CHAPTER 7: REJECTED
Maren
The silence didn’t just feel quiet. It felt like my heart had stopped beating and everyone in the room could hear the lack of sound. I stood very still in the middle of the Great Hall, my hands shaking inside the sleeves of a dress that was too expensive for a girl like me. Caius was still looking at my father.
"I will not take her," Caius said.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried to every corner of the room.
"What did you say?" my father asked. His face went from a proud, fake smile to something white and tight.
"I said no," Caius repeated. He finally looked at me, but his eyes didn't see a person. They saw an object that didn't work right. "I do not accept the bond. I do not accept the girl."
"We had an agreement!" Aldric barked. He stepped forward, his
