Chapter 20
Alice
“What are you saying?” Katherine leans over the counter, watching me sip my coffee. “You’re going to invite him over for dinner?”
“He’s already invited, Katherine.” I glance at the wall clock before putting the marinated leg of lamb into the oven and setting the timer for an hour. “But it doesn’t mean anything. He’s coming to see Mira.”
My friend is munching on some healthy crackers that she swore she got for me. “So, Darian is Mira’s father. Makes sense. She looks a little bit like him.”
I glance at her discreetly. “You’re not mad I lied to you?”
“Honey, it was what’s called a universal lie. You told everybody the same story. You couldn’t exactly tell me a different one, now, could you? It would’ve blown your cover.” She nibbles another cracker, pondering. “But I still can’t get over this whole thing. You hid his kid from him for seven years! He must be pissed.”
“He wasn’t mad about that,” I admit. “It was more like he was angry that I went through it all by myself. He said if I hadn’t wanted to see him, he would’ve sent someone to look after me.”
Katherine’s eyes widen. “Girl, that’s a green flag in my book. Why did you break up with him again?”
“Family politics on his end. In any case, I don’t want to be with him, but I don’t want to deny Mira her father, either. Darian seems to think we can patch things up, though.”
“Does patching things up come with an engagement ring?” Katherine frowns. “It better. You’re the mother of his child. The time for dating is over. He needs to either put a ring on it or get a court order for visitation.”
“What part of ‘I don’t want to be with him’ don’t you understand?” I drain my coffee, put the mug in the sink, and rinse it with water. “Besides, he’s married.”
“Married?!” Katherine chokes on the cracker. I hurry over to thump her on the back, and she groans. “Not so hard! You’ll break a rib!”
“I’ll get you some water.” I pour her a glass, and she takes a few sips before coughing and glaring at me.
“You didn’t tell me he was married.”
“That’s where the family politics come into play.” I sit down on the stool, grab the carrots, and start peeling them for dinner. “He married a girl I didn’t get along with. According to him, she blackmailed him with something about me, and he had no choice. I can buy that part because I know her, but—” I sigh, my hands coming to a halt. I stare at the carrot I’m holding, my eyes unseeing. “I wasn’t prepared to believe him, Katherine, but he gave me evidence. A flash drive. He told me the truth. But believing him doesn’t mean I can love him again. He seems to think he can win me over.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
I slam the carrot down on the cutting board, glowering at her. “He’s married! I don’t care who his wife is; I’m not going to be some sleazy homewrecker.”
“Oh.” Kathering leans back, her brows arched. “So, if he divorces her, he stands a chance.”
“That’s not what I said,” I retort.
“That’s what I heard,” she says in a sing-song voice.
“So did I.” Mary walks out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel. “By the way, why do I have to leave?”
“I would rather you stay, but Jimmy wants to take you out on a date.”
Mary grimaces.
“I can be a third wheel,” Katherine offers. “That way it can be just a friendly dinner.”
“Jimmy doesn’t want to date me,” Mary informs us. “Darian probably told him to get me out of the apartment. Either way, you’re welcome to join us, Kat.”
Mary has known Katherine for over two years. It was hard for the two of them not to get acquainted since Katherine likes coming over and Mary visits me multiple times a year, staying for at least two to three weeks. Healers get a lot of vacation days since they get burned out very easily.
Grateful for the change in topic, I slice the vegetables and coat them with seasoning before tossing them into the oven with the lamb.
Katherine looks at her watch. “Darian will be here soon. Aren’t you going to get changed?”
“What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” I look down at my white shirt and loose pants.
“You’re going to let him see you wearing that?” Mary raises a brow. “You look like you just rolled out of bed.”
“He’s here to see Mira, not me.” I frown. “And let him see me like this. Maybe he’ll realize I’m not worth chasing.”
My friends exchange a look.
“Honey…” Katherine leans forward, ready to jump into a lecture about appearances.
I hold up a hand, but before I can speak, Mary scoffs. “Don’t worry, Katherine. She could be covered in those vegetable peels and wearing a sack, and he’d still find her sexy. Just give up, Alice.”
“You know what?” I point my knife at the two of them. “I find it very offensive that my two best friends, instead of supporting me for not wanting to be with a married man, are telling me to go after him.”
Katherine rolls her eyes. “Nobody’s saying have sex with him on this counter as soon as he enters the apartment.”
“Yeah,” Mary agrees. “Wait for the divorce to come through. Jimmy told me that Darian applied for it yesterday morning. Willow has received the papers.”
I go still.
He actually went through with it?
“Maybe Jimmy’s ly—”
“It’s all over the news.”
“It is?” Katherine looks surprised. “How important is Darian that his divorce is being covered on TV?”
Mary and I exchange a look. In the heat of the moment, it seems both of us forgot that Katherine isn’t from our world.
“She’s referring to a local gossip channel in our community back home,” I say quickly.
But Katherine is already peering over Mary’s shoulder at her phone’s screen. There’s an article open on it, and Katherine frowns. “Why does it say, ‘His Majesty’?”
“Inside joke,” Mary lies calmly.
She slides the phone over to me, and I read the headline. Scrolling down, I see that Willow was at a social gathering when she was served with the divorce papers, and someone took pictures of her. The person must really hate Willow because they sold a lot of photographs. The shock, the disbelief, the angry tears—he or she captured them all.
I have never been one to enjoy somebody else’s misfortune, but after everything Willow put me through, I feel a sense of satisfaction.
This isn’t revenge. It’s karma.
But under my satisfaction is pure shock. I never expected Darian to go through with it. Despite what he told me, I didn’t think he would jeopardize the stability of the kingdom to this extent. Royal families rarely experience divorces. In fact, divorce within the wolf shifter community is incredibly rare because couples usually mate right after their legal marriage. If Darian is divorcing Willow, he’s announcing to the entire kingdom that he never gave her the mating mark.
A fact that will be very humiliating for her.
People will speculate, and most of them will arrive at the conclusion that she was simply not attractive enough or strong enough to hold Darian’s interest.
I grin at the photos in the article on Mary’s phone. This isn’t just one moment of humiliation that has been captured; it is the complete and utter destruction of Willow’s life—the life she built on my pain and suffering.
Fortunately, Katherine has to take a call, and she steps out of the apartment. As soon as the door closes behind her, I let out a long exhale, allowing my emotions to show. “He actually did it.”
“You doubted he would?” Mary asks.
I look at her. “Didn’t you? I mean, why would he do all this? I thought he was just going to string me along till he managed to figure out a way to get me into bed, and then just make excuses and go back to his life—”
Mary gives me a sad smile. “You really don’t trust him, do you? Do you still have doubts about his story, even after seeing all the evidence?”
I hesitate before admitting, “No. But I’m scared to trust him, Mary. My mind keeps imagining ‘what-if’ scenarios.”
My friend walks around the kitchen island to me and removes the phone from my hands, setting it aside so she can take my hands in hers. “It’s okay. What you went through was traumatizing. But it does make a difference, doesn’t it, that he didn’t betray you? That he’s willing to do this for you?”
“I guess so.” I look over at the article, still visible on Mary’s phone screen. “But now, the entire kingdom is in uproar, and—”
“That’s Darian’s problem, not yours,” Mary says firmly. “He’s trying to make amends the only way he knows how. I’m not saying jump into his arms, but when you talk with him, do it with an open mind. He’s carrying his own wounds.”
I wet my lips.
She’s right. He is.
“When he gives you your rightful place, Alice”—Mary squeezes my hands, her voice firm—“that night in the ballroom will be forgotten. They’ll call it a love story. You know how sensational our kind is. We thrive on gossip.”
“I’m not getting back together with him.”
“That’s fine.” My friend shrugs. “But if one of the reasons is the events of that night, and the humiliation you suffered, then that shouldn’t be a factor. Not when Darian is trying to fix everything.”
“Why are you suddenly on his side?” I demand. I’m not angry but curious. I always thought Mary hated Darian as much as I did.
She lowers her gaze, and when she speaks, her voice is deflated. “When Darian came to see me after I brought you here, he didn’t just question me. He begged me. He pleaded. He cried. He was a broken man, Alice. For you, he set aside his pride and bared his soul to me. But I never told him anything because… Well, you know why. But now, after finding out the truth, I feel sorry for him. I really do. The two of you were each dealt a bad hand. I just want you to be happy, Alice. Willow is out of the picture now, and you and Darian have a daughter together.”
I absorb her words. “I don’t know, Mary. Willow may be out of the picture, but I told Darian I don’t want Mira to be part of the royal family. The mark on her—”
Mary’s expression becomes rigid. “I forgot about that.”
“I didn’t,” I reply grimly. “For now, let’s focus on making sure the witches don’t find us. Darian says he’s trying to figure out a way to strip them of their power.”
“Their magic?”
“Their influence,” I correct her. “Until that happens, Mira will never be safe.”
We end the conversation on that grim note because Katherine comes back into the apartment, looking drawn.
“What happened?”
She shakes her head, and her voice sounds bitter. “Sometimes I wonder whether there is anything I can do to ever please my father. We had a fight. He wasn’t happy about one of the projects I’ve been overseeing.”
I frown. “The only project I’ve seen is the collaboration with Acme Intech.”
She gestures nonchalantly with her hand. “I’m managing at least seven. My cousin Frank handed me another one the other day, which I haven’t had the time to even look at. He never said it was important. Apparently, it’s a major project, and I have to deal with it right away. I told my father that Frank didn’t inform me it was high priority. He should have been managing it in the first place—”
“Breathe,” I advise her. “Go take care of it. Everything will be fine.”
She gives me a grateful smile and glances at Mary apologetically. “Rain check on third-wheeling?”
The knock on the door has us all looking over at it.
“That’ll be Darian,” I murmur, feeling a ball of tension in the pit of my stomach.
That kiss from the other day is still imprinted on my mind. I hate how his touch got my heart racing and my body reacting, almost as if my body knew who it belongs to. The punch that followed was only satisfying to a meager degree. I should have knocked his legs out from under him. Seeing him take a little tumble would have made me feel better. That jerk! Does he think he can just kiss me whenever he wants?
I eye the spray bottle on the edge of the counter, and a smirk plays on my lips. He’s clearly not going to give up. But this time, I’ll be prepared.
“Let me go brush my hair,” Mary says quickly. “We can give you a ride to your office, Katherine. Unless you brought your car.”
“I took a cab, so I’ll take you up on that offer.”
As Mary heads back to her room, I open the front door and see Darian standing there with two bulging bags in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. I stare at the flowers. “Those better be for Mira.”
He smiles at me. “They’re for you.”
“No thanks,” I say as I let him into the apartment.
Jimmy, who is on Darian’s heels, sighs. “Told you.”
They enter the living room, and Katherine, who’s sitting by the kitchen counter, nods at them. “Mr. Kassel, what a lovely surprise.”
Darian looks at her and then at me. “You didn’t tell me she would be here.”
Katherine gives him a sharp smile. “It seems my friend doesn’t quite trust you. I’m here to chaperone this playdate.”
Darian bristles as Katherine smirks at him. “You do remember that if you step on my toes, I can very well pull out of this proj—”
“Watch it, Darian,” I warn him. “Right now, on my list of favorite people, Katherine is in the top five. You don’t even make the cut. Stop threatening the people I care about.”
Darian’s cold demeanor immediately changes into a sulky one when he looks at me. “She has no business being here. This is a family matter.”
Eager to add fuel to the fire, Katherine gets up and slings her arm around my shoulders. “Didn’t you hear? I’m in her top five. That makes me practically family.”
I give her a dry look. “What are you doing?”
But Katherine is watching Darian, and before I can stop her, she grabs my jaw and presses a loud, smacking kiss on my cheek.
Darian immediately growls, while Jimmy groans and my friend cackles.
I just roll my eyes at her childish antics. I don’t know what she’s trying to accomplish, but now she’s gotten Darian all riled up.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I glare at her.
She shrugs. “Not till Mary leaves. She’s my ride.”
Mary chooses that moment to make an appearance. She comes to a halt, giving Darian a nervous look. She has every right to be anxious; Darian is the king of the Wolf Kingdom, and Mary lied to him about my whereabouts.
“Let’s go,” she says quietly to Katherine.
Katherine checks her watch again. “Right. Call me later, Alice.”
She waggles her fingers at me in a flirtatious manner, and I shake my head, exasperated. She knows that Darian will not back out of the contract. Everything has been hammered out and tied up with a bow. Canceling the project now would cost his company millions of dollars.
Darian glowers at her as she walks past him, and once it’s just the two of us in the room, he states accusingly, “I thought she was just a friend.”
I walk over to the oven to check the timer. “She is.”
“Then why was she kissing you on the cheek?” He trails after me, and when I turn around, I realize he is blocking my way out, locking me in between the counter, the oven, and the cupboard.
“She’s my friend, and she’s touchy-feely. Why is that your business?”
He lifts his hand and rubs it against my cheek where Katherine’s lips were. His expression is dark. “She’s allowed to kiss you, and I can’t even touch you. How is that fair?”
“Well, for starters, she and I don’t have a gruesome past. And she’s been there for me. She and Mary both.”
Darian’s eyes are on my cheek, and I catch the flicker of unhappiness in them. “Still, you shouldn’t let her kiss you. I don’t like it.”
I raise my brows. “Did it hurt your feelings? Let me get you a tissue.”
“You haven’t lost your mean streak,” he mutters. “And I must be a masochist because I still find it hot.”
I try to ignore how my lower muscles tense up as he says that. It’s not easy since I’m also trying not to react to the way his calloused thumb is rubbing against my cheek. It’s as if he’s trying to rub away Katherine’s very essence.
“Stop touching me,” I finally say.
“You didn’t complain when she touched you,” he growls.
“You’re not Katherine.”
Darian looks me deep in the eyes. “No, but I am your fated mate.”
This time, it’s my turn to bristle. I bat his hand away. “Stop bringing that up. You stopped being my fated mate when you walked past me to Willow. Everything between us finished that day, Darian.”
His expression instantly changes. “I already told you—”
“And I told you that it doesn’t change anything. You cannot erase the past. You cannot erase what I went through. Look, the only reason I let you come here is so that you can spend some time with Mira and get to know her.”
“I’m divorcing Wi—”
“I know,” I say softly. “And I will be honest with you. For Mira’s sake, I’m happy you’re doing that. And for your sake, I hope you find someone you can actually love. But I don’t have any love left to give, Darian. You were the first man who let me believe in love. And whatever your intentions were, you crushed those fragile feelings into dust. I can’t control my heart. I can only tell you how I feel, and I will never trust another man again. So be content with your daughter and find a woman who will make you happy. It will never be me, though.”
I expect Darian to give me that same hurt look from before. However, his jaw hardens. He takes a step toward me, and when I move in response, my back hits the cupboard behind me. He proceeds to cage me in with his arms on either side of my head.
“I believe you. But I also know that fated mate bonds are very special, Alice. I’m willing to give you time. But I’m not going to tear out the bond or find another woman. Because whoever I find, no matter how perfect and beautiful and funny and smart she may be, she will never be you. And I will never live with a shadow of you.”
My heart skips a beat at his words. It’s hard to ignore what he’s saying because a tiny part of me still wants to believe. But fear resides within my soul now. As lovely as the dream he’s promising me seems, I know it’s not going to be without its own problems, problems that could result in another betrayal or something worse. So, I tighten the chains around my heart. If I don’t let him borrow space for himself inside there, when the worst does happen, it won’t hurt as much.
“Let me go, Darian,” I say tightly, trying to calm down my heart, which is pounding against my ribcage. “I’m not playing these games with you.”
“Only you would call this a game.” He’s too close to me, and his hot breath makes my skin tingle. He smells like cologne and aftershave, but his true scent—that wild, dangerous scent that is unique to him—isn’t hidden. It brushes against my wolf, making it rumble in satisfaction. Unlike me, my wolf’s desires are driven less by emotions and more by the physical aspect of things. It sees its fated mate and wants to bask in his scent and presence.
“Try to kiss me, and I’ll knee you in the groin,” I inform him, my voice tense.
“No, you won’t.” He’s leaning forward.
“Don’t test me,” I warn him.
Our faces are mere inches apart, and he searches my gaze as if trying to decide whether I mean it or not. He finally sighs. “Alright, I—”
As soon as my shoulders relax, he swoops in and steals a kiss. My eyes widen and I lift my knee, but he has already jumped out of reach and is grinning at me. “Too slow.”
I pick up the closest thing to me, which happens to be an oven mitt, and throw it at him. It smacks him in the face, and I feel irritated because I know he could have avoided it if he wanted to.
“Feel better?” He looks a little too smug.
“God, you’re annoying,” I mutter under my breath.
Thankfully, he doesn’t get to say anything back because Mira’s bedroom door opens. “Mom?”
I put Mira down for a nap earlier. I did have a conversation with her about a special friend of mine who would be visiting, but I had to be very careful about how much information I gave her. She may be smart, but she’s still a child. I don’t want to mess with her emotional state.
“Mom, where is Mary?” She yawns, rubbing her eyes before coming to a stop when she sees Darian. She stares at him and then dashes past him to hide behind me. Considering how friendly a child she is, I find her behavior strange.
“Mira, this is Darian. He came here all the way from California to meet you.”
Mia clutches my clothes and looks up at me. “He’s the one my ice cream fell on.”
Realization dawns on me, and I chuckle. “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. He just wants to get to know you.”
“Why?”
“I told you.” I pick her up in my arms and walk around the island to sit her on one of the stools. “We talked about this, remember? I said a friend of mine was coming to see you.”
“But why?” she asks insistently. “I don’t know him. He’s a stranger. Why does he want to see me?”
Something painful throbs within me, and instinct has me looking over my shoulder to where Darian is standing. He’s no longer smiling. Devastation is written all over his face, his eyes anguished. A stranger. He’s a stranger to his own daughter.
The plan was not to introduce him as her father right off the bat, but maybe I’m being overly cautious. My chest aches as he holds in his grief, struggling not to let it show. Sighing, I walk over to Darian, and taking him by the hand, I pull him over to Mira. “Mira, let me introduce you. This is Darian Kassel, my friend and your father.”
Darian looks at me in shock. “I thought we weren’t—”
I hold up my hand to silence him, studying my daughter’s expression and trying to gauge her reaction.
Mira is silent as she looks at Darian. Both he and I stand there, holding our breath. Then she says, “You’re pretty.”
Darian’s hand tightens around mine, and I glance at him when he lets out a teary laugh. “Your mom used to say the same thing.”
“Are you really my dad?” Mira asks cautiously. “I thought I didn’t have one.”
I feel troubled. “I didn’t know you wondered about your father, Mira. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
She shrugs, gazing at Darian with unveiled fascination. “My friend has a dad, but he lives far away. He comes to see her sometimes. I thought if I waited, my dad would also come to see me.”
My tongue darts out to wet my lips, my stomach twisting at her innocent words. Why didn’t it occur to me that she might already be missing the father she had never met? I always thought she’d bring him up when she began to wonder about him, but—
“Why’d you come only now?” Mira asks, frowning. “I asked Santa in my letter last year, but you didn’t come.”
Darian exchanges a look with me, and I’m about to accept responsibility when he says, “I wanted to come, but Santa didn’t send me the letter in time. I just got it, so I decided to come visit you.”
“Visit?” Mira asks in a dismayed tone. “You’re not staying? Mama?”
When she looks at me, I feel helpless. “I—He lives somewhere else, Mira. He can’t stay with us.”
“But Janet’s dad stays with her and her mom!”
Mira has never been one of those children who is prone to temper tantrums. But as she grows red in the face, tears welling up in her eyes, I realize she’s about to have one.
“Mira.” I try to calm her down, but her eyes glitter with tears.
“He has to stay! I told Santa he has to stay!”
Of all the reactions I expected, this isn’t one that I even remotely anticipated. Seeing Mira cry, I’m both baffled and concerned. To my surprise, it’s Darian who swoops in. “I’m staying for dinner, aren’t I? Doesn’t that count for something?”
Mira sniffles. “Where will you sleep?”
“Ah.” He scratches his head. “I have a hotel room—”
“You’re not staying here?”
“He’ll stay!” I burst out. “He can sleep on the couch. Right?”
I give him an awkward look, and Darian smiles and nods in agreement.
“But Janet’s dad sleeps in her mom’s room.”
I feel like I’m being cornered here. “Mira, that’s not a good idea. I don’t think your father will be very comfortable—”
“I don’t mind.” Darian shrugs.
“Yes, you do,” I say through gritted teeth. “You mind very much.”
“I really don’t,” he replies innocently.
“Can I also sleep in your room, Mom?” I’m starting to notice that she switches between “Mom” and “Mama” quite frequently. Now that she’s no longer upset, she’s back to calling me “Mom.”
I give in. “Sure.”
“So, we’re having a slumber party, then?” Darian says cheerfully, looking a lot more eager than I feel. “Good thing I brought snacks and toys!”
“You did?” Mira is delighted.
He goes over to where he put down his belongings, and she trails after him.
“Are these flowers for Mom?”
A wicked gleam enters Darian’s eyes. “Why, yes they are. Do you think she’ll accept them from me?”
“She will!”
Mira has always been mischievous, a little bit of a troublemaker, but this excitement she’s showing is different. I’ve never seen it before. When she walks over with Darian and he holds out the bouquet, I can’t bear to break her heart.
“Thanks.”
Darian grins. “So enthusiastic.”
“I’ll show you where the vase is. In the show Mary was watching, the girl put the flowers in a vase. Come on, Dad!” Mira grabs him by the hand, pulling him into the hallway, and as Darian lets her maneuver him, for a moment, I think I see a sheen of tears in his eyes.
I sniff the bouquet absentmindedly.
This was the right thing to do. I have to accept that I don’t always make the right decisions at first. Mira needed her father.
But I feel a hint of uneasiness. She wants him to stay? He can’t stay. But what if she needs him to stay?
Am I willing to put aside my own emotions to do what’s right for Mira? I promised myself that I would give her everything she ever needed. But what if she needs Darian and me together?
Is that something I can give her?