Page 72 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

That’s when Jimmy sees her in his mirror. He sucks in a breath. “It can’t be. Darian?”

He turns his body halfway in his seat to look at me, but I don’t respond. My eyes are glued to her.

If I were to list differences in Alice between now and then, I would say her breasts seem fuller, more rounded, as do her hips.Her waist is small, making me think she takes care of herself. I wonder if her skin still tastes the same, whether she makes the same wanton sounds in bed.

“I thought she was dead,” Jimmy mumbles, looking shocked.

A growl escapes my throat before I can control myself. “Look into her. I want every bit of information there is on Alice Lane. Where she’s been all this time, who her best friend is, who she had lunch with two years ago. I want to know everything about her.” I look at Jimmy, my voice cool now. “I want that report by the end of the day.”

He nods. “I’ll try, but Darian, when I searched for her before, I came up with nothing. It’s like she stopped existing after—after what happened.”

It finally hits me. “That must be because she’s not in the registry anymore. No wonder there was no trace of her. Somebody must have wiped out her name.”

Jimmy looks bewildered. “Only the royal family and pack alphas have access to the registry.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I snarl at him. “She’s clearly been living among the humans. Kalem and Son’s law firm. Start there. Work your way back in time. But right now, follow her. I want to know where she lives.”

Jimmy starts the car and glances at me apprehensively. “What are you planning, Darian?”

I lean back in the seat, my arms folded across my chest. “I want to know where Alice has been hiding all these years. And what she’s been up to.”

My friend gives me a troubled look but doesn’t argue.

I feel my phone vibrate against my leg, and I ignore it. A few seconds after it stops, Jimmy’s phone rings.

“It’s Her Majesty—”

“Don’t call her that,” I snap. “Call her by her name.”

“The last time I did that, I was severely punished,” my second-in-command gripes, his fingers flexing on the steering wheel.

Anger thrums through my veins. “She learned her lesson, didn’t she? She’s not allowed to touch my people.”

Jimmy begins driving as Alice’s car leaves. “She’s calling again.”

“Reject the call and put your phone on silent,” I say dismissively.

Jimmy does as I say. He doesn’t question why I’m not answering Willow’s calls. After all, if anyone knows the lie I’ve been living for the past seven years, it’s Jimmy.

We follow Alice all the way to a nice apartment complex.

“She’s a lawyer,” I murmur. “Of course she must make a good living.” I feel a sense of pride. A quick search of the human internet on my phone brings up Alice’s picture and her portfolio. I’m surprised she never changed her name. “Barthel School of Law. That’s not easy to get into.”

“How did she afford it?” Jimmy muses out loud.

“She clearly found a way,” I retort. “She’s smart and resourceful.”

Jimmy rolls his eyes at me in the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry. What was I thinking, asking a completely legitimate question?”

I ignore him, trying to unearth traces of Alice online. There’s nothing about her personal life. In fact, aside from her picture on the law school’s website, on a page showcasing high-achieving alumni, and the same picture on her law firm’s website, there’s not much I can find about her. The fact that she has managed to maintain such a low profile, even with such a high-flying career, is commendable. She’s done well for herself.

I smile broadly.

More than anything, I feel relieved.

Years ago, when Jimmy couldn’t find anything about her, I assumed the worst: that she had fled the palace, and she hadn’t survived. I tried to lean on her friend, the healer, but she remained silent during the entire questioning. My father was furious, demanding that I stop my interrogations and focus on what was important.

My engagement with Willow.

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