Page 39 of Cruel Alpha: Season One

“That’s actually the best part, Lady Gilreath. Get this… I won’t be wearing any.”

“This is absurd,” she complains, but I ignore her and look myself over in the mirror. No, it’s not one of the ornate gowns I’ve been paraded around in lately, but it’s actually my favorite thing I’ve worn in months.

“Shall we head down to the dining room?”

Lady Gilreath’s face pales with the realization that she’s been bested, then she tosses her hands up in defeat, leading me to the door. On the other side, Archibald stands poised. He’s been there for nearly half an hour, waiting to escort me. I follow him through the winding corridors, down the grand staircase, and through more of the twisting passageways.

The doors to the dining room are shut, but the aroma of fresh baked bread and a combination of sweet and savoryselections waft out from underneath. I hear the light chatter of my maidens, and it hits me how much I’ve been looking forward to this. A small gathering of friends and family, good food, and clothes I can wear without needing assistance every time I need to use the facilities.

Heaven.

“Enjoy your meal and happy birthday, Ms. Breedlove,” Archibald croons, and I nod at him with a smile.

“Thank you very much.”

He nods back, and I hold my breath as he twists the knobs of both doors, then pulls them open. However, what awaits me just beyond the threshold comes as a total surprise.

Or should I say…whoawaits me on the other side comes as a total surprise.

I scan all the faces. There are at least ten of them. Maybe more. Yes, my maidens are present, but so are a handful of friends I’ve known since grade school, along with Aunt Geneva and Uncle Mitch, and of course… Caspian.

A breath hitches in my throat when our eyes lock.

Yes, he’s handsome and well dressed as always, but that isn’t what stalls my heart. It’s that look of confident hope in his eyes that does it. He wants me to see what he’s done. He wants me to be pleased with it.

And the thoughtful gesture truly does warm my heart.

“Happy birthday!” the crowd erupts, and I’m bombarded with hugs and well wishes the next second. I don’t think I’ve been squeezed so tightly in my entire life.

Aunt Geneva and Uncle Mitch are nearly the last to make their way over. Their reluctance doesn’t come as a shock. We haven’t exactly been on the best terms lately, and if it were up to me, their names wouldn’t have been on the guestlist atall, but perhaps we can temporarily bury the hatchet to get through today.

“Happy birthday to my beautiful niece,” Aunt Geneva croons.

“Thank you.” My jaw tenses with the words, but I force a smile to mask it.

“We were so pleased to have received an invitation!”

I nod, pretending to share in her joy, meanwhile I’m almost certain what she was mostpleasedwith was that she’ll now be able to brag at tea about having dined in the estate.

Uncle Mitch pulls me into a gentle hug before escorting Aunt Geneva back to their seats. Then, the alpha and I are standing face-to-face.

A slight smile curves his lips as he steps closer, and I recall how his kindness has gradually begun to shine through more. And despite myself, despite my declaration to avoid letting emotion seep into our arrangement, I fear it’s working.

“Happy birthday, my darling queen,” he whispers against my ear.

I try to resist the urge to melt into him, but I fail, my form molding against his as we embrace.

We separate after a few lingering moments in one another’s arms, and I realize we’ve captured everyone’s attention. Clearing my throat, I avoid locking eyes with my guests again as Caspian leads me to the seat at the head of the table and pulls it out for me. When I lower onto the cushion, it’s Aunt Geneva’s gaze that meets mine, and there’s no missing how pleased she is with what she’s just seen.

While this shouldn’t get under my skin, it does, knowing she’s probably thinking the end has justified the means, but that willneverbe the case. There will never be a time where whatever measure of happiness or contentment I find here will make up for what she and my uncle did to me.

I feel my mood souring and correct it, forcing out thoughts of ‘family’. Instead, I glance around, taking in the dessert table in the corner, which holds a beautiful pink cake stacked threetiers high. Surrounding it on clear platforms of varying sizes, are platters of colorful cupcakes. Another table in the opposite corner holds a pile of gifts all wrapped in gold paper, and the ceiling is blocked out by countless gold and pink balloons.

“Everything is so beautiful,” I say, turning to Caspian as our guests begin to talk among themselves.

His hand finds mine beneath the table, and he gives it a gentle squeeze. “I would’ve gone bigger, but I’ve come to learn that small, subtle gestures seem to please you more.”

My heart flutters inside my chest, but a deep breath steadies it. Then, a smile touches my lips as I glance toward the table full of gifts again.

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