Chapter 85

~Grace~

“I can explain,” I quickly spilled, my heart pounding. This was awful. I never wanted him to find out this way, now it looked even worse.

Not that it wasn’t bad before, but now it made me look five times more guilty.

Alex stayed frozen, his hand still in my hair. I couldn’t read his expression, he looked… neutral.

His eyes were locked on the mark.

I took a shaky breath and pulled back, brushing my hair over my shoulder again.

Alex slowly looked up at me. I felt awful.

“Alex, I didn’t want to. Please believe me,” I began, my voice wavering. I realized how pathetic I sounded.

I placed my hand on top of Alex’s, but he didn’t move.

“It was Christopher,” I began, and I felt Alex’s hand twitch and his jaw clench. My heart dropped.

No, that wasn’t a good way to start. God, why couldn’t I say this the right way?

“When the clan was cursed, I didn’t have many options. I knew you wanted to kill Liam’s family, but I didn’t want that to happen. I mean, it’s a good thing you didn’t go through with that plan, knowing what we do now,” I tried to joke, but Alex didn’t laugh.

I looked down, my smile fading. Right. I just had to get through this. Tell him the truth about what happened. It was too late to go back, now.

“If killing someone wasn’t an option, I could only think of one thing. Magic. But, I don’t know any magic, and the only person I could think of was… Christopher.”

Alex finally moved, shifting onto the bed. He looked less tense now, but the crease between his eyebrows and his clenched jaw gave away his anxiety.

“You, Enzo, the whole clan… You were all sick. I did everything I could. I did what I thought was best for the clan, Alex. You have to believe that.”

Alex’s face softened for a moment, and he finally took my hand in his.

“I do believe that, Grace. But I don’t trust Christopher.”

I nodded. “I don’t, either. But I didn’t see any other option. I asked him for help because I didn’t know anyone else who knew magic like he did. I knew he’d ask for something in return, but…”

I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head. “I was desperate, Alex. I would have given anything.”

Suddenly, Alex pulled me into a tight hug, his fingers combing through my hair.

“I’m so sorry I put you in a situation like that,” Alex breathed into my ear, and I felt tears brimming my eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault, Alex.”

I felt him shake his head. “I should have been the one to take care of the clan. To take care of you.”

I smiled gently and rubbed his back. “You have, and you are. Sometimes you need to accept that others can take care of you, too.”

Alex smiled. “You truly are the greatest woman in the whole world.”

I laughed, pulling away from him. “Now that’s a bit of a stretch. Besides, I figure you could undo the mark by marking me yourself. I know you’re stronger than him.”

Alex’s face finally lit up, and I felt my worry disappear. Alex seemed to take this conversation a lot better than I expected.

He had changed so much since the time I met him.

The towering, brooding, scary figure I first met had now become my sweet protector. Someone I fell in love with. Someone I wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with.

I wondered how much I changed after I met him.

It was always much harder to see changes in yourself than in other people.

I nudged Alex.

“Go, you’re going to be late for the Council meeting.”

Alex laughed under his breath and pulled me in for a deep kiss. I kissed him back, his warmth enveloping me.

“I’ll let you know what happens. I’ll make sure it’s something you’d be satisfied with,” Alex told me, standing up.

He looked so good in his suit, his hair slicked back.

God, I loved him.

“I know,” I said, and watched him leave.

~Alex~

Christopher wouldn’t get away with this, that slimy little rat, always finding some way to exploit Grace.

How many warnings had I given him? And he still keeps finding ways to undermine me.

“You should rip his throat out,” Thor growled to me, his tail flicking side to side in agitation.

I could tell he was riled up, ready for a fight.

But I shook my head. “I already tore him to pieces. It’s not even guaranteed he’ll heal from it.”

“You could ensure he doesn’t,” Thor hissed in response, baring his teeth.

I let out an annoyed sigh. “I’m not doing that.”

“He marked your mate! You’re just going to let him get away with that? What kind of a message does that send to everyone else?”

“First off, no one else will know about this. Secondly, I will mark Grace at our wedding and that will be the end of that.”

Thor growled, bordering on a howl. He wasn’t getting what he wanted, that that was driving him crazy.

“I’m trying to be a more diplomatic leader, instead of a tyrant. Is that really so awful?” I asked Thor, who just turned away from me.

“If you like being stepped all over, I suppose,” he muttered, and I shook my head dismissively.

I stood outside of the medical center. Christopher would be right through this door.

What could I even say?

I took a deep breath and burst through the door, the door banging against the wall.

Christopher startled awake, and I saw he was hooked up to many different types of machines. I really must have done a number on him. Too bad I hadn’t finished him off.

Grace seemed to think Christopher had a good heart, somewhere behind his insufferable personality.

Christopher watched me with wide, terrified eyes, and the heart monitor began to beep rapidly.

I wasted no time in closing the distance between us, and placed my hands on both sides of him, growling in his face.

He pressed the back of his head into the pillow, as if trying to escape me by shrinking into the bed.

I could hear his pathetic whimpers of fear.

“You thought you could take Grace away from me, right under my nose. As soon as you saw an advantage, you took it. Well, this is the last time you’re going to patronize me, Rogue.”

Christopher squinted his eyes shut, his face turned to the side, and I swear I saw tears in the corner of his eyes.

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you. All I have to do is rip these tubes out of you, I don’t even have to slice you open again. Is that what you want?”

He shook his head.

God, he was pathetic.

I could see why Grace felt bad for him. He really liked to make you feel bad for him.

“I’m sorry-” Christopher whispered, and I paused.

What did he say?

“I-I’m sorry. I won’t hurt Grace anymore. I know she will only ever love you,” he stuttered out.