Chapter 17
“Ariella”
Marcus.
He’s like a rash that won’t go away. Once I think I am rid of him, he pops his annoying ugly face up to pester me. Why wouldn’t he go away?
“I am not feeling very well. I have suddenly lost my appetite,” I say bitterly as I stand from the table.
Marcus stands behind me and pushes back into my chair almost playfully but I know there is nothing playful going on. He moves a chair between Lucy and 1, forcing her to move out of his way. “Oh, don’t be like that, Princess,” he scolds with a smile. The other ladies don’t really understand what is happening but they politely laugh along with him.
I
I am burning up in embarrassment and due to social conventions, I have to play along. I plaster my fakest smile and laugh it off along with everyone else. I want to die as Marcus leans over my plate to grab a roll from the center of the table. Lilith sits across from him on the other side of the table.
Kill me now, please, I pray to the Goddess.
Marcus takes a big bite of the roll and then blows Lilith a kiss. I can’t help it, I can’t hide my disgust on my face. I look away to the other side of the table and move my body away from him the best that I can without drawing any attention.
But Marcus notices and he pulls my chair closer to him. He stretches out his legs as much as he can so that one of his legs is on the side of the chair. He magically sandwiches my feet between his legs and he rests his arms on the back of my chair.
Everyone is uncomfortable.
I’m furious. Who does this a**e think he is? I am the Alpha King’s fiance. The nerve of this man!
“Alpha Keenan,” I say as I shift my body away from his once more. “What are you doing in the Capitol? Don’t your have a pack to take care of?”
“That’s so kind of you to ask, Princess, but no, I have moved to the Capitol to be closer to Lady Lilith,” he then leans closer to me and drops his voice so only I can hear, “And you.”
I can barely hold back my anger. I don’t want to make a scene and he is not helping. “A pack cannot be without its Alpha.”
Marcus sits back in his chair and stretches so much that he hits Lucy accidentally. He flashes a charming fake
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apologetic smile towards her but it’s clear that she doesn’t know what to think. No one does. He isn’t acting or behaving like an Alpha should.
I was married to this?
It makes me sick to think about it.
“My mother is holding down the fort for me for now.”
“Oh, did your mother challenge you? Is she the Alpha now?” I ask flippantly as I cross my leg over my knee.
Marcus smirks and I know that I have gotten under his skin. Good, I want to annoy him as much as he is annoying me and everyone else at the table.
“No, my mother doesn’t need to challenge me. She is acting Luna now, you know since I have lost mine,” he
sneers.
I want to scream, the b**d. No one here is familiar with my past with him. I cross my arms in my lap and I pinch my thigh to keep myself from losing my cool.
“What happened to your Luna?” Lucy asks innocently. I don’t blame her, I would be curious too if I already didn’t know the truth.
Marcus puts his most pathetic face on as he turns to Lucy. “She was unfaithful.”
Troll my eyes as Lucy gasps in shock. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Alpha Keenan,” she says earnestly.
“Something must have happened to cause such a betrayal,” I add as I stand from the table. “Please forgive my sudden departure, but I really must return to the palace. I do not feel very well.”
I move from the table before anyone can truly process what I have said and I walk as quickly as I can out of the restaurant. My heart is racing. I feel like I am going to throw up. I stand by the valet and wait for the car.
“You think you’re really slick,” Marcus sneers.
I can’t control it. “What do you want?” I snap. “What are you doing here?”
He takes a step closer to me. I start to take a step back but I’m too close to the curb and I lose my balance. Marcus reaches out and grabs me by the waist and pulls me back. He refuses to let go of me.
I ball my hands into fists and start to hit his chest. “Let go of me! What are you doing?”
“I just saved your life. You would think a girl would be more grateful.”
“I am your Alpha King’s fiance. You cannot touch me.” Thankfully that does the trick and he lets go of me. I brush
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off my clothes
“So, you’ve moved on?” he asks remorsefully.
“Are you kidding me?” My voice is louder than I would have liked but I feel hysterical. I start to laugh not because any of this is funny but because of the audacity this man has.
“I’ll always have love for you and I miss you.” His voice is slimy and makes my skin crawl.
“I don’t miss you.”
“Now that I am living in the palace, we will see each other more and more,” he says with a smile as he rubs his hands together.
“No, no we won’t” I cross my arms over my chest to defend myself from this vile man.
He licks his lips as he stares at my breasts. “I want you back, s**y.
“You are disgusting,” I sneer. He takes a step closer to me and starts to twirl my hair in between his fingers. I take a step backward and quickly slap his hand away. “What do you think King Ethan will do when he finds out you are harassing me?”
Marcus laughs, “Why would he care? Everyone knows that he will toss you aside and marry C**a. And then what? You’ll come crawling back to me?” His tone is mocking and sarcastic.
Isn’t that what you are doing now? Crawling back to me?” I return his mocking tone.
“I don’t know why you are fighting it.”
I turn my head away and begin to look for the car. It is taking forever and I want to go back to the palace and away from all this.
“I am not fighting anything.” I retort.
Marcus is quiet for a moment and then he claps his hands together causing me to look over at him. “I get it! I understand.”
“You understand what?” I ask skeptically.
“You want me to work for it. You want me to pay for what I did.”
“I really don’t,” I scoff.
“That’s okay, I kind of like when you play hard to get.”
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Chapter 17
“I’m not doing anything. I have no interest in you.”
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The car finally pulls up and the chauffeur jumps out to open my door. Marcus holds up his hand signaling to the chauffeur to stop. The poor man looks confused and stands there unsure of what to do as Marcus opens the car door for me. I roll my eyes as I get into the car.
But then Marcus doesn’t close the door. He moves as if he is going to follow me into the car. He places his free hand on the roof of the car, the other is on the door, and he leans over to me.
“As much as this newfound confidence is hot as f**k, never forget that I know what you truly are, Princess. And I know your secret.”
F**k. The b**d is blackmailing me.
“What about your mistress?” I try to play the only card I have.
He gives me a c***y smile. “What about her? I think the more important question is, what about the baby?”
I am too stunned to speak. I can feel my anxiety slowly overpower me and it suddenly becomes harder to breathe
Marcus smirks, knowing that he has me trapped. He closes the car door and then taps the roof of the car so the chauffeur knows that they can drive off now.
The car feels like it is closing in around me. I have a million racing thoughts screaming in my head. I can’t think or focus. All I can do is panic when I get a notification on my phone.
‘We miss you and are going to come to see you very soon!’ The text from Eli reads. ‘Just let us know when will be a good t