003

~~ ARIA ~~

“Mrs Hale, I want you to be totally honest with me. Do you really not know what caused the fight between Thorne and Alec?” I asked her.

I watched her pause, and even though it was just for a second, I knew that she never hesitated whenever she wanted to say the truth.

“I have no reason to lie to you, sweetie,” She answered. “Now come on, let’s get you settled in.”

I sighed deeply realizing that she knew something. Maybe not everything, but she definitely knew something, and she wasn't telling me.

I let out a tight-lipped smile and followed her back home.

The air in my room felt different. It was soothing and cozy. Maybe it was because I hadn't been here for five years.

Mrs Hales went to prepare my favorite meal so I used that opportunity to meet up with Alec.

I needed answers to my question and I wasn't going to rest until I got them.

When I got to Alec’s study, I didn't bother knocking before I went in.

Because I knew if I did, he’d know I was the one, and I had a strong feeling he wouldn't want to see me.

So, I just opened the door and went in. I watched as he got up from his seat ready to take a fight pose.

I shook my head, feeling sorry for him. He didn't even feel safe in his own home.

What kind of life was that?

He cussed under his breath when he saw I was the one.

“Next time knock before you come into my study,” He said sternly before sitting down.

“Can you even listen to yourself? You were alarmed thinking it was someone coming to kill you. Why do you choose to live like this, when you can confide in me, so we can come up with a solution to end all this?” I asked him.

But Alec being the annoying person that he was, didn't even look at me, instead, he focused on the laptop in front of him.

Goddess knows I felt like taking the damn thing and smashing it against the wall so that he could finally look at me.

But I didn't.

“It’s been five years since our pack has been at war with Thorne’s pack. Each time I ask you why, you change the topic. Alec, I demand to know what is happening?” I lashed out.

He finally looked at me and sighed.

“Aria, you are my precious sister. You shouldn't worry about things that we men can handle. What you should be concerned about now is your marriage,” Alec said calmly.

My marriage? I frowned.

“What do you mean by my marriage?” I asked.

“Aria, that is the reason you're back. I’ve arranged a marriage between you and Alpha Magnus. You will get married to him tomorrow. All plans have been made, so you won't need to stress yourself,” He smiled.

Yeah, he fucking smiled, as though he was talking about something casual.

“Are you talking about the Alpha Magnus I know? Or some other one?” I asked, trying to keep my cool.

“He has promised to treat you like a queen. He will cherish you Aria,” Alec stated, making me scoff.

I felt like punching something—anything. But I couldn't, instead I balled my palms into fists.

I should have known that something like this might happen when he suddenly called me to come back home.

How could Alec arrange a marriage without my consent? And to Alpha Magnus? Of all people?

That man was my late Dad’s age mate.

“Wow, I can't believe this,” I laughed bitterly and then looked at Alec.

“He is the best man I can entrust you to. He will take care of you,” Alec tried to reason with me.

“Can you even listen to yourself? Alec, you're talking about me marrying a 60-year-old man like it's something casual and normal. You shipped me out to the human world where I don’t know anyone. You left me there for five years, and now you brought me back just to marry some old man?” I snapped, fighting back tears.

How could he be so inconsiderate? How could he even agree to marry me off to an old man that everyone in all packs hates?

It was at that moment that I finally saw it in Alec’s eyes. Frustration and guilt in his eyes.

“You think I wanna do this?” He snapped in frustration, making me take a step back.

“Then why are you doing it?” I asked him, trying to be cool and hear him out.

“Financing the war with Thorne’s pack has cost us a lot of money. The company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Alpha Magnus has promised to give me any amount I need for free if I let him marry you,” Alec explained.

This explanation was supposed to calm me down, right? But it didn’t, rather, it fueled the anger in me.

“You’re selling me off to an Old man because of something that is your fault?” I lashed out at him.

“All I did was take the money to buy weapons for the war,” He pointed out.

He already collected the money from the man?

I groaned, resisting the urge to slap Alec.

“The war is your mess. I don’t even know why it started, so why on earth will you marry me off without my consent?” I yelled, my nose flaring..

Just the thought of Alpha Magnus touching me irritated me so much that I wanted to bring down the whole building if possible.

“This? The war?…” Alec yelled back, “I’m doing it for the family.”

“Oh, you are?” I asked in a tone dripping with sarcasm. “Then marry Alpha Magnus yourself, because this… is your mess, and I want no part in it.”

I didn’t even wait for him to respond to me, because if I had stayed one more minute inside there with him, I would have ended up punching him right in the gut.

So I stormed out of the study only to bump into Mrs Hales.

She sighed sadly, and that was when I realised she had been listening in on my conversation with Alec.

“Did you know about this?” I asked her, my breath still a bit fast.

She didn’t need to answer because the look in her eyes said it all.

I huffed in disappointment and stormed out of the house.

I couldn’t stand being in the same place with them.

How could Mrs Hale even let Alec make all these impulsive choices and decisions?

Wasn’t she supposed to be his moral support? She was the only mother figure Alec and I had.

I walked for over thirty minutes, heading to nowhere in particular, and thinking of a solution to my problems.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, aside from marrying Alpha Magnus, there was only one way out.