Page 68 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

My blood boils when I see the amusement in his eyes. My fists are already clenched on my lap, but now my claws extend and dig into the skin of my palms. I barely manage to stop myself from drawing my own blood.

“So, you want us to give up the second renegotiation?” Darian asks calmly.

“That clause only serves to show that you are trying to take advantage of us—”

“Consider it done.” He shrugs. “Are there any other requests that you would like me to fulfill, Miss Lane?”

Dammit. Why is he singling me out like this? I wonder how much trouble I could get into for picking up a chair and slamming it into his pretty face. Assault, most probably. I might not lose my license entirely if I call it a bout of temporary insanity.

I choose not to answer him, and I also decide not to jeopardize my job. Looking at Katherine, I lift my chin slightly, and she understands. It’s time for her to take over.

It’s surprising that Darian is so willing to make changes to the contract when they are put forward by me, but when Katherine tries to discuss something, his lawyers are ready to tear her apart. I keep having to step in.

When the meeting is coming to an end, most of the details have been finalized. I breathe a sigh of relief, and Katherine gets to her feet. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Kassel. I think we’ve made real progress today. If you have any further questions, your lawyers can reach out to Miss Lane at her office.”

“My business card is in each of your files.” I look toward Mark, who has been the most vocal of Acme Intech’s lawyers. He takes out my card to study it, but Darian, who is standing next to him, plucks it from his hand.

“This has your office number on it.”

My lips press into a line. “Because your lawyers will be contacting me at my office. It also has my email address, in case they’re not able to get in touch with me immediately. I check my messages multiple times a day, as does my assistant.”

“What about your personal number?”

My blood runs cold. “There’s no need for my personal number.”

My tone is harsh, and Katherine gives me a surprised look.

Darian, on the other hand, refuses to budge. “I would like to have it, in case I have any questions.”

My voice turns sharp. What does he even want with my personal number? “I don’t give out my personal information, Mr. Kassel. I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline.”

Katherine wraps her hand around my wrist, out of sight of everyone, a silent warning that I need to calm down. “If you have any further questions, Mr. Kassel, you can contact me,” she says brightly. “I think we have managed to sort everything out from the legal standpoint.”

Darian now diverts his attention to Katherine. “I’m disappointed, Miss Lockhart. I expected cooperation from every end. In our company, employees are available in and out of the office.”

My temples throb with rage, and I snap. “I guess I should consider myself lucky that I don’t work for you, Mr. Kassel.”

The tension in the room is now so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Darian is looking at me, and I can’t figure out what he’s thinking. There was a time when I could easily read his emotions in his eyes, but not anymore. Of course, back then, he was able to deceive me into believing that he cared about me. After a few moments of silence, he nods. “Very well. If I have any questions, I will reach out to you at your office.”

I stiffen. Darian should not be able to harm me because I am now part of the human world. In the eyes of the government, I am a human under their protection, and I am not exactly low profile in this city. But Darian can make my life miserable. I may have tried to bury the past and move on with my life, but I have not forgotten what he put me through: the humiliation, the agony.

In all my twenty-two years up to that point, nobody had managed to break my spirit. Not even the worst beating that Thomas had inflicted on me had wounded me so deeply. But Darian? He took our bond and made a mockery of it. He earned my trust and violated it in the worst of ways. All because someone like me had dared to be his fated mate. All those things about his father not wanting him to choose me? What a load of crap. Darian just wanted to hurt me. He broke me to the point that I finally lost the desire to live.

Well, the joke’s on him. He may have ripped my soul to shreds, but he left me with something so precious that he can never understand.

Mira!

I forgot about Mira! If he finds out about our daughter—

My knees nearly buckle at the thought. What am I doing getting angry when I should be scared? Darian is the prince of the Wolf Kingdom. If he discovers our daughter’s existence, he can take her from me as a form of revenge. Worse, he can put her through the same agony he put me through, just for having my blood in her veins.

I have never felt such a sickening fear. Bile rises up in my throat.

I have to leave. I have to get out of here. Even if Mira is registered in the human world, it won’t take much for wolf shifters to kidnap her. And after what Darian did to me, I have no doubt that he will do much worse to my daughter.

“Alice?” Katherine sounds worried as she grips me. “What’s wrong?”

The room is spinning, and I see Darian move toward me, but before he can so much as touch me, I gasp, “I’m fine. Just fine. I should probably eat something. I’ll head out now, Katherine.”

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