Destined Love

Jealousy

*Third Person's Point Of View*

    Aurora took her bath and then changed into a collette collar ivory dress. She pulled her hair back with a black ribbon and put on a black pair of slippers. Dinner was going to be served soon, but there was no sign of Jonah. She walked back and forth, looking at the door every now and then until Jonah came in through the doors. 

    “Good you’re here. Can we talk for a few minutes.” 

    “Isn’t it almost time for dinner? I still need to take a bath so I don't have time to talk.” 

    “I don't really mind talking to you while you bathe. I just want to know-”

    “Actually, you should go ahead. You don't want to keep your guest waiting. I will be right behind you.” 

    “No that’s okay I rather-” 

    Before Aurora could finish her sentence Jonah entered the other room and all she heard was the splash as his body made contact with the water. She then realized that something was really bothering him. She didn't want to argue before dinner, so she stepped out of the room and headed towards the dining room. On her way there she saw Janessa coming up the stairs. 

    “Janessa, will you be joining us for dinner?” 

    “No, I don’t think so. While I was helping Jonah I got very hungry and he ordered the maids to bring us some cakes and tea to his office and I have lost my appetite. 

    “Oh okay. Well, if you change your mind we will all be in the dining hall.” 

    “Really? All of you? I'm sure Jonah is going to skip. After all, we did eat a lot so he’s probably not hungry. You know big sister, we also talked about many things.” 

    “I'm glad you two are getting to know each other, but I don’t have time to hear what you have to say right now.”

    “Don’t you ever feel bad about getting in the way of Jonah and his lover?” 

    “What do you mean?”

    “Oh you didn’t know? I guess your husband really doesn't tell you anything. You see, before you came to Arcada, Jonah was very much in love with a woman who he described as beautiful with black hair and green eyes.” 

    Aurora stood frozen in place. A lot of thoughts rushed through her head. She knew Janessa was manipulative and enjoyed spreading rumors, but she couldn't have possibly guessed the exact features of the black haired beauty she met the day of the winter ball. Her heart became filled with insecurity, but she didn't want to give Janessa the satisfaction of seeing her defeated. 

    “Well, if there was such a woman, I hope I can apologize to her on behalf of the Alphas. After all, this marriage was their idea and I accepted because I had no other choice.” 

    Aurora smiled at her sister and continued to descend the stairs. Janessa stayed watching her with a sinister stare. Her plan was working out so perfectly because while her and Aurora were arguing, Jonah had approached them and got close enough to hear the last thing Aurora said before she left. 

    “Oh brother in law! Don’t tell me you were listening! I'm sure my sister didn't mean what she said about marrying you because she had no other choice. Please don't be mad at her.” 

    Jonah was enraged. He ignored Janessa and continued to walk at a fast pace. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he quickly turned into the hallway leading to the dining room and chased after Aurora who was a few feet away from him. 

    “AURORA!” 

    Frightened by his loud voice, she turned quickly to see Jonah approaching her with a threatening demeanor. 

    “Yes?” 

    “What the hell was that all about?” 

    “I don't know what you mean.” 

    Aurora's voice was strained and she avoided looking at him in the eyes. Her face was burning and she had her hands in tight fists that forced her nails into the palms of her hands. She felt like crying, but it wasn't because she was sad. She was angry. She was angry at the possibility of Jonah being in love with someone else. 

    “Is this …. jealousy?” She thought to herself. 

    All her overthinking was quickly interrupted by Jonah’s forceful hand that pulled her towards him.

    “What were you saying to your sister?” 

    “Nothing important.” 

    “Really Aurora!?” 

    “We had our chance to talk in the room, but you didn't want to and I'm not going to cause a scene before dinner, so let go of me!” 

    “Let go of you? I don’t think so. You’re my wife and we’re going to walk into that dining room together whether you like it or not.” 

    He pulled her closer to his side and Aurora tried to escape his hold, but he grabbed her by the waist to prevent her from pushing him away. 

    “Don't forget to smile. I'm sure you don't want to make your father and your dear friend Richard worry about you.”

    When they entered the dining room Jonah and Aurora were the last ones to be seated. While dinner was being served the atmosphere around them was very tense and their guests were beginning to notice. To break the awkward silence, Cassandra began to speak very fondly of the estate. 

    “I have already mentioned this, but the estate is simply breathtaking. Luna, I want to congratulate on a job well done.” 

    “Thank You Cassandra, but since Aurora’s arrival she has dealt with all of the affairs related to the estate and the castle’s staff members so really, you must thank her instead.” 

    “Oh my, then I did my job well as her mother. See Aurora, all that discipline made you into the diligent woman you are today.” 

    Aurora turned to look at Cassandra who was smiling directly at her. She had to be very careful to not choke on her food because all the nonsense she was hearing was making her forget how to chew. Dealing with Cassandra's offensive comments was becoming more and more difficult for her because she lied about being kind to her and she was stepping into the role of her mother. 

    Aurora began to grit her teeth out of desperation. All she wanted to do was get through this meal so that she could go back to her room and finally rest. She tried to block out all of the voices to relax a bit, but it became harder to do so when her father began talking about her childhood. 

    “Aurora is probably good at her task because when she was little she was always so determined and was a natural leader. Richard can attest to that.”

    “Don’t even get me started Alpha Nahrwold. We used to play a game we liked to call Luna and her knights. She would boss me and my late friend Andrew until the sun set. As young boys though, we would get annoyed after a while so we would call her by nickname to make her mad. Isn’t that right, LITTLE ANN?”