Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 34

I drove to the nearest mall with one of the cars in the garage. I specifically avoided taking the car that the queen was so fond of and kept repeating Ajax's instruction over and over to myself. After about half an hour of driving we arrived at our destination and I was able to park the car with a breath of relief.

"Do you know any German?" I asked Holly as we walked into the building. Though I could navigate through the city well enough I was a little worried about person-to-person interaction.

"Very little, but I'm sure that we'll get by," she murmured back. She spoke with a level of confidence that I didn't feel.

It was great to be alone with Holly. It was amazing to see my best friend again and it was wonderful to finally have a sense of normalcy again. She came from a world I understood. Or, at least, I believed she had for a long time. But there was a cloud looming over my head and panic embedded in my heart. I was still on the outside of some crazy inside joke that had ripped me away from my life. And, whether I liked it or not, Holly was a part of this.

"Why are you so okay with me being with Ajax? If someone flew you across the world and locked you away in a room I would go ballistic. You're acting like this kind of thing happens every day."

"I know. But this all makes sense in the grand scheme."

"Right, because I'm some wizard, goddess creature. I'm so sick of everyone acting like I should know something that I obviously don't."

Holly said nothing as we moved into a clothing store. I wasn't sure if it was because she didn't know what to say or if it was because she wanted to defuse the situation. Either way, we both set off in the high end store.

Though I had wanted to convince Ajax to let me leave I hadn't been lying entirely. I wanted to fit in with the royals a little better. King Orion had given Holly more than enough cash to buy us both a few designer pieces and I felt like they were a need more than a luxury at this point.

I was vaguely aware of how my thinking had changed and it frightened me. A week ago I would've seen that as a chance to buy a plane ticket, or enough money to drive into a different country and stay hidden until the authorities could take me back to the states. He was almost asking me to try to get away from him at this point.

But now, all I cared about was getting a damn dress.

Like she could read my mind, Holly sifted through the hangers and asked, "Do you want to leave Ajax?"

I said nothing but chewed on my lower lip. I felt like I should lie, it would at least make me appear rational. But she was my best friend and I wanted her to know the truth.

"There's no shame in admitting that you want to stay with him," she hinted. "It's beyond clear that he wants to stay with you. Since the moment he first saw you, you have been his obsession. Now, I think he's yours."

"I'm going crazy, aren't I?" I stammered, picking at a loose thread on my sleeve.

"You aren't. if anything you're crazy for trying to fight it. Being with Ajax is what you were born to do," she said adamantly.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that, "Oh really? Ajax is just my destiny or something like that? God Hol, when did you become such a hippy? Haven't you always been about carving your own path and being your own woman?"

She sighed, seeming a little agitated with me, then her brown eyes shifted with certainty. "I want you to think about leaving him then. Honestly. Consider it for the next hour before we have to start heading back. If you decide that you really are going crazy and that you want to leave him then I'll support you. We'll hop in the car and drive to wherever you want to go or we can go straight to the airport and try to find our way home."

"You wouldn't," I denied with the shake of my head. "You think that Adeline and Orion are your royals and Ajax will be livid. I know that you are loyal to all of them for whatever reason. I don't expect you to put me above them anymore."

"I am loyal to them," she agreed, "But you are my best friend. And, if we are being honest, I haven't done the best job of supporting you. So, if you want me to, then I will follow you in an escape effort."

"Ajax would be furious. He'd probably throw you in prison for life."

"Probably, but he'd have to find me first," she said with a cheeky wink. "Think about it, Keiko."

We returned to shopping, but my hands were working on autopilot because my mind was far away. I knew that Holly was genuine. She would follow me to the ends of the earth, even if it meant putting herself at risk. And if I was going to do this I would need her by my side. So now the choice was up to me.

Though I was growing more comfortable with Ajax by the day I knew that I shouldn't have been. He had kidnapped me. He had locked me away in a room, like a damsel in a tower. But he couldn't be my captor and the knight that saved me. He had moments when he was lovely and kind. I would be taken away by his remarks or lose my breath with how handsome he looked. But he had put me in a hard position, one that made me feel unsafe. Now, I had a chance to save myself.

But, the thought of leaving Ajax made my heart ache. I didn't understand it, but I also couldn't stop it. I thought of his frantic eyes that would be searching the driveway, waiting for my return. And I would never come. It felt like it would break me to do that to him, even if it was the right thing.

But where would I go if I left? Yes, I had enough money to keep me and Holly hidden for a while, but how far would it go? I doubted it would last more than a couple days. I had no income from my stripping at this point. And could I call on the authorities here or were they loyal to the royals as well? Ajax would know where to find me if I did somehow manage to make it back to Denver and my mother was on the run.

I had nowhere to go and no one to return to.

"So, what's the verdict?" Holly asked as we exited the mall an hour later. Both of our arms were loaded up with bags. I even had a few dress bags draped over my shoulder. But, among the formal wear, I also had a new large duffle bag, a warm jacket, a brand new unregistered cell phone, and collected all of the left over cash. I had items to help me stay. I had the things I needed to flee.

I could tell that Holly was trying to be calm. She truly wanted me to make this decision on my own.

But I gave away nothing as I loaded up the trunk, then slid into the driver's seat.

It was going to be a wild war between what my heart wanted and what my mind thought I needed. Whichever one was stronger would be my guide today.

***Woohoo! We hit 20,000 reads! Thank you all for the amazing support, especially all the comments on the last chapter. To celebrate I'm going to update three days in a row! here is update one! Check back tomorrow for another!***