Chapter 228

[ 1,007 words ]

{Third Person}

Alexander carried Amara into her walk-in closet and gently lowered her onto the plush rug.

He expected her to let go once her feet were safely on the ground, but she didn’t. Her arms remained loosely around his neck.

He looked down at her. “What is the problem?”

She didn’t answer immediately and just stared at him.

He noticed the change in her eyes. Her blue eyes had softened, and there was something in the way she was looking at him that made him wonder whether she was aware of the effect she was having on him.

She was still standing close enough for him to feel the warmth of her body against his chest, and the situation was making it increasingly difficult for him to remain completely unaffected.

Then she finally spoke. “I have been noticing something for a while.”

“What?” He probed.

“The silver in your hair,” she said.

Alexander’s expression shifted slightly as he listened to her. “It has been fading faster.”

He held her gaze. “It is because the potency of the curse has been broken.”

Instantly, Amara’s eyes widened. “Really?”

He confirmed with a nod.

For a moment, she appeared genuinely happy for him. Then, the sparkle in her eyes faded, and her arms slowly fell from around his neck.

He immediately noticed and asked, “What happened?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head and looked away.

She could not tell him what had suddenly gone through her mind.

She remembered Elowen telling her long ago that Alexander’s mate was the only person who could break his curse.

At the time, she had not understood the depth of what that meant. She had only known that a mate was important to a werewolf.

But after everything she had learned since then, she understood it differently now.

A mate was not simply a wife chosen by fate.

There was a bond between them. A connection that went beyond ordinary love and could not be compared with the relationship between two people who had simply chosen each other.

And now Alexander had just told her that the potency of his curse had been broken.

Her heart sank.

He had found his mate.

At least, that was the only explanation her mind could find.

She was happy for him. Truly, she was. After watching him suffer for so long, knowing that he was finally getting better should have been nothing but good news.

But the happiness came with a painful realisation. If Alexander’s mate was now in his life, what did that make her?

The other woman.

Amara hated the thought. She had never wanted to be that person. She was forced into this political marriage, and she had never expected to develop feelings for him.

Yet somewhere along the way, things had changed. She had become comfortable with him. She looked forward to his return. She enjoyed his company, his attention and the quiet moments they shared.

Now she had suddenly been reminded that there was a place in Alexander’s life that belonged to someone else.

Someone chosen by fate.

“Amara.”

Alexander’s voice brought her back. She returned her attention to him. “What happened?” he inquired.

“Nothing,” she repeated.

He did not believe her.

She could see the concern in his eyes, but she could not bring herself to explain. Instead, she forced a small smile.

“Thank you for carrying me.”

“It was not a problem.”

Her smile remained, but Alexander noticed that it did not reach her eyes. He wanted to ask again.

He wanted to know what had changed so suddenly, but he also understood that pressing her when she clearly did not want to speak would not get him an answer.

For now, he decided to leave her alone.

“You should get ready for dinner. Do not be late.”

She nodded. “I won’t.” She gave him another small smile and waved.

He lifted his hand and waved back. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

He gave her one last look, then turned and left the walk-in closet.

The moment he disappeared from view, Amara’s smile vanished. She lowered her eyes to the floor, her thoughts returning to the one conclusion she could not seem to escape.

Alexander had found his mate. And somehow, the thought hurt far more than she had expected.

For a while, she simply stood there, staring at the closed door.

She had always known what she was to Alexander. A political bride.

That was the arrangement that had brought her from the Human Kingdom into his life in the first place.

There had been no romance behind it, no affection, and certainly no expectation that she would one day develop feelings for the man she had been sent to marry.

She had understood her position from the beginning and, at the time, it had been easy to accept.

She had also known that Alexander, as the Alpha Prince, would eventually have more than one woman in his life.

That was simply how things worked among the werewolf royals.

A male of royal blood could have his mate, his political wife, and other women besides.

His mate held a place that no political arrangement could ever compete with, while a political bride served her own purpose within the family and kingdom.

Concubines could come afterward, women chosen because they pleased him or because he desired their company.

When Amara had first arrived in the werewolf kingdom, none of that had troubled her.

Why would it?

She had not loved Alexander then, and she had barely known him.

If one day he found his mate, Amara had thought she would simply accept it. Perhaps she would even be relieved that the purpose behind their marriage had finally been fulfilled.

His curse would disappear, his health would return, and he would have the woman he was naturally meant to be with.

She had never imagined she would one day stand in a dressing room with tears in her eyes, because the thought of another woman taking her place in Alexander’s heart was unbearable.

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