They’d lain like that for a while, just talking. Eventually, they both dozed off, but Alara couldn’t sleep. Too many things weighed on her mind. She slipped out of bed and found someone had left a change of clothes in the hallway, by the door. There were two outfits, one for Nik and one for her. She blushed, wondering if whoever had dropped them off had swung by earlier when she and Nik were being intimate with one another. Picking up the clothes—and a bag of microwavable food that had been left with the clothes—she carted them inside and changed. She was starving but didn’t want to wake Nik. So she took the dinner and bottle of water and went to the dining room.

The TV was on, as were the lights. Alara wondered who could be there at this hour when she rounded the corner and saw Danica sitting at a table alone, eating a bowl of cereal. She looked up as Alara approached and smiled. “Good. I’m glad you saw the clothes.”

“So you were the one who dropped them off. Thanks.” She popped her food in the microwave and set it for two minutes before sitting down. “I hope we weren’t too loud.”

Danica raised a brow. “Did something happen?”

Alara flushed. “Er—”

Danica laughed. “It’s okay. You don’t have to go into details. I totally understand. Besides, it’s none of my business.”

Alara crossed her arms and looked away, nibbling on her lip. She thought about the upcoming Blood Moon and what that meant for her and Nik. It would be nice to talk to another girl about it, especially someone who had been in the same boat not too long ago. Thing is, she didn’t exactly know where to start. She’d never had a close girlfriend before. Izzy was the one who made friends easily, not her.

She studied Danica, trying to decide how to ask what was on her mind. Danica seemed nice enough. She had a kind look to her eyes, just like her sister did. She wrung the hem of her shirt. “How can you know you love him?” she blurted.

“Who? Gage?”

Alara nodded.

Danica sighed. “To be honest, it wasn’t love at first, but there was a strong attraction and a rightness in being with him I’d never felt before. For someone who’s been alone most of her life, that was enough. It felt wonderful. So I decided to stay and figured love would come later.” She smiled. “And it did.”

Alara thought about that. She had no idea what being in love felt like. Did she love Nik? She didn’t think so, but she definitely liked him. Okay, well, more than “liked him.” The thought of leaving him made her stomach turn.

The microwave chimed and she retrieved her dinner. It was steamed veggies, fruit cocktail, and chicken with some kind of glaze. For a nuked dinner, it didn’t taste all that bad. At this time, she was so hungry a granola bar would have been divine.

“You scared about the mating ceremony?” Danica asked after a while.

Alara chewed on her food thoughtfully. “It’s just, I’ve never been that close to anyone before. I mean, other than my sister, Izzy. I don’t want to screw it up.”

Danica smiled sadly. “I can relate. Well, do you like Nik?”

“Yes!” Alara blurted, then blushed harder.

“That’s definitely a start,” Danica said with a grin. “I can tell you from personal experience he’s a great guy. I mean, I haven’t been romantically involved with him or anything,” she added quickly. “All that stuff Jason said might be true for the old Nik, but I also know for a fact that his past track record says he’ll treat a woman right when he does get in a serious relationship.”

So he had been involved with someone before. A wave of jealousy rolled through Alara, which was silly. Of course someone like him had had a girlfriend before. Alara wondered how she compared to her. She bet she was skinnier than her, and beautiful. Alara slumped in her seat, feeling more depressed than ever.

Danica watched her carefully. “We can’t help who we were in our past,” she said. “All we can do is try to be the best versions of ourselves now.” She rose. “For what it’s worth, I hope you make the right decision for you.”

She smiled and walked off.

Alara sat there for a moment, mulling everything over. What did she want? Did she even have a clue what the best decision for her was?

She strongly desired Nik. That much she was sure of. But could lust and like eventually evolve into love?

She shook her head. Of course it could. That’s how the majority of relationships started. Two strangers meet, are attracted to one another, and sometimes if they spend enough time together, that attraction evolves into love.

The thought of leaving home forever made her a bit homesick. Castle Crescent was all she’d ever known. What if there was something better waiting around the corner, in a room a few doors down the hall? Wouldn’t she be a fool to pass that chance up and not see where it led?

There was the risk she and Nik might not fall in love. He might even break her heart, much as she didn’t want to admit it. If she stayed with her old pack, though, she was doomed to a life she didn’t want. She could end up miserable either way. In each scenario, she was gambling with her heart.

And more cards were stacked in her favor with Nik. She wanted to stay with him; she knew that without really thinking about it. The way he held her, the way he made her feel, as if she was beautiful and invincible…. No one had ever made her feel like that before, not even Izzy. Who wouldn’t want to hang on to that?

More importantly, she had to ask herself: Could she walk away from him or her crown? Could she have both? Would Nik want to be king? She needed to talk this through with him.

Finishing off her dinner, she rose from her seat and went back to their room.