The Alpha’s Cursed Queen (Eternal Oath Saga #1)

Chapter 6

Alice

“A week?!” I stare at the notice that has just been delivered to me. “You said the mating gathering would be for one day!”

Mary looks at me as she happily cracks a lobster claw. “What are you worried about? He sent you some more dresses today, didn’t he? You should probably try them on to see if they fit. I’m just happy I’m allowed to attend as your companion.”

I ignore her as she eats the food from the restaurant, which Jimmy sent to my apartment after I returned home last night.

My eyes scan the itinerary. “There’s a gathering in the ballroom on the first day.”

“It’s sort of like a meet and greet,” Mary informs me, gesturing with a piece of seafood. “Here. Try this.”

She tosses a prawn to me, and I catch it. My eyes flutter shut at the explosion of flavors in my mouth. Dang it. That’s really good!

“The gathering changes every year. When I went with my sister, it only lasted one day. There were a whole lot of different events jammed into twenty-four hours.” Mary scrambles over to look at the paper in my hand. “Oh, so it’s the same thing, only spread out over a week. That’s not too bad. And Darian did send you a dress for each day, so it’s not like you have any reason to be panicking.”

“But a week, Mary?” I don’t know why I’m so flustered. “I—”

My friend is no longer paying attention to what I’m saying. She’s sniffing me, a curious expression on her face. “Did you change your perfume?”

“What?” I ask her, puzzled. “No. I don’t wear perfume. Can’t afford it, remember? I live in broke town.”

She doesn’t laugh like I expected her to, her brows knitting together. “You smell strange. Different, somehow.”

I cover her face with my hand, lightly shoving her away. “Okay, that’s enough. Stop sniffing me. You’re going to give me a complex. I don’t stink.”

“I never said you did,” comes her muffled voice, and she pushes my hand down. “You smell nice. I can’t explain it. It makes me want to rub against you.”

I quickly take a few steps back. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, I’m not going to, but”—she pauses, looking uneasy—“if I were in my wolf form, I think it would be hard for me to resist. You’re giving off this tantalizing aroma.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I say warily.

“Go take a shower,” Mary suggests. “Maybe the scent will disappear.”

I don’t hesitate.

I head to my room, strip off my clothes, and hop into the shower. The water is nice and warm. I sniff myself, but I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary. As I wash up, though, I notice something strange near my ankle. I have to bend down to take a proper look at it.

With water rushing over me, I crouch in the shower stall, focusing on the odd mark. It doesn’t make sense to me. It looks like there’s a tattoo on my ankle, but I’ve never gotten a tattoo. The mark is in the shape of a half-moon with a unique pattern decorating the sides. I can’t make heads or tails of it.

When I touch it, nothing happens. It looks like a normal tattoo. Lifting my head, I stare at the tiled wall. Did I get drunk at some point and go to a tattoo parlor? No, I would remember that. Or at least, it would hurt a little bit.

As I stare at the mark, an unbidden memory comes to mind.

The lake. The witches at the bottom of the lake.

After Darian convinced me that the bodies of the dead witches had been removed from the water a long time ago, I figured it must have been a dream. Perhaps I had been so exhausted that I simply fell asleep on the shore. Weird choice to take off my shirt before I did so, but it’s possible.

Before I went to the lake, however, this tattoo was not on my ankle. Could it actually have happened, then? Did I really not imagine that whole thing?

A chill passes through me. I remember seeing several bodies lying peacefully at the bottom of the lake. Beautiful women. They looked like they were sleeping. But fear struck me when the eyes of the one closest to me flew open and she grabbed my wrist.

I get to my feet and turn off the shower.

There has to be another explanation. I have to have imagined that whole thing. Maybe I should go to the lake again. Maybe I should check…

But this time, I don’t want to. What am I even going to do if I find the bodies? I don’t want Darian to swim down there, and he seems to be the type who will want to double-check for himself.

I let out a breath. I’ll deal with this tattoo situation later. First, I have to get the mating gathering over with. I don’t know what Darian is thinking, but I want to trust him. It’s strange and terrifying to put my faith in someone in this way. I never believed I could ever be with anybody, and then Darian came along. Nobody has ever treated me the way he does. It’s like I’m invisible to the whole world but him.

I’m putting my hair up in a towel when my arms go still. I was looking in the mirror, and just for a moment, one brief moment, I thought I saw my eyes turn yellow.

Blinking hard, I lean a little closer to my reflection, but nothing seems to be different. Did I imagine it?

I keep staring at myself, but nothing changes.

“That’s it,” I mumble. “I’m going nuts. The crazies have gotten me. I must have dived into that lake and caught an infection or something. And now I’m seeing things.”

I look down at my ankle to check whether I imagined the tattoo, as well. It’s still there. I’m about to call for Mary to come and see, but something stops me.

The reason there is such little information about the dark witches, aside from their obvious evil nature, is because they are a sort of taboo topic in the Wolf Kingdom. If the whole thing in the lake did happen, and if this tattoo has something to do with that witch touching me, and if Mary sees it and recognizes the mark, she will be obligated to report it.

I sit down heavily on the toilet seat. In my head, I know I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill, but I just can’t take any chances right now. Not when freedom is so close that I can taste it.

I should keep this to myself. There’s definitely something strange about it, but before telling anybody, I’d better do some research. When I have time.

*****

Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance before it’s time for us to leave. Darian seems to be busy, too, as the days of the mating gathering get closer. To my surprise, he is true to his word, and neither Willow nor her father approach me. By the time Mary and I bring our bags down to the vehicle that her family sent to take us to the palace, I feel relieved.

“It was really nice of your dad to let us use his car.”

Mary grunts, tossing her suitcase in the trunk. “He found out that rides had been arranged for everyone aside from you. And when I told him I was going with you, he sent the car for us.”

I give her a small smile, wondering if she has noticed that she just gave away her father’s intentions. He sent the car so that his daughter could travel in comfort, not because he thought injustice was being doled out on me. Not that it matters.

“You’re a lucky girl, Mary.” I close the trunk and look at her. “Your father really loves you.”

Mary smiles back at me. “He does. Come on. Let’s go.”

As the driver wades through the LA traffic, we realize we still have an hour before we’ll arrive at our destination. The royal palace is on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Mary is flipping through pictures on her phone. “The dresses Darian sent you are gorgeous. You will be the envy of every girl there. Super nice of him to send me some clothes, as well.” She glances at me. “Did you tell him my size?”

“I didn’t even tell him my size.” I make an exasperated sound. “I can’t believe he sent so much jewelry, too. All those diamonds. What is he thinking?”

“He wants his woman to look like a princess,” Mary teases me. “Why’d you pack that green scarf, though?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I just wanted to bring it with me.”

“He even sent handwritten notes. If that’s not a man in love, I don’t know what is.”

I pause and look out the window, deep in thought. “Mary, you’ve been to one of the mating gatherings, so you must’ve seen Darian around the palace, right? I’ve told you what he looks like.”

“The companions of the attendees have to stay at the very back of the room,” Mary sighs. “I didn’t even see the king and his son. I know they retired pretty quickly, but the only people I saw were my sister and my brother-in-law. I don’t think I saw Darian at the after-party, either—at least, no one matching his description. But there were so many people.”

“I see.”

But Mary has her own questions. “What are you going to do if Darian chooses you as his mate? That would mean you’re no longer going to leave, right?”

“I don’t know.” I look out the window again. “To be honest, Mary, I still don’t believe this is happening. I mean, he came out of nowhere and is suddenly saying all these things. I want to believe him, but my experience has always been that life is not kind to me. What if it’s just some big sham? What if he’s just—”

My friend wraps her hand around mine, giving me a tight smile. “If anything happens, I have your back. But I want you to believe in him. He’s gone above and beyond for you. He even faced off against Thomas and Willow for you. And somehow, he was able to keep the two of them away from you. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”

She has a point. “I just can’t seem to stop the self-doubt from creeping in. It’s like I’m living somebody else’s life right now.”

Mary beams at me. “Don’t worry. If he decides to be an asshole, I bet there will be others showering you with attention. I don’t know what you’ve been doing lately, but you smell freaking fantastic. And you’re very pretty, Alice.”

I look at my reflection, the red hair and blue eyes. “I’m a freak. Maybe among humans I might be considered pretty, but according to our kind, I’m nothing short of a freak.”

Mary pats my shoulder. “You know, whatever happens, you should probably get therapy, as well.”

I bat her hand away as she snickers. “I don’t need therapy!”

“Then stop insulting yourself.” She gives me a long look. “Just because you don’t meet the standard of everybody around you doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful in your own way. And if it were just good looks that mattered, Willow would be the most popular girl in the pack.”

“She is the most popular girl in the pack,” I point out dryly.

Mary rolls her eyes. “She’s not popular in that way. The only reason men surround her is because of her father. She could be blind as a bat and have the looks of a troll, and she would still be popular. Power speaks. But none of the men who pay attention to her like her for herself. The few people you have in your life actually like you for you. And that’s what pisses Willow off. She has never been able to make anybody like her. You’ve always had this charm about you. Those who don’t keep you at arm’s length automatically gravitate toward you.”

I squeeze her hand. “Okay, stop. I think that’s enough praise for one day. I don’t need therapy; I just need you telling me how I’m one vote away from winning the title of prom queen because of my apparently sparkling personality.”

My friend laughs.

By the time we reach the palace, the sun is setting, and we are ushered to our rooms. Mary and I will be sharing a suite with two bedrooms. Her eyes widen. “You were given one of the nicer suites.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask as I put down my suitcase—and hers, since she was too busy gawking at everything to carry her own stuff.

“This is the room that alphas get, and not just any alphas. The ones that come from other lands. We’re in the east wing. Only very important people get to stay in this part of the palace. I should know; there were some dignitaries here from Europe last time I attended the gathering, and they were allowed to stay in the east wing. There should be nobody on this floor but us.”

“That’s not possible.” I frown. “Should we go check?”

There’s a knock on the door just then, and Mary hurries to open it. A man is standing in the hall. He looks like a butler, and he announces, “Gifts have been sent for Miss Lane.”

“Gifts?” Mary sounds shocked, and she nearly falls over her own feet in an attempt to step out of the way as footmen start entering the room, carrying large gift boxes.

“What’s happening?” I look at the butler, who is supervising everything. “Who sent these?”

He gives me a half smile. “Sir Darian.”

Once the door closes behind us, Mary rushes to my side and grips my arm. “You said Darian was someone who worked in the royal palace. What position is he in?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“He has to be someone powerful,” Mary murmurs, “to be able to send gifts within the palace. Who have you gotten yourself involved with, Alice?”

I stare at the piled boxes on the floor and whisper, my breath trembling, “I really don’t know.”

*****

According to Mary, for fated mates to be linked, it has to be done at a very specific time under the moon. An hour shy of midnight, we are led to the palace ballroom. The dress Mary bought me is a silver gown with sequins and beautiful beadwork. It pales in comparison to the dresses Darian sent me, but my friend chose it with great care and love. It leaves my upper arms and collarbones bare, and it flows down the length of my body, thankfully covering my ankle.

Plenty of guests have already arrived, and as Mary and I are announced and make our entrance, I don’t understand how this place can be called a ballroom. The ceiling is open to the sky, and there are chandeliers hanging in the air with no support.

“Magic,” Mary whispers to me. “The royal palace works with the white witches.”

Despite the open sky, the light from the chandeliers is dazzling.

“Is it a retractable roof?” I whisper back to her. “Once the event ends, does the ceiling go back into place?”

I expect her to mock me for my silly question, but instead, she nods. “Believe it or not, I saw it happen. I don’t know how they do it. Magic is bizarre to me.”

We don’t mingle with the other guests, choosing a spot by the wall to hang out.

“So, what is going to happen?” I ask Mary.

“Once the moon is in position, it’s going to shine on that stone in the center of the room. The moonlight will be there for at least thirty minutes. The males will step forward first, and if they have fated mates in the room, the red thread I told you about will appear and find them. During my sister’s gathering, everything was really rushed, for some reason. By the end of the night, those who wanted to reject their mates had to do so. Not that anyone did. But I think tonight, according to the schedule you received, once the fated mates are declared, there are going to be events where everybody will mingle, and those who want to choose mates will be able to. And at the end, the engagements will be announced. It’s going to be a fun week!”

I try to smile. Fun? Sounds more like hectic to me.

“Look who it is.”

I hear a familiar voice, and my heart nearly stops.

Cyrus Black.

Alpha Black’s son is only a couple years older than me, and he takes great pleasure in tormenting me. If Willow is manipulative and uses her words to flay me, Cyrus is not above using his fists. He has done everything to me, from shoving my face in the dirt to pushing me off a roof once. I actively avoid him. I’m pretty sure he wants me dead. Or maybe he likes the torture part. Either way, he’s got a sadistic nature, and I’m always at the receiving end of it.

“What do you want, Cyrus?”

Like his father, Cyrus has light brown hair and soft brown eyes that give him a deceptively kind appearance. “You have some nerve coming here. Or maybe I should say confidence,” he smirks. “Were you hoping to find yourself a mate? That’s really optimistic of you. You know nobody wants—”

“That’s quite enough,” Mary says sharply.

Cyrus narrows his eyes. “Oh. You brought your little healer friend, did you?”

Healers cannot be disrespected in wolf society. So, Cyrus cannot do or say anything nasty to Mary. It’s one of the perks of being her friend. If she’s around, nobody will mess with me. The most Cyrus can do is ignore her.

“Yes, she did.” Mary crosses her arms over her chest. “Go away, Cyrus. She has every right to be here, just like you do. Maybe you should focus on finding yourself a mate rather than picking on somebody else.”

Cyrus makes a sound of disgust. “Just you wait. Some old, fat, balding shifter will take her just for a pity fuck. That’s all she’s good for.”

“Have you said your piece?” Mary demands, her eyes flashing. I can see that she’s ready to punch Cyrus. I hold her back.

“Let him talk.” I try to calm my friend. “He’s not going to hurt me in front of anybody here. Besides, this may be the last opportunity he has to say anything to me.”

Cyrus stares at me. “How come? Are you going to go kill yourself or something, Firecrotch?”

The mention of my nickname does not phase me. The children I grew up with chose the most degrading name they could think of, and it stuck with me for years. Even the adults in our pack are not above using it when they really want to hurt me. It doesn’t bother me that much. They can say what they like. Doesn’t make it true.

“No.” I take a step toward him, sneering. “I am planning to leave. You can find somebody else to torment.”

“Leave?” Cyrus scoffs. “Where are you going to go? I doubt you have any savings. Forget money; who would take you in? My father has been kind enough to tolerate you all these years. No other pack—”

“Who said I’m going to choose to live with a wolf pack?” I laugh. “I’ve had enough of wolves. If I don’t find a mate here, I would much rather live among humans.”

Cyrus looks shocked. “If you live among humans, you’ll be considered a traitor to your kind.”

“You already consider me to be much worse than a traitor,” I point out.

Cyrus studies me, his eyes narrowed. “You’re bluffing. If anything happens to you, you won’t even be able to see a healer. You know that, right?”

I shrug. “Still beats living with your pack.”

He tilts his head. “You seem to have found yourself a spine, Firecrotch. Maybe I should give it a trial run?”

He gives me a meaningful smile, and I bare my teeth. “Give it your best shot. In fact, why don’t you hit me in front of the whole ballroom. Your father’s watching from the corner. Why don’t you show everybody what kind of son he’s raised?”

“You bitch!” Cyrus steps toward me, his posture threatening, and I simply raise my eyebrows.

“Let’s face it. You don’t have the balls to attack me in a public setting like this. This is not your pack’s territory where everyone will turn a blind eye. It’s the royal palace. Everything you do here reflects on your father.”

Mary nods at me proudly.

“Why don’t you show me that attitude once we return home?” Cyrus gives me a chilling smile.

I smile back.

He storms off, and Mary’s expression turns worried. “You shouldn’t antagonize him. He’s going to kill you when we get back.”

“Who says I’m going back?”

“What?”

I don’t get the opportunity to answer her, because the royal family arrives just then. We stay in the back of the ballroom as the speaker announces, “King Edward Kassel and Crown Prince Darian Kassel.”

Mary and I both freeze.

“There’s no way,” Mary chokes.

My mouth feels dry. “Maybe we misheard.”

“Both of us did not mishear the same thing,” Mary replies slowly. “Maybe you heard his name wrong when he told you what it was?”

“Th–that’s a definite possibility,” I stammer. “I—You know I don’t pay attention a lot of the time. Maybe I just wasn’t—”

“Oh, who are we kidding?” Mary grabs my wrist and pulls me forward till we can see the king and prince.

The king is old and frail, almost sickly looking, but my eyes are on the man standing beside him. In his official royal attire—a white, silk shirt accompanied by royal blue coattails, gold cuffs, and a red sash—Darian looks majestic and formal and so incredibly handsome. His pants are a dark color, perfectly tailored to him.

Why oh why did I not look him up? All I had to do was run a search on his name using the database at our pack’s library. He looked me up. No wonder he was so surprised at dinner when I still didn’t know his identity. I want to bury my face somewhere. I was so rude to him, and all along, he was the prince of the Wolf Kingdom!

“This is such a Cinderella moment,” Mary whispers excitedly. “I can’t believe it. You’re dating the prince!”

I don’t know how to feel. As the king and Darian walk past us, even though there are still a few people in front of us, Darian glances in my direction, and the corner of his mouth tilts up in that wicked grin of his.

His eyes meet mine for just a moment, and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to duck like a coward.

“Did he really think this was a good idea?” I hiss.

“To be fair, you could have looked him up,” Mary giggles, echoing my thoughts.

“How did you not know?” I growl at her. “He’s the prince of the Wolf Kingdom. You should have recognized his name.”

“Don’t blame me,” Mary responds defensively. “You know we are not taught anything about the Wolf Kingdom until we come of age. I didn’t even know the name of the king before now.”

“It’s a stupid rule,” I mutter. Mary clearly was not paying attention the first time she was here. I could have been spared this whole ordeal if I’d just been taught the identity of the royal family.

The king and the prince take their seats, and then Darian gets back up and begins to speak.

“Welcome to the mating gathering of the Wolf Kingdom. The moon is about to get in position, so all the eligible males, please step forward.”

Darian does not step forward.

As soon as the men come to stand in the center of the room, where the moon is shining, I see the magic unfold. Red strings form around the men’s fingers, and the strings weave through the crowd. Delighted gasps and other sounds come from the females in the ballroom. The males who don’t find their fated mates have their red strings disappear. Disappointment is obvious on their faces, and much to my petty delight, Cyrus is one of them. I smirk, and when he looks at me, I see the rage in his eyes.

Fat lot he can do to me now.

No fated mate thread reaches me, and I’m not surprised. I expected as much.

Once everybody clears off the stone, it’s Darian’s turn to step into the moonlight. I watch with bated breath, and for a moment nothing happens. Then, the thread forms around his finger and darts toward the spectators. Once again, I expect nothing to come of it.

However, out of nowhere, I feel a tingling sensation on the ring finger of my left hand. I look down, and the string has reached me. I don’t even have the time to process what is happening before it wraps around my finger. The crowd parts, stunned looks on every face.

I see Willow standing on the other side of the ballroom, and her eyes are tight with fury.

I look up at Darian, and to my surprise, he doesn’t look shocked. It’s almost as if he was expecting this. He grins at me.

My heart is beating like a steady drum inside my chest.

Fated mates?

Of all the things I expected to happen at the mating gathering, this was not one of them.