AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But there was no way in hell I was letting her return to Maximo’s. She had to stay in the castle, where I could keep her safe. There was just no other way to do it.
I provedto be a terrible prophet with regard to Maren’s mood.
She refused to join me for breakfast the following morning like she usually did, and when I knocked on the door to the spare room, she didn’t answer.
“Don’t make me break the door down, Maren,” I rasped against the heavy wood. I was sure she could hear me, her honeydew scent wafting out from under the door. I sensed her on the other side even before she spoke.
“If you do, it’s not going to make me any happier,” she warned, speaking for the first time.
My hands closed into fists at my sides, recognizing the logic in her words. I’d only make things worse if I forced her to talk to me. “Is this the way it’s going to be now?” I demanded. “You’re sleeping in the spare room?”
“I just need some space,” she muttered, and I ground my teeth.
“Fine,” I snapped. “Take all the space you need. I’m heading into my meetings.”
“Of course you are. Have a good day. Enjoy your time in the city.”
I stared at the closed door for a long moment, catching the wistful note in her taut statement.
But I didn’t knock again. Instead, I backed away, my mind racing.
She’s feeling isolated, alone,I realized as I retreated down the stairs toward the front doors, my guards behind me.I have to do something before she tries to leave again.
I had found Maren as a free-spirited, untamed being at a cabaret club. It wasn’t fair to demand that she give up the only life she had ever known, even if it was for her own safety and that of our child.
But what was the solution? How did I make it right for her?
“To the cabinet, Alpha?” the driver asked, as he did every morning.
I had barely noticed I’d made my way to the waiting SUV out front already. I hesitated, looking back at the stone walls of the castle. From the third floor, one of the curtains moved, and although I couldn’t make out her face with the winter sun directly in my eyes, I could sense Maren watching from up there.
She just needs some time to cool off,I told myself again, but the knot forming in my stomach told me differently. I already had a bad feeling about Maren and what was going to happen. I just didn’t know how to make her happy when her life was on the line.
For the next three days,Maren remained locked in her room, refusing to see me or any of the staff who tried to get into the spare bedroom to clean. I had her meals brought up to her, and I was informed that she was eating very little, a fact that alarmed me more with each passing day.
When I was gone, she didn’t leave her room and refused to even walk in the gardens as she used to do before, according to Drakias’ reports. I grew more concerned for her. I texted her every day, and she did respond to my messages, but in curt, one-word answers. She never answered when I tried to call. Dinners were lonely in the main dining room. I missed having Maren at my side, bantering and laughing with me.
“Is Miss Maren coming down tonight?” I asked the servants, and every evening, it was the same answer.
“No, Alpha. She prefers to eat in her room.”
It was becoming clearer that Maren was falling into a depression, and she wasn’t acting out of anger anymore.
On the fourth day, I stood outside next to the SUV, staring up at the spare room window on the third floor before heading into the cabinet. The curtain didn’t move for the second day, and I gnawed on the insides of my cheeks.
“To the cabinet, Alpha?” the driver asked, opening the back door for me. I hesitated, but only for half a second.
“No,” I concluded, an idea formulating in my mind. “I’m staying home today.”
The car door slammed closed.
“As you wish, Alpha,” he agreed, but I caught the surprise in his voice. I rarely skipped a meeting with the ministers, but Maren and our child had to take precedence.
“Send my assistant to my office immediately,” I instructed one of the guards as I strode back inside, ignoring the perplexed expressions of the staff. I had work to do that day.
It was five o’clock before I was ready to try with Maren again. Every time I’d knocked on the door for the past four days, she had sent me away, but this time I wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Maren,” I sighed, knocking on the door. “You can’t stay in there forever.”
