Aria’s POV.
I opened my mouth to argue, to fight back against the decision that had just been forced on me, but before I could get a single word out, Kael’s voice cut through the tension in the room. His tone was calm, steady, but there was an edge to it that made my skin crawl.
“Is there a problem, Aria?” he asked, his words light, almost playful, but dripping with mockery. It wasn’t a genuine question; it was a taunt, a deliberate attempt to push me further.
My eyes snapped to his, and the look on his face made my blood boil. He was enjoying this. I could see it in the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, in the way his dark eyes glinted with amusement. He had known. Of course, he had known. He *knew* I would be blindsided by this announcement, and he had let it happen. No, worse than that-he had *wanted* it to happen.
I forced a tight smile, though it took everything in me to keep my expression calm. My fingers dug into the tablecloth beneath my hands, gripping it so tightly I was surprised it didn’t tear. “The problem,” I said, my voice steady despite the anger bubbling beneath the surface, “is that I wasn’t consulted about my own wedding date.” My words were measured, but the sharpness in my tone was impossible to miss.
Kael leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table as he met my gaze head-on. His dark eyes glinted with something I couldn’t quite place, something that sent an uneasy chill down my spine. “The date isn’t important,” he said smoothly, his voice calm and even, as though his words were the most reasonable thing in the world. “What matters,” he continued, his tone softening slightly, “is that we’ll finally solidify the alliance.”
His words were perfectly polite, but the way he said them felt like a challenge. There was something in his tone, in the slight tilt of his head and the faint smirk still lingering on his lips, that made it clear he was daring me to argue further.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him, in no uncertain terms, exactly what I thought of this entire farce. But I couldn’t. Not here, not in front of everyone. My father’s warning from earlier that day rang in my head like a bell, loud and insistent: *”You will say nothing to embarrass this family. Do I make myself clear?”* It wasn’t a request; it had been a command, one I knew better than to ignore.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look away from Kael’s smug expression before I lost the fragile hold I had on my temper. My hands clenched into fists beneath the table, hidden from view, as I fought to keep my emotions in check.
Alpha Wolfhart raised his glass, his booming voice cutting through the quiet murmurs in the room. “Let us toast to the future of the Nightshade and Silverfang packs,” he declared, his commanding tone leaving no room for disagreement. “To unity, to strength, and to the bond between our families.”
Everyone around the table raised their glasses in unison, their movements precise and practiced. I had no choice but to follow suit, though my hand trembled slightly as I lifted my goblet. The wine inside sloshed slightly, the deep red liquid catching the light as I raised it to my lips.
“To unity,” the room echoed, the words reverberating around me like a chorus I wanted no part of.
The wine was bitter on my tongue, its taste sharp and unpleasant, but I forced it down anyway. My mind was racing, my thoughts spinning in circles as the weight of what had just happened settled over me like a heavy blanket.
The rest of the dinner passed in a blur. I couldn’t focus on the food in front of me, no matter how expertly prepared it was. Each bite felt tasteless, the flavors muted as my thoughts consumed me. The conversations around me faded into meaningless white noise, the voices blending together until they were nothing more than an indistinct hum.
Kael didn’t say much as the meal continued, but I could feel his gaze on me every so often. It was like a weight pressing down on me, heavy and unrelenting. He was waiting for something, watching me carefully, as though he expected me to break at any moment. The thought only made me more determined to keep my composure.
When the meal finally ended, I stood quickly, pushing my chair back with a little more force than I intended. I mumbled a polite excuse, not waiting for anyone to respond, and made my way toward the exit before anyone could stop me. I needed air. I needed space. I needed *anything* to clear my head and calm the storm of emotions raging inside me.
But as I reached the grand doorway that led out of the dining hall, Kael appeared beside me, his hand closing around my wrist in a firm grip. The heat of his touch burned against my skin, making my stomach twist.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked, his voice low and smooth, pitched just loud enough for me to hear but quiet enough that no one else would notice.
I turned to face him, yanking my arm free of his grasp with more force than was necessary. My eyes narrowed as I glared up at him, my voice sharp and biting. “What the hell was that?” I hissed, my anger bubbling over now that we were out of earshot of the others. “You knew, didn’t you? You *knew* they were going to announce the wedding, and you didn’t say a word to me.”
He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement as his lips curved into a small, infuriating smile. “Why would I spoil the surprise?” he asked, his tone light and teasing, as though this were all some kind of joke to him.
“This isn’t a game, Kael,” I snapped, my voice shaking slightly with the force of my anger. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, the need to lash out almost overwhelming.
“Oh, but it is,” he said, his tone dropping to something darker, more dangerous. His expression shifted, the playful smirk fading into something sharper. “And you just made your first move when you went to my father about the ring. Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences for that, Aria?”
I stared at him, his words settling over me like a heavy weight. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. “You did this,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You pushed for the wedding to be next week, didn’t you?”
Kael didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. The look on his face was all the confirmation I needed. His dark eyes glinted with triumph, and the faint smirk returned to his lips, mocking me without a single word.
My stomach twisted painfully, a sickening mix of anger and fear churning inside me. Kael wasn’t just trying to humiliate me-he was trying to control me, to remind me that I was trapped in this arrangement with no way out.
“You won’t win,” I said, my voice low but firm, though I wasn’t sure if I believed my own words.
Kael’s smile widened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You already said yes, Aria,” he said, his tone soft but cutting. “The game was over the moment you put on that ring.”
With that, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the grand hallway. I stood there, frozen, my chest tight with a mix of anger, helplessness, and fear.
I looked down at the fake diamond on my finger, its glittering surface mocking me with its cold, lifeless beauty. The wedding was in a week. And I had no idea how I was going to survive it.