Page 128 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

Before I can say anything, I hear Alice growl weakly, “D-don’t even think about it, Darian.”

I close my eyes in relief on hearing her voice. “I won’t touch them.”

“Why did you call him ‘Your Majesty’?” Katherine asks Mary, apparently not bothered by the potential threat to her life.

Mary glances at me nervously before replying. “This isn’t the time—”

“I’m the king of the Wolf Kingdom,” I say as I walk over to Alice and take her limp hand in mine.

Her eyes are glazed with pain, but she squeezes my fingers, whispering, “You can’t hurt them, Darian. They’re important to me.”

She has a pleading look in her eyes, and I hate it. I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it. “Your wish is my command.” Shenods almost imperceptibly before her eyes flutter shut. My head swivels toward Holly. “How do we empty this place? Don’t make me ask again.”

“Fire alarm,” she says queasily. “It’s down the hall.”

“Do it.” She hurries out, and I stroke Alice’s cold hand before looking at Mary. “How bad are we talking?”

“She’s going to need a couple of days to heal properly. Willow got her muscles and two arteries. She knew exactly where to target. She came here intending to cause a scene and kill her.”

“She knew what would happen if she revealed our kind to others. She took that risk to get rid of Alice?”

“She probably would have blamed Alice for it all,” Mary hisses. “There’s no way she didn’t plot this out to last detail. And if I know Willow, she has a backup plan in place.” She pauses for a moment. “I have a bad feeling. We shouldn’t have left Mira alone with just Jimmy.”

I reach for my phone, but when I call Jimmy, he doesn’t answer. Alarm bells begin to go off in my head.

I dial another number. On the first ring, a man answers. “Your Majesty?”

“I want the entire squad at my location in five minutes. I’m coming to the rooftop.” I end the call and look at Mary, who nods. Alice has passed out. “Some of my men will show up and escort all of you to another location. I have to go check on Mira.”

As soon as I walk out of Alice’s office, I hear the sound of the blaring fire alarm. She did it. As people rush toward the exit, I see Holly hurrying in my direction.

When we meet, I command, “Get back in there and lock the door till five men arrive. They will take all of you to a safe place.”

I hear the snick of the lock amid the sounds of feet hitting the marble floors.

It’s not hard to find the stairs to the roof. The Black Arrows are never too far away from where the king is. They are the king’s shadows, his private army, numbering no more than twenty at a time. I reach the rooftop, and they arrive within minutes.

“Willow is to be held prisoner,” I instruct the first five men. “Alice Lane is my fated mate and the future queen. Protect her at all costs. There will be two humans, as well. Do not harm them. Move them all to the royal residence and guard them with your lives.” I look up at my other men. “The rest of you are to come with me. My daughter may be in danger.”

Their expressions don’t even flicker. If they are surprised, they don’t show it. They simply nod, and while five of them head down the stairs, the rest follow me as I jump to the ground.

Our first stop is at the park. It takes us more than fifteen minutes to get there in our human forms, and there’s no trace of Jimmy anywhere. What I do smell is something else. Something that makes my blood curdle.

White witches.

And another distinct smell.

Thomas Elvin.

When did Willow’s father get here? And how did he find out about Mira? His appearance along with Willow’s cannot be a coincidence.

I follow the scents into the woods. As I head deeper, I can smell blood. Jimmy’s blood. My heart is beating wildly in my chest, fear an acrid taste on my tongue.

They couldn’t have gotten far.

Suddenly, three of the Black Arrows pick up their pace and dart ahead of me, shifting into their wolf forms. I hear the sounds of fighting mere moments later. Without a second thought, I shift as well, along with the rest of the Arrows.

A full scale battle is taking place in front of me when I get past the trees and into a clearing. I recognize Jimmy’s wolf facing off against Thomas’s wolf and at least nine white witches. The three Black Arrows who left my side have also joined in. Jimmy is shielding Mira, who is crying. Snarling, I jump into the fray, attacking the witch closest to me. She turns around and presses her hands against my chest, but before she can move her mouth, I rip her head off.

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