Chapter 5 Pain

Alpha Aric Darkclaw The hall was silent for a few moments, but I didn't mind; I took that time to observe the elf in front of me. Viewing it now, I realized that what they said about her was right: she was beautiful. Her braided silver hair was attractive and she had a beautiful face. But something in her eyes made me believe that she was not just a monarch with a pretty face. Something in her eyes was different. I could see in her face that she was more than that, and well… I was curious. At least I hoped so; I could be wrong after all. I took a deep breath and then decided to start, since she was as anxious as I was. ''There have been movements about my enemies, which are also yours. Orcs and human warriors are united with a single purpose and seem one step ahead of us. They want to overthrow us, take our cities, and steal what is ours.'' I didn't beat around the bush; I was direct. I had a single purpose for that meeting, and I wanted to do it as quickly as possible. Elowen listened, but I could see her hesitation, even though she was miles away. Her gaze wandered away from mine, scanning the details of the castle, as if she were looking for something to focus on other than me. It irritated me. Why is she doing this? Does she know what I hate? I hate when people hesitate or don’t look at me when I’m talking. It irritates me deeply. I scratched my throat, grumbling loudly. The sound echoed in the hall, making the little princess wince slightly before turning her eyes back to me. Now I had her attention? ''When you're talking to me, look at me,'' I demanded impatiently. I continued to look into her wide-eyed eyes, and the princess nodded, standing up straight. ''We know that orcs are strong and human warriors have excessive strength; the two together are excessively strong. If we unite, our soldiers will fight together, and our strength will grow. With more allies, we'll have the power we need to finish off our enemies once and for all and stop the war before it escalates.'' I watched her every move. I could see her chest rise and fall with her slightly accelerated breathing; I could hear her heartbeat, and, by now, her sweet, delicate scent had spread throughout the room, intoxicating my senses. His smell irritated me, I confess. But I tried to focus only on that conversation. Nothing else. Elowen remained silent for a moment, her lips parting slightly before she finally spoke. ''We can form an alliance; we'll be stronger together. But our strength will be greater if we marry.'' Her words were as direct as mine had been before, and I hadn't expected the frightened little thing in front of me to be so audacious. A wedding? Was that necessary? ''I will have your surname, and you will be married to the firstborn princess of the elves, ruler of Aetheria. Your power will be doubled, and the chance of more allies joining us will be even greater. We'll have a good reputation in society, and I'm sure it won't be long before others want to ally themselves with the two of us.'' But those words only made my blood boil. I clenched my jaw, my hands closed into fists, and I growled. I looked away for a moment, trying to control myself. This idea… it was absurd. Marry her? That was the dumbest idea I'd ever heard in my life. That wasn't how the world worked among wolves; I was waiting for my mate, my true moon. I would never put an elf in her place; that was unacceptable! An alpha wouldn't do that, even more so with a being like her, an elf, too different a blood. However, as much as I despised the idea, I couldn't deny that Elowen was right. Her influence would guarantee more support, and, together, we would be practically unbeatable. I found myself between the cross and the sword, between logic and irritation. That would be the best way forward, but it certainly wasn't the most pleasant for me. I looked at her again, and she seemed anxious about my answer. Then I started to say. ''Do you really believe that this is the only way?'' My voice was low, threatening. Elowen didn't flinch; she just kept her gaze fixed on mine this time, lifting her chin and straightening her posture. ''Yes, and you know it too.'' She drew in her breath, crossed her legs, and continued, ''It would only be a contract marriage, and this alliance will benefit us greatly. In this marriage contract, we will list what will be accepted and what will not.'' She bit her lips lightly and said. ''What I want most is peace, peace for my people, for my sister. I'm tired of this war; I don't want to feel the pain of loss anymore.'' When she said that, I felt the same way. The princess and I share the same pain. They took something from us, caused us a lot of pain, and now we both want to end this war once and for all. Just thinking about it made my blood boil. I rolled my eyes, and then, when I looked at the princess, she was staring at me intently, wanting to hear my answer. What the hell… What would I say? I snorted low, thoughtful. Should I accept this deal? Or not? Would I be going against my principles if I did?