YENA

I knew the purpose of our visit to the hospital was all about appearances. And that was a very important thing for Nolan and me right now.

But I was being pushed too far.

I paced around the waiting room until I couldn’t stand it any longer. It might have only been about a minute, but it felt like forever.

I didn’t like thinking about Nolan and Gina being alone in a room together. Even if it was a hospital room.

And then I realized I didn’t actually have to allow it. Whatever Gina wanted to talk to my husband about, she could tell him in front of me.

But when I rounded the corner near Gina’s hospital room and heard their voices carrying out the open door, I paused.

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop at first.

But then I heard what they were saying, and at that point, there was no way I was walking into that room.

Gina was telling Nolan that she loved him.

That she always loved him, and that she only broke up with him because she was sick.

“The bitch is lying,” Lily growled.

Gina went on, saying she had to profess her love to Nolan before she died. Making it sound like that was about to happen.

“Be nice if she did…” Lily said to me with a wicked snarl.

Finally, I heard Nolan reply.

He asked, “You might… die?”

And I couldn’t tell if it was doubt or concern I was hearing in the slow way he said it.

Then Gina said something about me. It hit me like a punch in the gut.

She was asking Nolan if he really loved me. But she didn’t say my name. She called me “that big blonde girl.”

It felt like high school all over again. But, Goddess, so much worse.

The tears were coming whether I wanted to cry or not. But there were dozens of people nearby. I couldn’t make a scene.

I rushed to the ladies’ room and locked myself inside. I ran the water in the sink to make some white noise. Then I sank to the floor and completely fell apart.

Lily snapped me out of it.

“You’re stronger than this,” she said.

“But I’m not,” I replied aloud to the air.

“Stop it. You were born to be a queen, Yena! Don’t let that whore take you down.”

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. Lily was right. I’d been through almost exactly this same situation before, and I managed to get over it then.

And I shouldn’t let Gina have the satisfaction of holding this kind of power over me.

I stood up and splashed my face with cold water, then turned off the sink.

Patting my face dry with a hand towel, I looked at myself in the mirror. I hardly recognized myself.

I was pale and exhausted, with dark circles under my eyes.

Today had been a whirlwind.

This morning, I was in love. But then everything got turned upside down so quickly.

Scenes from the past twenty-four hours went flipping through my mind.

Waking Nolan up with a kiss, climbing on top of his naked body and having sloppy, shameless sex in the morning.

Catching his eye across the crowded ballroom. And our passionate kiss in front of the cheering crowd.

When he finally said, “I love you.” And then took me to a dark corner to kiss me quietly and make me come.

But then… there was Gina.

And the frustrated, frantic sex Nolan and I had after the party. When we ran out of words to argue with.

And now this.

Maybe you’re wrong, I told Lily. Maybe Nolan is not my fate after all.

She didn’t like that.

“I’m not wrong,” she insisted, growling.

It didn’t seem like fate was on our side, though.

Nothing about Nolan and me made sense.

“It’s not about making sense,” Lily shouted. “We were meant for that man, for that wolf. He is our destiny!”

But how could Nolan and I be destined to be together, when every time we got close, something always came between us?

Maybe this was just too hard. Maybe there were too many things in our way.

Maybe love should be simpler than this.

NOLAN

The prince went looking for Yena in the waiting room, but she was not there.

A guard standing near the ladies’ room let him know the princess had gone inside.

Nolan paced a respectful distance away and leaned against the wall. He texted Yena to tell her he was waiting, and she emerged from the restroom less than a minute later.

When she walked out and over toward him, Yena averted her eyes from Nolan’s. But he could see that they were shiny.

She had been crying.

They walked back to the car in silence.

Once they were on the highway, Nolan slid close to Yena. He put one hand on her thigh and asked, “Are you okay?”

She looked up at him. Her eyes were red around the edges.

“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging and looking down at Nolan’s hand on her leg.

After looking like she was thinking long and hard about it, reached out and put her hand on top of his, gently interlacing their fingers together.

Nolan asked, “What can I do?”

Yena looked out the window. “I don’t want you to be alone with her again, for one thing.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Well,” the princess continued, “I’m sure she does.”

Nolan ran his hands across his face. He could not help but let out a loud sigh.

He felt Yena tense up beside him. She still had her eyes on the green and brown blur of trees rushing past outside the window. The car was now turning off the highway and onto the palace road.

“I just want to go to bed, and be done with this night,” Yena muttered. “Go to sleep, I mean.”

“Of course,” Nolan said. “Whatever you need. And I know it doesn’t change anything, Yena, but I hope you know how sorry I am about all this.”

Yena frowned. Then she finally turned back to look at Nolan.

“Why didn’t you just tell me she was texting you?” she asked. “Before tonight. Before you had to.”

“I don’t know. I should have.”

“What does she want from you?”

Nolan paused.

“Just tell me,” Yena whispered.

“She wants to get back together with me,” Nolan spat out. “That’s what she says, at least. But honestly, it could be worse than that.”

“Worse? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, Yena. It could be… a trap.”

A rush of air hissed out through Yena’s clenched teeth. Then she said, “Huh.”

She leaned back against the seat and crossed her arms over her chest, looking like she was considering this carefully.

Nolan got the feeling she was close to forgiving him. Letting him back in.

His wolf started making his heart beat faster, telling him to kiss her.

He was afraid Yena would turn away.

But when he leaned in, she tilted her face to meet his and let him press his lips lightly against hers.

“When I married you,” Nolan whispered, looking deep into Yena’s blue eyes. “I committed to loving and protecting you. And giving you everything that you deserved.”

Yena raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m sorry that I’ve failed you so many times,” he said. “But I promise you that from now on, I will do anything I can to make you happy.”

Yena let a tiny smile break across her tired face.

He gave her one more little kiss, just as the car slowed to a stop in front of the palace.