Chapter 196
ALICE’S POV CONTINUATION.
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After Liam left me on the balcony with that final, beautiful kiss, I felt like I was walking on air. But there was something I needed to do before I celebrate my happiness.
I had to tell Faith.
I couldn’t keep this a secret. Liam was Faith’s best friend noe. He was her most loyal warrior. I know without her permission he won’t do anything and I’m afraid that he might leave me.
I walked through the pack to their house. Every time I thought about Liam, that warm, cinnamon–smell energy moved through my body. It was so different from the cold, sharp obsession I used to feel for Astor. This didn’t feel like a cage. It felt like a warm blanket.
I found Faith on the back porch. She was sitting in a wooden rocking chair, looking at the scenery. She looked tired, but she looked beautiful. The white dress she wore earlier was gone. She was in a simple sweater and leggings.
“Faith?” I said softly.
She turned her head and smiled at me. It wasn’t the suspicious or fake smile she used to give me. It was a real, warm smile.
“Alice. Come sit.”
I walked over and sat in the chair next to her. For a minute, we just sat in silence. We watched the
sky.
“I need to tell you something,” I said. My voice was small. I was wringing my hands in my lap. “Something happened. Something I never expected.”
Faith turned her body toward me. She looked at my hands, and then she looked into my eyes. “Is it about Liam?”
I gasped. My mouth fell open. “How did you know? Did he tell you?”
Faith laughed a soft, musical laugh. “No, Alice. Nobody told me. But I am the White Wolf, remember? I can see the energy between people. And tonight, when you and Liam were standing near each other after the Council left, the air was literally glowing. Plus, you smell like him.”
I felt my face turn bright red. “Oh. I forgot about the smell.
“It’s a good smell,” Faith said, her eyes twinkling. “It’s your mates scent.”
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I took a deep breath. The grit in my throat made it hard to speak, but I had to say it. I had to be
honest.
“I felt it tonight,” I said. “For the first time. I didn’t even know it was possible. Faith, I have walked past that man a thousand times. I have talked to him. I have worked with him. And I never felt a single spark. Not once.”
Faith nodded slowly. “And why do you think that is?”
“Because I was a fool,” I said. The words felt like poison in my mouth. “I was so obsessed with wanting to be the Luna, wanting to be the woman on the throne, that I made myself blind.”
I looked down at the floor, feeling the hot sting of tears.
“I wasted years, Faith. I wasted years trying to take a man who didn’t love me. I spent years being a monster to you because I wanted Astor’s power. And all that time, my soulmate was standing right there. He was watching me be a terrible person. He was watching me try to destroy his best
friend.”
I started to cry. I couldn’t help it. The weight of all those bad choices felt so heavy.
“I don’t deserve him,” I sobbed. “Liam is so good. He is so loyal. And I am just Alice. The girl who wanted everything she couldn’t have.”
I felt a warm hand on mine. Faith moved her chair closer and grabbed my hand. Her touch felt like healing magic.
“Alice, look at me,” Faith said.
I looked up, my vision blurry from tears.
“The person you were when you were chasing Astor is gone,” Faith said firmly. “That girl died the day you started helping at the orphanage. That girl died when you chose to help me instead of Annabella. We all make mistakes, Alice. Some are bigger than others. But the moon doesn’t make mistakes when it chooses mates.”
“He told me he wouldn’t choose me over you,” I whispered. “He said he respects you too much to be with someone who would hurt you.”
Faith smiled; a proud look in her eyes. “That sounds like Liam. He is very protective of me. But do you know why he said that? It’s because he wanted to see if you would get angry. He wanted to see if the old, jealous Alice was still there.”
“I wasn’t angry,” I said. “I told him I was happy for you. I told him I finally see you as my sister.”
Faith’s eyes got misty. She squeezed my hand tight. I let out a long, shaky breath. “Can you ever
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really forgive me? For all of it? For the years you had to spend away from your daughter? For trying
to take Astor?”
“I already have,” Faith said. “I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that if Kyle hadn’t given you my daughter then he would have given her to somebody else and my daughter would have never grown up with her father who gave her so much love and maybe she would have been abused like 1 was or even worse. We are starting fresh, Alice. All of us.”
We sat there for a long time, just holding hands. The stars were coming out now. I felt like a massive wall had finally crumbled between us.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t looking at Faith and feeling jealous. I was looking at her and feeling lucky. I was lucky to have a sister who was so strong. I was lucky to have a sister who could see the good in me when I couldn’t see it myself.
“Liam is going to be a hard mate to have,” Faith teased, trying to make me laugh. “He is very stubborn. And that man cannot have fun.”
I laughed, wiping my eyes. “I think I can handle him. I’ve had a lot of practice being stubborn myself.”
“You two will be perfect together,” Faith said. “Liam needs someone with a bit of fire. And you… you need someone who is like an anchor. Someone who keeps your feet on the ground.”
“He does that,” I said, thinking about the way he looked at me. “He makes me happy.”
“That’s what a mate is supposed to do,” Faith said.
She stood up and pulled me into a hug. It wasn’t a quick, awkward hug. It was a real, sisterly hug.
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