Page 95 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

I’m sure Willow suspected many times that my fated mate bond with Alice was still in place. But I never answered her questions. I barely tolerated the woman.

There’s a chance that the feelings Alice has for me are simply because of the bond we share. But at this point, I’m willing to take what I can get.

“Mira! Mira, stop! You’re not supposed to have two ice creams. Your mother’s going to kill me! Get back here!”

The woman’s cries have me looking up. “I know that voice,” I murmur.

“It’s that healer. Alice’s friend,” Jimmy says quickly. “And that must be—”

A child is running toward me, her mouth stained, a mischievous grin on her face, and two ice cream cones in her hands. As she runs, she is also quickly devouring the cones.

She’s so focused on her task that she doesn’t see us, and when she does, it’s too late to stop. She comes tumbling into my lap, the two ice creams splattering against my dark coat.

I barely notice them.

When I saw her from a distance in front of her school, she seemed like an ordinary child. But now, when she looks at me, those green eyes blinking in surprise and a little bit of dismay, I realize that I was gravely wrong.

There’s nothing ordinary about this little girl. Nothing at all.

“There you are!” Mary reaches us. “You little troublemaker! I knew I shouldn’t have—”

Her voice dies, and when I look up at her, I can read the shock and fear in her eyes.

“Your Majesty,” she breathes, fear thick in her voice. “Mira, come here.”

But when the girl tries to move, I grip her arms lightly. “No, stay.” My eyes are on the healer. “She’s a shifter.”

Terror flashes in her eyes. “I… Mira…”

The little girl is beginning to sense that something is wrong, and she tries to pull away from me. Dazed, I hold her tighter and look down at her. “Do you know who I am?”

She shakes her head mutely, glancing nervously over her shoulder at Mary.

“How old are you?”

“S–Six.”

“Six,” I breathe in a hushed whisper, a strange emotion burning through me. “Seven years since we… She was pregnant. She was pregnant when they—”

Bile rises in my throat.

“She has your scent,” Jimmy says in a disbelieving tone. “Darian—”

“I know.”

“Mira…” The healer still seems to hold some hope that she can undo this revelation. But it’s too late.

“Mary!” Another voice calls out from the distance, and this time, Alice comes into my line of sight. She’s holding two cups of coffee in her hands. When she sees the situation unfolding in front of her, she goes white, and the coffee is tossed aside.

“Mira! Come here!” Her tone is sharp and authoritative. Alice starts running toward us, and I see the fear crossing her face.

The little girl pulls away from me and hurls herself into her mother’s arms. I don’t stop her, just staring at Alice.

There was no husband. There were no lovers.

This is my daughter, mine and Alice’s.

The weight of this realization is staggering.

---