Forbidden |18+

XXXIV: Betrayal

XXXIV: Betrayal

Why didn't I just run out into the light and disappear with Ulric that morning? Because I have a responsibility and an obligation, not just to myself and the bond I share with Ulric, though to Odette who has done everything to protect me.

I hardly recognize the glamorous reflection in the mirror before me. Turning my head to one side, my hair is up and away from my face, intricately woven strands into a hairstyle fit for a princess causes me to close my eyelids. While I release a sigh, blinking my eyes open, my irises capture my reflection in the mirror once more.

There is a great deal of weight on my shoulders and it feels particularly heavy this evening.

Krafa...

...a once in a millennium event, for some, that's more lifetimes than they deserve.

For others, including the whole werewolf species, they will never see another one again. Their lifespans are quite short, a thought that I shuffled far away when Ulric and I bonded...

All of the aristocratic bloodlines will be present. A whole party beforehand that takes up the entirety of the night before the dawning of the literal next era rears its ugly head come morning. On top of that, the day of, everyone stays within the royal family's manor, rooms abound with none going without. After all, it would be rude to excuse guests into the sunlight...

...so, I have been told, anyway.

Each minute causes me to fidget that much more, another butterfly to flutter within my stomach as I feel like I am going to throw up. Frustration bubbles up though never finds itself to settle on my surface, as if I did so much as shed a single tear in anger, mother would have me for the makeup work took hours. They have spared no expense in ensuring my bond to Prince Rune will be nothing less than a success.

Can it be over?

"This is temporary," I breathe out a soft breath of air as I rise to my full height. Reminding myself of this, remembering that this is but a fleeting moment. Moments can be changed, especially the ones that we work so hard toward and achieve our goal. Whether that works out in our favor or stands against us is still to be seen.

The little gem pins that hold my hair in the fashion it's been set match the extravagant golden high neck dress that is clinging to my every curve. It reaches and hangs just above and brushes the top of the glass heels I wear.

"You look absolutely splendid," mother's voice sounds from the open doorway to my room. While her heartbeat is something no one can miss, the erratic spur of its beat revealing her excitement is the exact opposite of the reason mine beats...frantically.

While I hardly cast her a single glance, my putrid hatred for my family growing with the disdain for the vampire society, that doesn't stop her from walking into my room. It's certain that they care nothing for me, so I care nothing for them. They want to use me for their gain, and I will topple their expectations, and shatter their longing for their future.

"You look nearly as beautiful as I when your father bonded and claimed me," mother has to make everything about her. She tells me this while standing directly behind me, her gaze now visible in the mirror.

I am unable to escape her reflection when she states, "I suppose we share that in common."

"Share what?" I question with annoyance, my features remaining even in the mirror.

Mother lifts her hands and rests them on my shoulders, "Our bonds are arranged."

"No," I tell her flatly, "my bond is that of love and out of a desire for the other," thoughts of my hope in Ulric surface, knowing very well how long love can wait...how much life it can spark.