Chapter 21
21
I sit beside Adrian in an enormous dining room.
Everyone is eating and chatting away. I am counting down the seconds until this meal is over and it’s time for this mating ceremony I absolutely do not want. And if I can’t escape it, then figuring out the nearest window I can throw myself out of because I have a feeling Adrian is crazy, and nothing I do will change it.
I’m also trying desperately hard not to think of Nathan, who went to sort out a surprise for me, only to return to find me gone. He’ll smell Adrian and his enforcers, maybe even track us to the main road where we all climbed into Adrian’s vehicles.
But will he know we came to Minnesota?
Part of me hopes he doesn’t, so he won’t follow and get himself killed trying to rescue me. Another part hopes rescue is soon coming.
“You’re not eating, Clara.”
I nearly drop my fork, my fingers tightening around it before it can land on my plate of steak and potatoes. Probably the best steak I’ve ever had. There’s not a hint of a lump in these mashed potatoes, and the grilled asparagus is perfectly tender and crisp. I’ve eaten exactly one bite of everything and my stomach is full of so many knots I can’t make myself eat another.
Instead, I smile at the man sitting far too close to me. “I’m a little nervous about tonight.”
I’m not even lying.
When he stretches a hand toward me, it takes everything in me not to stab him with my fork.
His fingers brush my neck, the exact spot he will bite me tonight. “There’s no reason to be nervous. We’ll celebrate our union in front of the pack. And then…” His voice lowers and his eyes turn hooded.
That’s exactly what I’m nervous about.
All of it.
I’m not hungry, but I take a small bite of my mashed potatoes. Just as I’d hoped, Adrian removes his hand.
I relax when he turns to speak to someone on his left. I can’t see who, given we’re on a long bench.
I quickly chew, force myself to swallow and put my fork down. “I need the bathroom.”
Adrian nods at an enforcer hovering at his shoulder. “Go with her, Eric.”
I freeze, half-standing. “Go with me?”
“I wouldn’t want you to lose your way again.” Adrian smiles.
That smile makes me think he knew I was trying to run and failed. That he isn’t about to let me get another chance to run again.
Adrian returns to his meal, and I get to my feet.
“Bring her to my room when she’s finished,” he calls out.
A churn starts in my belly at what’s coming. “But my meal,” I complain.
“I’ll have a servant bring something up to our room after the ceremony,” he says, not looking at me.
Eric, my burly, sour faced escort, grips my arm and nearly drags me off my feet. “Let’s go.”
I’m a prisoner here. No mistake about it.
Everyone knows it. The servant girl. The enforcers. Me.
Adrian hasn’t put me in a cage or locked me in a room, but I feel as trapped as if I were in a steel cage.
Eyes track me as the enforcer pulls me from the room, forcing me into a near run to keep up with him. The bathroom isn’t far. Just halfway down the hallway.
I drag out my trip to the bathroom since there’s no window I can climb out of. I’m creeping slowly toward panic with no idea how I’m going to get myself out of this mess.
Eric, standing just outside, bangs loudly on the door. “Let’s go.”
“But I?—”
“You can walk or I can drag you up to the alpha. You have one minute to decide.”
Fucking hell.
I shove myself to my feet and flush the toilet, glaring at the door.
I’m washing my hands—completely unnecessary since I didn’t even use the toilet—when the door swings open. Eric grabs my arm and hauls me out as I drip water all over the place.
“ Hey !”
“You had your warning.” Eric doesn’t slow or even look at me as he pulls me along the hallway and up the main staircase.
“I’m dripping water on the stairs,” I say, running to keep up.
“You can clean it after the mating ceremony.” He sneers. “Once the alpha has had his fill of you. Though that might be awhile.”
I hide my shudder. “Don’t remind me,” I mutter.
Eric continues up the stairs and flings my bedroom door open. On my bed is a short, silk white dress.
I’m staring at it in horror when Eric snaps, “Put it on. The alpha had a matter to attend to. He will join you shortly.”
I hesitate.
“Or you can attend the ceremony naked, if you prefer.”
I stalk into the room and snatch up the dress from the bed. Eric doesn’t move from the doorway.
Glaring at him, I walk into my closet and close the door so I can dress without him watching.
I leave the clothes I change out of on the floor. Not because of my slobbish nature. Someone else can deal with the mess. I’m in no mood to deal with cleaning up right now. Time isn’t crawling toward this mating ceremony. It’s galloping and I’m still no closer to getting myself out of it.
Think, think, think, I mentally tell myself as I pull on the hated silk dress, wishing the ground would literally open up beneath my feet and take me somewhere other than here.
Eric is still blocking the door, arms crossed, when I step out of the closet.
My one hope of escaping is out of the window now. I drift toward it as casually as I can, like I’m just circling the room.
Then I stand in front of the window, arms by my side, as I look out into the vast grounds that make up Adrian’s land. It’s late. Maybe ten or eleven. There’s no clock in my room, so I’ve never known what time it is since I arrived.
I’d love to shove the window open and fling myself out of it, but Eric’s stare is like a laser trained at the center of my back. I have a feeling the second I touch the wood, he’ll be on me.
I shouldn’t have gone down to the kitchen before. All it did was make them suspicious.
Behind me, a door swings open, and in the window’s reflection I see Adrian stepping into my room.
“Ah, good. She’s dressed,” Adrian says. “Any problems?”
“None, alpha,” Eric responds curtly. “I believe she’s excited to get this mating ceremony underway.”
What a fucking prick.
I’m staring into the forest, desperately working out how I can escape my fate when a figure steps from the forest. A familiar one.
My heart leaps.
“What is it Clara?” Adrian demands.
I twist away from the window—from Nathan—and meet Adrian’s suspicious gaze. “Nothing.”
He gives me a long look, then stalks toward me.
I hold my breath as he nudges me to one side and peers outside.
He looks out of the window as I do the same. No one is there. But I saw Nathan, and he wanted me to see him. Now he’s back to hiding from view. Why? Is there a plan? Should I try to escape? What?
“We’re leaving for the ceremony now,” Adrian says, frowning at the dark forest.
He’s still wearing his black trousers and button-down, and I have an idea. “Aren’t you going to change into white so we can match?”
And maybe while you’re dressing, I can be escaping?
Adrian looks at me. “You’re fighting me. You said you would not, but you are being difficult.”
“No, I’m—” I choke, fingers scrabbling as I try to break his grip on my neck.
He pins me to the window, his hand tight around my throat and his eyes are… empty.
I suspected he might be mad. Maybe he’s just plain cruel. Either way, I’m in big, big trouble.
“You are fighting me, Clara,” he says blandly.
I shake my head as I grab his wrists, trying to break his grip. “No,” I gasp. “I’m?—”
His grip around my throat loosens slightly as he lowers his head and speaks into my ear. “You are not the only omega in this world. I can replace you, or I can return to the pack that hid you and wipe every single one of them out.”
“I won’t fight you anymore,” I whisper.
“Good.” He releases me so suddenly that I nearly fall, lightheaded from the air rushing to my head.
“How did you know what I was?” I massage my throat.
I don’t care how he knew. Any time he’s talking is time we’re not going through with this ceremony, and maybe it’ll give Nathan time to set whatever plan he has in motion.
“I knew at once,” Adrian says proudly. “The one before didn’t last long.”
The one before?
Shit. Just when I don’t think things could get any worse, they do.
“I didn’t even have to go looking for you. You appear in my city, sitting in the passenger seat, window open, singing. I saw you, and I knew exactly what you were.”
“What, er, happened to the last one?”
“She fought me.” He kisses my neck and I swallow my shudder of revulsion as he takes my hand with a delighted smile. As if he didn’t just choke me seconds ago. “Let’s go, mate. Time for the ceremony.”