1 Arranged marriage?

A union to unite us all.

That was what her father said that morning when he told her that she was to wed the son of their mortal enemy. 

For peace! 

That was laughable.

How could there be peace when the family she was about to marry into were the ones who slaughtered their ancestors, the same monsters who wanted all of them dead.

Yes, they are all monsters.

So, why would she sacrifice herself in what she deemed to be a suicide mission?

She wanted to escape and run away, so she did. She found herself walking along the streets, aimlessly wandering among the crowd, lost in her thoughts. 

Until.

"Ouch!" She found herself about to fall from hitting a hard wall. 

How could she not see where she was going? Because she was drowning in her misery, her mind reminded her as she waited for her ass to hit the hard concrete pavement on the busy street.

"Are you ok, Miss?" Instead of pain, a manly tone snapped her out of her despair, making her aware of his presence. "You should be careful and watch where you are going." His tone was firm but not harsh.

Her body was drastically pulled back up and steadied on her feet by strong arms. Finally, she stood in front of the man, but only to end up in another trance.

He was no average man as her eyes landed on his well-chiseled chest and arms while her nose smelled his masculine scent. When she tilted her head, those blazing green eyes had her captivated. 

Suddenly, she was swirling in their depth, making her heart skip a beat as her breathing hitched in her throat. 

She believed she was nowhere near ok at the moment.

Nevertheless, the honking of horns by passing cars burst her bubbles as realization dawned on her. 

What was she doing? She was getting married, chastising herself for fantasizing about another man. 

"Sorry, I am ok. Thanks for not letting me fall." She hurriedly mumbled as she stepped back away from the man's hold.

"Are you sure you are ok?" The man repeated with concern in his voice. But she only nodded.

When his hands hesitantly dropped down to his side, she felt a loss she had never felt before. As if those hands meant to touch her, protect her, and keep her safe. 

Suddenly she thought he could be the man she was waiting for, but now. She knew she had to walk away.

Her thoughts of the man, who she wished could be the one, the possible man of her dreams, vanished again in her mind as she realized she was about to consent to this marriage.

***

She sat in front of her vanity table, given by her grandmother, preparing herself for her groom. Or was it her doom? Nonetheless, it did not make any difference.

"It is not fair." She uttered desperately, gazing into her amber eyes in her long beautiful red gown that matched her flaming red wavy hair through her reflection in the mirror.

She had seen herself leading this pack into greatness, just like her ancestors had done, so thus, her father, but not as someone raised to be the sacrificial lamb, placed on a silver platter, offered as a peace offering to their enemies.

Her eyes followed her mother as she stepped into the room and stood behind her. "I know this is not how you picture your future will be. But your father is right." She carefully ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to put it back in its order.

Right? She doubted it. But.

One part of her wanted to remain the obedient child. But another part of her refused to accept these massive obligations placed on her shoulders. A weight that she was afraid she could never bear even with time. 

She knew their people depended on her. They were tired of hiding, looking behind their shoulders, afraid that their enemies would finally discover their true identities and hunt them again.

Although they had learned to fight and defend themselves, they were not soldiers. They were no killing machines that could slaughter their enemies at will. They were a loving community that only believed in peace and harmony.

"But mother, when is forcing your daughter to marry someone you don't even know ever been right." Her eyes landed on the woman standing behind her back, staring back at her.

She had those soulful eyes that had very similar traits to hers. A woman she admired all her life for her wit, humor, and wisdom. A characteristic that she had found useful all the years of her life. 

But what good was it now, when she felt so useless. A mere puppet to their games.

"It is the only way we can finally have peace." Her mother's eyes expressed her wish to help her, but there was no way that her mother could turn her back on her father and the entire pack.

The witches told them that this was the match they had been waiting for to fulfill the prophecy. The one that would finally unite and provide peace among all species, whether humans, those monsters, witches, and their kind, werewolves.

"I could not accept that. I know there is another way." She could feel her heart beating wildly inside her chest as her entire being rebelled against the cruelty of her fate. "The prophecy might be wrong." She stubbornly claimed.

She fought the tears from bursting from her eyes, but it was difficult as each drop grazed down her cheek. She quickly wiped them away, tired of shedding more tears on this matter. 

"I know you will learn to love him one day." Mara walked closer to her, wrapping her arms around her.

Nonetheless, her back suddenly straightened, and she never felt calmer. It only angered her more, hearing the words precious to her used in conjunction with that monster.

"Love." She shouted incredulously. "I will never love a man like him." Her dream of a fairy tale romance finally dissolved into a puff of smoke.

She still adamantly refused to believe that marrying someone who despised her was the only solution. It was more like condemning herself to hell. If her opinion even mattered.

"Maybe once he gets to know you, he might suddenly change." Her mother said in an attempt to appease her. "Love is a powerful weapon against hate." But her words failed to convince her.

"I don't think he even has a heart. So, how can a monster like him even love?" Questioning her mother's wisdom.

"Avana, I know this is hard to accept but have faith." Her mother's melodic voice had always been music to her ears, but now it sounded like a broken record. 

"Hard to accept? Did you even give me a choice?" Avana answered defiantly. "However, I doubt my fate will be the same as yours." Challenging her mother as her fist balled to her side.

Her mom might have told her some fairy tale about her love affair with her father, but she learned a long time ago about the truth. Her parents' marriage was just like hers, an arrangement.

She walked closer to the balcony of her room, hearing the increasing festivity below her. She could also see the arrivals of their numerous guests flocking on their long driveway.

But her heart never felt the excitement. Instead, she wanted to escape the nightmare that was about to happen. She longed to be free.

Then, loud music penetrated her ears as the festivities increased downstairs. More and more of their guests had finally arrived. 

"I want to have faith in myself. I should have a right to my destiny." She whispered to herself, her fist clenched firmly at her side as her mind thought of her groom arriving soon at those gates.

Her groom. The one that fate had decided to bestow on her.

He was cruel, a brutal murderer who slaughtered her ancestors and continued to hunt their kinds. His greed knew no bounds as he persisted in seeking more power to overpower them all.

Could she do it? Could she make herself submit to him and this arranged marriage?