Page 63 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

“Oh, this is ridiculous!” I burst out. “They’re acting like they bungee jumped down from Mount Olympus!”

“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if they’re Greek gods or mole men,” Katherine replies tartly. “I just need to land this deal. Thiscompany is legit, and if this project goes through, we’re talking billions of dollars. We’ll revolutionize the medical industry. I need them to agree to collaborate with us.” Her voice softens, and she gives me a beseeching look. “I looked into them. They’re a successful multinational corporation. No scandals, nothing that raises red flags except their demand for secrecy. And the CEO will be making an appearance during the meeting. We just have to sign an agreement not to disclose his identity. I really need you on board with this, Alice.”

“Fine.” I hold up my hands, palms facing outward. “I’m on board.”

The relief on Katherine’s face tells me I’ve made the right decision, but I’m anticipating that this coming week is going to be a tough one. I’m going to be researching the shit out of this company. Nondisclosure agreement, my ass! There must be some trace of this CEO on the internet, and I plan to find it. No way am I walking into this meeting blind.

As our food arrives, we switch the conversation to milder topics.

“How is Mira doing? How was her first day?”

“Switching from kindergarten to first grade in the middle of the school year is not recommended.” I wave my fork in the air. “I don’t know why I let myself be talked into this.”

Katherine grimaces. “It didn’t go well?”

“Oh, it went well. She made a friend. But she also got saddled with a lot of homework. Her teacher wants her to catch up with the rest of the class. When I left her with my neighbor for dinner, she was working on math problems. Addition and subtraction.”

“So, what’s the issue?” Katherine shrugs. “She’s intelligent. She already has a friend. She’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want her to stand out, Kat.” I sigh. “I want my daughter to be a normal, happy child, not some sort of prodigy. Her new teacher was a little too impressed with her.”

My friend laughs. “You’re the only mother I know who would worry about her kid doing too well in school.”

I flinch. “I just—”

“I know.” She gives me an amused look. “You don’t want her to stand out. But you know, Alice, there’s nothing wrong with standing out. It’s a good thing. Mira is crazy smart. Kids her age aren’t doing long division, and yet, I saw her working on it when I came over the other day. She was trying to figure it out, at least. I don’t know what you’ve been feeding that kid, but you should be proud of her. She is a prodigy, whether you like it or not. Don’t make her feel like she’s letting you down by being too sharp.”

I look down at my steak.

I know it may seem unreasonable to Katherine—heck, even Mary disagrees with me—but I can’t shake off this perpetual fear that Mira may become an outcast if she keeps learning at this rate. I don’t want my daughter to live the life I led. Although my reasons for being an outcast were not the same, at the end of the day, it all boils down to being different. I was different from the other children because I did not have a wolf spirit. My daughter is different because she is too intelligent for her age.

“I am proud of her,” I say quietly. “She knows that. I guess I’m just… I tend to overthink things when it comes to Mira.”

“I still say you should put her in private school.” Katherine sips her wine. “She picks up on things really fast. If I had a kid like that, I would be trying to send her to best private school I could find, even if it meant shipping her off to Switzerland or someplace where only the top one percent of the population goes.”

My head whips up before I realize she’s joking. Well, maybe not entirely joking.

“I can’t send Mira away.” I frown into my drink. “What would I do without her? She’s my whole world.”

Katherine gives me a concerned look. “I didn’t mean that you should send her off to Switzerland. I would never recommend separating the two of you. I know how much she adores you. She worships the ground you walk on. I was just saying that you should give her the best opportunities to cultivate her intelligence. I mean, I know you’re doing everything you can for her, but don’t let your fears get in the way of her growth.”

Katherine’s words trouble me. When I reach home an hour later and pick up my sleeping daughter from Mrs. Getrude in the apartment below ours, I wonder if I’m hindering Mira’s future. I always told myself that I would put her interest first, but am I doing that? Am I being a good mother?

Mira is already wearing her pajamas, and Mrs. Getrude has given her a bath. My little girl snuggles against me, and I kiss her forehead.

After laying her down in her bed, I cover her with the blanket and sit by her side for a few minutes, just gazing at her.

In my former community, when wolf shifter couples become parents, the grandparents are heavily involved in helping raise the child. That’s usually the case for the first child, anyway. By the time the next child arrives, the couple has more experience, and they are left to manage on their own.

Aside from Mary, I didn’t have anybody to guide me. When Mira started teething, she had fevers constantly. I didn’t know this was common for young shifters when their sharper teeth are coming in. Terrified for my baby’s life, I called Mary, and my friend immediately flew to Arizona. She stayed with me for a week till she was certain I could handle it. It took me quite a while to figure out how to react to situations like that when it came to my daughter.

Maybe I seem obsessive, but this child is the only person I have in the world. The idea of anything happening to her…

I stroke Mira’s hair, my heart overflowing with love and warmth.

Six years, and I thought I had learned to be the perfect parent. But when it comes to kids, I guess one can never stop learning. Maybe I can have Mira quench her thirst for knowledge at home, and then in school she can try to be a normal child. I don’t know if this would be the right solution. I don’t want to hold her back, but at the same time, I cannot let go of these fears that are consuming me. The wolf shifter community is always on the lookout for intelligent humans. I can’t let Mira get on their radar.

“I’ll protect you from everyone,” I whisper to her. “As long as I’m alive, I will make sure nobody can hurt you.”

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