Chapter 7

Adrian nodded. I turned around and boarded the flight to Scandinavia.

Three years later, I was running a small flower shop in a quiet European village.

Not many people came through.

Business was neither good nor bad.

Most days I lay back in a lounge chair in the sun.

I'd cut every tie to everything from before.

Adrian's friend had become a regular customer.

Maybe because Adrian had asked him to look after me.

Or maybe he just liked flowers.

I didn't think about it much.

He came in and sat for an afternoon sometimes, and we'd talk off and on with no particular direction.

But the first person to find me wasn't him.

It was Serena.

She'd lost a lot of weight. Her hair had turned dry and dull, and she looked like she hadn't taken care of herself in a long time.

She'd always been meticulous about her appearance — even when news first broke that Adrian had died, she'd made sure to look put-together.

But the woman standing in front of me now — I almost didn't recognize her.

Serena said my name in a small voice, and I realized who she was.

"Elara."

Her voice was full of grievance.

Then her next sentence was:

"Can you lend me five hundred thousand? I know Adrian gave you a card."

I was still trying to take this in when she started sobbing.

"Adrian divorced me."

"Cain doesn't want me either. You're all I have left."

"I got pulled into a gambling trap and I owe so much money. They won't help me."

"You're my best friend. Please help me."

She moved to reach for my hand.

"Elara, please."

I stepped back. I looked at her calmly.

I wasn't angry anymore. Not at either of them.

"I'm sorry. I can't help you."

Adrian's money had been donated to an education fund a long time ago.

I didn't have the five hundred thousand she was asking for.

Serena snapped.

Her face twisted, and she looked at me like I was her enemy.

"I knew you still hated me!"

"But Cain was in love with me. What was I supposed to do about that?"

"If it wasn't for me, Cain would never have looked at you. You should be thanking me!"

"We're supposed to be best friends. My husband helped me establish myself in the Pack. What's wrong with that?"

"And you Bonded with a man who looks exactly like my dead husband! How do you think that made me feel?"

"Elara, why does this have to be the way it ends? I'm left with nothing, and Cain ends up falling for you!"

"Without me, Cain would never have given you a second glance!"

My fingers curled into a fist without thinking.

So Serena had known everything all along.

I walked back inside and said the same thing.

"I can't help you. Go."

Serena screamed at me outside the shop for half an hour. Then she cried and begged for half an hour.

When I had my shop assistant bring out a small wrapped parcel, the noise outside finally stopped.

I didn't know when she left.

Inside the parcel was half my savings from the past three years.

Call it a thank-you — for a piece of candy she'd once given me when we were kids.

Cain came three days later.

He looked at me and his voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Elara. Have these years been good to you?"

I nodded.

"Very good."

He saw me turning to go and spoke faster.

"Elara, I've cut things off with Serena completely."

"The pup is registered under Adrian's name."

"Elara, can you give me one more chance?"

He looked at me with hope.

There was nothing in me that moved.

I was about to say no.

Then Rhys walked in.

I stepped forward and slipped my arm through his. He went still.

He saw Cain. He understood immediately.

He covered my hand with his and smiled.

"Ready? I'm here to walk you home for dinner."

Cain went rigid.

"Elara, who is he?"

Rhys grinned. "I'm her husband."

"Sir, we're closing up. I'll need to ask you to leave."

When we left, Cain was still standing there.

The rain came. He didn't move.

I looked back at him once.

Then I put up my umbrella and walked in the opposite direction.

Rhys seemed to read the look on my face. "Still not over it?"

I shook my head.

We kept walking.

Just before we reached the house, the man beside me said out of nowhere:

"What if we gave it a shot?"

I raised an eyebrow.

I didn't answer. I walked straight inside.

He called after me from the doorway.

"No answer means I'm asking again tomorrow."

I turned on the light. I went to the window.

Rhys was waving at me. He blew an exaggerated kiss, then kicked a pebble down the path and disappeared.

I thought: it was probably time to start a new chapter.