Chapter 135

[Evelyn’s POV]

“Oh! Evelyn, which shade of white were you thinking for the wedding dress?” Claire asked with jovial excitement.

My eyes widened. “Wedding dress?” I questioned. “You’re not designing a whole new dress, are you? You know the first one was stunning. I couldn’t imagine wearing anything different from that.”

Claire looked at me as though I had grown a second head and lightly chuckled.

“Of course, I have to design a whole new dress!” she exclaimed. “This wedding is going to be the absolute talk of the region.”

Just the thought of that, made my heart sink into my stomach. I forced a smile and gently spoke.

“Just please don’t go overboard,” I told her earnestly. “If you really need to create a new dress, please pass the whole idea to Alexander first, okay? I’m more than happy to wear the original one you had designed.”

Claire nodded her head and made off with a noticeable bounce in her step while I was left feeling deflated. For the last couple of days, life at the manor had become consumed with talk and preparation for the wedding.

Don’t get me wrong. I was genuinely excited about the whole endeavor just as much as Alexander seemed to be. What I wasn’t entirely prepared for, was having to deal with all the major, ongoing decisions.

It was one thing to discuss what types of flowers were going to be displayed in all the major bouquets. However, it was a completely different thing to have to sit through an entire debate on whether or not the cloth napkins had to be either creme colored or beige.

It was both excessive and mind-bendingly painful at times. But every time I started to feel this way, I became wrapped in guilt. It wasn’t as though I didn’t care about any of it, these sorts of things just fell a bit beyond my level of interest.

Lately, all I really wanted to do was slip away to the library and start reading up on some basic political information to feel better prepared for the fights ahead. Regardless of our issues within our own families, one of the major problems was having to eventually deal with the Alpha King.

I needed to know how the political game worked. I needed to know what sort of systems were currently in place and how they operated day-to-day.

All I wanted to do was lose myself amongst all the books. As silly as it may sound, I missed my little corner in the library where I used to spend hours losing myself one book after another.

Recently, I just felt as though someone was always trying to get my attention no matter how small or insignificant the matter was.

I quickly glanced around and swiftly made my way toward the library, only to be stopped by Nina.

“Evelyn! I’m glad I caught you,” she called out. “There’s something we need to talk about for the wedding.”

I inwardly cursed to myself and plastered on a smile.

Ah, yes. The wedding. The wedding that happens to be in two, possibly three months.

“What is it?” I dared to ask.

“Wendy and I have been wracking our minds all morning about what color the tablecloths should be in that they won’t clash with anything else on the table,” she stated.

I felt myself beginning to twitch.

Table clothes...They were seriously debating about the color of the tableclothes?

I let out a long breath and offered a small smile. “Nina, I appreciate you and Wendy putting so much thought into this event. Just know that this decision doesn’t need to be made immediately. Alexander had literally put the official statement about it no more than two days ago.”

“Oh, we know,” she gushed. “It’s just so exciting!”

“As I told Claire a moment ago, please do not go overboard,” I said softly.

With a wave of her hand, Nina made her way back to Wendy’s wing of the house. I took my chance and, practically, dove head-first into the library and closed the door behind me. The adrenaline calmly wore off as I roamed through the numerous shelves in search of the topic that’s been harrowing my thoughts lately.

...

I hadn’t realized how much time had passed since I gathered a pile of political science books and hunkered down in my favorite spot. It wasn’t until I heard the library door open that I glanced up to see Alexander leaning in the doorway.

He wore a curious smirk while assessing my current position. “You know, half the house is looking for you right now.”

I let out a small groan and slumped back into my chair. “I have no doubt,” I breathed. “Believe me, I want nothing more than to have a wedding ceremony with you, Alexander. I’m just not used to people running to me about every single, mindless detail...”

He hummed in agreement as he moved closer. “I think I know what you mean. My grandmother almost tried roping me into a conversation over napkin rings,” he droned.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “So, as you can see, I hid myself away because I desperately needed a break from all the excessive questions.”

“I understand. What is it that you’re reading, though?” He picked up one of the books at the top of the pile I’d created. I watched as his eyes widened. “Political Science?”

My cheeks started to heat up under his searching gaze. “Yeah...I wanted to start becoming more familiar with how things work. If you seriously plan on taking on the King, it’s vital that I understand the systems that revolve around his position and—hmm!”

At some point during my rambling, Alexander placed the book down and leaned over to capture my lips. I felt his hand wrap around my hair and tug me closer. I happily melted into his searing touch and even let my hands curl into his shirt.

I knew I would never grow tired of his slightly domineering behavior in this instance. He pulled back only briefly to give me a heated look.

His voice came out rough. “Have I ever told you just how much I adore your eagerness to learn and study new things?” he asked.

A smile broke out across my mouth. A stirring heat began to build in my lower abdomen.“Well, I’ve always been a very diligent student, but there’s still so much that I need to learn,” I said playfully.

He raised a brow and tilted his head with interest. “Oh, is that right?”

“Mm-hm.” I kept my eyes locked on his as I reached out to run my fingers along the silver buckle of his belt. “In fact, there’s something that I really, really want to try, but...”

Alexander sounded as though he was on the brink of losing his voice completely. The touch of my hand, gliding over the zipper of his pants had not gone amiss. I could feel him growing stiffer under my palm.

“But what?” he rasped.

“I’m going to need you to talk me through it,” I said.

Unconsciously, I slid out of my chair and sank down to the floor in front of him. Alexander’s eyes grew large as he watched me delicately undo his belt and tug the tab of his zipper down. I reached into the waistband of his boxers and took his straining cock into my hand.

I swiped my thumb over the bulging head that had become wet with precome and gently spread it around. Alexander let out a throaty groan and tipped his head back.

“Jesus Christ, Evelyn...You’re trying to kill me.”