The Alliance

Chapter 13

The blazing, bright light of the strange room infiltrated my vision.

It didn't take me long to realize that I was in the medical center which was located in the basement of our house.

I could hear the heart monitor as it measured the pace of my heart that seemed to increase as someone entered the room.

It was my father. He had a stern look on his face and I couldn't help it as my hands began fidgeting with the thin blanket that covered my lower body. I was surprised that I hadn't flatlined.

Yet.

"And here I was thinking you had what it takes." My stomach dropped at the obvious disappointment laced in his heavy voice. The machine keeping track of my heart betraying me as it made the fluctuations of the organ audible to everyone in the room.

"I do." The words were soft. Barely audible. It was evident that a seed of doubt had already been planted. And it was beginning to sprout.

"No, you don't Ariah."

"Michigan was-" He cut me off. His voice rising in volume.

"Michigan was a casualty," I remembered Jo's words, "but above that she was a traitor." My father scoffed and I suddenly felt stupid for the way I had reacted to Joeline. "Yet, you still felt- feel," He corrected himself, "the need to mourn her." I couldn't meet his eyes. No matter how hard I tried I'd always divert my gaze to something else in the sterilized room.

"I've gotten this far." I tried. I really did.

"And maybe this is as far as you'll get." He countered. My father was a calculated man. If one detail in a strategy didn't go to plan, he'd have another just as fast. The wheels in his brain were always turning. Never stopping to be re-oiled.

"We'll ambush them on the day of the wedding." He said. "We'll have everyone hand in all of their weapons at the entrance of the ceremony. Do full, routine body sweeps- the only exceptions being Phoenixes." Just like every other time I couldn't notice a flaw in his plan and therefore could do nothing but nod in understanding- he didn't need my agreement.

It felt like my way out. An easy way out of all the madness that might have ensued after Imaan and I said our 'I do's.' But I never asked for one.

"You did well," He seemed to choke on his words as I finally met his eyes, "Ariah. If only you were strong enough."

I am. I am strong enough.

I had survived the initiation with its torturous branding and all. A deathly heat that would've put any man to his knees was scorched into my flesh. I put a bullet in Michigan's head and washed her blood off of my hands afterwards. I'd cried and screamed in anger, frustration and pain. Pain. All in the name of the bigger picture. Vengeance.

I can do this.

I will do this.

And the only time I would grieve was when every Phoenix had returned to ash.

"Ari. There you are." Nezrah ran up to me, hugging me tightly when I was within her reach. She didn't seem to mind that I was drenched in sweat having spent every moment since my father left my room yesterday training. I needed to get this right. I needed to be better. "Mom was looking for you all over the place."

"Where is she?" I asked, trying my best to untangle my sister's arms from my abdomen. The feeling of my shirt sticking to my skin leaving me feeling uncomfortable.

"Upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms. She's supervising dress fittings." My younger sister was giddy. Green eyes dancing, she could barely stand still as she held onto my hand and began dragging me upstairs. I dug my heels into the marble as best as I could. There was no way I was sitting in for dress fittings.

I'd told my mother I wanted nothing to do with the wedding preparations and even though she'd rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of 'if she'd wanted a son, she would have had a son'- I'm pretty sure that's not how it works- she had let me be.

I knew Nezrah on the other hand was going to be a harder egg to crack. The young girl was a sucker for pretty things- and frilly dresses just happened to be on the very top of her list of pretty things. I'd tried my best to take my attention off of anything that had to do with the God forsaken wedding until the God forsaken wedding.

Attending the dress fitting was only going to psych me out. I couldn't let anything psych me out. I needed this wedding to take place, but dress fitting was another form of torture in its own. "Nezrah. You can't tell mom you saw me." I tell my sister, looking directly into her eyes.

"For someone who doesn't like Imaan so much, you sound a lot just like her." Nezrah rolled her eyes in annoyance. My fists clenched at the mention of the Lebanese.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing you speak about her," It was always 'Imaan this' and 'Imaan that'. I wanted it to stop. "Don't forget what they did to Michigan, Nezrah." I took in the way her eyes turned downcast. The memory of her friend a reminder of what Scorpions are capable of. They killed Michigan. I might have pulled the trigger, but Nezzy doesn't need to know that.

The floor was now seemingly interesting to her whilst she fiddled with her sleeve. "One wrong move and the next bullet's going to be in you." My pointer finger rested on her chest as I let reality sink in for a good moment before my curiosity got the better of me. "And what did you mean by I 'sound just like her'?" I questioned skeptically earning the immediate widening of her scared green eyes in return.

"N-nothing." She met my grey eyes for a split-second before diverting her gaze to the shiny marble once again, "I'll tell mom I couldn't find you." She struggled out before scuttering away up the imperial staircase.

I made my own way to my bedroom after her departure. The room cleaned up and neatly organized as though my unnecessary temperament yesterday hadn't taken place at all.

I allowed myself to appreciate the pressure and temperature of the water on my aching muscles before the nagging thought of the calls I had to make to ensure this wedding would take place without any disruptions cut it short.

A U T H O R' S N O T E

I've been dragging this book lmao, but next chapter is finally the wedding!

I'm so excited to write it for some reason omw!

Ariah is entering her villain era now too.