Chapter 31
Alice
“Mira is asleep upstairs,” I say as I enter the living room on the main floor of our wing of the palace. “Brian is sitting with her. Any word on Jimmy and Mary?”
“They’re out of danger. They’re both conscious now. The white witch who healed me, Rebecca, is waiting for them downstairs. The Black Arrows are bringing both of them here.”
Darian reaches out to me from where he’s sitting on the sofa, and I join him, the warmth of his hand offering me comfort. I want to believe that everything that happened tonight was a bad dream, but the scars on my hands and the limp he is walking with are testaments to the events of the past couple of hours.
“You told us you had no clue what happened to Alice,” Darian says to Nara, who is sitting across from us. Lucius, my soon-to-be father-in-law, is sitting on the other end of the couch, his face drained.
“I lied,” Nara admits. “I did retrieve the king’s daughter. He wanted me to raise her, but I felt she would be better off with her own kind. I left her at the orphanage of one of the strongest packs I knew of. I hoped they would treat her with care since she was only a few days old. I hoped that by concealing her dark magic, I could give her a chance at a better life. I wasn’t aware that the strength of my spell would also suppress her wolf spirit. Seven years ago, I received a call from King Edward. He told me that he had found his daughter and that she was in danger. He said he was sending her to a clinic to be healed. I arrived outside that clinic just a few hours before a young shifter healer escorted Alice out.”
She readjusts her position on the couch before revealing, “I sensed the presence of the baby inside her. She had conceived just a few days prior, but I could tell. I cast a spell that would prevent anybody with any ill intentions from being able to identify her or the child. Then, I entered the clinic, and I found the dead healer. I simply left, having drawn my own conclusions.”
“Dead healer?” Darian glances at me, and I squeeze his hand.
“Mary killed her. The healer had figured out I was pregnant, and Mary was afraid she would tell somebody. She made a snap decision, but she was only trying to protect me.”
Lucius interrupts. “Alpha Marrock discovered the dead healer and informed Edward. The Black Arrows were sent to clean the clinic and make any trace of what had happened disappear. Your friend made a smart decision, Alice. The reason that healer was working outside of the healing center was because of her desire for money. She had been known to ask for payment from the shifters she healed. When she was no longer allowed to work in the healing center, she opened that independent clinic. If the white witches had approached her, she would’ve told them everything for the right amount of money.”
“But then, how did the witches find me?” I ask.
“When you received the mating mark, your fated mate bond became too powerful,” Nara explains. “My spell disintegrated, and the witches were able to track you.”
Darian leans forward. “How old was Serena? It seemed like the spirits of the dark witches knew her.”
Nara sighs. “The gift of healing is a double-edged sword: you can give life, and you can take life. Draining a witch’s magic was a form of punishment in the old times. A dark witch could not do it; only a healer had that ability. There were different ways to drain a witch. The punishment only entailed taking away her magic and absorbing it. Over time, this practice became banned. However, there was something else they could drain along with the magic: the youth of the witch. It is a very painful process that can take years. That is how Serena maintained her youthful appearance. You ask me how old she is, but I do not know. When I was born, she was already the coven leader.”
“Despite that, we were still able to kill her,” I murmur.
“If my sisters had not appeared when they did, you would not have had a chance. No matter how much magic Serena had absorbed, at the end of the day, the dark witches were still more powerful. The dark witch spirits that you saw were some of the oldest ones. They had experience, the kind Serena never gained. Dark witches were always trained in battle magic. Once your daughter comes of age, I will be the one to give her that training.”
I sit up straighter. “But Mira is a shifter.”
“And a dark witch, like you,” Nara reminds me. “We cannot wipe out the white witches or the dark witches because the balance will become skewed. Both of them have to exist. Only this time, the dark witches will come from shifter bloodlines.”
Darian and I exchange a look, and then Darian says, “I know you’re tired, Nara, but there is something I have to confirm with you. Serena said the white witches had been interfering in the fated mate bonds. She claimed there never was such a thing as the mating gathering or the red threads indicating that a pair of shifters were fated to each other.”
Nara sighs once again. “It’s true. The royal family was aware of it. You would have known sooner, too, had you come to me immediately upon becoming king. Fated mate bonds are more than just two shifters bound together because they complement each other. They are also for the advancement of your kind. An evolution, if I may put it like that. But once the white witches intervened, things changed. The red threads do not appear due to fate. It was entirely the white witches’ choosing as to which couples to put together.”
“But fated couples typically feel a connection to each other from the moment they meet,” Darian insists.
Nara looks away, as if trying to compose herself. “The white witches were healers, but they also had much power within the kingdom. They had the ability and the time to create rumors. As I have said, the kings of each era were aware of all this, but they did nothing. One of the things the white witches did to try to prevent true fated mates from finding each other was to convince your kind that if they slept with one individual multiple times, they would feel the urge to give them the mating mark. In truth, the desire to give another the mating mark stems from the fated mate bond itself. You and Alice, for example. You felt a connection. You were drawn to each other. That is how it works. When King Edward took the throne, he knew that the woman he mated was not his true fated mate, but he had no choice.” She pauses to gaze at Darian for a moment. “You may have gotten rid of the rot within your kingdom, but it’s going to take a long time for the scars to heal. Your kind will have to relearn the very basics. It is not going to be easy, but then, a new beginning rarely is.”
“What about those spirits?” Alice asks quietly. “Mira said—When she first told us about her dreams, she kept saying something about a woman in her bedroom with her. I never saw anybody. Was it one of the spirits?”
“A guardian.” Nara smiles softly. “One of my sisters, I presume. Young witches with prophecies in their blood sometimes have spiritual guardians. It is not uncommon. Now that my sisters have gone, it will be my duty to guard the young Mira. However, she has sufficient protection here, so my physical presence will not be needed till I begin to teach her.” She gets to her feet, looking tired. “Now, if it is alright with you, I would like to return to Arizona tonight. I would like to sleep in my own bed.”
I get to my feet. “You can stay here. We can fly you back tomorrow.”
The dark witch shakes her head. “My heart is hurting. I just saw my sisters after a very long time, and I have been left alone once again. I have to wait for your daughter to grow up so I can teach her what she needs to know, and then I can join my sisters again. The road ahead is a very long one for me. I would like to grieve tonight, in my own home.”
Darian nods, his voice heavy. “We understand. Lucius?”
The old man gets to his feet. “Come with me. I’ll arrange for the private plane to take you right away.”
He guides Nara out of the room, leaving me alone with Darian. I sink into the back of the sofa, my head resting on Darian’s shoulder. “I can’t believe it’s over.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Mostly. My people are hunting down Thomas as we speak. We’re lucky that Lucius managed to get the live feed broadcast working when he did. I didn’t know if it would work at that point.”
“So, Lucius is your biological father.” I look up at Darian. “What will he do now?”
“Manage the palace like he did for the former king. He needs to feel useful. The man was wasting away in that cottage I gave him. After these few hours he’s had to be busy and useful, he looks and sounds like his old self.”
“I meant, what about your relationship with him?” I ask dryly.
Darian gathers me in his arms. “I don’t know. It’s not as if we got along well before. We’ll have to take it one day at a time.”
“And what about us?”
Darian meets my gaze. “I would like to court you properly. I love you, Alice. I never stopped loving you. I know you care about me, but I—”
“When Serena was attacking you,” I cut him off, my chest aching, “the way she was throwing you around, I thought my heart would burst. I came so close to losing you. I don’t want to go through anything like that ever again. And I’m not saying this for Mira’s sake. The idea of losing you was too hard to bear. I never want to be in that situation again.”
“You won’t,” he reassures me. “It was just a—”
“I don’t want you getting hurt, Darian.” I swallow, my heart beating unsteadily. “Despite how much I resisted, it’s a little hard not to fall in love with you. And now that I am, you have to be even more careful—”
“Hold up.” Darian takes my face in his hands. “Say that again.”
“I want you to be careful.”
“The love part.”
I turn my head away, flustered. “No. It’s not my fault you were temporarily deaf.”
“Humor me.” He kisses my cheek, my nose, my mouth. “Serena really hurt me, Alice. If you say it again, I might feel better.”
Laughing, I push his face away. “Stop being so cheesy.”
“Just say it!” He pulls me closer, determined.
“I don’t want to anymore!”
This man has the ability to make my heart feel light. He’s the only one who makes me laugh like this. I never had the opportunity to act childish, but with him, it’s easy.
He rains kisses on me. “Confess!”
“Stop it!” It’s hard to get away from him when I’m laughing so hard. “I’ll bite you, Darian! I swear!”
“I’m not scared of you.” His teeth sink into the spot where my mating mark is, and a breathy sigh escapes me, all the fight leaving my body. I feel the arousal wrap around me, and when he kisses me next, it’s heated, a clash of tongues and teeth. I lean into him.
“We could take this upstairs,” Darian suggests, but I rip his shirt open, letting the buttons pop and fly all over the room.
“Or we could not.” I need him right now. After everything that has happened, I want Darian’s touch. I couldn’t care less about the relatively public setting we are in. I need his hands on me, driving me crazy, confirming to me that we both survived and are here together.
Darian seems to feel the same urge. He pulls me into his lap, his claws making quick work of my skirt. I unbutton his pants, my mouth seeking his. His lips are wet and hot, and it makes my body burn with desire. His hand is under my shirt, on my chest.
I lean into his hand, needing more.
I don’t want him to be gentle tonight. I need it all. I need to be convinced that he is here with me. My hand grips his hair as his mouth moves against mine ravenously, tasting, marking, laying his claim. He has one hand between my legs, fingering my sopping-wet pussy. The edge of his finger is going in and out of my hole, teasing me, driving me insane.
“Darian,” I growl against his mouth. “Put something inside me, or I’ll use my own damn fingers.”
My threat has him biting my lower lip in punishment, and he thrusts three fingers inside my pussy without warning. My back arches at the intrusion. He expands his fingers inside me, stretching them, and I moan. His mouth traverses my neck now as he leaves wet, open-mouthed kisses behind. His lips are precariously close to the mating mark, but he doesn’t go there, simply lingering around it.
His fingers are now moving inside me in a harsh rhythm. I enjoy it. I need him to be rough. My arms encircle his neck, and I move my hips in tandem with Darian’s fingers. When he suddenly bites into my mating mark—rather viciously—I fall apart into his hand with a short scream. His fingers ride me through my orgasm and are replaced by something thicker and longer. He turns me around and bends me over the table, entering me in one smooth stroke.
He’s not slow or gentle. His hands find purchase on my hips as he stands behind me, fucking me hard and fast. I feel him fill me to capacity as he pounds my pussy aggressively. I can feel his claws digging into my skin. As he fucks me, one hand grabs a fistful of my hair, yanking it back.
I whine, my body reacting to the hard thrusts, the dominating hold. He doesn’t stop when I orgasm the second time, nor the third time. My legs are quivering as he keeps going, using my sensitive muscles over and over again, making me whimper and sob. My juices are dripping down the insides of my legs, and he keeps going.
I feel him tense up, and when he explodes inside me, that hot liquid filling me, I gasp his name brokenly.
Darian turns me around in his arms, and this time his kiss is sweeter. Holding me to him, with one hand around my waist, he picks up his shirt from the ground and wraps it around me. My own top is in tatters on the ground. I don’t even know when that happened. He settles me on the sofa, his arms wrapped around me.
“We still can take this upstairs,” he chuckles hoarsely.
“You’re insatiable.” I lean against him, tilting my head back to kiss his jaw. “No, thank you. No more tonight. I am so tired.”
I feel his chin resting on my shoulder. “You know, there’s a shower up there.”
I sigh. “You’re one determined man.”
He grins at me. “You got that right.”
We sneak up the steps like teenagers, holding our clothes to us and trying not to get caught. The shower makes me even more exhausted because Darian can’t seem to keep his hands to himself, and I don’t seem to be able to resist him when he touches me. After pulling on a robe, I run a brush through my wet hair, my light mood starting to fade rapidly.
I set the brush down on the dressing table and turn to look at Darian, who is sitting on the bed, reviewing a report sent to him by one of the Arrows.
“I have to go back to Arizona tomorrow.”
His head pops up. “What?” Setting aside his tablet, he starts to approach me. “Is it me? Did I do something? I thought things were going so well between us.”
“Before you start jumping to conclusions, I’m not leaving for good. I just need to go for a few days. Katherine needs me.”
That stops Darian in his tracks. “Why?”
“Last night—No, wow, it was today. Before the accident involving Jimmy, Mary, and Mira, her parents were also in a car crash. They didn’t make it. Despite that, she was still helping us. I need to be there for her. I know things haven’t settled down yet and you don’t want me leaving the palace until they do, but I really need to do this.”
My mate looks reluctant. “I can’t go with you. And if you expect me to let you go by yourself—”
“I know you’re worried about the danger, but send a couple of the Black Arrows with me if you have to. I need to be by her side, Darian. She’s a very close friend, and right now, she’s all alone.”
“What about Mira?”
I hesitate. “She’ll be with her father. She’ll be fine.”
“You’ve never left her alone with me before,” Darian says after a beat.
“Haven’t I?" I ask innocently.
“I thought it might be because you don’t trust me completely.”
There are doubts in his eyes, doubts that have no place there anymore. I cover the distance between us and go up on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll say it again. I love you, Darian. And I trust you. I’m leaving Mira here with you because you are her father and I trust you. The past is behind us now.”
Darian searches my eyes. “Really?”
“Did you not hear the part where I said I love you?”
“I’m going a little deaf in one ear.”
“Darian!”
“Kidding!” He kisses me, laughing now. “I love you, too. Okay, you go see Katherine tomorrow. I’ll deal with things here. Mira will be looked after. Nara took away her memories of what happened at the lake tonight, so she should be fine.”
I sigh. “I don’t like messing with her head, but this was necessary. I don’t want her to be traumatized.”
“She’ll be fine. She’ll be excited about the palace. Go be with your friend. I’ll deal with Thomas, the witches, and the backlash. I’ve got this. Trust me.”
I sigh. “I do. I do trust you.”
*****
Katherine is trying really hard to keep it together.
“And Mira is okay?” she sniffles.
“Katherine, you’ve asked me five times. She’s fine. I’m more worried about you. Look, why don’t you come back with me? Come to LA and stay with us for a couple of days.”
“I need to be here.” My friend picks up the cup of coffee I made her and sips it. “My father appointed me as the new CEO before he passed. My extended family is trying to cause problems. Everyone thinks they would be better suited to that position. So, I have to stay in Phoenix. I’m really glad you came, though. That night, I was such a mess. After the whole thing with the police, I went back to the office. I didn’t know what else to do. If it hadn’t been for that janitor—”
I blink. “Who?”
“I’ve seen him around,” Katherine murmurs, looking down into her coffee. “He works nights. I was sitting on the stairs, absolutely falling apart. He sat down next to me. He gave me his sandwich. We just sat there for hours. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t even ask what was wrong. He just sat with me. I guess that’s all I needed.”
“I should have been there.”
Katherine shakes her head. “No. You were dealing with a lot. And you’re here now. It’s been a week! Are you sure you don’t have to go back?”
“No, Darian and Mira are coming tonight.”
“What happened with Willow’s father?”
“Thomas?” I take a sip of my own coffee. “He was hiding out in an alpha’s house. I don’t know if I told you, but Thomas was always my biggest tormentor. He knew how crazy his daughter was. When he sent Willow to my office that day, he didn’t even tell her about Mira. He never expected her to find out. He just needed her to distract me enough that Darian would come to my rescue. They had been monitoring us for a few days. Thomas is going to be executed. All the witches that were captured, aside from the young ones, are going to be executed.”
“Any backlash?”
My friend keeps asking me questions. I had the option of erasing Katherine’s memory, but I opted not to. She’s one of my closest friends, and I trust her. Nara was willing to do it, but she warned me of the consequences of tampering with the memory of an adult as opposed to a child. But this means I have to tell Katherine a lot of things she is curious about.
“Everything was broadcast live. The shifters heard everything that was said.” Both Darian and I had activated our cameras. Even in the heat of the moment, I hadn’t forgotten. “Unfortunately, they also heard the part where Darian’s bloodline was brought into question. But since he is mated to me, and I am of the royal bloodline, it doesn’t really matter. For now, things have settled down. There were only two packs who supported Thomas, and they’ve been dealt with. The leadership has changed hands. Darian moves fast. Within the span of a week, he’s settled everything down. He’s a good king.”
Katherine leans forward. “I don’t understand something. You said that the ancient shifter king and the dark witch’s child was killed.”
I flinch, the idea still too terrible. “I believe so.”
“Then, how are the witches able to continue their bloodline from the royal family?”
“According to our source,” I begin slowly, “in a way, they did curse the bloodline of the king’s brother who took the throne. They performed an ancient spell that transfers bloodlines.”
“They cursed the children?” Katherine looks horrified.
“No, the king. They cursed the king. Whatever the ritual was, it was a deadly one. The witches that carried it out didn’t survive. It’s supposed to be a forbidden form of magic, but it worked. Mira and I are proof of it. I now have the ability to practice magic. Not that I want to. Mira, on the other hand, will take lessons from the only remaining dark witch there is.”
“Magic is so messed up.” Katherine shudders. “They were able to alter an entire bloodline. How does that even work? Is it like a transfusion?”
“Don’t ask me.” I shake my head. “We tried to figure it out it, but magic is complicated. Maybe Mira will have a better understanding of it in the future.”
“And how about you?" My friend looks at me hesitantly. “Are you moving back to LA for good?”
I nod. “I’m considering opening up a practice there—‘considering’ being the key word. I’m not going to stop practicing law, but I also want to get involved with the Wolf Kingdom. I want to study the laws and make changes where needed. Darian can rule, but I want to work on the legal side of the Wolf Kingdom. I’ve already resigned from my job here.”
“What about you and Darian? Are you going to get married?”
I give her a small smile. “We will have a mating ceremony in a few months. We haven’t talked much about it yet. He wants to put a ring on my finger as quickly as he can, though. But enough about me, Katherine. You keep trying to distract yourself. What are you planning to do now?”
Katherine sighs. “My father made it clear that he intended to resign and make me CEO. He said that in front of my entire family. Now they’re denying it and trying to replace me. I intend to get my position. This is my father’s company, after all. I’m not going to let anybody else sit at the helm of it.”
“You need time to grieve.”
My friend’s smile is pained. “Grieve? I will when I have the time. For now, I need to fight for my company.”
I reach out and cover her hand with mine, my voice fierce. “Whatever you need, I have your back. And I have enough resources to make it happen.”
Katherine chuckles. “I know. But I want to do this on my own. Have some faith in me, Alice.”
“Nobody has more faith in you than I do.”
Her smile softens. “I know. I’m glad you came.”
She’s going to need me in the future and I plan to be there for her.
By the time I leave Katherine’s place, the sun is close to setting. Darian is waiting outside, and Katherine greets him as she walks me out.
“I’m sorry to hear about your parents.”
Katherine gives him a small smile. “Thank you.”
“If there’s anything you need—”
“Your fiancée made the same offer.” She glances at me. “I appreciate this, you guys. It’s nice to know I have somebody in my corner. Where’s Mira?”
“In the park with Jimmy and Mary, getting ice cream,” Darian answers. “Do you want to go see her?”
My friend shakes her head. “Not right now. I’m not myself.”
I watch her head back inside. “She’s not dealing with it well, but she’ll be fine.”
“If you want to stay longer—”
“No, it’s time I went home. She has her own battles to fight, and when she needs me, she’ll call.” I do have faith in Katherine, no matter what she thinks.
As we walk toward the park where our daughter is waiting for us, Darian murmurs, “I heard you went to the Moonlight Pack’s healing center before you left to come here.”
“It was just a pit stop.”
My mate nudges me with his shoulder. “Should I be worried?”
I glance at him with a grin. “You don’t look worried. Should that worry me?”
“Come on, tell me,” Darian persists.
“You’re so nosy, Darian.” I push him away, laughing, and he pretends to fall for a few steps before coming right back to my side.
“I’ve always been nosy. Just tell me.”
I roll my eyes. “It was two pit stops, actually. I went to the healing center to see Edith. She’s a healer. She gave me this ring when I came of age. She was kind to me when I felt I had no one. I wanted her to see that I’m doing well. She has retired, but she still lives in the healing center apartments for older, retired healers. She was happy to see me. I might invite her to come meet you and Mira.”
Darian smiles. “Well, I would be honored to meet her.”
My lips curve. “My second stop was to see Cyrus Black. He has taken over his father’s position as alpha of the pack. That meeting was a vindictive one.”
“Oh?” My mate looks amused.
“Cyrus bullied me. He and Willow enjoyed tormenting me. I wanted him to know that I was going to keep my eye on him. I think he might have pissed his pants when I walked into his office.”
Darian frowns. “If you think he’s unfit to be the alpha—”
“Not yet,” I say lightly, looking straight ahead. “Don’t do anything yet. I want to keep an eye on him for a while. He took over his father’s position last year. Edith told me that he has changed. I’m not sure I believe it, and I wanted him to know that I would be watching his every move. If he’s a good alpha, and his children don’t turn out like he and Willow did, I have no problem. Let’s wait and watch.”
“Do you feel satisfied after confronting him?” Darian asks, walking beside me, his eyes on me.
“I don’t know,” I reply thoughtfully. “But I’ve decided to be involved with the kingdom, Darian. I think there are certain laws that have to be written—or rewritten. Take my friend Sam. I used to work with him at Benny’s Diner. His mother is a human, and his father is a shifter. His mother was denied access to a shifter healer, and he has watched her suffer for years. I called him right before I left for Phoenix, and he’s going to take her to see Edith. She may be retired, but she’s still a good healer. I want things to change, Darian. And I want to change them.”
Darian nods. “What about your private law practice?”
I shrug. “I don’t think that’s a priority for me right now. I met with Harry and told him I’m moving back to LA—and that I’m taking Holly with me. He was upset, but then happy for me when I told him I’m getting married. If you ever had competition, you know, it was him. Maybe another year or two, and it could have been too late.”
Darian growls. “We’re not inviting him to the wedding.”
I laugh. “He has already secured an invite. He’s dating his landlady now, so he asked me to include her as his plus-one. I’m so glad that Holly was willing to come to LA with me. She’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
“But a human in our world?” Darian glances at me. “Are you sure that’ll be alright?”
“I trust Holly. During Willow’s attack, she protected me. She’s very sharp and clever. We should have her on our side.”
“If that’s what you want.”
We walk together in silence for a while before I murmur, “I find the accident odd.”
“Odd?”
I shrug. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but there was a lot of animosity due to Katherine’s father’s decision to make her CEO. He was supposed to announce it officially, in a press release, right before the accident happened.”
Darian studies me. “Do you want me to have it investigated?”
I hesitate before shaking my head. “It’s the human world, Darian. We shouldn’t get more involved than we have to be. And I’m probably just imagining things. If Katherine finds anything suspicious, she’ll tell me. I’m cursed with an overactive imagination.”
“You have had a lot on your plate lately.” My mate wraps his arm around my waist as we walk together.
“True,” I admit. “But I’m looking forward to the rest of my life with you. I didn’t think I could be this happy.”
He looks down at me, his eyes glittering. “Does that mean you love me?”
I hit him lightly on his chest. “You’re not funny.”
“But you’re laughing.”
I come to a stop and turn to face him, my heart overflowing with joy. “Yes, I am. Being around you makes me laugh. You make me smile. You make me happy. I hope that never changes.”
His kiss is chaste and filled with love. “It never will.”
As the sun sets behind us, I hear Mira calling out to us, and I wonder if this is the happy ending I dreamt of as a child. Because it has finally come true.