The Mad Alpha's Chapter 164: Something Still Breathing

Chapter 164: Sothing Still Breathing

(ALICE)

I expect her to get angry. Katherine is known for having a short fuse, but at this mont, she steps toward

and hugs . "Take your ti. I know seeing him has upset you for so reason. Get your head on straight and then co talk to . Whatever’s going on, I’m on your side."

When she releases , my eyes fill with tears. "What if I tell you I can’t work on this project anymore?"

She hesitates. "I understand. We’ve already dealt with the biggest problems anyway. I can talk to Harry and have Levi replace you."

"Thank you." I take her hand for a mont before gathering my stuff from the floor. Katherine hands

my cell phone, which she must have picked up along with her own things in the boardroom after I ran out.

As I’m about to go, she asks, "Did he break your heart, Alice?"

I pause, staring at my hand on the doorknob. My voice is dull when I say, "He broke . In every conceivable way, he broke ."

With that, I leave her office.

*****

One of the perks of being a senior lawyer is that I can work from ho if need be, without being answerable to anybody. I sent Harry an email detailing our eting with Ac Intech Corporation and told him that I’ll be working from my apartnt for the rest of the day. Holly reschedules all my etings.

It’s not quite ti to pick Mira up from school, so the first thing I do is head ho and video call Mary.

"You never told

that Darian was in Arizona!" My friend’s smile fades into a frown. "What?"

"He’s in around, Mary!" I stare at the screen. "He was in a eting with my client and . I don’t know what to do. What if he finds out about Mira? What do I do then? Do I run again? I can’t think straight. What if he takes Mira away from

to hurt m—"

"Alright, breathe." She disappears from the screen, and I hear the door closing and then the click of a lock. When she returns, she looks pale. "Darian can’t be. He’s supposed to be on a family vacation with his—"

She pauses. This is the first ti she has ntioned anything about Darian to . I blink at her, wishing my heart would not tighten in pain at her words.

"With his mate, right?" I ask softly as my energy fades away. "He mated Willow, didn’t he?"

"Is it any surprise?" my friend asks quietly.

I lean back in my chair, throwing one arm over my eyes as a bitter laugh spills from my lips. "I wish my heart didn’t hurt. I despise myself for how I feel right now."

Mary sighs. "He was your fated mate, Alice. Why wouldn’t you have feelings over this?"

"The only feeling I want to have is hatred. He made

a victim, Mary." I lower my arm to look at her. "When I saw him today, I was so angry. And then, I was so scared. He will stop at nothing to hurt , not even if it ans going after Mira."

"Did he say that?" Mary almost rises from the chair, her expression twisted in rage.

"Of course he didn’t. He was just surprised to see . But the minute he finds out about Mira, it’s over. Tell

what to do. Should I leave? I already have Mira’s passport prepared. I can pack up, and we can get the first flight out of here to—"

"Don’t be ridiculous." Mary frowns at . "How long will you keep running? Look, from what I know, he isn’t supposed to be there. He and Willow were supposed to be on a cruise. Ever since the king’s death—"

"His father passed away?" I blink.

"Four years ago," Mary sighs. "Listen, I know we’ve never discussed this before—and honestly, it’s because I didn’t know whether you would have been able to take it at the ti—but the reason Darian was never able to find you, Alice, was because of the king."

Shocked, I gape at her. "What are you talking about?"

She looks pale. "That night, at the mating gathering, the king ordered that you were to be brought back to our suite. Jason and I were the only ones with you. Then, the king showed up, and he wanted to talk to you alone. You were very out of it. I don’t know what he said to you, and I don’t know if you rember. But when he ca out, he told Jason that he would dismiss the guards and that we were to take you away from the palace. He was sending you sowhere—I don’t know where—but we ended up stopping at that clinic because you were in such bad shape. And when I discovered you were pregnant, the healer there wanted to inform the royal family. That’s why I—"

I see the strain in her eyes, and I press my lips together. "I will never forget what you did for , Mary. I will always owe you that debt."

She smiles softly at . "There is no debt to pay. There never was one. You may not be my sister in blood, but you’re my sister in heart."

After closing her eyes for a mont, she continues the story. "I knew that if Jason found out about your pregnancy, he would have to tell the king, and the king might change his mind. So, I sneaked you out of there and took you. When I ca back, I found no ntion of the dead healer."

Mary rubs her hands over her face. "I never saw Jason again, but I received a visit from the king once, at night—late at night, in fact. He showed up alone. He didn’t ask

where you were. He just wanted to know that you were safe. He told

to let you know that nobody would be able to find you. He was the one who had you erased from the registry. You know the money I often gave you? He had transferred a large amount into my bank account and told

to dole it out to you periodically. That was the last ti I spoke with him. He was the reason you’ve been safe all this ti."

My lips tremble. "Why? Why do all that for ?"

"I don’t know," she admits. "I always assud that he felt guilty for what Darian did to you, what he subjected you to. It was horrible. I think the king felt responsible. I guess he didn’t consider you a threat like the white witches were trying to claim. He was always a fair man and a fair ruler. I think this was his way of apologizing for what his son put you through."

"I see." I wipe my eyes. "But what now, Mary? Darian is going to co find . He knows where I work! How many mouths can I keep shut? He’s going to find out about Mira—"

Mary holds up her hands in an attempt to calm

down. "In the human world, there are records stating that Mira is your child with a human man," she reminds . "On top of that, Mira’s scent is diluted. She’s very young and hasn’t shifted yet. I can hide her scent. It’s not that hard. Illegal, yes, but not hard."

I let out a gust of air. "I work in a high-pressure environnt and never lose my cool. But the minute it cos to my daughter, I start floundering. What is wrong with ?"

"You’re a mother. You love her, Alice. We both know that Darian has always had a lot of power, and now he’s the king. From all accounts, though, he’s a very devoted husband. I’m sure he doesn’t care about hurting you anymore."

"I hope so," I whisper, even as her words make my heart throb. "Let’s hope he doesn’t care about

at all."

"Look, I have a few vacation days coming up next week. I’ll fly out to see you. Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out."