ARIA’S POV;
I shivered like a wet puppy in his arms as he took off my robe.
He lifted me to my feet and I bowed my head, unable to deal with the fact that he had seen me naked in a few minutes, more times than I had seen myself in all my life.
“Don’t yell. I’m just going to pop this back into the socket,” he held my hand and pushed it back.
I completely disregarded his instructions and screamed at the top of my voice.
The pressure was intense, but it calmed the pain.
Draven reached the wardrobe beneath the brush sink and pulled out a bandage he used to hold the joint in place.
His touches were tender, almost healing.
For a minute, I could see him as something other than the contract Alpha, or the one who ruined my life, bringing me here as a breeder.
He looked heavenly, wrapping my arms.
“I’ll get your breakfast,” he said, walking out of the room after getting me settled in bed.
“Thank you,” I whispered as the door shut behind him.
‘Maybe he’s not a monster after all.’ My lips curved into a smile as I thought about it.
“Mummy!” Ella’s high-pitched voice followed the screeching of the door as it happened.
She jumped on the bed and threw her little arms around me.
Draven followed behind her.
“When I told her you couldn’t come down for breakfast, she insisted on seeing you before she left for school,” Draven explained, walking to my bedside with a tray.
“Little angel, I’m doing fine,” I said to Ella, gently stroking her head.
She snuggled me, almost as if she wanted to enter my skin.
A knock came gently on the door and since it wasn’t locked, Ragner ushered himself in.
“Show me a prettier family in all of Hellbound,” I saw the death stare Draven immediately shot at him, “I came to get the princess for school,” he picked Ella in his arms and walked away.
“Return immediately she’s settled in,” Draven ordered Ragner.
“You’re not her mother,” Draven’s voice was cold, hard to miss.
It immediately wiped the smile off my face.
“She’s young, she’s confused, but you are not her mother. Don’t get carried away.” He stormed into the closet.
His rage was quite disturbing.
For the next three minutes, I watched him move aimlessly around the room, slamming the closet and wardrobe doors behind him.
“I never asked her to call me mummy, Draven,” I explained, hoping to pacify his anger.
Draven did not seem to care.
He continued moving around and the slamming did not get any better.
“I’m not trying to replace Ella’s mother,”
”You couldn’t even if you tried,” Draven’s eyes were blazing, “You are not her mother!” it looked like his veins were going to pop.
“Okay,” I said calmly, terrified by the atmosphere.
I had always thought of Draven as a monster, but at that very moment, I could feel the monster in the room.
“Alpha Draven,” I was relieved to hear Ragner’s voice on the other side of the door.
Draven and I stared at each other for a while before he responded to Ragner’s second knock.
“Come in,”
”Aria, how are you feeling?” Ragner asked, standing not very far from me.
“Would we have to reschedule the wedding?”
”No!” Before I got the chance to respond, or even remember there was a wedding, Draven kicked against it.
“The wedding is in three days. She’s a wolf, she should be fine by then,” he said.
I cleared my throat to draw attention.
“Not everyone is an Alpha wolf, Draven,” I said, “I remember needing at least a week to recover from minor cuts and bruises,”
”You are going to be a bride in three days.
I don’t care what you have to force your body to heal, you will be ready for the wedding,” Draven stormed out of the room, leaving me in Ragner’s company.
Ragner was confused.
I knew his tantrum was about Ella calling me mummy.
“What was…” Ragner froze, “If you both can be intimate in the next couple of days, his wolf can strengthen you and you’ll heal perfectly before the wedding,” my jaw hung open. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“What?” That was the most unhinged thing anyone could say to me.
Coming from Ragner, it was just unbelievable.
He was fully aware of the terms of our contract.
“You should go check on Draven,” I said, ushering him to leave.
“I’m just trying…”
”Leave!” my voice grew stronger.
I had heard enough and could not risk him saying any more things.
My heart pace had doubled.
It had only been a few days since the contract began and it was as though they were actively searching for ways to twist it and act outside of the terms.
‘Confront him,’ a voice in my head yelled, but I could imagine how that was going to unfold.
I jumped out of bed, holding my shoulder.
I rushed to the door, peeped out the door.
I heaved a sigh of relief when I confirmed the empty hallway.
I tiptoed through the halls, trying very hard not to draw any attention to myself.
Every turn felt like a death trap and successfully passing it felt like escaping a death trap.
After a couple of death scares, I finally arrived at the pack’s secret exit—one Nicolle had disclosed to me.
Every step I took to this door felt like fresh air, but when I could finally see an escape, it did not feel like the freedom I thought or imagined.
My heart felt heavy.
I saw Ella’s smile, I felt her little arms around me, and all of a sudden, I was faced with a tough decision–crossroads.
I looked back at the house and then the door.
I imagined the life that waited for me out there.
After a long while of thought, I came to a decision.
I took the first step in the direction of forever.
Another step did not follow…
”Aria!”