Beckoned (Book 1) The Brazil Werewolf Series

Chapter Three-Betrothed

Hello, Lovelies, 

Surprise!  It's my birthday but I like giving instead of receiving!  So, This chapter is coming out early and there will be another one on Thursday!  Thank you all for supporting me!  I hope you enjoy!  

-XXXX Amanda

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I lay in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling. My brain kept going over everything my mother told me, searching for a way this could just be a nightmare. Tears fell from my eyes, traveling back into my hair. Hopelessness sank further into my soul as I closed my eyes, willing my body to become numb so I felt nothing...no fear, no sadness, no anger. Still, doom had fallen upon me and I could not force it away.

Every now and then, I would open my eyes, hoping I'd awaken and we'd be in a new place where everything was the same as it always had been. But every time, I was still in Timbly Mountain, facing a loveless marriage and a father who wanted to kidnap me. The reality that this wasn't a nightmare sank into my heart, breaking it in two. My mother had promised me to a man who hated me, and my father, a rapist, had his own groom chosen for me. Neither was a reality I wanted to face.

I finally forced it from my mind and fell into a deep, restless sleep.

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I didn't know how long I slept, but it was deep, images of wolves and the moon haunting my dreams. Only Sophia saying my name pulled me from the darkness. Even before I opened my eyes, I felt her fingertips sweeping my hair from my forehead. It was a strange thing to do for someone who was almost a stranger, but in that act, I experienced something akin to love. She made me feel safe and protected.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and peered into her smiling face as she sat on the edge of my bed. I gave her a shy smile, momentarily forgetting everything that had happened. When it all came back to me, I frowned, realizing I should be angry not only at my mother but at Sophia and her husband, too. After all, my mother may have sold me, but they were the buyers.

As I stared at her, I couldn't force myself to give her the same amount of anger I gave my mother. I realized that my feelings made little sense, but I couldn't make that matter.

I studied her, my body relaxing. Perhaps it was her expression that calmed me. It contained so much peace, it reached out and touched my soul, pushing away my anger. Instead of yelling at her as I intended, I sat up, gazing at her with a passive expression. She pulled her hand away and rested it in her lap, studying me in silence. Finally, a sigh escaped her full lips.

"You shouldn't be so angry with your mother," she said, still smiling, but her eyes darkened. "She did what she assumed was best and though I don't agree with her keeping you in the dark, I do understand why she did it."

I tilted my head. She hadn't explained her actions. She only defended my mother. It was almost honorable, and I found myself wanting to open up to her. "How can I not be angry when she sold me to your family?" I narrowed my eyes. "It's not fair to me or Andre. We should be able to marry somebody for love."

She laughed, filling my small room with its rich, sultry depth. My mouth dropped open, but she reached out and gave my cheek a gentle pat. "You remind me so much of myself as a girl." She shook her head, then gave me an apologetic smile. "I don't mean to laugh, but I presumed the same of my and Gavriel's parents. Only later did I realize our marriage was the best thing that had happened to me. We have made it through some...horrible things. Because of that, I love him so much and he returns that love. There is nothing greater."