Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 84 The Sadness Won’t Last Forever
As Adam gave Ann a brief tour of the multi-story office block, she couldn’t help but smile at the almost childlike excitement on his face, and the way his chest seemed to puff proudly before him as he strode forward through each room.
He chattered excitedly about ideas for the layout and when Ann protested about the size of the office, an impish smirk appeared on his lips as she blushed furiously.
“You don’t usually complain about things being too big, my Luna.” He whispered heatedly as he stalked towards her slowly.
Ann giggled helplessly and felt her cheeks flush as he pressed her up against a glasspart*ition and ran his hands along the lines of her upper body, exhaling slowly. “Adam… behave..” She murmured with a shy smile on her face.
“Why? We own this building… we can do whatever we want in here and no one can say a thing…” he murmured huskily in her ear as he began kissing down the sensitive skin of her neck and nibbling at the spot her mark lay.
The sensation sent waves of ple@sure through her and she m*oa*ned loudly, gripping his shoulders instinctively with her hands.
The rising flames of l*st threatened to overwhelm her as Adam pressed his length against her and she was seconds away from giving in to him when the ringtone of her phone rudely intruded on the moment.
Adam’s shoulders sagged as he rested his forehead on her shoulder briefly, before stepping away and running his hands through his hair in frustration.
Ann shrugged apologetically and retrieved her phone from her jacket’s pocket, her heart aching p@infully as she saw her father’s name flash up on the caller ID.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever was to come.
‘Maybe the podgy old bastard wants to apologize.’ Maeve suggested snarkily.
‘Don’t hold your breath…’ Ann muttered back as she swiped upwards on the screen and answered the call. “Yes?” She asked nonchalantly, bracing herself for the onslaught to come.
“I’m at the hospital.” her father answered almost instantly.”And?” Ann shot back without hesitation, wrapping her free arm around her front as Maeve growled inside her head.
There was a brief pause before her father scoffed lightly on the other end of the phone.
“Are you not even going to ask how she is?” He asked in a harsh tone, his disgust practically oozing from the speaker on her phone.
‘Tell him the only time we’ll ever be interested in finding out how she is, is if we need to make sure that she’s actually dead.’ Maeve hissed furiously.
Ann sniggered in response to her and tried to ignore the pang of guilt that hit her unexpectedly.
‘See? You’re too f*uc*king soft.’ Maeve grumbled in irritation.
“Ann? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here, Leopold. I’m just struggling to understand why you would think that I would want to check on the wellbeing of someone who faked an attack on herself and then tried to frame me as the a*s*sailant for injuries that she faked and inflicted on herself.” Ann answered in a bored tone.
She heard the sharp intake of breath and muttered cursing on the other end of the phone and sighed internally.
The poor old fool really believed everything they told him. He was the Alpha King, the supposed best of the best… he should have been stronger.
He should have known better.
Was this the same fate that awaited Brad?
“I’m ashamed to be related to you right now Ann, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive you.” Her father snapped.
“Good. Don’t. There’s nothing for you to forgive anyway. If anyone needs forgiveness it’s that WH*ORE of a half- sister of mine. You did a poor job of raising her.” “That’s enough Ann!”
“I’ve already told you it’s not enough, it will never be enough!” Ann raised her voice angrily back at him.
A tense silence stretched between them as Adam appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently against his chest.
His presence and the close contact rea*s*sured Ann and an immediate sense of calm washed over her.
“What do you want Leopold? Why are you calling?” Ann finally asked, her words as cold as if she were talking to a stranger.
“Insolent little… fine. If that’s how you want to play this Ann, then so be it. I had hoped you might redeem yourself if you were given the chance to calm down a little but I see that there is no hope for you.”
Ann snorted audibly at her father’s words.
“Just get on with it, I have things to do.” She answered nonchalantly.
Her father sighed heavily and hesitated momentarily before finally speaking.
“The council is set to convene in three days’ time. You are expected to attend and the case will be heard, although what you did is indefensible. Following conviction, you will be s*tri*pped of your title and inheritance, and become solely Alpha Nocturne’s responsibility. Do you understand?”
“Loud and clear, Leopold. Don’t call me again, please. Message me the time that I’m required to attend and I’ll make sure that I’m early. The sooner this is over and done with, the better.” Ann snapped before she hung the call up without a second thought.
She stared blankly at the empty glasscubicles in front of her as Adam murmured soothing words softly into her ear.
Being cast out from the royal family was no big deal anyway. She hadn’t really ever felt a part of it since her mother’s death anyway.
The only sadness she felt, was that she wouldn’t be able to make her mother proud when she ascended the throne.
It was that thought of her mother’s smiling face, that finally destroyed the wall that had been holding her grief at bay.
She turned and buried her head in Adam’s chest as he continued to soothe her while she sobbed.
Adam sighed internally. The dampness of her tears soaked through his shirt and he felt his heart break on her behalf.
He was angry because he couldn’t stop the p@in, and he was angry because she deserved better.
He soothed her as best he could and held her tightly to him as he murmured:
“It’s okay, Ann. This sadness won’t last forever, but while it’s here and causing you p@in, I’m here for you too. I’ll replace every tear that you cry with memories that will wash the sadness away until finally, when you think back on your grief at this moment, you’ll know that together, we can face anything and emerge triumphant… I won’t let them win Ann.”