Read Online Corrupted by the Prince (A is for Alpha Book 5) by Shelli Stevens - Free Book Online Page B

looked out over the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea. There was a handful of other people in the room. Distant relatives and his mother’s assistant of several decades.
    They all glanced his way anxiously as he entered, but no one spoke.
    “You arrived quite quickly.” The toneless words were spoken in Greek.
    “Of course.” He sat down beside her on the couch and reached for her hand. “How are you?”
    She clutched his fingers, giving the tiniest shake of her head. “I am fine. It was the others who did not fair as well.”
    His chest tightened and a wave of pain slammed into him. While on his private jet home he’d been apprised of the massive earthquake that had struck Mykorini and the islands nearby.
    There was extensive damage to the infrastructure of buildings and roads. The death toll was at thirty-six.
    His father and brother had not been spared.
    “We were in the chapel attending the wedding of your second cousin,” she said softly.
    The chapel was as old as the castle—over four centuries. It had survived earthquakes before, but never one of this magnitude. Kostas was informed during the briefing that part of the chapel near the front had collapsed and nineteen people had been killed, including the king and the prince.
    His heart began a slow thundering. He shook his head, already knowing what would come next.
    When his mother’s gaze finally lifted to meet his, the naked grief was barely restrained behind a steely determination. “Kostas, you are the new king of Mykorini.”
    He clenched his jaw. “Mama—”
    “Leave us,” she ordered the handful of people in the room. “I will have a moment alone with my son.”
    The room emptied out quickly.
    “It should be you who takes the throne,” he argued.
    “I am the Queen Consort. I may have shared the king’s social rank, Kostas, but that is all.” She gave a small, sad smile. “I only became royal through marriage. You’ve always known this scenario was a possibility. Quite early in life you were taught the responsibility on your shoulders.”
    “But not like this. I never thought we would lose both of them at once,” he rasped brokenly.
    Grief flared fresh in her eyes. “Nor did I.”
    “You must know I am no king, Mama.”
    “You will become one,” she replied without hesitation. “Your coronation will be one month from today.”
    He wanted to curse the unfairness of it all. To let a yell of anguish that ripped through the stone walls that surrounded him. His mother must’ve recognized the sorrow in him. The frustration.
    Her expression gentled as she continued. “The people of Mykorini will take time to mourn not only their loved ones, but the deaths of the king and prince. We are not allowed that luxury.”
    No, they were not. There was far too much to be done. Their people looked to them for reassurance about the future of Mykorini.
    There would be no public grieving, besides a highly publicized funeral, but he would allow this moment between them. He pulled his mother into his arms and kissed her forehead.
    “I’m so sorry, Mama.”
    For the deaths of her husband and her son. And that the one man who should’ve never been crowned king would now take the thrown.
    His mother gave a ragged sigh. “You must stay out of trouble from now on.”
    Kostas nodded, his head now pounding in time with his heart as the reality of the situation began to settle in.
    “We will begin the immediate search for an appropriate wife for you. With a new king, the people will want a queen. It is one way you can offer stability to our people. To show you have changed.”
    A wife who would be his queen.
    The image of Eva in his bed last night flickered in his mind. Her eyes awash with passion and pleasure.
    He’d left without waking her to say goodbye, functioning in a state of shock and urgency.
    She would now be just another love affair. His final one it seemed. At one point that wouldn’t have bothered him.
    Fortunately, he didn’t have