Page 67 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

Something tight in my chest eases just a fraction. I know she means it.

“I know you would have,” I say softly, taking a sip of my drink.

She nods, her gaze thoughtful. When she speaks again, her voice dips, careful and measured. “And the video about your parents… that must have been difficult.”

I force my expression to stay neutral, but the memory still stings, a sharp, dull ache settling in my ribs. “It was.” The words are even, steady, but she must hear something in my tone, something I don’t mean to let slip.

She doesn’t push. Instead, she reaches across the table and rests her hand over mine, a small, wordless gesture that says more than anything else could.

“I’m here for you, Katherine,” she murmurs. “This has to be… a lot.”

I nod because, yeah, that’s the understatement of the century. It is a lot. And what makes it worse is that Alex is still taking up space in my mind, rattling around like some ghost that refuses to be exorcised.

“The worst has passed,” I say, trying to sound like I believe it. “The company is stable, and my private investigator is working on unraveling the truth about who killed my parents and who’s trying to get me killed.” I take a slow breath, letting the words settle. “Right now, I just need to get Alex away from me. I’ve already started drafting a plan to show the board that we don’t need him to make money.”

Alice nods, slow, deliberate, her expression as unreadable as ever. She studies me for a moment, like she’s weighing something, then she speaks.

“I knew who he was.”

I blink. My brows lift slightly. I wasn’t expecting that.

“You knew?” The words slip out almost of their own will.

She doesn’t hesitate. “The first night you told me about him, I picked up a scent on you. I could tell you had been close to a shifter.”

So that’s why she had that look on her face that day.

“A while later I ran into him at your office. The day I came to say goodbye before heading back. And I confirmed who he was. Alex Valkov, Prince of the European Wolf Kingdom.”

A beat of silence stretches between us. I twist slightly in my seat, trying to process what she just said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her expression softens. “Honestly? Because I thought it would have been better if he told you himself.” There’s something almost apologetic in her voice, something earnest. “It was obvious you really cared about him. And you deserved to hear it from him.”

It’s sweet. It really is. But it’s also a little bitterly funny, in a twisted kind of way. The fact that it was so obvious to everyone—including Alice—that I had feelings for him. And yet, to Alex, I was nothing but a means to an end.

I let out a quiet sigh. “Well… so much for that.” The words taste bitter in my mouth. “Now, I just want to get him away from me.”

Alice tilts her head slightly. “He’s refusing to leave you alone?”

I scoff. “He keeps saying he needs to explain himself, like there’s anything he could possibly say to make it all okay. I don’t even know what his so called mission was, and honestly?” I shake my head. “I don’t care anymore.”

She’s quiet for a moment, like she’s turning something over in her mind. Then, suddenly, something changes in her expression. An idea sparks behind her eyes.

“Maybe you should start seeing someone else.”

I blink. “What?”

She leans forward slightly. “If you were with someone else, he’d see that you’ve moved on. And it would help with your family elders too—it’d get them off your back about him.”

I let her words settle, rolling them around in my mind. She’s not wrong. Lawrence and the elders are already practically salivatingover Alex. If I was with someone else, they would be receptive to the idea of me cutting him off. And if I can convince the board that we don’t need him, then maybe—just maybe—I won’t have to keep enduring his presence in my life.

There’s just one problem.

“That could work,” I admit. “But I’m not exactly spoiled for options right now. I don’t have time for dating with everything else going on.”

Alice barely hesitates before she says, “I’ll introduce you to someone.”

I arch a brow, unable to help the smirk tugging at my lips. “Since when did you start playing matchmaker, Alice?” My voice is laced with humor, the sheer absurdity of this conversation catching up with me.

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