Chapter 7

~AURORA~

Cassian's strong hands encircled my waist as he helped me down from the massive stallion.

My legs trembled slightly after the long ride, but I refused to let it show.

The moment my feet touched the courtyard, I realized just how wrong the rumors had been.

The Moon Reapers did not live like poor folks. Their estate stretched out before me like something out of a dark fairytale.

"Welcome home," Zerath, Cassian's brother tells me.

"Let me introduce you to the others," he added.

I hesitated. The second we had ridden through the gates of the village, every head had turned. The stares had been filled with hatred.

Now, inside the grand estate's inner courtyard, those stares had grown even sharper. The people in here definitely disliked me even more than the ones outside.

Still, I lifted my chin and followed.

Zerath raised his voice, "Everyone, meet Aurora. She will be Cassian's wife once they both sign the papers today."

Wife. Papers?

No ceremony. No vows.

A signature that would bind me to a man who clearly despised the very idea of me.

Why was I even surprised? Cassian was no more eager for this union than I was. We were both sacrificed to end this ongoing feud. It was foolish that the council actually believed one marriage could solve everything.

Eyes narrowed and hands even twitched toward weapons like they expected me to shift and attack them.

Jokes on them, I couldn't even shift. They were worried for no reason at all.

I forced a small, awkward smile and tried to cut through the tension.

"Do not worry," I said lightly, "I do not bite."

The reaction was immediate.

I could hear the gasps. Several guards even stepped forward as if my joke had been a genuine threat.

"It was a joke!" I added quickly, raising both hands in surrender. "To lighten the mood. Nothing more."

There was complete silence.

Then Zerath threw his head back and burst into loud, genuine laughter.

The sound was so unexpected, so bright in the sea of hostility, that even I blinked in surprise.

Cassian reappeared from the stables at that exact moment, brushing dust from his clothes.

His sharp gaze flicked between his brother and me.

"What's so funny?" he asked, voice low and edged with impatience.

Zerath wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still grinning. "Your wife doesn't bite."

Cassian's expression remained unreadable. He simply exhaled through his nose and motioned for me to follow. "Come. There are others you should meet."

He led me through the gathered people introducing me to his family members. Everyone watched me as though I were a wild animal that might lunge at any second.

No one offered a hand in greeting. No one smiled.

And notably. . .no one mentioned his parents.

The absence bothered me. Was it possible that they weren't alive? Or simply refusing to acknowledge the "beast" their son had been forced to marry?

After what felt like an eternity of judgmental gazes, Cassian turned to a pair of waiting maids.

"Show Aurora to her room. Let her freshen up. Then bring her to the signing chamber."

The maids curtsied stiffly. As they led me away through corridors and then up the stairs, their whispers reached my sensitive ears.

"I hear she eats humans," one murmured, voice trembling with fear and disgust.

"Poor Lord Cassian," the other sighed, genuine pity lacing her words. "Out of everyone, he gets stuck with her."

The first maid nodded. "I heard he really wanted to marry Lady Elizabeth. He was courting her properly, you know. But the council forced him to turn her down for. . .this."

Lady Elizabeth.

Who was she?

That clearly wasn't any of my business. Especially since to everyone around here, I was simply "the beast."

Not Aurora. Not the enemy. Just the beast.

"He hates her so much that her room is on the complete other side, far from his chambers."

I frown.

Was that true? Had he chosen to keep me in the room that was furthest from his?

My room was surprisingly beautiful, much nicer than the dungeons they kept me in back home. At least I had something to look forward to, I actually had a bed to sleep on instead of sleeping on the cold, hard ground.

Just as I'm about to properly explore my new room, the maids returned to escort me downstairs.

This time, I choose to ignore their cruel words.

Cassian was already waiting in the formal signing chamber. Several council witnesses stood rigidly near the walls, obviously here to ensure that the marriage actually took place.

My hands shook as I lifted the pen. With every stroke of my name, I felt another piece of my old life shatter: the foolish dreams of a future with Vincent, the betrayal of discovering his secret betrothal to Seraphina, and now this, being legally bound forever to the heir of the Moon Reapers.

When Cassian signed his name with bold strokes, the marriage officer nodded with a smile.

"Congratulations. You are now officially husband and wife."

The witnesses collected the documents and filed out without another word.

Servants and family members followed, until the room emptied completely, leaving only the two of us.

Cassian turned to face me.

Every instinct screamed at me to step back, to run, to hide from the darkness in his gaze. But my body refused to obey.

He moved.

One step. Two.

Then three.

I retreated instinctively until the edge of the desk pressed hard against my lower back.

He didn't stop.

He planted both hands on the wood on either side of me, caging me in completely.

I felt the heat of his body against mine. His scent immediately flooded my senses and I bit back a moan.

My heart pounded so violently I was certain he could hear it.

He leaned in slowly, deliberately, until his face was only inches from mine. His breath brushed my lips.

"Tell me," he says, his voice void of any emotion,

"What is your relationship with Vincent Thor?"

My eyes widened. Heat flooded my cheeks—part shame, part worry.

I wasn't even aware that he'd realized there was something between us. He'd acted clueless until now.

I swallowed hard, refusing to look away from those piercing eyes.

He leans in even closer, his lips touching my ear, "Did he fuck you? Did you let him touch you?"