More arguments

Aria’s POV

Holy heavens! I don't even know where to start from. The first minute, I'm holding my head, the next minute, everything I'm hearing keeps squeezing air out of my lungs.

These men around me were not making things easy for me. Their quarrels and arguments were meaningless yet they still kept me in the center of it all. 

"You’re impossible! I can't believe I'm here having this conversation with you. " Elian’s voice thundered through the room and his frustration was evident on his face. 

My eyes kept moving between the both of them who were about tearing down the room. 

"And you are worse. You think this is a kind of joke?” Thane shot back and his mouth twisted as irritation flashed across his face. 

I took a slow step backward, my chest tightening as their argument escalated. 

Their voices were becoming louder after each word and it kept on overlapping each other. As if that was not worse. It was also pushing against my ears. 

"At least I’m not trying to control her into choosing who…" Thane tried to say but Elian wasn't taking it easy with him. 

"Oh, give it a rest, Thane! You think you are better? You’re pushing her away before she even has a chance to decide."

I clenched my jaw and my heart was already hammering against my chest. 

I knew already that if I remained here, I might suffocate to death because I couldn’t breathe in here and I also couldn’t think. 

Their voices crashed against my thoughts, making everything worse. 

Immediately, I let both of them continue arguing with themselves. 

Without thinking twice, I turned on my heels and walked out of their sight. 

I didn’t stop until the walls of the house no longer surrounded me. 

My heart still pounded, but it was not as severe as before and out here, I could hear myself think more than when I was indoors. 

This wasn’t what I wanted. Never!

I pressed a hand against my forehead, closing my eyes for a brief second. 

I have made a very terrible choice that came crashing down on me. 

How was I supposed to choose between them when I barely knew them? When everything about this felt too big and too impossible?

The most annoying part was that they were both fighting for me. 

"You are running away again. What is it this time?”, I heard and my eyes snapped open. 

My breath stopped at the sight of Madam Gracia standing a few feet ahead. 

I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw her because she was exactly who I needed to see. 

 "I'm not running. I just needed air,” I said to her and she hummed silently to herself before tilting her head slightly. 

"And yet your heart is pounding as if you are fighting a battle,” she pointed out and I looked away, unwilling to confirm her words.

But she already knew. Madam Gracia always knew everything that was going on. 

"I can see from your eyes that you seek clarity.”

“You are right, ma’am. I'm confused. Nothing seems to make sense to me. What if I make the wrong choice?" I asked and She didn’t answer right away.

 Instead, she bored her eyes into me and I feared that she might be reading my mind. 

 "Then make no choice yet. Let them reveal themselves to you. You can see them beyond what they show at first glance,” she advised and it seemed like a lot of work already. 

How could I allow each of them to reveal themselves to me? That was draining. 

“I think I already have a pretty clear picture about them,” I defended buy She shook her head, disagreeing with what I said. 

"First impressions are often just misunderstandings of souls. Never rely on them.”

I wanted to argue, to say that Thane’s arrogance couldn’t possibly be misunderstood. He had shown who he really was from the very beginning. 

But, all that changed instantly as I breathed in deeply, letting the clean air fill my lungs before releasing it slowly. 

"And if none of them are right for me? What am I going to do about it? This feels like a gamble,” I complained to her. 

"Then you will know," she said simply.

The answer should have been comforting but It wasn’t.

I nodded, even though my mind still raced, and before I could speak again, she turned and disappeared out of my sight. 

Oh, I wanted the conversation to last longer than before but….it didn't. 

I lingered outside for a moment longer, my arms wrapped around myself. 

While I was still standing there all to myself, a loud sound snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned, my gaze landing on two guards standing a few feet away. Their eyes moved to me before they exchanged a look.

One of them smirked, shaking his head.

Something in the way they stared at me made my skin prickle.

What the hell was wrong with them? I was already feeling insecure about the way I looked. Maybe, I didn't pass the beauty standard for them. 

But on second thoughts, they were all guards and it was very disrespectful for them to laugh at me that way. 

I straightened my shoulders, refusing to hide myself because of their mere laughter. 

"Is something funny?" I asked and the one who was still smirking scoffed while shaking his head. 

“We were Just wondering how long you will last,” he said and I narrowed my eyes. 

"Excuse me?" I asked, a little confused by what they said by that and the other one chuckled. 

“They fight over you now, but give it time. You are just another woman they will get tired of."

The way they used the word “they” got me thinking. The only persons I could think about that they were referring to was Thane and his brothers. 

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that my presence here was anything less than chaos, but hearing it from them made my stomach churn.

After a minute, I forced a cold smile. 

"That’s bold of you to assume I will be sticking around long enough for that," I said after a long snap and their smirk disappeared. 

Good! Both of you are just bastards. 

I didn't wait until they said anything else before I went back into the house. 

I was nearly at the entrance when a figure barreled past me.

It was Thane.

He moved fast with a straight face and his energy reaching me was sharp, buzzing like lightning in the air.

"Watch it," he muttered as he passed and something in me snapped.

Did I offend him before? I couldn't tell because I guessed he just finished his fight with his brother. 

"Oh, I’m sorry, did I get in your way?" I asked, sarcastically. 

He came to a halt and Slowly, he turned.

"Did you just…" he started off, with his eyes wide with surprise. 

"Talk back to you?" I crossed my arms. "Yeah. Shocking, isn’t it?"

For the first time since I met him, Thane looked… stunned. He opened his mouth, then shut it. His eyes narrowed like he wasn’t sure if he was amused or irritated.

"You…."

Before he could say another word, a voice called his name. A group of guards rushed toward us.

Thane’s attention snapped to them and his entire expression shifted.

"We need to move," one of the guards said to him and without hesitation, Thane turned and broke into a sprint, shifting mid-stride into his giant and powerful wolf. 

Within a few seconds, they all disappeared into the forest and I watched until the darkness swallowed them. 

My heartbeat had slowed down , but something in my chest still buzzed.

I shook my head, exhaling. Whatever it was, it wasn’t my concern.

I stepped inside, my mind set on finding silence. Instead, I found Elian standing near the staircase, waiting for whoever. 

"Can we talk?" He asked and I sighed. 

"Elian. I'm just getting back. I don't know how that can work. "

"Just for a moment, please,” he pleaded and I nodded after a brief seconds of contemplating within myself. 

 "I know this is overwhelming, but we can’t keep avoiding the truth. You know what is going on. Yet, you seem to ignore it. Is that what you want to be doing every time?”

"Do we have to talk about the curse every time we speak?" I asked, instead and his face softened. 

 "It’s not just about the curse this time. It’s about us. This bond,” he answered, pointing at the both of us. 

I swallowed and something in his voice pulled at my defense. This was not the right time for this. Elian knows. I haven't had a break since I got to know I was mated to more than one guy. 

Yet they all kept jumping at me like I was sugar kept separately for them to feast on. 

 "I need time, Elian. I don't know what this is about. I'm tired as you can see.”