Ruthless Alpha, and his Curvy Saint-Chapter 59

Angel’s POV

Harland and I found a quiet corner away from the main dining area - a small alcove with windows overlooking outside.

We stood there in awkward silence for a moment before I finally worked up the courage to ask the question burning in my mind.

"How did it happen?" I asked quietly. "Your escape?"

Harland’s lips curved into a small, wry smile. "You mean how did I escape the room you locked me in?"

Guilt crashed over me like a wave.

I’d forgotten - or tried to forget - that our last encounter hadn’t exactly been friendly. He’d tried to stop me from going after the Alpha. Had tried to protect me from myself, knowing I was about to do something stupid and suicidal.

And I’d stolen his knife, locked him in that room, and run straight into disaster.

"I’m sorry," I whispered. "I didn’t know what else to do. I was so angry, so desperate to make someone pay for what happened to my family..."

"I understand," Harland interrupted gently. "You don’t need to apologize. I would have done the same in your position."

"But if I hadn’t locked you in..."

"Then I might have died trying to stop you." His expression turned serious. "And you would have gotten yourself killed anyway, just with an extra body to mourn."

The logic was sound, but it didn’t ease my guilt.

"Was anyone else..." I couldn’t finish the question.

"You want to know if anyone else survived?" Harland’s jaw tightened. "If you’re worried about my father, don’t be. He’s dead. Almost certainly dead. And I barely escaped myself."

"How?"

"The window in that room you locked me in." He laughed bitterly. "Ironic, isn’t it? You trap me to go get your revenge, and that trap becomes my escape route. I heard the screaming, smelled the smoke. Managed to break the window and climb down before the flames reached that wing."

"And your father?"

"Was probably trying to escape through the gates, but the Alpha’s men had everywhere locked down before setting the fire." Harland’s voice was flat, emotionless. "They made sure no one escaped, Angel. No one. They were thorough."

Terrell had made sure of that.

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

"But you don’t need to be scared anymore," Harland continued, reaching out to take my hands. "I’m here now. I came to take care of you. To keep you safe from having to marry that man."

I looked at our joined hands, feeling torn.

Part of me was genuinely touched that he’d traveled so far, risked so much, to find me. That he cared enough to track me through burned castles and deadly storms.

But another part - a larger part - knew it wasn’t necessary anymore.

"Harland," I said gently, "I appreciate everything you’re trying to do. More than you know. But I don’t think it’s necessary anymore."

His face fell. "What? Why not?"

"Because someone is already protecting me."

"The man who tried to kill me during dinner?" There was no mistaking the bitterness in his voice.

"Uriel," I confirmed. "He’s been protecting me. And the Alpha has promised to let me go once we reach Black Wolf territory. To break the mate bond and set me free."

Harland’s expression shifted from hurt to alarm.

"Angel, no." He squeezed my hands tighter. "You can’t trust that. You can’t trust the Alpha’s promises."

"But he said..."

"I don’t care what he said!" Harland’s voice rose slightly before he caught himself, lowering it again. "Think about it. Really think about it. Why would an Alpha willingly give up his mate? His one true mate that he’s been waiting for - how long?"

"A thousand years," I whispered, remembering what Sheena had told me.

"A thousand years," Harland repeated. "He’s waited a millennium to find you, Angel. And you think he’s just going to let you walk away? That he’ll break the bond and spend the rest of eternity alone?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came.

Because he was right.

It didn’t make sense.

Why would the Alpha wait a thousand years for his mate only to reject her the moment he found her?

Even if he didn’t like me, even if I wasn’t his preference, the mate bond was supposed to be sacred. Unbreakable. The most powerful connection werewolves could experience.

And I’d seen the way the Alpha looked at me sometimes. Not with hatred or disgust. With something complicated I couldn’t interpret.

"What if he changes his mind?" I asked, my voice small. "What if we get to Black Wolf territory and he refuses to let me go?"

"That’s why I’m here," Harland said firmly. "I have a plan, Angel. A way to keep you safe from the Black Wolf pack. A way to get you somewhere they’ll never find you."

"What kind of plan?"

"I can’t tell you here. Too many ears." He glanced around nervously. "But trust me. When the time comes, I’ll get you out. You’ll be free. Really, truly free."

I wanted to believe him.

Wanted to trust that someone had a solution to this impossible situation.

But doubt had already taken root, spreading through my mind like poison.

What if the Alpha refuses to let me go?

What if Uriel can’t protect me?

What if everything I’ve been hoping for is a lie?

"I need to think," I said finally, pulling my hands from Harland’s grasp. "This is all... it’s too much. I need time to process."

"Of course." Harland stepped back, giving me space. "But Angel? Whatever you decide, know that I’m here. I came all this way for you. And I’m not leaving without making sure you’re safe."

The conviction in his voice was both touching and terrifying.

Because I didn’t love Harland. Didn’t feel for him what he clearly felt for me.

And I had no idea how to tell him that without crushing whatever hope had driven him through storms to find me.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For everything."

I left before he could say anything else, practically fleeing back to my room.

***

Sleep didn’t come easily.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind spinning with everything Harland had said.

Why would the Alpha let me go?

The question circled endlessly, finding no satisfactory answer.

Uriel had said the Alpha would honor his word. That if I behaved, I’d be free.

But what if Harland was right? What if it was all a trick?

Knock knock knock.