Four: The Hate Of My Life

SOFIA

Yep, I am getting married tomorrow. I am actually going to be spending the rest of my life with these blood suckers. And not to mention, there are even worse blood suckers out there.

What the hell am I going to do? Obviously, escaping isn’t an option because if I do, I’ll just get caught, and if I do, I’m just going to be putting Simon in danger. And I love him too much to risk his life like this.

So yes, I have accepted my fate. I’m going to get married to the man who used to bully me back in high school. I hate my life! I fucking hate my life!

While the king and my parents are enjoying a glass of champagne, I stare out the window with a scowl on my face. I don’t even bother to put on a fake smile on my face.

This is beyond tragic. Like my life couldn’t get any worse, it had to be even harsher. I take a look at my parents, and their laughter and greed sickens me. I turn away from them in disgust, and while doing so, I catch Victor looking at me with an annoying smile on his face.

“What?” I ask him in disgust, I am really annoyed right now.

“Nothing, nothing,” he says, leaning back and taking a drink from his champagne.

Now I understand why I felt he was lying; it’s because he never tried to stop this union. After all, this is his way of punishing me. My getting married to him makes him happy because my sadness always gives him joy.

Like oh, my Gods! Does he hate me this much?

I mean, the werewolves back at home and in school, I can understand why they hate me so much. I’m a disgrace to my kind. But why does he hate me so much? I really don’t understand. But I’m not going to lose sleep over it either, never did, and I won’t start now.

Now I can say we are truly at Drakorya because now we can see the people going about their day. The vampires always carry themselves with high class and value in their expensive attire. Unlike werewolves, you’ll never find a shirtless vampire on the street.

The house is tall, rich and gothic. The surroundings were covered in fog and the cold. There are lots of carriages and limos, but the king’s limo looks more unique and captivating. When you look at the limo you’ll know immediately that a royal is in here. I know this because the vampires have been staring at the limo since it arrived.

Our limo has been getting more attention.

Their silver eyes have been stuck on our limo ever since. And it’s normal for all vampires to have silver eyes. I know this cause I went to school with them. A vampire’s eyes should not be red, and their fangs most definitely should not be that long.

Humans are being turned into vampires, and it’s illegal to do so. Some vampires want to start a war. I get that on the surface that might be reasonable, but wouldn’t the king want Victor to produce and air?

Werewolves and vampires cannot procreate. I’m still confused by this whole thing, and the fact that my parents aren’t questioning anything and are acting like we didn’t get ambushed by vampires who were once humans is just as insane. I really don’t understand them at all.

Have they been bewitched, compelled, hypnotised? Or are they just power hungry? That’s the only explanation.

We’re entering the palace walls right now.

I haven’t kept my eyes off my surroundings for a long time. This place is just so different. I’ve never actually been in Drakorya

It’s colder, foggier, more gothic. Just like the palace. Dark tall, decorated with dark roses and thorns. This is where Victor was raised, and he was raised by the man who almost killed my boyfriend. Maybe that’s why he’s the way he is; it all makes sense why he’s so fucking cruel and arrogant.

The limo stops, and someone opens the door, and I get out of it, looking around me. Maids and other servants are standing in front of the castle. They take a bow with smiles on their faces. I don’t bow, I just smile briefly because I’m not a rude person.

But is this how I’m going to be bowing all the time?

I let out a sigh.

“Ah, welcome to your new home, Sofia. This is where you’ll live officially after the wedding tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” I shake my head, and I sigh

“Yes, is there a problem?” the king asks.

Yes, I thought that I would have enough time to at least escape. Or something, but I didn’t expect to get married TOMORROW.

“Don’t you think it’s too soon? I mean…”

“Uh, Sofia,” Mom says my name in a warning. They don’t even look surprised. They look like they’ve known from the beginning that I was going to get married as soon as possible.

This is crazy, so fucking crazy.

Victor is just standing there; he isn’t even saying anything. Wow, he hates me that much.

“My dear, I know you need time to get to know Victor here since you haven’t seen him in years, and you need time to catch up with him.”

Catch up? What? Ew.

I try hard not to squeeze my face in disgust. I’m more annoyed than anything right now.

“But the sooner we have the wedding, the better we put this behind us. I’ve already invited both kingdoms; most of them are already here, ready for the union that’s going to take place tomorrow.”

I swear to fucking Gods, if I could maul this man and his stupid son, I would, but I can’t do that because if I do, he’s going to set my brain on fire like he did Simon. And I can’t even shift, so let me not even think about it. I have to control my anger.

So I smile, I widen my lips to make it seem believable.

“Okay, then you are absolutely right,” I say.

“So we have no problem.”

“No, no problem at all.”

“Okay! Please…” he snaps his fingers. “Get my in-laws’ bags into their rooms,” and so the servants do it with a quickness, and I’m being escorted to my room. I just hope to the Gods I don’t share a room with Victor when we get married, ew, no, not going to happen.

I’m following the maids but then I catch the king whispering something in Victor’s ear, and Victor looks hella uncomfortable. And for someone who acts so fucking tough he looks scared, scared of his father.

I almost feel bad for him. When he sees me looking at him, he straightens up, and the fear on his face leaves him. Performative, of course.

How sad.

I head straight for my new room, and as soon as I get in, I lie on my large king-sized bed. I feel defeated. I feel like I’m going to stay in here till the next day. I don’t have the appetite to eat anything right now. I’m too depressed.

I can’t even contact Simon or Marissa. I don’t know how Simon is doing. I miss him.

This whole thing feels so fucking sketchy. Why the hell am I getting married tomorrow? What’s the rush? Why does the king need his son to get married to a werewolf? Why did he choose me of all people?

I wipe my tears, and I sit up because I won’t be defeated. I will get married to Victor tomorrow because something is going on, something beyond just rogue vampires and uniting the kingdoms, and I’m going to find out what that thing is.

VICTOR

I barge into my room, and I begin to kick things and throw my stuff like I usually do when my father tries to control me. I know he wants to look out for me, and he wants the best for me, but if he’d only just trust me.

This is not going to work. Yes, he got Sofia to want to marry me, but she’s never going to love me. Not after how I treated her back in high school. She hates me, and I don’t blame her.

I throw a box at the wall, and I cool down as soon as I see the things that come out of the box. I walk over to the box and the things that came out of it.

It’s drawings.

Drawings of Sofia, I’ve been making these drawings of her since we were teenagers.

Why would anyone make drawings of someone they hate? Well, that’s because I never really hated her. I’ve been in love with Sofia for years. Been thinking of her, yearning for her, wishing I could be with her.

Maybe a part of the reason I was so angry at her is that she’s a werewolf, and a vampire can’t be with a werewolf, especially if that vampire is the crowned prince and heir to the throne.

Imagine my shock when that witch told me that the person who’s supposed to break the curse that was inflicted on me was a werewolf and not witches, but not just any werewolf, but Sofia. I had to ask the witch if she meant what she said, and she said it again.

“The person who is going to break this curse is Sofia Delores Santos.” I got even more shocked when she revealed an image of her through the smoke. It was her, Sofia, the girl I’ve been in love with, the girl who hates me more than she hates anything.

At this point, I would rather give up and live with this curse forever. Because I know if she finds out about this curse, she’s going to go running.

I sit down in silence as I look at the drawings I made of her. It’s been a long time since I last saw her so I haven’t drawn anything in a long time, and also I’ve been occupied with witches who I thought were going to break the curse.

I actually thought I was over her, until I saw her earlier. She looks grown and even more majestic and beautiful than before.

Even while she was looking at me with so much disdain, she looked pretty; she doesn’t have an ugly side to her. She is my muse, always has been.

To calm down, I rush over to grab some paper and pencils to make a new drawing of her.

When I start drawing, I forget all about my problems. And in this case. Sofia is my escapism.

I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to make her fall in love with me.

Not to break a curse. But because I love her, and I want her to feel the same way.

I want her to want to be mine.