I looked behind them as she walked out, eyes wide with mock curiosity. “What? No special guest here with you to force their claim on me?”
My mother had the decency to at least winch with guilt. “Darling, we’re so sorry about that. It wasn’t the way things should have gone.”
I twisted my lips and looked to my father, who cleared his throat, looking around the small room. I guess I wouldn’t be getting an apology from him. “Perhaps we were a bit too aggressive with our desire.”
No, I was wrong, that was his version of an apology. It was underwhelming. I cut my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest. My anger was brimming at the top for so many reasons. They were the last people I wanted to see. How did they even find out? This wasn’t the court, this was Jullian. I suppose it was a matter of time, Jullian or not, that I would have run into someone who knew me and my family. “Why are you here? If it’s to talk me out of marrying Ivan, you can forget it. And don’t you dare touch him. You’re in Prinath now, and the court knows all about why I left our city.” Not that I believed I had enough influence over the higher-ups that they would care, but my parents didn’t need to know that.
My mother touched her chest as if shocked. “Our youngest child is getting married, of course we would be here.” She took a step toward me, and I took a step back. She dropped her shoulders and paused. “It’s been so long, Jalisa, we’ve missed you. Haven’t we, Ronan?”
My father finally looked at me, eyes softening for a brief moment. “Yes, we have. You’re the only child we have left, and you left us all these years. That was very selfish of you.”
Now he was playing the guilt game. I really didn’t have time for this kind of stress in my life. Using the death of my brother to ignore the reason why I’d left in the first place was just likehim. My older brother, Armen, had been the favorite child. He was an alpha with a keen business sense. He did exactly as my parents wanted, and his dedication to his role in the family made it easier for me to rebel. He’d married the omega they chose for him. They’d had two children. He’d joined our family business, only deviating to do his time in service because he had to, not because he just wanted to like me. And then he was murdered by thieves when he was away on a business trade. Left for dead on the road.
My eyes burned at the threat of renewed tears from the memory. When he died, my parents focused their attention on me. I thought since they had grandchildren they’d care less. They had someone to continue their name and efforts. However, they couldn’t stand having a daughter who would not comply. Especially when my disobedience meant dating someone from the working class.
My mother elbowed my father in the ribs, and he frowned, looking away. I sighed. “Neither of you have to be here. In fact, I would prefer you not be. Pretend you still don’t know where I am.”
My mother shook her head. “Of course, we won’t do that.”
I cocked a brow. “So, you’re here to support my marriage.”
She pursed her lips. Just as I thought, she still didn’t like Ivan for me. “We actually came to ask you to come home.”
“Not happening. You’re still the way you used to be.”
My father huffed. “This is nonsense. You’ve had your little rebellion, now come back and fulfil your duties. You are an omega.”
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at him. Heat filled in my chest with growing anger. I was close to losing control. “I know what I am. And that doesn’t mean that you decide what I do. I control my life. Not either of you. Being an omega doesn’t mean I don’t get autonomy over who I am. I am not powerless.”
My mother pushed out her hands in surrender. “We never said you were. We want more for you.”
I jutted out my chin. “So does that mean you won’t support my marriage?”
“It’s not that we don’t like him,” she began, as if reading my mind. “It’s that we want so much more for you.”
“I’ve heard this before.”
She leaned forward, looking around the room as if she expected eavesdroppers. “Was the noble the court paired you with that bad?”
“Yes, Mother, he is. And even if he wasn’t, that wouldn’t change how I feel about Ivan.”
My father muttered something I couldn’t hear before speaking up. “I thought he was in Nodoor all this time.”
“Yes, he recently moved here.”
“It’s not a good idea for you to marry him. It’s not just us who don’t like you with him. We told you his family wanted to harm you. We only wanted you with someone else to keep you safe. It would have been easier for you. Dyson was a good alpha. He would have treated you well. After the claiming part.”
I tossed my hands in the air. “I seriously doubt that, what with him attacking me. Which you allowed, might I remind you. And, by the way, Ivan never said anything about his family wanting to hurt me.”
The truth was, I couldn’t trust my parents to tell me the truth. They certainly withheld any plans to force me into a bond with another fae. I massaged my temples, not caring if I rubbed off any makeup. “Look, I’m going to go out there and marry Ivan, whether you like it or not. If you do anything to hurt him, you will lose me forever. I was wrong to have broken up with him before, but I tried to be somewhat dutiful after what happened to Armen, and I was really scared for Ivan. Now, I know I can make it on my own without your help. I’m not afraid of leaving again,if I have to. You will never get me to do as you want with threats. Even if you force someone to claim me, I will still stay with Ivan.” I almost shuddered at the idea of getting bit again and, even more, the uncertainty of Ivan wanting me still if someone else had claimed me.
I huffed and walked past them to the door; we were running late. “I’m not the Jalisa you knew before. So, if you want me in your life, accept that or lose me.” I then walked down the short hallway to start my temporary, fake new life.
***
Ivan
My wife was gorgeous. Wife. I had a wife. It still felt surreal. A week ago, I was the outsider watching my friends with their partners. Now I had a wife. I had the love of my life. If I didn’t think too hard about it, this was just getting back in the place we previously were despite a slight deviation.
