Page 38 of The Alien's Runaway Bride

No, not Vex. Prince Khav’exorne of Tharvis.

The realization hit her like a physical blow, stealing the breath from her lungs. The man she’d shared adventures with, the man she’d begun to fall for... he’d been the prince all along, hidden beneath a human disguise.

Raelee’s mind reeled, struggling to reconcile the Vex she knew with the alien prince standing before her. The warm brown eyes that had looked at her with such tenderness on Earth were now bottomless pools of starlight, yet they still held the same depth of emotion. The strong hands that had held hers as they danced in the rain now bore the marks of royal responsibility, their silver skin adorned with pulsating, bioluminescent patterns.

She barely registered the gasps of surprise from her sisters or the curious murmurs of the Tharvisian court. All she could focus on was the maelstrom of emotions raging within her.

Betrayal. Anger. Confusion. And underneath it all, a traitorous flicker of hope.

Vexor—she couldn’t think of him as Vex anymore—took a step forward, his expression a complex mix of regret and longing. “Raelee,” he said, his deep voice carrying an otherworldly resonance that sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. “I?—“

Raelee’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. The pain helped ground her, kept her from losing herself in the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

“You can explain?” she spat, her voice low and dangerous. “Explain how you deceived me?”

Vexor flinched as if her words were physical blows. “It wasn’t like that,” he insisted. “I wanted to get to know you, the real you, without the weight of our titles and responsibilities hanging over us.”

“So you decided to lie to me?” Raelee shot back, her anger building with each word. “You made me believe in something-someone that wasn’t real!”

“It was real,” Vexor said, his voice thick with emotion. “Everything between us was real. The only thing I concealed was my true appearance and proper name.”

Raelee laughed bitterly. “Just your appearance and name? You lied about who you were, about why you were at that diner. You let me believe we were just two people connecting, when all along you knew...you knew who I was. You had so many opportunities to tell me the truth…”

She trailed off, unable to finish the thought. The memory of their time together—the laughter, the shared adventures, the quiet moments of connection—now felt tainted, corrupted by the knowledge of Vexor’s true identity.

“Raelee, please,” Vexor pleaded, taking another step toward her. “Give me a chance to explain everything.”

Raelee held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. “I can’t do this right now.”

She turned to her sisters, seeing a mix of shock and concern on their faces. “I need some air,” she muttered, already moving toward the doors.

“Raelee, wait!” Vexor called after her, but she ignored him, pushing past the stunned courtiers and out into the corridor.

She walked blindly, letting her feet carry her away from the grand hall, away from Vexor and the shattered remnants of her plans. She found herself in a secluded alcove, overlooking a garden that pulsed with bioluminescent flora.

Leaning against the cool, living wall, Raelee tried to make sense of the chaos in her mind. Part of her wanted to scream, to rage against Vexor for his deception. Another part—a part she was trying desperately to ignore—longed to run back to him, to believe that what they’d shared had been real despite his alien nature.

“Rae?” Zora’s gentle voice broke through her thoughts. Her sisters had followed her, concern etched on their faces.

“I’m fine,” Raelee said automatically, though they all knew it was a lie.

Venus snorted. “Bull. You look like you’ve been hit by a truck. A very handsome, alien princely truck.”

Despite everything, Raelee couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “God, what a mess,” she sighed, running a hand through her hair. “What am I supposed to do now?”

Mila, ever the pragmatist, spoke up. “We stick to the plan. This doesn’t change the fact that we’re here to negotiate, not to roll over and accept an arranged marriage.”

“Doesn’t it, though?” Raelee countered. “Everything’s different now. I thought I was coming here to meet a stranger, to assert my independence. But now...”

“Now you’re faced with a man—an alien—you have feelings for,” Zora finished softly.

Raelee nodded, feeling tears fill her eyes. “I don’t know if I can trust him,” she admitted. “But I don’t know if I can walk away either.”

Venus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to decide anything right now, Rae. Take some time, process everything. We’ve got your back, no matter what you choose.”

Raelee took a deep breath, drawing strength from her sisters’ support. “You’re right,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “I need time to think, to figure out how I feel about all of this.”

As if on cue, a soft chime sounded, and Xylith’s voice filled the alcove. “My apologies for the interruption, but Prince Vexor requests a moment of your time, Lady Raelee. At your convenience, of course.”

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