Chapter 4
The delight that was his plump lips and so easy for me to be charmed by, so delicious and unapproachable that for two seconds I cogitated not hating him so much, just to taste his kiss.
"In that case, it will be even longer before you can leave the room, enjoy your stay"
He said getting up abruptly as usual, leaving me empty in my feelings that went from zero to a hundred faster than the speed of light.
"Amalia will be able to help you with whatever you need"
He slammed the door behind him so hard that the wind touched my hair and it fluttered.
Right behind him, Amalia entered with a tray, with more gold and a glass of water.
"Mr. Petros sent this for you"
Said the girl visibly in a bad mood, I bet her idea of fun was not to take care of her tribe's enemy.
She looked with such immense admiration for Petros and with such strong contempt for me that I could see her hatred through the way she moved her lips.
"Amalia, do you know what he wants with me?"
She seemed as bothered by my presence as I was by her being there. I bet if she could, she would get rid of me easier than Petros would. She just didn't want to get in the way of her "master's" plans.
"I can't say anything"
She said keeping her hard composure to ignore me more easily.
"I know you are part of this clan; I know you owe loyalty to them, but, help me please"
That was a desperate measure! I knew she wouldn't help me, but I could at least try.
She looked at me with the most debauched face in the world and spoke
"Go to sleep Olivia, I'll come back tomorrow.
She hated me too much, more than Petros hated me.
What happened? Why didn't my father send a whole army to get me? I bet that news of my death had already spread throughout the kingdom, I bet that they were now lining up to give my father another heir.
I was worth nothing but the crown I wore on my head.
Amalia came into the room and spoke
"I need to help you get dressed."
With the same disdain as before, she never stopped despising me with all the strength she could find within her soul, she treated me like a mangy dog and wouldn't even look me in the eye.
"There's no need, I can dress. And I also don't see the need to change if I'm going to continue to be stuck here in this room."
She rolled her eyes and said firmly to me.
"Petros has requested your presence, I need to take you to him, can you at least make it easier?"
I shouldn't make anyone's life easier; they took me out of my castle to lock me in this golden cage, still, the intonation with which she asked swayed me a little.
And until I could escape, I needed to at least remain without any fractured bones.
I showered half-heartedly at her being there, dressed in their clothes, a well-cut dress that clung too tightly to my body, it was white without a single stain as if it had been made and kept just for me.
A whole team of women came through the bedroom door with combs and makeup, I couldn't understand the need to put on lipstick when it was all going to come off with my desperate crying!
I was stunned by all the attention, they weren't listening to me, the more I yelled at them to stop combing their hair.
more they combed my hair. More make-up was put on my face, always repeating the same phrase "IT IS NECESSARY".
Different fabrics, different hairstyles, and even though it wasn't normal I looked so comfortable in that dress, I felt sick, like a crime.
As soon as they finished the work Amalia angrily dragged me down the halls.
She led me into a dark room and pushed me inside and closed the door, she had done that before, so I wasn't taken by surprise. She treated me as if she were offering an appetizer to a lion.
I was leaning against the wall waiting for the beast to finally appear and devour me.
"Why are you leaning there?"
I was petrified as soon as I heard his voice, when he came up again the low light was no longer a problem, he had a half smile on his face and a glass of whiskey in his hands.
That room was different from the calmness of the bedroom, the red walls and the mahogany on the tables and upholstery left a dense and heavy air about everywhere. It matched Petros and the hardness of his face. It matched his ice and fire posture that took me off-axis.
That's not what my father told me about the Lycans.
"I am waiting for your next move, Petros"
He smiled, but it was not a normal smile, it was like pure evil coming out of his pores, he poured himself another shot, took it all at once, and said:
"WE ARE GOING TO GET MARRIED"
He said this savoring the words as they came out of his mouth, this was the maximum provocation he had up his sleeve to destroy me completely.
At that moment I just hoped that it was all a blatant lie from a disturbed mind.
I stood still, petrified as before, but now with my heartbeats racing a thousand per hour without any control.
"HOW IS IT?"
I screamed out loud and clear with every form that still existed within my lungs, as I finished speaking my voice grew weaker, and I felt like I was going to die right there.
I would be the first person to succeed in killing the other from the heart instead of killing myself with a spear or a sword.
"It's not your decision, it's mine! We're getting married!"
He repeated once again, but avoiding looking at me he poured himself another sip of whiskey, took it all at once, and slammed it down on the table with hatred.
"I'm not marrying you! What are you thinking? We hate each other, our families have been at war for centuries! Why don't you just kill me and spare me this?"
I was in tears and his expression was heavy, the evil smile turned into a hateful look, his eyes glittered and his fists clenched. I irritated him, it was in my face. Was that idea just to upset me?
"Olivia when I said your life didn't belong to you, I meant it, your life belongs to me. You..."
He hesitated for a few minutes and stared at me with watery eyes
"You are mine.
He said a little louder after throwing another hateful punch at the mahogany table in front of him, looking indignant at my refusal, as if it wasn't obvious.
Prisoners and enemies don't usually accept arranged marriages with their opponents that well.
"Petros I will never be yours; we hate each other!"
I thought of my mother and how much she must have suffered at the hands of this filth. I had to hate him, no matter what my feelings were inside my chest, the burning the senseless feeling, I had to feel revulsion.
The idea of marriage was too absurd.
"I'd rather you kill me!"
Petros punched the table again and walked towards me angrily, he held my arms and again put his face against mine, he closed his eyes as if he was containing the demon inside him, it was normal for a wolf, it was normal for me. But his smell was killing me inside, it was drawing me like lightning in the sand and the guilt was eating me up inside.
I shouldn't be feeling weak, I should honor my pack and put a sword through this filthy wolf's throat.
"Listen well"
He whispered, leaning his face against mine.
"I hate you too, I hate your smell I hate the sound of your voice, it's years and years feeding the hatred I feel for you inside my soul, so hearing you moaning with so much pain in your bones just by hearing the word marriage already makes me flooded with happiness Olivia, I spent years, since my father's death, thinking of a way to avenge him, I thought of tearing your head off and sending the box to your father, but marrying the golden princess and forcing her to spit out a thousand of my children seemed a much better idea"
He spoke every word with filthy satisfaction, it was as if he had no loyal wolf traits whatsoever, he resembled an average human and full of sorrows to be dealt with.
"You will never lay a finger on me filthy beast! You can lock me up here like a lunatic, but I will never have a son of yours, and if you insist on this marriage your lineage will die with him.
He laughed, laughed at my desperation so hard that I looked like a clown, the irony on his lips not taking me by surprise.
Then I answered him even more haughtily
"Do you think you can make me do that Petros?"
"I will never force you to do anything, I will not touch you without you asking me, that custom I leave to your clan!"
I didn't understand the criticism, that's not exactly how my father told me the story. That was a blatant lie!
"We are honorable! There are no compulsory marriages! You live like animals! You're treating me like an animal, weren't we in a truce? Wasn't it agreed between our parents? And why did you say, 'since your father's death' as if it was my fault?"
I was so indignant that I couldn't even measure the way I was speaking. I would have punched him mercilessly, but I knew he wouldn't have hesitated to punch me back.
Fear was leaving me because anger made me a little braver.
"Do you think your people are honorable?"
He said laughing as if I had told the biggest joke in the universe, it was how he acted when he was confronted for some reason.
"How much has your father kept you oblivious to what happens in the Olivia World? Have you ever wondered why all the clans without the exception of any hate the Aaryn? What is your problem? Haven't you evolved your brain one bit since we were eight years old?"
The spoke of my father with the same disdain, his breathing even getting faster with hatred. Mine also reacted to every contempt on his part for my lineage.
"I know everything that happens! I am next in line, I am informed of all matters, and we are envied and not hated."
The words were coming out of my lips like in a game, I measured nothing and just wanted to defend myself from those lying attacks.
"Tell me why are you blaming me or blaming my father for your death of yours?"
He turned his back, he seemed determined to hide every single one of his emotions, I could tell that subject upset him enough for me to feel happy for my small victory.
"I don't want to talk about it, I called you here to tell you that the wedding will happen in three days!"
He dropped that bomb on me and didn't even care about the damage, my mind was struggling to understand that this was a real serious threat.
My heart was racing in my chest again.
"I'll find a way out of here before that!"
I promised him without even knowing how I was going to act to get out of that situation, I couldn't see any way out.