Chapter 45: The Tomb

Liliana’s POV

I am back at mom’s old cottage, in the sanctuary of the Woodlands. All is quiet as I walk through the cream-coloured door, mom’s favourite colour when she was still alive. I enter the tiny kitchen, the room is sparse with only two chairs and a plain wooden dining table. The place is lit by a single lamp that has bad wiring. The light flickers as I slump into one of the chairs.

I bite my lips and rest my head in my palm. My head gets heavy and dizzy almost immediately as the weight of governing both Woodlands and Azure sinks in. Once I had thought that with Anotonio, Bella and her mother out of the picture, things would have been easier. But now I know that I am wrong.

Can I even do this? Can I guide the packs through this financial crisis and bring them a season of peace and prosperity that grandpa once did? I cannot even afford to pay taxes to Landon’s pack. I shake my head and pull at the roots of my hair. At this point I begin to doubt myself, the power I thought I