Chapter 5
1012 Words
Arlenna's POV
“We'll find you a perfect suitor.”
Those were the only words Mother said, and they sliced through my heart like I was being stabbed over and over again a multiple time.
"Father, please!" I cried, crawling to him, my knees scraping against the floor.
My palms held his trousers tightly as I looked up at him with tears drowning my face.
“You can't let her marry me off. Please, Father!"
He looked down at me, his eyes were heavy, tired, and filled with something I had never seen before.
Disappointment. Deep, cutting disappointment.
And Orion? He just stood there. At the door. Silent. Not a word. Not even a glance in my direction.
He asked for his wedding to be moved forward instead.
That was all. That was his only contribution to the pregnancy and everything that was going on at that moment.
I was shattered.
"You can't stay here with a child!" Father said, placing his hand on his head, rubbing his eyes and head like my presence gave him a headache.
"I am so deeply disappointed in you, Arlenna. I am!" he yelled, then turned and stormed out of the room.
"Father! Father, please!" I cried, reaching out even though he was already gone.
That was the first time I'd seen him look at me that way. He had always been gentle, always patient.
When he married my mother and we moved into Crimson Pack, it was like the heavens gifted me a second chance at something I thought I'd never have, a father's love.
And I ruined it.
I ruined everything.
I fell back to the floor, breathless from crying, staring up at my mother. My eyes were red, my cheeks burning.
"Please, Mother... don't make me marry someone I don't want to. Please." I pleaded, I was already tired from crying.
She bent down slowly until we were face to face. Cold, bitter rage filled her up in her eyes.
"You should've thought about that before you ruined your future," she yelled. "But you're not going to ruin mine like your useless father did!"
Then she stood up and spat on the floor beside me before walking out of the room.
One thing mom always did was not to waste an opportunity to remind me of how my useless father ruined her life.
I had no idea who he was or what he even did to her. She hated him and made sure I hated a man I knew nothing about.
I collapsed entirely then, trying to take in everything. My sobs were silent now.
But I wasn't alone.
He was still there.
The one person I had hoped—prayed—would say something. Anything.
The one whose silence had broken me more than Mother's slaps and Father’s shouting.
The moment the door shut, everywhere was quiet and we were alone, Orion rushed to me, kneeling beside me.
"Who's the father?"
I raised my head slowly, looking at him through my watery eyes. Did he really ask that?
"What do you mean, who's the father?" I cried, my voice was trembling. "You're the only man who has touched me!"
His hand flew to my mouth instantly, pressing against it. "Shhhh... anyone could hear you," he whispered, glancing at the door.
I pushed his hand off me. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn’t you speak up, Orion?" My voice broke. "Why?"
He looked away, lips parted as though the words were fighting to come out but couldn’t.
"I... I thought..." I started, but he cut me off.
"Do you know what a mess this is, Arlenna? You can't be pregnant with my child. You just can't!"
My heart stopped.
Like I was a sin he couldn’t wash away.
"Didn't you take anything when we got home that night? Pills? Herbs? Anything?" he asked quickly.
I sat there, trembling.
What would I know? What did I know?
"I... I'm only twenty one," I said softly, "I didn’t know I had to. No one ever told me what to do if something like that happened. I didn’t think it would... I didn’t know."
"You don’t understand," he said, standing and pacing. "You don’t understand what this means."
I watched him move back and forth, his fingers tangled in his hair. I wiped at my tears.
"Why didn’t you defend me?" I asked. "Why did you just stand there and let them all talk like I was dirt?"
He stopped and looked at me. "Because I was scared, Arlenna. Scared of what this would do to me, to you, to everyone."
"So now what?" I asked, voice breaking again. "They want to marry me off. Father’s ashamed. Mother’s throwing me away. And you? You can’t even look at me without calling me a mess."
Orion came back to kneel beside me. He took my hands in his.
"I didn’t mean it like that," he whispered. "I just... I panicked."
I nodded slowly, my lips quivering.
"Do you regret it?" I asked him.
He didn’t reply.
That silence? It told me everything.
I slowly pulled my hand away from his.
He looked down.
"You don't understand what it means for us to be together. You're my step sister, Arlenna. Even if you are my mate, this—this is forbidden."
"But we already crossed the line," I said. "And now there's a baby."
He clenched his fists.
"I’ll fix it," he said suddenly. "I’ll talk to Father. Maybe he’ll listen to me. Maybe we can figure something out for you."
I shook my head. "You had the chance to speak when it mattered, and you didn’t. Now it’s too late."
He lowered his head.
And I sat there, my whole world was shattered at the age of just twenty one.
A child growing inside me. A family ready to throw me away. A man too scared to love me out loud.
The only thing I had left… was the baby.
And I would protect it.
Even if it cost me everything.
“Don't marry Nimara.”
- Writer
