Page 125 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

I run toward Holly, letting the change wash over me. I feel my clothes absorbing into my skin. Holly’s screams stop as I jumpon Willow’s back, pushing her sideways into my cabinets. I can hear Katherine speaking frantically into the phone, but my ears are roaring as Willow tries to bite into my neck.

I snap my teeth at her, unwilling to take her life. It would be so easy, but the problems her death would cause me later on would be too difficult to deal with. Her fangs sink into my leg, and I bite her shoulder. Her howl is echoing. I hear footsteps outside, people pounding on the door.

Holly’s mouth is open, but no sound comes out.

Willow is tearing at my flesh as if she’s determined to rip me to pieces. I put my paw on her neck, cutting off her air supply. The harder she bites, the more force I apply on her throat. Soon enough, her struggles die down, and she goes limp. I jump off her and shift back. I stagger forward, and Katherine catches me before I hit the ground.

“Is—Is she dead?” Holly asks before taking a look at me and shrieking, “Miss Lane!”

Blood from my injuries is soaking my shirt. Willow took out chunks of my flesh, and the damage, along with the loss of blood, has me sinking into Katherine’s arms. Seeing me like this has both my friend and my assistant panicking.

“Darian’s on his way!” Katherine tells me.

Holly grabs her phone. “I’ll call an ambulance!”

“N–No!” I breathe, struggling to get the word out.

Katherine echoes my sentiments. “We can’t take her to a hospital. If they find out about—” She jerks her head towardthe unconscious Willow, who transformed back into her human form upon passing out.

Holly stiffens. “I’m dreaming,” she mutters.

I grit my teeth, trying to swallow this burning sensation. I know my body will heal, but it needs time. Plus, the kind of injuries Willow has caused require a healer’s touch. Darian will know what to do; I’m sure he’s bringing Mary.

My hands dig into Katherine’s arms when I hear the pounding outside. She seems to sense my fear and looks at Holly. “We have to get everyone away from the door. We can’t let them find out about Alice.”

Holly meets my gaze and then squares her shoulders. “Right. You look after Miss Lane, and I’ll deal with everyone else.”

She hurries over to the door, unlocks it, and slips out through a small crack, closing it firmly behind herself.

“Nobody can go in,” I hear her say. “Miss Lane and a client had an argument. They’re still talking.”

Then, there’s the voice of one of the paralegals who works on my floor. “That didn’t sound like an argument. I heard screaming. Somebody go get Mr. Asher.”

“Go ahead,” Holly says calmly. “You’ll only get yourself in trouble. Miss Lane has controlled the situation. If anybody tries to interfere, she’ll have your head.”

An uncomfortable silence, and then someone says awkwardly, “We were just worried. We heard things being thrown around.”

“The client got aggressive. Like that’s never happened before?” Holly sounds dismissive. “Miss Lane was merely negotiating a deal. The next person who knocks on her door will be fired. Now, clear out of the hallway, please, and stop making a scene.”

When we hear footsteps moving away, Katherine sighs in relief. Holly enters a few minutes later, then presses her hand to her heart. “I don’t know how I did that without breaking down. What do we do? Miss Lane doesn’t look so good.”

My breathing is shallow, and I can feel strange emotions that are not mine. Rage. Concern. Fear.

Are those Darian’s emotions?

My legs are going numb, and the pool of blood around me is growing. I try to breathe, which causes a new wave of indescribable agony, like knives piercing me with each intake of air.

This isn’t good. I’m not healing as I should, and I can feel myself growing weaker.

“M-Mary,” I gasp. “Call Mary.”

Katherine fumbles with her phone. “I am. Wait, I—”

All of a sudden, I hear a sharp thud outside.

Weakly, I turn my head to the left, and I see Darian standing on the narrow ledge outside my office window, looking wild-eyed.

Holly lets out a scream.

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