Chapter 10
*Ariella”
“I don’t want to get married,” I reply sincerely. “I want to stay here,” my eyes bounce from brother to brother, “With all of you.”
I expect them to be elated by my choice but instead, they all look at each other as if I said the one thing they don’t not want to hear. My heart sinks in my chest as fear washes over me.
“Ari, we understand. But this situation is complicated. We won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But keep in mind that a lot is riding on this decision,” Eli can barely look me in the eyes as he speaks.
“I can’t believe you’re actually considering his offer!” Shawn’s tone is harsh.
“We just got her back, too,” Rafe adds.
“This is not our decision!” Eli retorts, “Ari has the right to know!”
“I’m sitting right here,” I interject softly. I didn’t appreciate my brothers talking for me or as if I’m not there. “Whose offer? What offer?”
“King Ethan,” Eli sighs.
“King Ethan?” I repeat, but after a few seconds, I recover from the initial shock. Of course it’s him. I should’ve thought of it.
“Sorry, Ari,” Rafe and Shawn mutter simultaneously. “He requested your hand in marriage.”
I
He isn’t a man to easily give up his prey. He of course knows who I am. I’ve just been foolish, hoping he’d move on from what happened between us.
Eli’s face is full of worry. “We don’t want to lose you again. But…”
“But what?”
Eli takes a long breath in. “He is willing to pay for your dowry. It will almost double what we are getting from the land sale.”
My eyes widened. I’m aware of the extensive negotiations they’ve undertaken to finalize the land sale. Every inch of the land counts, yet he’s willing to pay double for me? Why?
Rafe and Shawn share a conflicted look before Eli adds, “He is a powerful ally to have, and an even worse enemy to
make=”
11:20 Tue, 23 Juf
Chapter 10
Rafe interrupts, “She doesn’t want to marry him, though.”
Eli says, “Whether she wants to or not it’s up to Ari to decide, not you, Rafe!”
My brothers quickly returned to speaking over my head. I can feel my annoyance bubbling within me, morphing
into anger.
I sat from my bed. “I am right here. You said that this is my choice, yet you aren’t including me in this
conversation.”
“You’re right. We’re sorry,” Eli says as he gently squeezes my hand. I watch as he begins to anxiously pace back and
forth.
“There has to be a way,” Rafe begins before Eli cuts him off.
“A way to do what? King Ethan is not one to mince his words. He was very clear, Ariella or no deal. And realistically, how much longer can we hold on with his help?”
This time, Rafe and Shawn fall into silence.
I cover
my mouth with my hands. I feel like my heart is about to explode, it’s racing so quickly. Guilt is slowly creeping over me. This feels like a losing battle no matter what I do. I want to stay here but if what my brothers say is true, there won’t be a here for much longer. And it will be all my fault.
“Marriage is a serious thing,” I state with a seriousness that throws my brothers off. I forget that they have no ideal about my past. This wouldn’t be my first marriage. It wasn’t love that was motivating Ethan’s proposal. I know what is branded on my arm and I know what it means, I am his. But I am also a princess with responsibilities, that has to have more weight than the s**d brand on my arm. Surely Ethan understood that.
On second thought, I don’t think he sees it like that.
“How bad is it?” I finally ask. My brothers give me a confused look. “Without the land deal and my dowry, how bad is it?”
Shawn stopped pacing and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bad.”
I look over to Rafe and Eli who both sigh. I take a deep breath. This is so complicated.
“There is a way, Ari, I promise,” Shawn says as he places his hand on my shoulder. I know he is trying to be comforting but everything feels so bleak.
My brothers share a look and become very quiet. I can tell that they are communicating through their mindlink, I want to scream. This feels worse than when they were speaking over my head, at least that was out loud and I knew what they were saying.
પુત્ર થયો. કલામના પ્રોડ
Justkal jauni, Ax magic who take my everything la genita te
ગણમાં પણ પ્રધાન નર
–
my ingin diget myself ranow should be there. Ethan wants me
kar ke warto me, and to drasti vain to se comen who will easily give up their prey,
quilt spering try them and tyng down the tailway Sefore my brain can process if i don’t know where they gone to essum fuil in the cage where i found them earlier I don’t know my way catlle ball somehow my tom know the way to the room op in front of the closed door. I can hear
pascoal veces bike a moment to catch my breath and wait for silence.
I
e’s even bother knocking on the door. But at the rod, much to the surprise of the men within, in my assumes that i would have just been my brothers and Ethan but I had forgotten about their betas and abelsons, 3 start to lose my confidence
across the room of unfamiliar faces,
en at the men stand at my amual. Their men bow their heads out of respect which only makes me feel
Tatyan at ketausai si antike me but i have to start standing up for myself,
RED. A**n remans. His tone is serious and his gaze is intense. I dip into a small clumsy curtsey debore I take a seat because my trotters and s**y across from him. “What do we owe for the pleasure of your
9) Brunek. Kant, i atujuisi De here for this conversation i try to hide my nerves but my voice is a little shaky.
“n” Strawan tergito to war as the eyes bounce between me and Ethan. He is trying to gauge Ethan’s reaction but
r’s fine.” Estan smirks as the cuts of Ste Stw should be here.”
My bouters take a abat Shaw clears the threats and begins, “Like we were saying, the princess does not
Ethan food up to hand “No I want to hear it from you, Avila,” it just now occurs to me that he hasn’t stopped sking at nang i entered the room
start any weight in my stat don’t what has been discussed.”
Exhalean toward tw. “They bay you do not want to marry me
35
1121 TO 2
Straight to the point.
64%
“I just found my brothers again after five long years of separation.” I place my hands in my lap but I can’t stop rubbing the inside of my palm with my thumb to try to steady my shot nerves.
“That’s very sentimental of you.”
It felt like an insult.
I take a sharp breath. “You don’t seem like the marrying type, Your Majesty.” I force myself to be more bold than I
feel.
It’s so quiet in the room that I can hear a pin drop.
He smirks in a way that sends shivers down my spine. “No, I am not.”
I exhale and sit back in my chair,
“But you are mine.” He finished his sentence.
I shoot up like the back of the chair is on fire. Did he really just say that, in front of everyone? My brothers look more confused than before and the tension in the room is amplifying.
“So we are át a crossroad.” Ethan sits back in his chair without adding anymore.
“You are, at least.” The words fly out of my mouth with complete abandon. I shock myself along with everyone else. Ethan’s eyes narrow. “You don’t want to get married but you asked for my hand, seems contradictory.”
I
My fingers grip onto the arms of the chair as I m**y prepare myself to say what brought me into this room.
“I propose a compromise.” Ethan slightly raises an eyebrow at me. “I will return with you to your pack and we can spend some time getting to know each other and then I will come home. Only after then, will we decide to get
married or not.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“We can potentially save each other from a disastrous marriage.”
Ethan takes a deep breath as he mulls over my words. I do not dare to break eye contact with him in fear that if I show any weakness he will say no. This is the only way everyone will get what they want.
Surely he will tire of me eventually and I won’t be shackled to him as his wife.
“Do you speak for your brothers?” Ethan scoffs and with a wicked look in his eye, he adds, “Do you, a princess, speak for your kings?”
4/5
11:21 Tue, 23 Jul