I am not good at a lot of things but I'm especially bad at lying to myself. I hated to admit it but my disposition left me no choice. I was nervous and scared at Clover's arrival.

Her beauty was well known all over the world. She had the mannerism of a princess and the hidden strength of a hundred seasoned warriors. In comparison to her, I was nothing but chicken shít. She was the perfect person to be his mate and I feared that with her arrival, my deficiency would be even more pronounced.

I was so distracted throughout that morning that I stepped on Astrid's toe as I...