Page 110 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

The last part is whispered. I know how Cedric is truly feeling, even though he looks irritated. How? After all these years, how am I still able to read him?

After all, Cedric has changed. He’s not the same man I knew eight years ago. His eyes are the biggest indicator. They’ve become gentler, and sometimes I see something like heaviness in them, as if he’s been carrying a hefty burden. And then there’s his behavior. He is more considerate, almost cautious around me. I don’t know how I feel about this side of him. Something about it makes my heart ache. It’s almost as if he lost a part of himself over the years.

But why did he change his mind so abruptly last night?

“Does this mean we have to leave here and go to the North?”

“No. You’re—I think you’re safer here.”

I didn’t expect Cedric to say that to Finn, not after he’s been so adamant about us going back with him. And when he said it, he looked very sad.

Why is this so hard?

My decision should be simple. But he’s making it harder because I don’t like seeing the hurt in his eyes. I don’t like the way he makes me feel safe and secure. If it were only my wolf pushing for him, I would understand, but my human side is also starting to.

Finn’s laughter makes my heart twist in my chest. Cedric is pretending to let him win. Our son looks delighted. Derrick is shaking his head at the two of them.

Would it be the same if I returned to the North with Cedric? I’ve always wanted to keep Finn happy, to give him the best life possible. Last night, Cedric expressed in front of him that we don’t have to go back with him. I should be pleased.

But I’m not. I’m not happy.

I let out a troubled sigh.

I was never this indecisive before.

Cedric looks up as if he has sensed me watching him. His eyes meet mine from across the vast garden, and I feel a jolt of desire go through me. I can’t help but remember last night when he loomed over me by the kitchen sink.

I’m still attracted to him. And he wasn’t a beast to me when I lived in his castle, not the way I had imagined. So, I can’t hate him. I have no reason to.

“Leanna?”

I clear my throat. “You can go deal with this. I have to talk to Erik.”

I watch Cassian leave before I take a deep breath. I have a feeling that Erik isn’t going to like my request. Opening the door, I summon one of the footmen standing around. “Could you ask Healer Jerry to come here?”

The man nods and hurries off.

I pace in the room anxiously. I need Jerry to be on my side to convince Erik. The king may be open-minded, but even he has his limits. If I can just convince Jerry…

I turn around mid-stride and see Cedric entering through the window. A startled cry leaves my lips, and I stumble backward. My ass would have hit the floor if his arm didn’t loop around my waist, yanking me toward him. I hit his chest, and the breath is knocked out of me.

“What’s wrong with you?” Cedric asks, concerned.

“I—You scared the life out of me!” I shove him, not that he moves. “What were you thinking, coming through the window? There’s a perfectly functioning door right there!”

“The window was closer,” he says bluntly. “Are you free now? Finn is hungry.”

“I’m waiting for Healer Jerry.” Cedric releases his grip on me, and when he moves away, I feel the loss of his body heat. “And I want to see Erik.”

“Why?” His expression grows dark, and I wonder why he’s getting jealous after I’ve confirmed there’s nothing going on between Erik and me.

I rest against the edge of the desk I’ve been using. “I want to convince him to let me have an autopsy conducted on Harold.”

“An autopsy?” Cedric looks confused.

“It’s a human term for cutting up a deceased person’s body. It’s a way to find the cause of death after someone has passed. It’s an invasive procedure, and I know that our kind considers it sacrilegious to tamper with the corpse of a deceased shifter, but Harold’s body could give us the answers that we need. There exists nothing that can knock us out, at least that we know of. What if the people who tortured Harold have found a way to incapacitate our kind? I need a sample of his blood. It’s been a year, but we still might be able to find some clues. There are other victims out there. I know it’s frowned upon, but we have to save those we can, and—”

“I agree,” Cedric replies calmly. “At times like this, what is sacrilegious or not shouldn’t be at the forefront of an argument.”

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