Amber’s POV


    After Julian left, I had so many mixed feelings about the evening that I didn’t know what to do with them. I was tired too, maybe too tired to confront everything that was going on with me. At least to do so properly.


    So, even though I wanted to reflect on the day’s events to try to make sense of all that’s happened, what I thought I should do


    more than anything else was get some sleep.


    Returning inside the rental house, I locked the door, then headed upstairs. I checked in on Alice, who seemed to be asleep. She was still wearing her clothes from the day and needed to change into her pajamas, but I let her sleep for a few moments while I went to shower and change out of my gown.


    Even as I tried not to think about things, memories of the evening still crept into my mind.


    That dance with Julian… The way his hand sat so firmly and assuredly at the small of my back as he led me around the dance floor…


    It had been too much then, and too much now. I couldn’t fall back under his charms; they’d only ever been used to hurt me, giving


    me a false sense offort and happiness before Julian ripped it all away again.


    I couldn’t forget the person Julian was, nor could I allow myself to pretend that Olivia wasn’t still present. She was the one he truly


    loved, the one he wanted and nned to be with, the woman he had cheated on me with, making her pregnant.


    To forget any of that was to leave me open for heartache.


    Years had passed since our breakup, but Olivia was still in the picture. Julian chose her and continued to at every passing chance.


    It wasn’t his business if Roman and I were going to get married. Why should he care at all, when he had Olivia beside him?


    My thoughts were spiraling out of control, and I frowned, deeply unhappy with myself for allowing even one shred of thought


    dedicated to this ridiculous.


    Hadn’t I promised myself even before getting on that ne, that I was done with Julian forever? After having survived the ne crash, after making it through so much… Why would I even think about wanting to allow that hurt back into my life?


    Frustrated, I changed into the pajamas I set out for myself, and then stepped out of the bathroom.


    Alice was standing in the hallway, looking up at me with tired eyes.


    “How about we get you changed into your PJs, Alice? Then you can go back to bed,” I suggested.


    Watching me, she frowned a little. “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”


    I blinked, surprised. Alice was usually very independent and stopped asking to stay in my room years ago… except for after the


    nights when she shifted, when she was scared and in pain.


    Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised to see her shadow outside my doorway tonight. Her wolf had made an appearance tonight. She


    must have been scared.


    “Let’s get you dressed, and then we’lle back, okay?” I said.


    Alice agreed.


    Quickly, we moved to her room, where she changed into her pajamas, then we returned to mine, where we both crawled into the


    bed. We turned on our sides to look at each other. Alice looked so tired, her eyelids heavy, her eyes a bit red. Yet, even as she


    yawned, she was fighting off sleep.


    “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked her in the quiet of the room. It was gettingte, and the world was mostly still around us.


    Even the busy street outside the house was without traffic at this time of day.


    Alice hesitated for a moment before she asked, “Are you really going to marry Uncle Roman?”