyes went wide. “You… and Alpha…?”


    Anna wasn’t the only one who needed caught up.


    “It’s a long story,” I told him. To Anna, I said, “He’s with Olivia. I’m helping them so they can have children.”


    Anna’s nose scrunched. “Oh…”


    ? ??。


    From there, I gave Noah a brief overview, that Julian and I used to be in a rtionship but it was long done. I glossed over some of


    the more specific details, particrly about the marriage and Alice.


    Noah had been raised in the pack though, so he guessed a few things. Pointing at me, he said, “You are Amber! The Alpha’s secret


    first wife who died in that ne crash!”


    “I didn’t die…” I said.


    “You almost did,” Anna said.


    From there, I delved into some of the basic nature of my return, that a need of money had meing back. I didn’t exin the


    reason for needing the money. I could trust Noah with most of my secrets, but Alice was…


    Well, I had to protect my daughter.


    When Noah excused himself to go to the bathroom, Anna leaned forward. “You still have feelings for Julian.”


    “I absolutely do not!” I insisted.


    “You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me,” she said. “The way you are talking about him… The disgust in your voice when


    you speak about him and Olivia… It’s all there.”


    12:40 PM Tue 26 Aug