Caroline’s P.O.V
As soon as the car skidded to a stop in front of the pack house, I barely waited for the engine to turn off before I was out, my feet hitting the ground hard and fast.
“Hey! Slow down, Care!” Jade shouted after me, his longer strides catching up with mine effortlessly.
“Jade, you don’t understand! If he knows—if they know, this is bad. This is so, so bad!” My voice cracked, and I hated the way my panic was bleeding through, but it was impossible to hold it back. My legs felt like jelly, but I didn’t stop moving. I couldn’t.
“You’re not going in there alone. I said I’ve got your back, and I meant it.” His voice was steady, calm—so unlike my own frantic rambling. He gripped my arm for just a second to slow me down, but I yanked it free, practically sprinting up the stairs leading to the Alpha’s office.
“You don’t get it, Jade!” I snapped over my shoulder. “This isn’t about whether someone has my back. If Alpha Camden knows, if my dad—” My throat tightened, cutting off the words. They’ll kill me. They’ll throw me out. They’ll tear my world apart.
“Stop thinking the worst!” Jade called out, his footsteps echoing behind me. “You don’t even know what they’re planning. For all you know, this could be a warning, not a death sentence.”
“Maybe try and tell them the truth about the tests,” Jade offered. “Try and tell what is happening, without holding anything back. I think it’s time we let the adults know.”
“At this moment, I’d be relieved if they even care to listen to me!” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t have time to sugarcoat things. My dad knowing was one thing, but Alpha Camden? That was a whole new level of trouble. If the pack knew...if the entire pack knew…
I was breathless by the time I reached the Alpha’s door. My hand trembled as I reached for the handle. Jade caught up, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Whatever happens in there, we deal with it together, alright? You don’t have to face this alone.”
“Easy for you to say,” I shot back, my voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re not the one they’re gunning for.”
“You’re right. But I am the one who’s standing next to you,” he replied firmly. “Let’s do this.”
I hesitated for one last second, my heart pounding so loud I was sure they could hear it from the other side of the door. Then I pushed it open.
I walked into the Alpha’s office, the heavy air thick with tension. My father had his back turned to me, barely looked up when I stepped inside. Instead, he grabbed a stack of papers, and threw them into my face, as he snapped.
“What the hell do you think you’re playing at, Caroline?”
I froze for a moment, the harshness in his voice cutting through me like a blade. My hands trembled as I took the papers, trying to gather my thoughts.
“I—I can explain,” I stammered, my voice small, unsure.
He didn’t let me finish. “Can you really explain? Can you explain how you thought I’d cheat on your mother? Is that what you really believe? That I would betray her, that I would betray the mating bond like that?”
I felt a knot tighten in my chest, my face burning with shame. His words were like a slap, and for a split second, I couldn’t breathe. The weight of it all was suffocating, and I could feel the tears threatening to spill. But I couldn’t break down now—not in front of him.
“I—I don’t know what to think anymore,” I whispered, my voice breaking despite myself. “The last few days have been... I’ve been under so much stress, Dad. I—”
“You were under stress?” He barked out, his voice harsher now. “And that’s what led you to a DNA test? Is this some kind of joke, Caroline?”
I shook my head, the words too hard to say, but the truth was bubbling up, ready to spill over. “It’s about Aurora,” I finally said, the weight of the situation hitting me like a freight train.
“She—she was in danger. And when I saw her stop breathing…I started having trouble breathing as well.” The words tumbled out in a mess, and I knew I wasn’t making much sense to him about what had happened in the past week. But I couldn’t stop, not now. Jade had been right. It was time the adults knew the truth.
“Dad…Aurora and I…we’re linked somehow, and if something happens to her, it happens to me too. I really didn’t know what to do, how to make sense of this…connection. All I know is that when she stopped breathing…I did too…and I can’t…I don’t want to die, Dad…I just…”
My father’s expression softened for a moment, his eyes searching mine, but he didn’t say anything. The silence stretched between us, thick and full of unspoken words. I could feel the weight of everything I had been holding back, the frustration, the fear, the guilt.
“I didn’t mean to make it seem like I thought you’d betray Mom,” I added quickly, my voice barely a whisper. “I was just scared. I didn’t know what to think anymore.”
I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was coming. From that day onwards, I'd been scared to death like never before, that if something happens to Aurora next, I might not survive it either. I was only seventeen, and I didn’t want to die. It felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on me, and no matter how hard I tried to push it away, the fear kept creeping back. I couldn’t even sleep without thinking about what might happen, about what was lurking just out of sight. The anxiety gnawed at me, a constant presence in the back of my mind.
Thankfully, my dad finally noticed something was off and maybe because the pack bond was letting my emotions bleed out, but his stance softened, and he stepped forward.
"Caroline," he said, his voice trembling with concern. "Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? You’ve been acting strange for weeks now. And now this…test? What was I supposed to think? I can’t read your mind, Caroline."
He had this look on his face, a mix of worry and confusion. I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to scream and let him know how scared I was, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, I just stood there, silent, trying to hold it all together.
Before I could say anything, Jade spoke up, his voice sharp and unwavering. "Beta Raymond, Caroline didn’t want to bring it up," he said, his eyes meeting my dad’s with a calmness that didn’t match the tension in the room.
"She wanted to figure out what exactly was going on before she confided in anyone. She didn’t want it to seem like she was being paranoid for nothing."
My dad blinked, processing what Jade said. His expression softened, but there was still a deep concern in his eyes.
"But what’s going on? You know you can tell me anything, Caroline. I’m your father."
I shook my head, unable to find the right words. What if I was wrong? What if I was just imagining things, making it all worse in my head? But the fear was real. Aurora’s safety, my own survival—everything felt fragile, like it could break at any moment. Jade’s eyes never left mine as if he understood exactly what I was going through, and that only made me feel even more exposed. Still, I couldn’t let my dad see how deep the fear ran.
"I just… I don’t know, Dad," I whispered. "I don’t know what’s happening, but I know something’s wrong."
I felt my legs gave away from under me then, and I knew I was about to hit the floor. But suddenly, my father was there, his strong arms catching me before I fell, as he helped me to one of the couches.
The tension in the room seemed to skyrocket, and his face was unreadable as he sat down beside me. I barely heard him at first, but then his voice broke through the haze in my mind, shaking me to the core.
"Caroline," he said gently, "the DNA test... it came back negative." His words felt heavy in the air. I blinked, waiting for the rest of it.
"I never fathered another child. I didn’t do what you thought, and I know... I know how this must have shaken you. But there is some other explanation for everything that happened. Aurora and you…aren’t related."
I could hardly breathe as everything I'd feared for so long just crumbled. My hands were shaking. "But... Aurora... the bond…" My throat tightened, and I struggled to push the words out.
He reached over, his hand warm against mine, and even though my mind was at ease, I couldn’t bring myself to make sense of it all.
"I want to help you, Caroline. I love you and your mother. Always have. I swear to you, I would never hurt either of you like that."
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I collapsed into his arms, letting the tears fall freely. Everything I’d built up inside over the past few days was just gone. The fear, the doubt, the uncertainty—they all faded away in that moment.
"I’m sorry," I whispered through my tears. "I didn't know what to believe anymore."
He held me tighter, his voice low and soothing. "No need to apologize. I should have realized you were going through a lot. We’ll figure everything out together, okay?"
The room felt heavy as my dad and I sat in that quiet embrace, but then, Jade’s voice cut through the stillness like a knife.
"We still don’t understand though," he said, his confusion clear. "Why are Caroline and Aurora so... bonded? If not blood related, then the bond between them gets even more complicated."
I pulled away from my dad, wiping my face quickly, but he seemed calm, as though he knew exactly what Jade was getting at. His gaze flickered toward Alpha Camden, who’d been sitting quietly, watching us, his expression unreadable.
"I may have an answer to that," Alpha Camden said, his deep voice breaking the tension. Everyone turned to look at him, and I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine. He had a way of speaking that made you listen, even when you didn’t want to.
I felt my heart race as anticipation bubbled inside my chest. What did he mean by that?