Escaping Wildfire

Gema

“I’ve been sent up to help you get ready for dinner, Miss.” Nora walked into the room, interrupting us as we tried to watch a movie. Though, we were all too distracted by our current circumstances to enjoy the movie.

I untangled myself from the others as we had all piled up on the couch together, and I stood up to leave. Jasmine held onto my hand, though. “Don’t worry, Jas, he can’t hurt me. I won’t let him.”

She looked up at me with glistening eyes and nodded as she squeezed my hand. “Just be careful, okay?”

“I will be.”

I followed Nora back to my room and noticed a red dress on the bed. “Alpha sent up a dress and shoes for you. He’d like me to do your hair and makeup as well. I’ll let you get showered then come back in a few minutes to finish up.”

She walked back out, and as much as I wanted to rebel and not do as I was told, I turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. I wondered what Noah was doing right at this moment. Was he completely freaking out because he couldn’t reach me?

I got into the hot water and let myself cry again as the water ran down my body. I was scared that Alpha Marek just wanted me as one of his playthings. He had asked me when my birthday was, so I was hoping that meant he’d leave me alone tonight.

I finished my shower, and I wrapped myself in the robe that was left for me before stepping out of the bathroom. Nora hadn’t returned yet, so I brushed my hair out while I waited for her, which didn’t take long as she arrived just as I had set the brush back down on the vanity.

“I’ll do your makeup first, that way your hair can air dry.” She opened a few drawers in the vanity to reveal an array of brushes and colored shadows.

She turned me to face her as she pulled out some foundations and got started on matching my skin tone. I looked up at her as she worked. She had light brown hair, thick eyebrows, naturally pink lips, and flawless skin. She was pretty, but her hazel eyes looked sad and tired.

“How old are you?”

She looked taken aback by the personal question. “I’m 18.”

“Have you always been here at Wildfire?”

“Yes, my parents were both pack warriors, but they died when I was younger.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I was at a loss for words. I’d never considered myself good at comforting others.

She finished and turned me around to face the mirror. “There, what do you think?”

She’d given me a soft smoky eye, dramatic but tasteful. I looked like myself but older and more elegant. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was just a girl on her way to a party instead of a girl being put on the chopping block. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

She gave me a small smile before getting started on my hair.

“Have you found your mate yet?”

Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath not seeming to want to answer my question. Our eyes made contact through the mirror, but she quickly looked down. “No…I haven’t found him.”

I got the feeling she no longer wanted to make small talk, so I remained quiet as she finished with my hair.

“There, now you can put on the dress. Dinner will be in 15 minutes, so you have just enough time to finish getting ready.”

She had always been quiet and shy with me, but I noticed her demeanor became even more stiff after I asked about her mate. It made me wonder what the story there was.

I slipped on the dress and tied the heels on my feet before walking over to the full-length mirror. I was wearing a red one-shoulder dress that came up to my thighs. There was an angled cutout to show a bit of my cleavage, and my hair was left down in big curls. I felt more like I should be heading to the club than to a dinner.

“I’ll walk you down.” Nora opened the door for me, and I followed her into the hallway. The further we walked, the more I fidgeted with my hair. I walked silently behind Nora feeling more like she was walking me to my execution than to dinner.

“You’ll be dining in Alpha’s private dining room.” She said as she led me up the stairs. My chest tightened with nerves, and I started to feel sick. We’ll be in the Alphas apartment tonight, just us?

“Here we are, Miss.” She opened the door and let me inside before leaving.

I walked in, and the first thing I laid eyes on was my mother. “Mami!” She rushed over to envelop me in a tight hug. “Gema!” She pulled away and cradled my face in her hands as she looked me in the eyes. “Estás bien?” (Are you okay?)

“Yes,” I replied as my dad walked up behind us, awaiting his hug from me.

My mother stiffened beside him and gave him a pinched look, which was unlike her. My parents were fated mates, and I had never seen my mom give my dad anything less than heart eyes every time she looked at him.

“Felix and Miles said they’d locked you and their parents up in the cells. How are you two here?”

“They did lock us up, but they let the two of us out for this dinner.” My mother looked down at the floor, not seeming to want to look at my dad.

“Are Annie and Rodrigo still in the cells?”

“Yes. They are keeping Rodrigo sedated. Annie is beside herself, but at least they are keeping us all together. What about you?”

“They put me in my room downstairs, and the girls and twins are each sharing, but they let us see each other today. They also fed us a decent lunch.”

Before we could say more, the door opened, and in walked Alpha Marek. He was followed by a tall blonde man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was followed by a girl who looked about my age with long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Her eyes had the same sad look that Nora’s eyes held.

“You’re all here, wonderful. Dinner will be served soon, but for now, let me make sure everyone here is acquainted.” He walked over to me and my parents with the two others in tow. “My son and pack heir Larkin Novak, and my daughter Aurora Novak.” They both gave us a slight nod in greeting but neither offered their hand. Alpha Marek then turned to his children as he gestured toward my parents. “Beta Tomas Navar, and his mate Elena.” My parents offered the same head nod as the others.

Alpha Marek then walked over to me slowly and picked up my hand in his. The feel of his hand on mine made my skin crawl. His skin was warm, and he had a firm grip, but the warmth was in direct contrast to his cold eyes. “And this lovely young woman here is their daughter, Gema Navar.”

The door opened once more to reveal two maids bringing up the dinner plates. “Ahh, the food has arrived. Come, let’s sit, we have much to celebrate today.” Alpha Marek put my arm through his and led me over to the dining table.” He pulled out a chair for me and motioned for me to sit. He tucked my chair in for me in a gentlemanly way as I sat down. “Larkin, come sit by your lovely fiancée.” Fiancée? Did he just call me his son’s fiancée?

I looked over at my parents, and my dad looked down as he swallowed hard while my mother’s face went completely white.

“As I said, we have lots to celebrate. The first being Wildfire’s victory over Cobalt Falls, and the second being my son’s engagement to this lovely young woman.” He looked my way and winked at me. His son, however, gave no indication of how he was feeling.

Alpha Marek turned to one of the maids. “Bring the champagne.” The maids started pouring the glasses and passing them out to us. “To the happy couple.” He raised his glass in a toast to us and waited for us all to also raise our glasses before nodding his head towards us and taking a big drink. His son and my parents followed suit, even if they did so with grim faces, and Alpha Marek's daughter took just a tiny drink. Alpha Marek looked my way, and I also took just a sip before setting my glass down.

I looked over at my mother, but her eyes were once again downcast, my father reached his hand towards hers, but she removed her hand from the table before he could touch her. Why was my mom upset with my dad?

As we started to eat, Alpha Marek started talking again. “Beta Tomas and I have discussed things at length, and we’ve agreed that we should have a fall wedding. I was thinking October, on the night of the full moon. That gives us a little over three months to plan everything.” Beta Tomas? He discussed this with my father. But how was that even possible? My mind was reeling from what Alpha Marek had just said. Is that why my mom is so upset with my dad…because he agreed to marry me off to Alpha Marek’s son? He wouldn't....would he?

“We’ll have the wedding right here at Wildfire, so we don’t have to worry about getting a venue. I’ve already made an appointment with a dressmaker who agreed to come here for an appointment tomorrow. My daughter will be joining you, and you can have your friends and mother there if you like. I know how important dress shopping is for girls. Unfortunately, my Luna has been unwell, so she was unable to come tonight and won’t be able to accompany you at tomorrow’s dress appointment.” I noticed Aurora shifted beside me uncomfortably at the mention of her mother. Larkin, on the other hand, betrayed none of his feelings as he sat there silently.

I could no longer stomach the food on my plate. The longer this conversation went, the heavier the food became in my stomach. How could my parents just sit there through all of this? How was everyone else so calm about this?

I looked at my dad, and he finally made eye contact with me and seemed to be pleading with me to just accept that this was my fate now. How can this be happening?

Alpha Larkin continued discussing his plans. “I know 18th birthday parties are important, and Beta Tomas said your pack had already been working on a big party for you. We can still have a party for you, but I think it would be a good opportunity for an engagement party. We can kill two birds with one stone and announce you as our future Luna. Does that sound good to you?” He looked at me for an answer as he patted his son on the shoulder, but I didn’t miss how tightly he clamped his hand around his son as if to keep him from saying anything. Alpha Marek was smiling on the outside, but I could see the warning in his eyes. If any of us went against him, there would be consequences.