It had been two days. Theo didn’t say much of anything else to , and neither did I to him.
We spent a lot of ti in the library or the parlor, looking for information and him... sulking. At least, that’s what it looked like to . Maybe he was using the mind-link to communicate with leaders of nearby packs or had set up so sort of a network to relay information back to the castle. I honestly had no idea. All I knew for certain was that he wasn’t speaking to .
I did my best to look around the pack house, trying to find information about what was going on with Raymond or figure out how to contact my parents, but both efforts were futile.
All I knew for certain was that Raymond wanted to take control of the pack, and in my father’s absence, he was acting like he was the Alpha.
It was dangerous, and I had to find a way to put a stop to it, sooner rather than later.
I wanted to discuss the situation with Theo, but I was still mad at him and didn’t want to be the one to beg.
To my surprise, he hadn’t left. I thought he would after our argunt, but instead, he had followed around.
“Why did you follow that day?” I asked him once.
“I ran into you,” he corrected . “I told you I would investigate, and you happened to be there.”
I almost wanted to roll my eyes, but I didn’t. Because, deep down, I knew he had just co to check on , to make sure I was safe, which made feel that maybe he did care about .
I guessed my blood must be just so important to him that he couldn’t bear to leave without it.
We were in the parlor of the pack house, and I was looking through an old journal I’d found that appeared to belong to an Alpha of the pack from before my father took over. It was mostly about crops and taxes and other boring things, but I was determined to read all the way through it for any clue as to what might be going on in our pack.
A maid ca in and announced, “Miss Ciana, Beta Raymond is here to see you.” She curtsied and then turned and left.
I stared after her, wondering why she didn’t wait for to say I’d see him, but he was there an instant later, walking in like he owned the place.
“Aw, there you are!” He swept into the room wearing a nice suit, his hair slicked back, like he was on his way to a business eting. “It’s lovely to see you!”
I stood, my forehead still puckered at his unexpected appearance. “Good afternoon, Raymond.”
His eyes imdiately went to Theo, who was still sitting on the coach and didn’t even spare him a glance.
I was pretty sure Raymond was thinking Theo should be standing next to , like any other servant. But then... he already thought there was sothing romantic going on between Thorn and I, so he likely thought we were reading love poems to one another or whispering sweet nothings into one another’s ears.
Then I caught a slightly offended glint that surfaced in Raymond’s eyes—he was probably expecting the Oga to stand up imdiately, bow to him, and offer his service to the Beta of the pack.
I didn’t want Raymond to make any more comnts on how a servant should behave, so I asked, “How may I help you?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t let you know I was stopping by. It’s only... I have so wonderful news, and I’m certain you will be overjoyed to hear it. I couldn’t wait another mont to tell you!”
Curiosity overwheld as I studied his face. “Wh-what is it?” I braced myself, thinking I probably didn’t want to know.
“Well, you’ll rember what I told you the other day in the garden about finding a suitable mate?” Again, he was looking at Theo with disgust written all over his face.
“I rember what you said.” How could I possibly forget? Here he was with his vicious plan of eliminating my family, with the nerve to make ridiculous comnts about being a bad example to the entire village by dating an Oga.
Raymond continued, “Yes, well, I was thinking, who would be the best match for our beautiful, intelligent, kind hearted—”
Theo looked up at Raymond, narrowing his eyes.
“—Wonderful, loving Ciana?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “When you say it like that, I sound pretty remarkable.”
He chuckled. “Oh, I thought of soone. It’s the perfect match for you! The entire pack has already heard the news, and the elders have agreed, so the marriage is set. All we have to do is hold the ceremony.”
“Wait!” I implored him. “You’ve already talked to the elders and the pack about this? And you haven’t spoken to ?”
“I am looking after you, young lady, as your father would want for to do.” He sounded a bit more stern now, but he still had that jovial look about him. “At any rate, you won’t have that attitude when I tell you who it is.”
“Fine, Raymond. Who is it that you’ve decided I am to wed?” I asked, my tone conveying I was anything but thrilled.
“Hawke.” His grin widened so that I could practically see his back teeth.
“Hawke?” I repeated, my forehead wrinkling. “Wh-what?”
“Yeah, Hawke!” He said it again, clapping his hands together this ti. “It’s absolutely perfect isn’t it?”
I knew Hawke. He was a few years older than –big, loud, brutish, with unkempt curly hair that was always standing up all over his head and deep dark freckles that looked like polka-dots.
No, I was not marrying Hawke.
“I’m sorry, Raymond,” I said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “You are not in a position to force to marry anyone, and I will not do it.”
“Oh, but you see, darling, that’s where you’re wrong.” He clapped his hands twice, and the doors opened. A flurry of servants ca rushing into the room carrying all sorts of wedding materials, mostly dresses, jewelry, shoes, and other accessories. So of them had flowers in their hands, like they were going to assemble the bouquet right here and now.
“What is all of this?” I shouted. “No! We are not doing this!” I yelled at the servants to stop, but they were not listening to . They would only obey Raymond.
I turned back to look at him, and the smile on his face was still there, but it looked positively evil. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Ciana, but from now on, you’re on house arrest. You and your servant boy there do not leave this house until after the wedding ceremony, do you hear ?”
“You have no authority over !” I shouted at him, but now, several of the female servants had a grip on . They were moving into position, trying to get asured for my wedding gown, I supposed.
Raymond chuckled loudly as he backed toward the door. “Don’t worry, Ciana. This is all for the best. You’ll see.”
“No! Wait!” I yelled after his retreating form.
I tried to break free of the servants, but an older woman with a tight grip and piercing eyes said, “You will stand still, young lady! We will complete our task! So unless you feel like fighting all thirty of us, I suggest you get it into your thick head that this is happening!”
She looked stern, her eyes wild and her white hair pulled up so tightly into a bun it had to be painful on her scalp.
My eyes imdiately went to Theo. He was still sitting on the couch, his arms folded, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all. Was he actually enjoying this?
I didn’t speak to him, not at the mont anyway. I was too busy being poked and prodded, spun and turned, until I didn’t know which way was up.
Part of wanted to fight them and run away, but I knew it wouldn’t be possible without Theo’s help. Judging by his aloof attitude toward the whole thing, it didn’t seem he was interested in picking a fight.
What’s more, no Oga could fight thirty shifters at once, so getting changed and asured, and trying on different outfits and accessories, wasn’t life-threatening enough for us to blow Theo’s cover.
Finally, after about three hours of torture, Doris, the woman who was leading the whole thing, announced, “We are finished. Let’s go!” She clapped her hands twice, and the thirty servants imdiately packed up all of the things they had brought into the parlor and began to carry them out of the room.
Doris wasn’t finished with yet, though. She bowed to , yet her words were not so respectful. “And as for you, miss, try not to leave without permission. For your safety, Beta Raymond has ordered you to stay here until the wedding.” She looked from to Theo and then back again before adding, “But your servant can leave now.”
“No!” I shook my head. “Thorn stays with !”
She sneered, but probably thinking an Oga wasn’t a threat anyway, so she said, “Fine, as you wish, miss.” Then she turned and left.
I had to imagine there would be guards at every exit and entry point of the pack house.
Turning to Theo, who was still sitting with a slightly amused look on his face, I almost lost my temper.
“Was it fun to watch my misfortune?” Exhausted, I crossed over to the other end of the couch and slumped down on it. I felt defeated, but I wasn’t ready to give up.
He chuckled lightly. Watching his smiling handso face made want to scream even more.
“I told you we should’ve left.” He put down the magazine he had been reading. “Now, you’re stuck here, marrying a wolf nad after a bird. What kind of a na is Hawke anyway?”
I almost laughed. Sotis he surprised , the way he said things with a dry sense of humor.
“Well, I guess it’s just my fate to marry soone I don’t want to,” I said before I truly considered my words.
His eyebrows knit together and he studied for a mont before he asked, “Excuse ?”
“What? Am I wrong? Whether it’s Hawke or Prince Theo, I don’t see the difference. Bottom line is, I’m being forced either way!”
“You’re comparing with that Hawke guy?”
I opened my mouth to tell him he was right, but then I could clearly sense that he was getting angry and dangerous... so I closed my lips again.
“Do not put my na in the sa sentence as his, understand?”
This ti, in order to avoid escalating our already tense relationship, I decided not to argue with the prince and nodded my head a few tis. After all, he’d stayed here for .
“Good. Who is he anyway?” Theo was satisfied with my reaction.
“Hawke?” I wasn’t sure why I asked the question. Who else could he be speaking of?
“Yes. Why would Raymond pick him?”
I cleared my throat and said, “Because Hawke is Raymond’s son.”
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