Chapter 12: I Want It Or Not I couldn’t breathe for a moment. Tomorrow? A wedding? Seven, in my head, was just as stunned. ‘What did he just say?’ she whispered.I didn’t know what to think. Everything was happening so fast. I felt a panic rise in my chest, and I turned to leave, but before I could take a step, he spoke, “sleep well, my wife.” ‘Wife?’I couldn’t sleep well all night, thinking and wondering what if? I was also too hurt to leave, and when my eyes were ready to close and dreams wanted to claim me, people entered the room.Maid after maid bustled in, carrying clothes, fabrics, and other strange items I didn’t recognise. In a blur, they surrounded me, pulling me to my feet, fussing over my hair, my skin, my clothes. Their hands seemed to move quickly, smoothing over my skin with oils and creams. "Wait, stop—please, I—" I tried to speak, but nobody listened. One woman was already combing through my hair with a brush, another draping silks over my arms, and two more were
Chapter 13: Butterfly SaviorTen Years Ago; It was a sunny day, just like any other. I had just turned eight, and I was out hunting for butterflies in the meadow. I wasn’t very good at it, but it didn’t stop me from chasing them all around like a little wind. Every time I thought I’d catch one, it’d flutter out of reach, taunting me with those colorful wings.“Come back here, you tricky little thing!” I yelled, nearly tripping over a rock.But just when I thought I’d finally have one in my hands, something strange caught my eye. A man—a very tall, very handsome man—was standing in the lake. Only… he wasn’t standing. He was flailing his arms like he was trying to swat a million flies.Was he… drowning?I blinked, unsure for a moment. His long red hair looked like flames against the water, and his red eyes were wide, filled with panic? It took me a second to snap out of my butterfly trance and realize, yes, this ridiculously good-looking man was definitely drowning.“Oh no!” I gasped
Chapter 14: You’re Too Weak For War Darius~ I paced back and forth, my fistsclenched so tightly I could feel the muscles in my arms shaking. My heart was like a drum inside, every beat was hitting me with failure. My knuckles throbbed from the impact of the wall, but I didn't care.It wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. I had lost, and the shame of it was unbearable.Hunter's voice growled in the back of my mind, his anger just as raw as mine.'Hit harder. Break everything! Don't stop until it all shatters!'I turned and slammed my fist into the dresser, watching as the wood splintered beneath the force. The crackle of breaking furniture barely scratched the surface of my rage."She was right there... how could we let him beat us?" I growled, clutching the wedding invitation in my palm until my fingers ached.The paper crumpled like it was mocking me, just like Pretto had done, just like she had when she left with him. The nerve of him to send this-to invite us to their wedding.
Chapter 15: The Weight Of A ChoiceEris~I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the ceremony, the wedding, Kaya’s face—everything would come rushing back. My heart was thumping against my chest as the room felt smaller and smaller. The bed, though soft, was too hot. My skin tingled with the feeling of everything closing in on me.When I finally drifted off, the dreams came.I was in a dark forest, the moon was shining bright above me. Shadows moved between the trees, whispering my name. “Eris,” they called, their voices seemed to be soft but eerie. The wind howled, pushing me deeper into the forest.Ahead, Kaya stood, waiting for me. His eyes glowed, not with love, but with something darker like obsession.I tried to run, but the trees closed in, the branches tangled around my arms, pulling me back. Kaya reached out, his hand grabbed mine. His touch was burning, too hot, too tight. “You’re mine,” he whispered. “Forever.”“No!” I screamed, trying to pull away, but his grip ti
Chapter 16: Too LateEris~I didn’t care anymore. The weight of the curse, Kaya, the wedding—was crushing me from the inside out. My hands trembled as I pulled harder at the window latch. The Fae. If I could just reach him, talk to him, maybe… maybe I could undo all of this.‘Eris, stop! Please!’ Seven’s voice panicked in my head, her anxiety was eating my bones. 'You need to be careful. You’ll hurt yourself, or worse—'“I don’t care!” I hissed under my breath, feeling the sharp edge of the window on my skin. My fingers slipped, but I kept pulling. The window creaked, and a tiny crack splintered across the glass.Seven was practically screaming at me now. 'Please, Eris! You have to stop, they’ll hear us! Kaya will—'“I don’t care about Kaya!” The words came out louder than I intended, my heart was beating faster in my chest. “I can’t do this anymore, Seven. I can’t. I need this curse gone. I need to be free from this torture.”The window finally gave way, shuddering open with a lou
Chapter 17: Fitting The BrideThe sun was barely peeking through the thick curtains when the maids rushed in, breaking the suffocating silence of the night. I hadn’t slept. My eyes were swollen, my thoughts circled around the shattered window and the disappearing Fae. My last hope had slipped through my fingers, and now, it was too late. The door creaked open, and the head maid entered with an airy laugh. "Good morning, Lady Eris," she said as if today was just any other day. But it wasn’t. It was my wedding day.Other maids followed her, bustling around me with fabrics, laces, and pins. They murdered over the white silk dress that had been laid out on the chair near my bed. It shimmered in the morning light, the fabric so smooth it looked like water. The dress was long, far too long for someone like me, and the veil even longer, falling behind like the weight of the curse itself. The maids tugged me out. , guiding me toward the gown, “Here, miss…”I stood there, motionless, as
Chapter 18: The Wolf and the AlphaKaya~I left Eris standing by the window, her back to me, staring at the garden below. I wanted to stay, to comfort her, to somehow make her believe that everything would be alright. But the words wouldn’t come. It felt like anything I said would just push her further away. So, I did the only thing I could—I left.The door clicked softly behind me, and I leaned against the wall for a moment, rubbing my face with my hands. My heart was drowning in the ocean. I knew Eris didn’t want this. I knew she felt trapped, and I hated it. But what could I do? This was the path laid out for us. For her. For me.I walked down the long hallway, trying to clear my head. The grand hall wasn’t far, and I knew Leina would be there, overseeing the wedding preparations. She was always there, making sure everything was perfect.As I entered, I spotted her immediately. Leina, my mother, stood at the center of the activity, her hands glowed softly as she summoned more of th
Chapter 19: The Silent WalkThe maids came for me again, this time with more glowing faces than before. They looked happy that a wedding was happening today. I was sure many expected me to yell and shout, try to escape which I did, but it was completely useless in the end. I didn’t say anything. I just couldn’t. My body was already heavy in the dress, the pearls in my hair were weighing me down even more. It was a tradition for the maids to lead the bride, and for Luna—Leina, in this case—to follow behind. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t care to ask. I just moved when they told me to, my steps were quiet as I followed them down the hall.They murmured among themselves with their soft voices. "The pearls match her hair perfectly," one of them whispered."So beautiful," said another. "Like she was born to wear them."I kept my eyes on the floor, my heart a cold, numb thing in my chest. Seven didn’t say a word. She was quiet, like the rest of me, though I could feel her stirring, re