(ALICE)

I expect her to get angry. Katherine is known for having a short fuse, but at this moment, she steps toward me and hugs me. "Take your time. I know seeing him has upset you for some reason. Get your head on straight and then come talk to me. Whatever’s going on, I’m on your side."

When she releases me, 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 moment before gathering my stuff from the floor. Katherine hands me 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 me. In every conceivable way, he broke me."

With that, I leave her office.

*****

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

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

"You never told me 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 meeting with my client and me. 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 me 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 time she has mentioned anything about Darian to me. 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 me 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 me, not even if it means 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 me. But the minute he finds out about Mira, it’s over. Tell me 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 me. "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 time—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 remember. But when he came 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 somewhere—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 me, Mary. I will always owe you that debt."

She smiles softly at me. "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 moment, 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 came back, I found no mention 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 me where you were. He just wanted to know that you were safe. He told me 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 me to dole it out to you periodically. That was the last time I spoke with him. He was the reason you’ve been safe all this time."

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

"I don’t know," she admits. "I always assumed 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 come find me. 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 me down. "In the human world, there are records stating that Mira is your child with a human man," she reminds me. "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 environment and never lose my cool. But the minute it comes to my daughter, I start floundering. What is wrong with me?"

"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 me 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."