Page 68 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

Alice doesn’t even glance up. She’s already pulling out her phone, fingers flying across the screen like she’s setting up a business deal, not meddling in my love life. “His name is Jimmy,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’m giving him your number and telling him to reach out to you.”

I blink. “Wow. Not wasting any time here, are we?” There’s mock shock in my tone, but honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised. Alice has never been the type to hesitate once she’s made up her mind.

“Well,” she drawls, finally looking at me, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. “Since you’ve developed a thing for wolf shifters, I’m an expert in the field.” There’s a teasing glint in her eyes, one that makes it impossible not to roll my own in response.

But then—just like that—the humor morphs. She looks at me, and her expression steadies, turning serious. Not heavy, exactly, but firm. Certain.

“Jimmy is second in command to my mate,” she tells me, her voice softer now, more pointed. “He’s powerful—powerful enough that Alex might actually take the hint and back off. And he’s exactly the kind of person your family elders would approve of.”

There’s something deeper in her tone, something more than just wanting Alex out of my life. Like it’s personal for her in a way I don’t fully understand.

I exhale, nodding slightly. “Thanks, Alice.” And I mean it. Even if I’m not exactly thrilled at the idea of meeting someone new, I’d rather deal with that than the constant push and pull of Alex lingering in my orbit. Anything to avoid the way Lawrence and the elders have already started circling, ready to shove me in Alex’s direction like it’s some grand arrangement.

Alice flashes me a small smile before standing, smoothing down the fabric of her dress. “I need a bathroom break. These cocktails have that effect once you’re a few drinks in.” She rolls her eyes at herself, already turning toward the restroom.

And that’s when it hits me.

A thought. A memory. Something Alex said, buried under everything else that’s been happening, but suddenly, now, in this moment, it resurfaces with startling clarity.

I don’t even think—I just speak.

“Oh, and there’s one other thing.”

Alice pauses mid stride, turning back to me, one brow lifting in question.

I meet her gaze. “Alex once told me we were… fated.” The word feels strange on my tongue, too heavy, too shrouded with something I don’t fully understand. “That we’re bound to each other somehow.”

Her expression changes instantly.

Her eyes widen, the change so immediate it makes my pulse quicken. There’s a flicker of something—recognition? Realization?—and it roots me to the spot, my breath caught somewhere in my chest.

I push forward. “It sounded like a shifter thing. Something I couldn’t understand at the time. I wanted to write it off as bullshit, something he said to manipulate me because of whatever mission he was on.” I pause, hesitating for just a second before I add, “But he mentioned a thread. A golden thread.”

Alice’s expression deepens. The playfulness from earlier is long gone, replaced with something much more serious.

“And I’ve been seeing it,” I continue, my voice a little quieter now. “Like flashes before my eyes. Some kind of vision or something. It was stronger when he was close. After he left, it stopped. But now that he’s back… it’s happening again.”

There’s a stretch of silence.

Alice just watches me. Like she’s reading something in me that I don’t even understand myself. Like she’s seeing a picture I don’t have all the pieces for yet.

I open my mouth to say something else—to ask her what exactly she’s thinking—but before I can, she exhales, tilting her head slightly.

“Hmm.” It’s a considering sound, like she’s measuring her words. And then, after a beat, she speaks. “Well… that’s his problem to worry about. He should’ve thought about that before he lied to you.”

I blink. “So… it’s real?”

She nods, slow and deliberate. “It is.” But then her expression softens, and there’s something warm in her tone when she adds, “But don’t worry. It’s not a problem for you.”

I want to press. I should press. But before I can, she gives me a small, knowing look. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

And just like that, she turns, heading for the restroom, leaving me with nothing but my drink, my thoughts, and the ghost of a golden thread lingering at the edges of my vision.

As the minutes tick by, I can’t get my head off how Alice reacted when I mentioned the thread Something about the look on her face when I mentioned the fated mate thing won’t leave me alone. She looked worried—and Alice isn’t the type to worry easily. She’s the queen of a wolf kingdom, for God’s sake. If she thinks something is serious, then it probably is.

And even though she told me it’s not something I should concern myself with, the way she spoke about it… like it’s something Alex will have to deal with… it sounded like there’s some kind of consequence. Like this whole fated bond thing isn’t just some poetic shifter nonsense, but an actual, tangible force that does something.

I sip my drink again, letting the alcohol settle in my system, willing it to steady me. I should be furious with Alex. I am furious. I shouldn’t care if something happens to him. He lied to me. Used me. Made me believe in something that was never real. I should be perfectly happy to let whatever this is be his problem.

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