Surrogate for the Alpha Prince in a Coma novel Chapter 279

Chapter 279

lian’s POV

My eyes locked on Teacher, I pushed forward through the crowd, trying to get to him. I was a salmon, traveling upstream, with everyone facing behind ine, watching my father’s limp body sway in the gentle breeze like some kind of morbid wind catcher.

As I moved through the crowd, people shifted, and I lost sight of Teacher. By the time I came to where he had been, he was gone.

To my surprise, Grayson appeared beside me. He must have followed me through the crowd. I looked up at him now. His eyes were on me, with concern.

“Why did you stop?” he asked. “We should move farther away than this.”

He thought I was running away. “Teacher was here,” I told him. “Right here in this spot. I saw him when I turned my head, but now…”

Grayson looked at the empty patch of grass and his expression hardened.

I had been so sure it was him, that Teacher had been here, but now I felt a flash of doubt. Had I imagined the whole thing?

“He was here,” I said again, less certain this time.

“It’s alright,” Grayson said, looking at me. “Let’s go inside and out of the sun.”

Oh, Gods. He didn’t believe me. And if he didn’t believe me, then maybe I really had imagined seeing Teacher here.

“Grayson…” I whispered, fear in my voice. If I couldn’t trust my eyes, how would I know what was real and what wasn’t?

Was seeing the execution causing enough trauma for me to suffer some kind of mental break?

His arm went around me, and he led me away from the crowd and the temporary gallows. We moved through the gardens, but didn’t stop there. Inside the house, at one of the sitting room, Grayson veered me into a quiet corner and into his arms.

He held me so tightly, it felt as if he was the only thing keeping me fully together. Like, if he let go, I might just fall apart into tiny pieces. I had no idea if I could be put back together again.

I pressed my face into him, breathing his scent while I tried to pull myself together.

Before I fully could, the door to the room slammed open and Odette stormed inside. She was carrying a newspaper that she threw at us now. Grayson made no move to grab it. It harmlessly hit his arm and fell to the ground. Face up, I could see today’s biggest headline.

Prince Announces Engagement While Fondles Another.

My stomach sunk and I tried to step out of Grayson’s hold. He held me a moment longer, then loosened, allowing me some distance, but not enough to run away or fall apart.

“We had just announced the engagement,” Odette snapped. “How could you be so careless? I don’t care about your infidelities, but what about any decency and respect for me? How could you do this somewhere so public, with reporters swarming around?!”

“I never actually agreed to this wedding,” Grayson said. “And I will not hide my affections for the woman I truly

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desire.”

am going to be your wife,” Odette said sharply.

“I do not love you,” Grayson said.

“What does love matter with anything I just said? I only need you to keep it in your pants when the public is around!”

As frazzled as my thoughts and emotions were, something about hearing Odette so blatantly disrespect Grayson had my focus entirely shift and harden.

“You do not get to speak to the prince of your kingdom like that,” I growled.

Grayson glanced at me with surprise.

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