Page 27 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

This is a perfect time to discuss my lack of wolf spirit. Darian already knows about it, but I should still say it out loud so he hears it from me. But I don’t want to. It’s the elephant in the room, but I don’t want to touch it. What if he changes his mind after I say the words out loud? What if he decides to agree with Willow and Thomas and every other member of my pack?

“Willow has never liked me. And as I told you, her father dotes on her.” I mention a few incidents but deliberately keep everything vague. “Darian, don’t cause trouble. I’m leaving. I would rather go in one piece. I don’t want to give Thomas any more reasons to hurt me.”

“He’s not going to hurt you. If he knows what’s good for him, he won’t so much as look at you,” Darian growls. “And what was that nonsense about not going to the mating gathering? You have to come. I will be there.”

“If you think Thomas is going to let this slide,” I mutter, my mouth dry, “you don’t know him. I’m not a coward, Darian. I can stand up for myself. But when people are stronger than you, and of a higher status, it doesn’t matter what you do. No matter how much you fight back, you will always be the one getting hurt. Getting injured. I’m tired of the constant humiliation. I want out.”

“Running away isn’t going to solve anything,” Darian insists. “You’re not understanding. Come to the gathering. Even if the fates don’t bind us, I will still choose you. You have no reason to doubt me. You don’t have to run away. You can choose me. Nothing will happen to you as long as I’m around. I won’t let you down, Alice.”

I stare at him, my heart pounding in apprehension. “What if you find your fated mate? What then?”

He’s silent, and then he smiles at me. “I don’t see that happening. And besides, I would rather be with you. You’re interesting, and I know that being with you is going to make me happy.”

“How can you say that for sure when you’ve only spent such a brief amount of time with me?”

He doesn’t get irritated at my constant reluctance. Instead he reaches out, takes my hand, and presses his lips against my fingers. “I just know. You need to have some faith in me. Come to the mating gathering. In the meantime, I’ll make sure nobody somuch as touches you. That’s my responsibility and my promise to you.”

“Who are you?” I finally ask, hesitantly. “Why was Thomas scared of you? You said you work in the royal palace. What is your designation?”

Darian looks delighted. “You never looked me up?”

“Should I have?”

His grin broadens. “Don’t look me up. I would rather surprise you. I do work in the royal palace. And if Thomas knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay away from you.” He kisses me intently. “I’ve never felt this way before, Alice. I don’t know if this is love or whether I believe in love at first sight, but that’s how I feel when I see you. When you’re near me, it feels like the whole world has stopped. I can only see you. Don’t take my words lightly. I never say what I don’t mean.”

“I—” His words have overwhelmed me, and I feel flustered. “I’m not a romantic, Darian. I don’t want to get hurt. There’s a reason why nobody has ever wanted me. What if you change your mind?”

His smile is wicked and sincere at the same time. “I will never change my mind. You don’t have to worry about that. As long as you promise to be mine.”

This is all moving too fast. I should be pumping the brakes, but I can’t seem to do that. It’s like I’m falling into a rabbit hole, and Darian is dragging me farther down. Common sense is going out the window. I want to believe him. I want to place my faith in him.

Maybe Mary and Sam were right.

Maybe meeting Darian was fate.

Chapter 6

Alice

“A week?!” I stare at the notice that has just been delivered to me. “You said the mating gathering would be for one day!”

Mary looks at me as she happily cracks a lobster claw. “What are you worried about? He sent you some more dresses today, didn’t he? You should probably try them on to see if they fit. I’m just happy I’m allowed to attend as your companion.”

I ignore her as she eats the food from the restaurant, which Jimmy sent to my apartment after I returned home last night.

My eyes scan the itinerary. “There’s a gathering in the ballroom on the first day.”

“It’s sort of like a meet and greet,” Mary informs me, gesturing with a piece of seafood. “Here. Try this.”

She tosses a prawn to me, and I catch it. My eyes flutter shut at the explosion of flavors in my mouth. Dang it. That’s really good!

“The gathering changes every year. When I went with my sister, it only lasted one day. There were a whole lot of different events jammed into twenty-four hours.” Mary scrambles over to look at the paper in my hand. “Oh, so it’s the same thing, only spread out over a week. That’s not too bad. And Darian did send youa dress for each day, so it’s not like you have any reason to be panicking.”

“But a week, Mary?” I don’t know why I’m so flustered. “I—”

My friend is no longer paying attention to what I’m saying. She’s sniffing me, a curious expression on her face. “Did you change your perfume?”

“What?” I ask her, puzzled. “No. I don’t wear perfume. Can’t afford it, remember? I live in broke town.”

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