Page 80 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

She sees me and goes pale.

I close the door behind me quietly, gazing at her. The anger drains into something else. “It’s been a long time, Alice.”

She doesn’t say anything, just watches me.

I walk over to her, and when I see a photograph on her desk, I reach for it, but she quickly slams it face down on her desk. “What do you want, Darian?”

My jaw tightens. “Is that a picture of your precious husband?”

Her expression shifts for just a second before she narrows her eyes at me. “Should I ask if you keep a picture of your mate in your wallet? It’s not my business, just as this is not your business.”

The window behind her chair is large and overlooks the city. I stand by it, my hands in my pockets as I stare at the sky. There’s a restlessness growing inside me.

“My wife,” I finally correct her after a few moments of silence. “Willow is not my mate.”

In her reflection in the window, I see her shoulders twitch. But when she speaks, her voice is calm. “Is there a difference?”

I look over my shoulder at her. “You’re a wolf shifter. Just because you’ve been hiding out in the human world, it’s no excuse for forgetting your roots. Marriage is for legal purposes. Mating is where the wolf spirits get involved. My wolf does not accept Willow.”

I wait for her reaction, but her back remains stiff. I cannot see her expression since she is not facing me. When she does reply, her tone is rigid. “I want to know why you are here, Darian. Haven’t you punished me enough? This life that I have built has nothing to do with you. I would appreciate it if you left me alone.”

Her words sting me. “Nothing to do with me, huh?”

Now, she turns in her chair to look at me. Her countenance is blank. There is no anger in her eyes. In fact, I could almost say that they look empty, devoid of emotion.

It infuriates me.

Have I been the only one pining all these years, like a fool?

I move to stand in front of her, and with one hand, I hold her by the jaw, tilting her face up to meet my burning gaze. “Everything you do is my business. Did you think you could hide from me forever?”

She bats my hand away, a hint of irritation entering her eyes. “Don’t try to bully me in my own territory, Darian. I’m no longer that weak little girl you tortured just for kicks. You can’t hurt me now. And if you try, I can disappear all over again. And next time, you’ll never find me.”

Fear strikes me in the heart. She means it. She really will vanish again.

Then, her previous words register on me.

“You think I tortured you for fun?” My throat tightens as I realize that all this time, that’s what she’s been thinking of me.

“You expect me to believe any different?” Alice rises to her feet, her eyes flashing at me.

“That can’t be further from the—”

She holds up a hand, stopping me, and I see the exhaustion in her eyes. “Look, Darian—sorry, Your Majesty.”

It’s my turn to flinch now.

“You wanted to teach me a lesson, and I learned it. I should’ve stayed in my own lane. I should never have even looked at you. Believe me, I will not make that mistake again.” She makes her way around the desk to put some distance between us. “You’re married, or mated, whichever. I’ve been in the human world forseven years. I’ve never looked for you. I’ve never tried to reach out to you. I know my place. I am no longer associated with the Wolf Kingdom. I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone. I’ve built a life here. However mediocre it may seem in your eyes, it is my life. I don’t want your shadow to fall on it. You and I have nothing to link us. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

I stare at her, stunned. “It’s that easy for you? To throw me out of your life?”

She says nothing.

“What do you mean, I taught you a lesson?” I watch her closely, my voice tense. “I wasn’t trying to do anything like that. You don’t understand the circumstances—”

“Save it. I don’t want to remember.” She looks me in the eye. “It’s in the past. I swore to myself I would never live in the past. What are you here to do, Sire? Is this just another attempt to ruin my life? Do you have some other plan to humiliate me or try to destroy me? Just tell me. If you want me to disappear, I’ll disappear. I have far too much to lose this time around to bother with pride.”

It’s not anger that’s coming from her; it’s resignation. She thinks I’m here to hurt her. She thinks I want to humiliate her.

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