The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn

~CLARA~

"What's up with you?" Scarlett asks me as I walk into her room.

Alaric and his siblings had locked themselves up in the basement an hour ago. I wasn't sure what to expect now. Did I wait? Would Alaric certainly come for me tonight? I couldn't get him out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. He was all I could think about day and night.

I didn't plan on staying in the room with Scarlett for the entire night. I would sneak out when she fell asleep and stay in Alaric's room. I figured that if he escaped from the basement and did come looking for me like he warned me, the best place to be would be inside of his room.

"Nothing." I lie.

She sighs, "I can see that your cheeks are burning, Clara. You can't hide the truth from me. I know something happened between you and Alaric again. Carter mentioned that he saw Alaric searching the house for someone, and I think we both know you are the person he was searching for. And look at what you're wearing. You'll never wear that for a sleepover unless you had ulterior motives."

Of course, it was easy for Scarlett to read me like an open book. I was never good at hiding my feelings.

"Something did happen," I confess. "But I don't feel like talking about it. I want to keep it to myself until I'm sure that it's more than just a crush.”

She quirks a brow at me, "so there is a possibility that things between the two of you can become serious?"

I shrug, "maybe. Maybe not. Only time will tell, sister."

She makes herself comfortable on the bed and looks at me, "Imagine if you marry Alaric. We will both be married into the same family. To brothers. How amazing would that be?"

I blushed at the thought of marrying Alaric. I knew it was way too soon to be thinking of any of that, but now that Scarlett mentioned it, I didn't know how to get it out of my head. It made me hope for things I knew were out of my reach.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"What are you thinking about that have you smiling from ear to ear?" she teases me.

I didn't realize that I'd been smiling while thinking about the future with him.

"Nothing." I lie. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

She sighs, "I can't sleep. I'm worried about Carter." She confesses. "I begged him to stay in the room with me tonight. I told him that I was positive he would never hurt me. He's proven that he will never hurt me on the full moon multiple times before. However, he still isn't convinced. And since I'm pregnant, he's more terrified than ever that he would do something to me. It's bothering me that he's locked in a room in the basement while I'm comfortable in our bed."

I gently rub her back, "It's just for tonight. If this is what he's comfortable with, then leave him. Eventually, he will realize that he can be trusted during the full moon."

She gives me a sad smile, "I really do hope so, Clara."

I pull the sheets over her and turn the lights off, "go to sleep now. I'm right here. You need plenty of rest right now. Carter wouldn't want you stressed out about this."

After an hour, my sister finally fell asleep, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I loved being here for her, but tonight, I wanted to be there for Alaric also. I wanted to prove to him that he would never hurt me, even under a stupid full moon.

I quietly walked out of the room and shut the door. After checking the hallway to make sure that it was empty, I quickly ran over to Alaric's room.

The second I'm inside, I close the door, making sure not to lock it.

Before I could even make it to the bed, the door flew open. I spun around with wide eyes to see him already inside.

As I stood there, facing Alaric, I felt a sense of unease wash over me. The Alaric I knew was always in control, calm, and collected unless I did something risky to drastically change his behavior. But this time, something was different. The Alaric standing in front of me was wild, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity that I had never seen before. My body shivers uncontrollably.

His chest heaved as he took deep breaths, and I could hear his ragged breathing even from where I stood. I knew without a doubt that this was not the Alaric I was used to seeing. His energy was palpable, and it was clear that he was on edge. I didn't need him to say or do anything to know all of this. The tension in the air was almost suffocating, and I struggled to take a deep breath as my heart raced in my chest.

He'd found me. It didn't take long at all.

My eyes widen when I notice something I should have noticed before. There were multiple bruises all throughout his body, especially on his arms, hands, and calves.

There was even blood dripping onto the ground. It was hard for me to see him like this.

Just what did Alaric get himself into to get to me tonight?