What have I done?
I stare transfixed as everyone in the room files out, leaving behind only Draaven and I. He's still staring at me, a look of amusement on his face. When the door closes behind the last person, I finally bring myself to look at him and the longer I stare at his face, the more furious I become.
"Why?". I ask quietly, my voice thick with emotions. I take a step closer, my fists clenching at my sides. "Why did you do that?".
"You are going to have to clarify what you are talking about, kitten".
I suck in air sharply. "Do not….call me that". I hiss. The smirk widens on his lips and he pushes to his feet suddenly, taking bold strides towards me till he's standing in front of me. Our bodies are only a few inches apart and as angry as I am, I still feel the sudden urge to lean into him. I take a step back. "Why did you ask me to marry you?".
He thrusts his hands into his pockets and cocks his head at me. "To be clear….i wasn't asking. And what's wrong with me wanting to wed my mate?".
I shake my head at him. "No….we both know this bond must have been a mistake. You and I can't be together. We are two different people from two different worlds who aren't even particularly fond of each other. Look….". I'm getting desperate now. My throat tightens at the thought of being here, living with him here, in this strange land with these strange people who obviously despise me. I can't live that kind of life. ".....I'm sorry for approaching this badly. We'll fulfill the first condition, let's just call off the second one huh? You can reject me in front of your whole pack. Let's just…..call it off. Please".
He looks like he's contemplating it for a second and I hold my breath anxiously. Finally, he takes another step closer towards me, standing so close now that I can feel his breath on my face. He leans in, bringing his head down and for one second, I think he's going to kiss me. But he doesn't. He only brings his lips to my ears. His breath fans against my skin, sending little, delicate shivers down my spine. When his hand snakes around my waist, I let out a little gasp of surprise but he pays no heed to that.
Every fiber of sense screams at me to push him away but I keep standing. I don't know what I'm waiting for exactly…..but I keep standing…waiting for it. His tongue darts across the sensitive skin of my neck and my spine jerks in reflex, amazed by the delightful sensation of it all. How can someone like him make me feel like this….I think to myself. And yet, I keep standing there in his arms. His tongue traces my skin a second time and before that's even done, I feel the sharp sensation of fangs sinking to me. I yelp loudly and that's when I finally push away, my hand coming up to my neck in fear. What has he done?
"There". He says, bringing his hand up to wipe his mouth with his finger. I hate that I acknowledge how sexy he does it. "With that, everyone will know you are a taken woman. And I'll know if anyone else touches you. You are mine now, Valeria".
The bite didn't draw blood, but the skin is sore and should definitely be red. "What the hell is wrong with you?". I snap.
"Do you hate me that much?". He asks matter of factly. I only glare at him in answer. He chuckles and runs his hand through his hair, his eyes twinkling in delight. "You just made this ten times more fun, kitten".
What does that even mean? I stare at him intensely, hoping to decipher what he could possibly be talking about. Nothing comes to me. There's something he knows that I don't….and I have a bad feeling about it.
The door opens and I glance over to see a man walk in, a thin file in hand. He's almost as tall as Draaven and nearly as goodlooking if I dare say. He halts abruptly when he sees us and I suddenly realize what we must look like right now, our bodies in such close proximity. I quickly take another step back and the man shuts the door behind himself, his face an expressionless mask. He walks over and hands the document to Draaven.
"Here". Draaven hands the file to me. I stare at the two men tentatively before reaching out to pluck it out of his hands. Taking out the single paper inside, I read the header. This is the file containing the terms and conditions of this agreement.
"You'll sign that". Draaven says, jerking his head at the paper in my hands. I deflate visibly as my eyes bore into the second condition written. He's really not calling it off. The tears prickle my eyes sharply. It's too late, there's nothing I can do now. I eject a claw and pierce my thumb, and a bright, bubble of red wells up automatically. My hand trembles visibly as I bring my finger down to the paper. With much effort, I finally press down, my thumbprint etching into the document in blood. And that's when the first tear finally slips down my face.
Draaven doesn't wait for me to collect myself as he reaches down and yanks the piece of paper out of my hand, putting it back into the file and handing it back to the man who brought it.
"An army is already on its way and I expect to have you back here in five days". He gives me a smile that sends chills down my spine. "We are going to have a lifetime of fun together….wife. Don't be late". And that's all he says before turning around and leaving the room, the other man right behind him. I collapse into the nearest chair as their backs disappear round the door. I'm pretty sure I just sold my life away.
The war had been going on outside. Explosions were shaking the grounds of Shadowflame and I was in the armory issuing out more weapons when i had seen my mum rushing towards me. “Mumm!!!!”. I had screamed running towards her. “What are you doing here? You should be at the tower!!!!”. Her eyes had looked frenzied. “Come come”. She had grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a corner of the room. “Mum what's wrong?”. “You have to go to Silver Glow right now”. I had stared at her like she was crazy. Silver Glow? Why the hell would I ever go to Silver Glow, the territory of our long term enemies. “What are you talking about?”. “Valeria, listen to me”. She gripped my hands shakily, her eyes wide and panicked. “You need to listen to me. Go to Silver Glow and ask of the alpha, Draaven Ventura. Tell him I sent him to you”. “Mum those are the enemies. Why would they do anything to help you?”. “Just listen to me!!!!!”. She had yelled. “Just tell him I sent him to you, that the long time p
“Because you were my perfect revenge against your father”.I feel cold hearing the words from his mouth like this. “My father? What did my father do?”.“Valeria can we sit….”. “I'm not going to sit. I'm perfectly fine where I am”. He sighs again and runs his fingers through his thick hair.“I told you about Lilly….”. Adrian was right after all. It was about Lilly, it always has been. “....I didn't tell you the full truth. She left me…but she was taken first”. My knees really feel like jelly right now and I realize that maybe I do need to sit down after all. I hobble towards the nearest seat and settle into it. He reaches forward to aid me but I more or less swat his hand away. I don't need anything but the truth from his right now.“Tell me everything I need to know. From the beginning to the end”. He comes to settle down in the seat Adrian had been sitting on just earlier. And then he begins talking.“A couple of decades ago, Silver Glow was still ruled by the Fulstein clan”. Fulste
The first thing I think to myself as his words sink in me is ‘what the fuck is he talking about’. What pawn? What revenge game? I feel the dots are staring me right in the face and I can't just seem to connect them. The confusion must be evident on my face because right now, it's Adrian that's laughing and not me anymore.“She doesn't get it. She doesn't get it”. He doubles over and laughs like it's the funniest thing he has ever seen or heard. And I just look down at him, still unsure of what he's talking about. “You mentioned how I was a low dirt bag for using Edna, what you don't know if you were being used all along too. Not just by me. Ever wondered why Silver Glow and Shadowflame have never been friends despite not even being in the same territory? Ever wondered why Draaven didn't hesitate to marry you even though you were both of different worlds? I've heard tales of the time your father came here, ever wondered why he wasn't treated warmly by him? There have been so many clues
His eyes widen at my words and it's literally the funniest thing I've seen for a very long time. My laughter rings through the garden and I can tell that it's only pissing him off more. He lunges up from his seat and towards me, wrapping his fingers around my neck as he drags me up and slams me against the wall. I'm knocked out of air for just the slightest moment before I resume laughing. His face contours in anger as his grip tightens around my neck."The faster your....heart beats....". I choke out. ".....the faster the poison....works". His breath is still coming out fast but grudgingly, he releases my neck and focus on the task of regulating his breathing. I cough as the burning sensation fills my throat. "That wasn't a nice thing to do". I say breathlessly as I run my fingers over the sensitive skin on my neck he had been gripping. He doesn't say anything as he focuses on his breathing exercises. "Especially to someone who has your antidote". I stumble to my seat and reach for m
When I wake up the next morning, I meet Draaven already dressing up for work. With a small serene smile on my face, I stay back on the bed and watch him as he obliviously goes around dressing up, totally unaware that I'm now awake. When he goes back into his closet to retrieve a piece of clothing, I get up fully naked and go to stand by the door for him. On his way back out, he's quite surprised to see me but I immediately see the reaction I have on him. His eyes rake over my entire body frame and I see the sly, naughty smile begin to settle on his face, indicating that he already has thoughts going through his head.“You are awake”. He says, his eyes lingering on my boobs. I do what I do intentionally and take several steps towards him till I'm standing directly in front of him. I lean in on my tiptoes and plants the most delicate kiss on his earlobe and just like an engine, he seems to have been turned on.“You can't drive me crazy like this when you are just waking up, my love”. A
I sit on the floor like that and cry my eyes out for the next thirty minutes at least. I only push up to my feet when my stomach growls noisily. I've not had anything to eat since morning. Washing the tear tracks on my face, I reach for my purse and make my way upstairs. I don't feel truly safe till the door to my room closes behind me. With a big sigh, I throw my bag onto the nearest furniture and make my way straight towards the bathroom, shedding off my clothes on the way. By the time I get there, I'm totally naked and I don't even wait for the bath to fill up before I lower myself into it. I run the tap onto my body and into the tub simultaneously, the sound of the water zoning me out.I take the coldest bath I can manage and throw on a comfortable pair of pants and a tank top. And then I settle down on my dining table and eat the meal that must have been brought into my room earlier. As I sit there alone, and as I eat, I realize that I feel even more alone than usual. I ignore th