Page 59 of Alien Huntsman

“I told you I have nothing to do with that.” Lenora’s face contorted. “And you can’t prove any of this! It’s your word against mine, and who would believe?—”

“I would,” Mayor Jacobson said sternly. “I always thought there was something not right about how you treated that girl after her father died.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the gathered villagers. So many familiar faces were now looking at Lenora with newly suspicious eyes.

She drew in a deep breath, feeling Korrin’s solid presence beside her. The familiar scents of the bakery—yeast, sugar, and warmth—wrapped around her, but they no longer felt like home. That was elsewhere now, in a cabin in the woods with the male she loved. But she had no intention of leaving the bakery in Lenora’s hands.

“You have no future here, Lenora,” she said, her voice steadier than she’d expected. “Not after what you’ve done.”

Lenora’s eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line. For a moment, vulnerability flickered across her face before hardening into defiance.

“Fine with me,” she snapped, tossing her head. “I’ll sell this pathetic little shop and that dreary house. I never wanted to be stuck in this backwater village anyway.”

“No.” She stepped forward, feeling a strength she’d never known before flowing through her. “You won’t be selling anything.”

“Excuse me?” Lenora’s voice rose sharply.

“The bakery and the house were my father’s. They should have been mine all along.” She placed her palm flat on the counter, the wood smooth and familiar beneath her fingers. “You will leave and you will take nothing but your clothes.”

Lenora’s face flushed crimson. “How dare you! I’m entitled to?—”

“Nothing else. That includes my mother’s jewelry,” she cut in, thinking of the delicate pieces her father had cherished, the ones Lenora had claimed as her own the moment he was gone. “Those were meant for me.”

The bakery had fallen completely silent. The villagers watched, wide-eyed, as Lenora’s composure cracked. She looked around wildly, searching for an ally and finding none.

“You can’t do this to me,” Lenora hissed, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “I am your stepmother.”

“You tried to have me killed. Twice.” She didn’t flinch at the venom in her stepmother’s voice. “You were certainly never a mother to me.”

Korrin’s hand settled at the small of her back, warm and reassuring. She didn’t need to look up at him to know his eyes were fixed on Lenora, daring her to make a move against his mate.

Lenora’s face crumpled, the fight visibly draining from her. For a fleeting moment, Tessa glimpsed something almost like regret in her stepmother’s eyes before it vanished behind a wall of cold dignity.

“Fine,” Lenora said, her voice brittle. “I’ll be gone by sunset.”

Without another word, she untied her apron, placed it on the counter with exaggerated care, and walked out. The bell above the door jingled cheerfully, a stark contrast to the tension of the moment.

As the door closed behind Lenora, Tessa felt a weight lift from her shoulders. The bakery itself seemed to exhale, the air suddenly lighter, sweeter. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the worn wooden floors and familiar counters in a warm glow.

“Well,” Mrs. Davenport said, breaking the silence, “that’s long overdue.” She stepped forward and wrapped Tessa in a tight hug. “Welcome home, dear.”

The floodgates opened. Villagers pressed forward, surrounding Tessa with warm embraces and kind words. Mr. Wilkins patted her shoulder awkwardly, confessing how much he’d missed her bread. The Cooper twins, who’d been in school with her, wanted to know all about the Vultor she’d brought back with her. Mayor Jacobson promised her full support in sorting out the legal matters of ownership. Tessa was grateful for her support, but she didn’t entirely trust the triumphant gleam in the older woman’s eyes. The mayor always had some scheme in mind.

Their kindness overwhelmed her, tears pricking at her eyes. Korrin remained at her side, his presence steady and protective.Though he didn’t speak, she noticed how his posture gradually relaxed as it became clear these people meant her no harm.

“We’ve missed you something terrible,” old Mr. Fletcher said, his weathered face creasing into a smile. “That woman Lenora hired couldn’t bake to save her life. Bread hard as rocks, it was!”

Laughter rippled through the crowd, and Tessa found herself joining in, the sound strange but welcome after so much tension.

“When will you reopen?” someone called from the back.

She glanced up at Korrin. This bakery was her heritage, her birthright—but her home was with him now.

“We’ll just have to see,” she said lightly as she turned to another well-wisher.

CHAPTER 24

Korrin leaned against the bakery counter, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Tessa move around the space with effortless grace, a smudge of flour on her cheek and happiness radiating from her like sunlight. She’d insisted on making a few quick treats for the villagers who had been so supportive and she’d clearly enjoyed every moment. Something in his chest tightened, an unfamiliar ache that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

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