Chapter 13
*Ariella*
Excuse me?
Ethan’s fiance?
Then what am I doing here? He asked my brothers for my hand. What is going on? I feel like I am going crazy.
I sit completely still and stare off in space as it feels like time is slowing down to a complete stop. I finally take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
Does she know the truth that I am Ethan’s breeder? Goddess! Is this why he needs a breeder, because he’s engaged
to his stepsister!
The room is at a stand still. I slowly look around the room, no one knows what to do. Ethan starts to laugh
awkwardly.
“C**a, always the jokester,” Ethan jokes as he sits down in his chair.
C**a
pouts and then sits down. She s**s her wine glass and begins to angrily sip it as she stares at me.
A bell is rung and an army of s**s enter the dining room with the most delicious-looking food I have ever seen. My stomach lurches in excitement as a plate is placed in front of me. I can feel my mouth water. I don’t even wait for everyone to be served before I jump in and begin to eat. I’ve never felt this hungry ever before in my life, it has to be the baby.
“You eat like a pig,” C**a says as her plate is placed before her. “You’re ruining my appetite.” She throws her
fork down.
Ethan is too busy talking over our heads to hear our conversation. I glance over at him to see if he is paying event the smallest bit of attention but the answer is a resounding no.
“I know your brothers are broke but this is really something else.”
I try to ignore her and signal over a s**t. I hand him my wine glass and ask for a glass of ice water. I thank him
once he hands me the glass.
Cassandra raises an eyebrow at me. “Oh, is our wine from our royal vineyards not good enough for you?”
I set down my glass on the table. “No, I don’t drink,” I say bluntly. “It’s not a reflection on the royal vineyards.”
She laughs sarcastically. “Everyone here drinks wine. Our royal vineyards are world renowned, even non-shifters have heard of it. Are you too good to drink it?”
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Chapter 13
I want to tell her, “No, I’m pregnant, you nosey b**h.” But instead I smile and repeat, “I’m just not a big drinker.”
I can’t help but to think that maybe all of this was a bad idea. I was counting on Ethan growing bored and tired of me but what if he doesn’t? What If he wants to go through with it? What if this is more than two weeks?
I am overwhelmed with anxiety as the reality of staying here sinks in. I don’t think I can fit in well here. And what if this baby is actually Ethan’s? Goddess, there’s no way he will let me leave. I’ll be stuck here forever, constantly being a square peg in a round hole.
My stomach is in knots and the food that looked so appetizing moments earlier now looks disgusting. I can’t eat it, I can’t bring myself to pick up my fork. The smells are making me sick. I need fresh air.
I try to distract myself by people watching around the table but it doesn’t help. The only small relief is that **ra is now talking to someone else and has moved on from me. I take a small sip of water but it makes the feeling worse.
C**a did not look like she was joking when she announced that she was Ethan’s fiance. I can’t tell who is lying. What would she benefit from making a declaration like that if it wasn’t true? I would die from humiliation. That’s almost as bad as getting rejected by your fated mate.
But Ethan isn’t the marrying kind. That was the argument I made when I bartered this little trial period. Maybe he told her to keep it a secret the way he told me too?
Maybe that was why he told me to keep everything a secret? Because he was already practically married.
My mind is racing and my stomach is knotting up. I can feel a pair of eyes on me and I swear if C**a starts her b**t again, I don’t think that I would be able to keep my cool.
All I want to do at this moment is return to my room and go to sleep. Can I spend the next two weeks in my room?
“Arielle,” Ethan’s voice breaks through my anxiety fog. He is leaning toward me, his voice is low so only I can hear him. “You look a little pale, take a walk with me.”.
I can tell that this is a command and not a question. I nod my head yes and he stands up from his chair. The entire room becomes eerily silent but the silence doesn’t bother him. He pulls back my chair and offers me his hand to help me stand up. I know that I can’t swat his hand away, it’s just bad manners and he is a king. But it is clear that something is going on between C**a and him and she is looking at me like she would murder me on the spot if she could.
I take his hand and pray that C**a understands societal norms and doesn’t try to kill me or something over me taking his hand.
As quickly as we touched, he lets go of my hand. He proceeds to open a hidden door and leads out to a terrace. He stands at the doorway and waits for me to step outside. Ethan closes the door behind himself.
11:22 Tue, 23 Jul
Chapter 13
“What about your dinner?” I ask. I can only imagine that everyone is still in shock by our sudden departure.
Ethan shrugs his shoulders as he lazily walks over to the stairs that lead down to the gardens.
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I follow him but I am still feeling a little overwhelmed and slightly light headed. But the gardens are even more beautiful in person than from the view from my window and it is hard to feel so anxious in a place so serene.
Ethan points up to a series of windows. “That’s your room,” he says. “You have the best view in the entire palace.”
I smile, “Thank you. It really is.”
He looks over at me, “Are you sure you’re okay? You really don’t look too good.”
“I just needed some fresh air. It was pretty stuffy back there.” I take a step forward but my foot catches on the edge of a flower bed and I go flying forward.
Without hesitation, Ethan catches me in his arms right before my head would have made contact with the stone walkway. For stability, and without thought, I wrap my arms around his neck. The action only pulls him closer to
me.
His deep blue eyes remind me of the ocean and I am getting lost in them. Something feels so familiar and so right. His eyes are bouncing from my eyes to my lips. He then licks his lips ever so slightly.
We’ve done this before, I just can’t remember. I blame the baby hormones, but I want a taste of that night. Just a small memory to hold onto. I’m not like this ever.
But right now I am.
And there is no doubt in my mind that he is about to kiss me. I begin to close e my eyes and tilt my head to the side as he does the same. Our lips become closer and closer, so very close from touching. My heart is pounding
“Ethan,” C**a interrupts the moment causing both him and I to open our eyes. I look over at her and I swear I can see smok blowing out her ears. “You need to come back, you can’t leave your guests waiting.”