Chapter 25: We Leave

ALEXANDER

I hadn’t left my room for days, and Alpha Damon hadn’t come either. By noon on the third day, Christina looked at me with pleading eyes and said softly, “My Lady, why don’t you give Alpha Damon another chance? I have watched him grow. He hurt you and acted rashly because of the pain of losing Tracy, but he has healed and become a better man. If you give him a second chance, he will treat you better.”

I looked at Christina and asked, “Why did he blame me for Tracy’s death? Am I not a victim too?”

Christina pursed her lips, but I didn’t let the matter go. With a sneer, I said, “Everyone hated me for a death I didn’t cause. Do you know what it means to grow up worse than an orphan?”

Her eyes widened in shock at my words, but I didn’t give her time to respond. Anger poured out of me as I continued, “It means having a father, yet growing up without fatherly love. It means having a family, yet being treated worse than a slave in your own home.”

My emotions surged, my chest tightening painfully. My eyes stung, and I knew tears were already gathering, but I pressed on.

“I expected my husband, the one man who knew all my pain and sorrow, to treat me kindly. But how was I treated? He turned me into a sex slave, worse than a whore. I was sent to many men’s beds, handled and degraded by them.”

My anger spiraled out of control. I got off the bed and shouted at Christina, “You expect me to forgive him and pretend he never did all that to me? Huh? How do you expect me to do that? How? How?”

Christina immediately lowered her head and dropped to her knees. “I am sorry, my lady. I am deeply sorry. Please forgive me, my lady.”

I glared at her, though deep down I knew it wasn’t Christina’s fault. After venting all my anger, I felt hollow, as if all my strength had drained away. I lay back on the bed and soon fell asleep.

I was deep in sleep when I sensed a strong presence beside me, along with the feeling of someone stroking my hair. My eyes flew open in shock, and I saw Alpha Damon.

My face darkened at once, and I quickly moved away from him. Looking at him coldly, I asked, “Why are you in my room?”

Flames burned in his eyes. Without a word, he reached out, grabbed my arm, and dragged me closer. Then, with an expressionless sneer, he said, “Alex, I don’t know what makes you think you have a choice, so let me remind you—you have none. As long as you remain my mate, I will make sure nothing ever happens between you and my uncle. I will never let you be together. And if you keep being stubborn, I’ll send you to my warriors’ beds. They’ve all been missing the taste of you. Don’t make me angry, Alex. I will make you regret it.”

He let go of my arm, turned around, and walked out of the room.

Tears brimmed in my eyes, not because his words had hurt me, but because I felt helpless. I couldn’t even defend myself against him. How was I ever supposed to confront him?

After dinner, Christina came to me and said, “Someone wants to see you.”

I was surprised. No one ever came looking for me except my father and Alpha Damon, and they usually barged into my room just to say whatever they pleased.

I tried to ask who it was, but Christina remained tight-lipped.

She led me to the garden in the Queen’s palace, where a man stood with his back to me. My heart pounded so hard against my chest that I already knew who it was.

It was Chris.

He turned slowly, wearing his usual amiable smile, the one that always hid his true thoughts.

We stared at each other in silence. I still remembered his words from the last time we met, before he had suddenly left without another word.

Then Chris broke the silence.

“Choose,” he said. “Between me and Alpha Damon.”

I shook my head and replied, “You’re making a mockery of me. I don’t have the right to choose for myself. Between you and him, I have no say. Even if I decided to make a choice, who would listen to me? Who would consider my opinion? Why bother entertaining such a wishful thought?”

Chris suddenly grinned and replied, “You’re right.”

At that moment, I was stunned, then speechless, then upset, because I felt he was using me for his amusement.

But his next words shocked me.

“You don’t have a choice, but I can give you options.”

I looked at him and saw that he was dead serious and confident. His words were not spoken casually; he meant every one of them.

I smiled and teasingly retorted, “What if I want to leave the pack? Will you make that happen for me?”

“If you are coming with me, yes, I will make it possible,” Chris replied calmly.

I considered his words. Although I had not been in contact with him frequently, I had heard many rumors about him—that he was heartless, that he killed easily, and that his schemes ran deep. But I still preferred him over Alpha Damon, who did not even see me as human.

Although the rumors about Chris were terrifying, I believed not all of them were true. Just look at the rumors about me in the pack—no one dared speak the whole truth; they were always selective with their words.

“I agree,” I replied calmly.

He looked at me seriously for some time before his expressionless face broke into a smile. Then he grinned at me and said, “Get ready to leave the pack soon. As soon as I am done handling matters here, we will leave.”