*Lena*
Hale's tour of the castle was totally innocent, and as I wandered the halls alongside him, the guilt that tied my stomach in a knot began to lessen. He showed me every room and told little stories along the way.
He'd been born and raised within these walls along with his older brother and Clare. Their father never truly recovered after their mother's death, and the last years of Hale's childhood had been dark and lonely.
He walked me back into the library where a lunch service was waiting for us, and I sat down across from him in front of the hearth while he dished out sandwiches, fruit, and cups of tea.
“Clare should have been Alpha," he said as he sat down, bringing the tea to his lips before adding, “She was made for it, you know. She has the personality for it. But she's
