The Pomegranate Society

Forty-one: Alina Starkov

Forty-one:

Alina Starkov

He pulled her into his office, slamming the door shut. Then he locked it. He was yelling at her, and then in the midst of it, she heard the words she'd been waiting for him to say. "Because I love you," he said. She didn't expect to ever hear those words from him. She thought she might just be a piece in his chess game that he was playing against the world. It was everything that she had wanted during their time together. For him to say I love you. But he'd lied, and she didn't know if he believed him.

"You're saying that because you need to," said Alina, "because you need me to forgive you. Because you're upset that you didn't get laid last night. Because----"

"I put the clause in about your baby, Alina. I have never put that about anyone else's, I put it in about your child. Because you---"

"Are going to be married to Nikolai," she said, "because that's what you and the society want. And your father is making a rule about bastards and saying that whoever has the first heir is going to have their child be in line to be King. And I'm assuming that's only if it's a boy."

"That wasn't stipulated," he said, "at least not yet. Alina, I have loved you since I saw you that first night walking home alone. I know I shouldn't have but I did."

"And when did you learn that I was Genya's roommate?"

"Not until her graduation," he said.

"Graduation," she said, "you were at my graduation?"

He nodded. "I didn't say hi to you, because I knew that you were going to go to the University. I didn't want anyone suggesting anything improper about us or making things difficult for us."

"Because that would make the whole taking advantage of me and putting me in a secret society where I am forced to do your bidding because I am beholden to you to pay for my friends hospital bills less seedy. But guess what? I asked Nikolai to move into his apartment, and if the King and Queen approve, we'll be getting engaged on the family trip. Once they make the announcement, Nikolai is going to be paying for Mal's hospital bills. Which means I'll be completely free from you."

He laughed. "That contract is for four years unless you're able to pay the society back. Planning on telling your darling Prince about your after-school activities?"

She scowled. "I hate you."

"You don't hate me," he said, as he reached out to cup her chin, "you love me too."

"Aleks.... please don't talk about love. Please don't talk about being in love with me or me being in love with you when you don't mean it. You're only saying it to get what you want which is me, and----"

He was stroking her cheeks now. "Of course," he said, "I want you. That's the point."

"Then stop this," she said, "stop using me. I'll finish the contract just don't.... don't make me be Queen."

He shook his head. "I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this for you personally, and for me, and for our future---"

"For your future," she said, pressing her forehead against his, "I don't even know what I want my future to be, and you are pushing this on me. Stripping me of the whole reason why I went to college in the first place which is to have a future of my own. Don't make me be Queen, Aleksander."

"I can't do that," he said, "I have an idea of what my future looks like and it involves you and me as King and Queen."

"Right," she said, "you're in love with me but not enough to give up your chance at power."