Page 82 of The Alpha's Cursed Queen

She sounds so near to tears that I look up at her and give her a weak smile. “I’m fine, Holly. But I’d like be alone for a while. You can go.”

That seems to be the only thing she doesn’t want to do, but she gives me a jerky nod. “I’ll be right outside. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll come right away.”

“Thank you.”

Once she’s gone and I’m all alone, I let out a gust of air.

So much for keeping my cool.

My legs feel wobbly. Why did he even come here? Was he trying to get me riled up? If so, then he succeeded.

Where does he get off trying to act all hurt that I got married and had a child? How dare Darian act as if I did him some great injustice?

“Did I love my fake husband?” I mutter to myself, seething. “You bet your damn ass I did. Best fucking relationship of my life!”

I want to throw something against the wall, but I really don’t want Holly coming back in here and parking herself in my office.

I lean back in my desk chair and glare at the ceiling instead. “He did it all to protect me? He’s so full of shit!”

I rub the spot over my chest. It hurts. I should have kept a level head. Why did I snap? At least he doesn’t know that Mira is his. Thank God for small blessings.

My phone vibrates, and I pick it up to see Mary’s name on the screen. I answer the call with, “Darian came by my office just now.”

A hiss from the other end of the line. “What did he do? Are you alright?”

“He was angry that I got married and had a child.” I pick up the glass paperweight on my desk and crush it in my bare hand. “He had the nerve to act all upset, as if I had betrayed him.”

“But he’s with Willow!” Mary bursts out. “What a hypocritical piece of—”

“Oh, I threw that in his face.” The glass shards of the weight are digging into my hand, but I don’t care. “Then, he started telling me that he married Willow but never mated her. As if that makes a difference.”

I pause for her to agree with me, but Mary doesn’t reply immediately.

“It doesn’t, does it?” I ask her.

“Darian says he never mated Willow?” The hesitance in Mary’s voice has me frowning.

“What does it matter, Mary? He married her. He shares her bed. He’s with her!”

“It does make a difference,” Mary says reluctantly. “If he hasn’t mated her, then that means he’s not—He probably hasn’t bedded her.”

“Hasn’t bedded her?” I echo. “You mean, they’ve never had sex?”

“Exactly.”

“What?” A strange anxiety is starting to build up within me. “How can you jump to that conclusion?”

“I’m not jumping to any conclusion, Alice,” my friend responds. “I’ve been so careful about not telling you anything about what’s happening in this part of the world, but I’ve been hearing things, and if what you’re saying is true, then it makes a lot of sense.”

I sit up straight. “What things have you been hearing?”

“Well, Darian and Willow have been together for seven years now. When they make public appearances, Darian never touches her. He follows all the royal protocols, but he never touches her, not even her hand. On top of that, they haven’t had a child yet. Shifters are rarely sterile. And before anyone in the royal family gets married, they undergo testing by healers.” Her voice lowers and fills with glee. “Their tests were clear. They can both conceive. Well, you already knew that Darian has no problem in that department. Despite that, Willow has not gotten pregnant. I did find it strange, like many others do, but now that you tell me he never mated her, that explains a lot.”

When she doesn’t elaborate, I growl, “Explains what, Mary? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She clears her throat. “If Darian never gave Willow the mating mark, that means he’s never slept with her. Once a wolf shifter couple gets married legally, the first night they spend together is when the male gives the female his mark. It’s common knowledge. And let’s say he doesn’t give her the mark for whatever reason. If he sleeps with her several times, his wolf is going to insist upon giving her the mating mark. If Darian has been able to hold out this long, it can only mean one thing: he has never slept with Willow.”

“But Cyrus used to sleep around all the time. He never marked anybody.”

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