“Can whatever you have to say not wait till after dinner?” Theresa asked in a brisk tone.
“No!” Paisley snapped. I could see her fingers trembling around the glass in anxiety. “It can’t wait.”
“Very well,” Theresa said and shrugged, forking a pea into her mouth elegantly, “as long as you don’t feed us any garbage, or, try to chicken out of marrying my son because of some… lowlife!”
I dropped my fork and took my glass of red wine to calm my blood going hot. I reached under and took Alonso’s hand in mine when I saw a resentful grimace form on his face.
Instead of thinking too much about Theresa’s disdain, I focused on Paisley who did a great job of swallowing a large amount of spittle than hurrying up with what she had to say.
“I-i”
“Just say it, Paisley!” I squeaked unconsciously and froze when their attention swoop on me. I didn’t mean to. I was growing irritated with her hesitation that it just came out.
“I’m trying, okay?” she reeled, “cut me some slack!”
“Then if you can’t, I will help you,” I challenged her with my eyes.
“No! I will say it.” She pushed off her position and made to come to me but Alonso growled like a wounded animal and stood from his chair with his hands to the table, baring his fangs at her in a restrictive warning.
“Don’t come any close to my mate!” He pointed fervently at her. “Say whatever it is you have to say from there.”
“Okay, okay.” She lifted her hands in defense. “It’s not like I’m coming to hurt her, jeez!” She rolls her eyes at him, earning more defensive growls from my mate. I touched his thigh which made him grow stiff instantly and relaxed. He looked down and took my hand in his.
“I am leaving,” she ultimately said.
“Well, then why batter our ears with it? Go ahead or did anyone stop you? I always knew y-”
“Mother!” Alonso barked, “Allow her to speak! At this moment I think you are the one who is battering our ears with undesirable rackets!”
“I am your mother and you will address me with respect, Alonso! I see she is also teaching you to disrespect me.” Theresa was out of her wit! Must she always ruin it all? Everything doesn’t always have to be about her! What a farce to think I will ever make Alonso disrespect her.
“Please, can we allow her to finish?” I said softly, knowing she would come for me, yet saying it anyways.
Surprisingly, she didn’t, instead, she huffed and picked her glass, glared at Paisley through the rim of her glass, and when she lowered her glass, she said, “By all means, bleed our ears the more with your sorryful excuses!”
I grunted in annoyance. I am one minute away from helping her out if she doesn’t open her mouth this minute!
“The pup I carry is not for this family!”
“What!” Theresa again.
“I am sorry… I was so desperate to become married to the King that I was willing to do anything.” She fiddled with her fingers, her sharp eyes moving about us. “I wanted him to impregnate me but he wouldn’t even look at me not to mention sleep with me, so…”
“So you cheated on my son?” I flicked my eyes to Theresa, not believing she was actually saying anything in Alonso’s favor. “How dare you?!”
“I’m sorry! I should have left when Danika asked me to, but I was stubborn to lose to her.”
“You degenerate! How could you lie against my son? And who is that unfortunate man that dared to-”
“I will not say his name, I’m sorry.” She looked at me for help which I returned with an intent one, unhinged. She brought this on herself and shall bear the consequences alone. But I didn’t expect what she said next, “Danika is a very nice girl and maybe you should set aside anything that you hold against her and accept her,” she addressed Theresa, thereafter, facing me. “No, for real, Danika, I am being serious right now, not because of what we discussed earlier.”
My cheek burned. What is she doing? I shuffled in my seat uncomfortably.
“She is forgiving, kind, and the type of Queen this Kingdom needs, more than I can ever be. You might not know and even though I told you I never truly liked you, Danika, that’s a lie too. In the little time I got to know you, I learned a lot from you. You have the best personality than any wolf of your capacity can possibly have.” I sniffed, only realizing then that I was starting to cry.
Her eyes flicked to Alonso and turned guilty as she said, “Alonso, I am sorry for what I did to you. It wasn’t intentional. I was desperate for the crown at first, then later on to please my father and spite Danika. But, if I’m being honest, being a Queen is too much for me. You have what you need beside you, cherish it. If I were you, I will never allow anything to come between us, not even any stupid sense of duty.”
“Seriously, now? Are we going to continue on the sloppy lane till when?” Theresa slurred, irritably.
“And you, Theresa, maybe you should actually cut your son some slacks.”
“What! You dare speak to me?” the older woman said fiercely.
“I’m sorry, but I owe you nothing. Your reign has passed after all.” She chuckled at the end to rile the old lady. The bitchy side of Paisley sure can’t hide for long.
“I will make you pay for what you did to my son.” Theresa flung at her.
Paisley chuckled more. “Too late for that, old witch. I will be leaving this palace as soon as possible, and this kingdom before you know it. Don’t bother. And a piece of advice, try to learn one or two tips on kindness from your future daughter-in-law, she has an overload of it. Even though you don’t deserve it. And yeah, about the other time I told y’all that she seduced me, that was a lie too. I was actually the one that seduced her. It’s not my fault anyway, who isn’t?”
And I thought I was going to lose my mind. Why would she say that? Before anyone could recover, she flung the chair behind her to the floor, flipped the seething Theresa the bird, and sashayed off.
I didn’t know how to react to that, actually. Should I be delighted at how she shut up the evil Queen? Stay mad at her? Or, admire the badass in her? I don’t know. I’m simply jaded and dumbfounded. And from the countenance of every other person present, I could tell they equally are-at least, the last one.
“Are you okay?” Alonso asked, squeezing my fingers. And as I was about to say something, there was a slight commotion from outside the dining room, before the entrance door opened and the maid attending to Alfred rushed in amidst the guards that tried to hold her back.
“Let her be!” Alonso ordered and they gave way. “What is it?” he asked her, every other person looking up to her in novelty.
“My master-I mean Alfred,” she pointed outside frantically, her eyes to the ground as she trembled, “is gone. Again.”
“Gone how?” the questions popped from me in dread when others-except Lance’s new mate- looked like they weren’t horrified by the news.
The maid said, “Gone, gone. This time with everything!”
…