Marked By The Demon Lycan King

Twelve

ADRIA

.

Adria was felt conflicted. She was torn between siding her sister or her father. She knew that what her father had done was wrong but she also agreed to the fact that if Aria gets married then the chances of her whoring around would be reduced to a minimum.

But still, she wouldn't deny the fact that she didn't quite approve of an arranged marriage especially when they knew nothing about the intended groom.

Yes, Aria was stubborn in a whole lot of ways but she actually agreed with her twin on this one. For all they know, the person in question might be worse and may be trying to use this marriage as a cover up to his evil doings. What if he ends up making Aria a slave, a consort or probably his baby breeder?

Aria had grown up without love and she always wanted her sister to end up with a man who would love her immensely. Despite her shortcomings, she was a sweet soul and cared about everyone around her in her own twisted way.

She would definitely have to talk to her father on behalf of Aria and see if she would get him to change his mind. Her sister's happiness was her top priority at this point and seeing the way she had behaved earlier had told her how hurt she was.

Aria was always good when it came to hiding her emotions and today was actually the first time that she had seen her breakdown in such an excruciating manner.

When she was done tending to her wounds, she excused herself and made her way towards her father's courtroom. The sentinels at the door let her through after she stated her intentions.

She walked inside to find him pacing. As expected, he was also restless a about the situation but if he was then why did he agree to the alliance in the first place? It was something that she tried to understand but she couldn't.

"Father?" She called out softly. He halted in his steps and darted his eyes towards her direction. Adria took it as her cue to walk up to him.

"Adria..." He feigned a small smile. "How is your sister?"

She nodded "Aria isn't taking the news of this alliance lightly. She still hasn't come to terms with what you had said. She tried to hurt herself and now, I'm scared for the worse." She lets him in on her fears and worries.

"She would get used to it." He brushed her off.

"I'm still in shock father. How...when did all of this happen?" She questioned, her eyes going soft as she stared at him "Why did you accept this proposal? Even I can tell that you're not happy about it."

"Everything I do my child, is for your interest. I will never put my children through pain just to make myself feel good."

"I know" She admitted "And that is why I'm surprised. Did they threaten you into agreeing to this?"

He placed a hand on her shoulders lovingly "They didn't. I actually didn't want to accept when the proposal was brought to me but I had no choice. Aria had gone wild. Maybe this is the only way to keep her on track."

"By marrying her off?" She asked in a slightly higher voice "How is this marriage going to get her back on track? You of all people should know what Aria has gone through father. She might be hotheaded and stubborn but sending her away isn't going to fix her problem."

"Don't act like your sister was the only one who went through the pains of your mother's death." He shunned her "Your mother also died but you never turned out the way she did."

"And that's because people are wired differently father. People choose to handle their pain differently." She told him in a bid to make him see reason.

"It still doesn't justify her actions!" He spat in anger "I know about everything that has been going on in these walls. I know everything and I simply chose to remain silent about it but that doesn't mean I'm dumb or stupid. I have made my decision. Aria will get married to Cullen so make sure she agrees to it. He'll be coming over to our pack tomorrow to make the necessary arrangements." He said dismissively.

"And what about after she gets married? What's your guarantee that Aria will live a happy life? How do we know that the so called King would take care of my sister?" She whispered in rage, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.

"He has given me his word. Aria would be fine and taken well care of and that is all I wish to say concerning this matter Adria. I'd like to be left alone now if you don't mind."

"But father—"

He gestured at the door and after throwing him one last look, she angrily walked out of the courtroom.

Adria made her way upstairs to her chambers. She opened the door to find Aria seated quietly on her side of the bed.

"He didn't change his mind, did he?" Aria questioned and Adria froze on the spot. How did she know that she had gone to speak to their father on her behalf.

"Did he?" She repeated, only this time, her gaze was fixed on her as she tried her best to avert her gaze.

"I'm sorry Aria." Came her response "I'm sorry that I cannot help you." She apologized sincerely, her heart heavy from all the pent up hurt she felt for her twin.

"I never believed that father would do this to me?" Her eyes glistened with tears as she struggled to keep them at bay "I know that I'm not the best Adria. I know that I have a lot of faults and flaws but you can't deny that even I don't deserve this."

Adria walked up to her sister and sat down beside her "Father loves you a lot Aria."

She shook her head in disagreement "He doesn't. He had always wanted to send me away and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he utilized it so effortlessly."

She reached out for her hands and squeezed "He loves you and I know that he is also hurt for sending you away. I saw it in his eyes."

"Of course you did." She snatched her hands away and wiped her tears aggressively "You always see the good in people. You always want to believe that everyone has a reason for their actions but I don't. And that's the difference between the two of us."

Aria rose to her feet and slowly walked towards the mirror to stare at her reflection.

"You never know, maybe the king in question isn't as bad as they say. Maybe he would be different."

"Maybe?" She scoffed "That's a word of possibility Adria. Maybe he could also be exactly what they say. Maybe he's also as bad as everyone thinks."

"But you won't know if you haven't met him right?" She went further to ask "Everything might just be based of assumptions. What if you get married to him and actually end up liking him?" She raised her shoulders in a slight shrug. "What if he turns out to be better?"

"Did father ask you to do this?" She threw her a look "Did he ask you to talk to me into agreeing to his plans?"

"He didn't." She denied flatly "I'm only doing this because you're my sister and I care about you."

She took her hands in hers "Father has already made his decision so it's up to you to accept and we both know that you cannot go against him even if you wanted to so it's best to keep an open mind to prepare for what's to come."

"What's to come?" She asked feeling scared "Is something going to happen? What are you trying to say?"

Adria breathed heavily before facing her sister "Father told me that Cullen will be coming over to our pack tomorrow to make the necessary arrangements for your marriage. He said to tell you that you should be prepared for his arrival."

Aria laughed. An empty, emotionless one that didn't reach her eyes.

Adria felt pity for her sister. From her reaction, she could tell that she definitely wasn't expecting this to happen now.

"Aria?" She called out to her softly. "Let's take a walk so that you can clear your head." She offered and reached out for her hands.

When she didn't budge, she pulled her slowly towards the door. There was no use being cooked up inside here after all. They met the guards outside who blocked their paths as soon as they walked up to them.

"We will be visiting our mother's garden. Let us through." She ordered and they immediately stepped aside. As Adria led her sister outside, she began to wonder what would happen tomorrow. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of something going wrong. Well, she can only hope that whatever happens, everything goes well in her twin's favor.