Chapter 149: Before Anyone Listened
(ALICE)
I’m floating underwater.
It’s dark, but I can breathe. Now there is sand under my bare feet, and when I look around, I realize I’m standing at the bottom of the lake. I don’t know how I know it’s the lake, but I do. I take a few steps, and then I see a figure just a little bit ahead of me. It’s a woman.
Her back is to me, her hair floating behind her. As I approach her, she turns to look at me. I go still.
I know her. She’s the dark witch that I saw in the lake, the one who grabbed my wrist.
This time, her eyes are not white but a light blue. She smiles at me, and her expression is gentle, almost warm.
My feet are frozen to the spot, and she glides toward me gracefully. Her hand presses on my chest, and she says something. I can’t quite make out the words, but she repeats them, bubbles of air floating out of her mouth.
She pushes her hand against my heart insistently, and I begin to feel a strange sort of pressure. Nervous, I try to move back, but I can’t budge. Her smile does not waver. Then, she points to the surface.
As soon as I look up, I hear someone calling my name. "Alice."
"Alice, wake up."
When I look back at the witch, she shoves me away lightly. As soon as she does, my eyes fly open.
I stare at the bedroom ceiling, disoriented. Wasn’t I just in the lake?
"Alice?"
Darian’s voice prompts me to sit up. The room is dark, and when I look to my right, I see Darian standing beside my bed, staring at me.
"If this is your idea of a joke..." I begin, my heart pounding in fear.
"Your little friend let me in," he replies, sitting down beside me.
"My little friend has a name," I say in a snarky tone before turning on the lamp. "What are you doing, creeping around in my room at night?"
"I wasn’t creeping around," he protests. "I wanted to see you." I study him for a moment. "How did the hunt go?"
He shrugs. "How it goes every year." "Who got the most prey?"
He shifts uncomfortably before admitting, "Me."
"And who did you dedicate your prey to?" I demand. This is starting to feel more like an interrogation rather than a simple question, but I can’t help myself. I’m not a petty person by nature, unless I really hate somebody, but the idea of Darian presenting his prey to anybody other than me makes me uncomfortable.
"My father."
He seems a little too prepared with that answer, but I let it go. After all, why would he lie to me?
"So, what are you doing here?" I ask, watching him intently.
"I wanted to see you," he replies, playing with a strand of my hair. "Everyone gets to be with their fated mate but me. It’s not fair."
I slap his hand away. "That’s because you’re too busy to come see me."
Darian gives me a delighted look. "Did you miss me?"
I swing my legs over the side of the bed to get up. "Don’t flatter yourself."
I don’t know why I’m so angry right now. I can’t explain to him how small I feel when every other girl with or without a fated mate gets to be with her partner except for me. It’s like I’m being punished for having Darian as my fated mate. My thoughts are irrational, though, and he shouldn’t have to suffer just because I can’t be an adult about the situation.
But Darian isn’t one to be ignored so easily. One tug on my hand and he pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist to stop me from escaping.
"I take it you did miss me." His grin is infectious and charming, and I find myself conceding.
"There’s no need to look so happy about it," I grumble.
"How can I not?" He presses his lips to mine sweetly. "I missed you, too. If my father didn’t have me running around, making sure that our paths didn’t cross, I would be glued to your side. Unfortunately, he still has the title of king, and I am his subject before I am his son."
His lips curve up slightly, but I can see the hurt in his eyes. "What’s wrong?"
He shakes his head. "It’s not—"
"Don’t say it’s not important," I warn him. "If it’s upsetting you, it’s important. Just tell me."
I can see Darian struggle. For a moment, he reminds me of myself. Before Mary, I didn’t have a way to express my feelings to anybody, because there was nobody there to listen to me. Even now, there are things I cannot tell my only friend because I know she won’t understand. And sometimes, I simply don’t want to overwhelm her with my problems.
"It’s hard to share your troubles with other people," I say lightly. "But I’m not other people. I’m your fated mate, and if that means something to you, then you should learn how to tell me what’s bothering you."
Like a child, Darian buries his face in my neck, muffling his words. "I don’t want you to think I’m weak." His voice is quiet and oddly vulnerable.
"No matter what happens, I doubt that’s what I’ll ever think of you. ’Weak’ isn’t on my list of adjectives if I were to describe you. You are very annoying, though."
He lets out a bark of laughter. "Of course you would consider me annoying. How could I expect anything different from you?"
"I also think you’re very handsome," I add defensively.
That has him grinning. "Handsome? You no longer think I’m pretty? Should I be offended? I don’t know where handsome and pretty rate on your personal scale."
It’s my turn to laugh. "Take what you can get."
He kisses my neck before resting his chin on my shoulder. "I have never once gone against my father. For the first time, I’m taking a stand against him, and he doesn’t like it."
"It’s because of me, isn’t it?"
Darian makes a small sound. "Yes, but if my father thinks he can rule through me, he’s wrong. I am willing to sacrifice everything for this kingdom and my father, but not my happiness. He has never once acknowledged anything I’ve done. I feel like he sees me as more of a tool than his child."
"Is there someone specific he wants you to be with?" I ask hesitantly.
Darian grimaces. "It’s not important. My father has always been a fair man, Alice. Members of the royal family have always chosen their fated mates.
What he’s asking me to do is to break tradition. It’s very unlike him. Even if you are without a wolf spirit, that doesn’t change things. It shouldn’t impact anything because the females in the royal family don’t have much to do with the ruling aspect. Their main task is to carry on the bloodline."
His words make me cringe. "So, they’re just breeding machines?"
Darian frowns. "Now you’re being unfair. What I was trying to say is that they don’t deal with matters of the kingdom. They are still important in their own right, though. It is the queen who hosts delegates and provides support to the king. But when it comes to politics and dealing with the wolf packs, they don’t interfere. That is what I meant."
I don’t reply, so Darian continues.
"I can’t understand my father’s stubbornness in this matter. This is why I want you to stay away from most of these events, or simply come and then leave, because he might try to stop you or do something to you, and I don’t want to take that risk. The east wing of the palace is under my control, which is why you are staying here. Even the grounds around this wing are safe for you. But in any other part of the palace, I would not be very confident about your safety."
"You think your father might kill me?"
"No, nothing so drastic." Darian chuckles, as if amused by the idea of his father killing anybody. "But there is every possibility of him pushing you into a situation where he can publicly denounce you. My father is a very clever man. Don’t underestimate him. There’s a reason why I have appointed my right-hand man to guard you."
"So, you and I won’t be able to interact at any of the events?" I ask dejectedly.
"He’s forcing me to stand with him during all of them so that you and I don’t spend time together. I’m asking you to avoid all the events over the next couple of days. Otherwise, he’s going to make things even harder for you."
"You want us to just stay here?" I look around my room. "Isn’t there anything—"
"There’s nothing I can do." Darian looks tired. "I just need you to trust me, Alice. Everything I’m doing, I’m doing for you. If my father gives me an order during an event, I can’t disobey him publicly. I don’t want you to get hurt."
A cold realization forms within me. "He’s not making you spend time with other females, is he?"
His silence pierces me in the heart.
"That’s it, isn’t it?" I breathe, my chest aching. "That’s why you don’t want me there. You don’t want me to see you with other women."