Chapter 144: Not My World

(ALICE)

I haven’t changed out of my dress yet. I don’t know how to take it off without some help. All the damn buttons are on the back.

Leaning on the balcony railing, I look out at the palace grounds, my thoughts conflicted. I should be happy. In a way, I am. But I’m also terrified of what this fated mate bond means for me. Even if Darian accepts me, what about his father? What about everyone else?

The thoughts eat away at me. Suddenly, the world that was so predictable till now is far too vast and terrifying. Getting embroiled with the royal family is not what I wanted.

While I’m not upset about having been forced to leave the ballroom, I do wonder where Mary is. It’s getting close to three in the morning, and she’s still not back. The ballroom is quite far from the east wing. It took me twenty minutes to get here, a testament to how large the palace truly is.

This dress is quite uncomfortable. And I haven’t even pulled the pins from my hair because I wouldn’t know where to start. It’s all piled up on top of my head in some elegant updo that Mary was convinced gave me a sophisticated aura. As opposed to looking like an ape as usual, I suppose.

The sound of banging on the door makes me straighten. “Alice!”

I blink, recognizing Darian’s voice.

Hurrying to the other end of the suite, I grip my dress and lift it so that I don’t accidentally fall over and break my nose. When I open the door, Darian is leaning against the jamb, the first few buttons of his shirt undone and that fancy coat he was wearing nowhere to be seen. His hair looks messy, and he’s clutching a bottle that looks and smells like scotch.

When he sees me, he smiles a charming, boyish grin. “There’s my girl.”

“Are you drunk?” I ask, stunned. Before he answers the question, I snatch the bottle away from him. “Get inside.”

He staggers past me, and I close the door behind him.

“What are you doing, showing up here drunk? Somebody could have seen you!” I demand before getting a good look at his face. My anger fades to give way to concern. Something’s wrong. I don’t know what, but I can sense it.

“You are my fated mate.” He grabs my jaw and kisses me fiercely. “I’d like to see anybody keep us apart.”

My body reacts to his touch, but I still have some sliver of common sense in me, unlike him. “Darian, what’s wrong?”

He stares at me with a dissatisfied expression on his face. “How do you know something’s wrong?”

“I just do.”

“You think you know everything, don’t you?” He glowers at me. “You thought I would turn away from you because you don’t have a wolf spirit, didn’t you?”

I swallow. “So, you know.”

Darian leans forward before flicking me on the forehead lightly with his thumb and forefinger. “I do, and guess what? I’m still standing here.” He gestures widely with his arms.

Those simple words have my eyes burning. He’s right. He is still here.

“I’m your fated mate, Alice. I’m never going to leave your side.”

His words pierce my heart. Back on the terrace, when I heard the confusion in his voice, I felt shell-shocked. I was so certain that he didn’t know the truth. I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong. “What about your father? Will he be okay with me?”

Darian’s hands cup my cheeks. “He’s not the one who has to live with you, now, is he? And besides, it doesn’t matter to me what anyone thinks. You are mine. That’s all that matters. Nobody can rip us apart.”

I always promised myself that I would never allow a man’s words to sway me. I had to learn from an early age that I couldn’t trust anybody, but now I find myself believing what Darian is saying, his sincere gaze tearing down the walls I have spent years erecting.

Warmth spreads within me, and my lips curve slightly.

“Don’t you worry about what anybody else thinks,” he continues adamantly. “You just look at me. Nobody else matters.”

His tone bothers me. Is it only me, or is there a desperate tinge to his voice?

“I am looking at you, Darian.” I wrap my hands around his wrists. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing.”

Now I know he’s lying. “Whatever it is, I can handle it,” I reassure him.

His jaw tightens. “You don’t have to handle anything from now on. I’m here to do it for you. Trust me. Everything is fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

This clearly has something to do with me, but I don’t want to press him because the more I do, the more upset he gets.

“Why don’t you eat something?” I suggest trying to take his mind off whatever is bothering him. “I brought some snacks with me if you’re hungry.”

I drink on occasion, but not enough to get blackout drunk. I find that pairing food with alcohol always makes me feel better, and right now, the only way to bring Darian to some level of sobriety is to get him to eat. As shifters, our metabolism is faster than that of humans. We don’t stay drunk for very long, but the hangover that hits us is like a ton of bricks.

I lower his hands from my face and head over to where my bag is. I packed some food for the journey here, but I forgot to eat it. You can never go wrong with an egg salad sandwich.

I hold out the carefully wrapped sandwich to him. He stares at it as if it were something foreign, and then, out of nowhere, he lets out a bark of laughter.

“If you don’t want it—” I feel offended and am about to turn away when he grabs my hand and takes the sandwich from me.

“No. I want it. I want everything that you make.” He doesn’t start eating, just stares at me. “You make me feel seen. Do you understand that?”

I don’t.

My silence gives him all the answer he needs, and he chuckles, almost sadly. “I have always been the prince. But even now, after knowing my identity, you still treat me as the boy who sat with you by the lake. Maybe it’s silly in your eyes, Alice, but that’s important to me.”

I don’t know what to say to that. “I—” I struggle to utter something, anything, but it’s hard to form words when he’s looking at me with such an intense gaze.

He’s inching toward me. He’s too close.

I feel his arms come around me, and I’m helpless to stop him.

When he lowers his mouth to brush against mine, my eyes flutter shut as I let out a breathy sigh.

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