Her Announcement

Stefan

I followed Harlyn at a distance as she stormed away, or rather ran. I understand her running from me. I acted on impulse, and that made me make a huge mistake.

She will forgive me, though, and when I can prove to her about Wayne, she will be grateful I stopped him from being able to claim her. I have almost walked through the entire palace and can’t see her anywhere.

Where could she have gone? I step into the room where she stayed and stand by the door. The room is flooded with her scent, and it’s beautiful. I am sure I can keep her here.

Now, if she tries to leave, it will cause her pain; the more distance she puts between us, the worse it will become. I was wrong to claim her without her approval; I felt like I had no choice.

She wasn’t being rational. One moment, she was calm and looking at me like she remembered who I was, and then she was off the rails, swearing and screaming she hated me.

I guess I did deserve some of it; I deserved it all for what I did to her in the past, but I won’t apologise for claiming her. Something isn’t right, and I can’t work out what.

Walking out, I go through the palace.

“Your Majesty, Miss Harlyn is nowhere to be found; she isn’t in the palace.” So she returned to the manor. I nodded at the maid and watched her leave. I ordered two guards to watch over Wayne, and I felt like she would go to him.

If she is planning to, I will know. I look around and feel my heart thudding in my chest, Harlyn. I smile at the sensation of her heart in my chest.

Standing, I decide to go to the manor. It’s not late, and I feel like Harlyn will be going to her mother when she returns, so maybe she will be there already.

Walking through, I enter her mother’s chambers. As I reach the door, I see Samuel and Lucy speaking to her. Has Harlyn arrived yet? Sighing, I step in.

“Your Majesty.” They turn to me, and I nod.

“I was just checking how you are feeling now?” I ask, walking in and watching her.

“So much better, actually. I’m entirely recovered. Thank you, your Majesty,” she says, and I nod. I stand and wait, and soon after, Colton walks in with Wayne.

I fight back, glaring at him, and it’s unusual that we’re all here.

“Has anyone seen Harlyn? I’ve not been able to find her?” Wayne looks between us worriedly.

“You were the last one with her, right?” Samuel asks, and I nod.

“I was; when I left her, she was headed back for the manor; I assumed she would have returned; Harlyn mentioned she wanted to consider some things,” I say, knowing that is bullshit, but I won’t be telling him where she is.

She’s close. I can feel her. For half an hour, I stand here waiting for Harlyn before she walks in. I watch her, waiting, and she barely even looks at me. Instead, she rushes into Wayne’s waiting arms.

How? How can she so easily ignore the pain of having another man touch her now she is marked? This wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I thought she would smile at me and do something, but she didn’t.

I just see pure hate in her eyes. I don’t understand that, before she left, even after I rejected her, she looked at me like she loved me.

After I rejected her, I knew she would agree if I claimed her. She had no doubts, no hatred towards me. Now, it’s all changed. I glance from her to Wayne; it’s him. Why do I feel like he’s done something to cause this hatred?

My father mentioned the family had tried using black magic to conceive a lycan. Is he using that sort of magic to alter how she feels?

“I want to marry you tomorrow, Wayne. I don’t care if I wear trousers and a T-shirt. I want to marry you tomorrow,” Harlyn says, and I whip my head around to see her in his arms.

No. She can’t mean that! I stood shocked as he asked her for confirmation, and I’m glad he did. She didn’t just say that; there is no way she would have agreed to marry him when I claimed her.

I hope I stand listening to her words and realise she means them. She plans to marry Wayne tomorrow. I stay by the door, watching them celebrate.

No one should be celebrating this, no one!” I watch as Harlyn and Wayne leave, and Colton leaves soon after. I can’t do this. I can’t let her marry him, and I can’t let that happen. No way in hell am I going to accept it and let it go ahead.

I storm out and consider this, trying to make a plan and ensure that she can’t marry him.

“Your Majesty.” Lucy’s voice comes from behind me, and I turn to face her. “Are you okay?” She steps closer to me.

“I’m fine.” My words are growled, and she stands shocked.

“Then why aren’t you happy for Harlyn? Everyone else is Stefan, so what is your problem?” she asks, and I step closer.

“Lucy,” I say, not wanting to get into it.

“It was just an observation, Your Majesty. I was curious as to why you’re not happy for Harlyn?” She looks at me, and her question irritates me

“Why would I be happy about that, Lucy?” I ask, stepping closer to her.

“Because, Your Majesty, Harlyn is like family, and her happiness is important to us all,” she says, and I scoff.

“There will be no wedding, Lucy, no happy moment,” I say, and she stands shocked by my words.

“No wedding? How can there not be a wedding, Stefan?” I shrug at her and walk away.

“Stefan!” She calls after me, and I continue to walk. “What does that even mean? Your Majesty!” She shouts louder, and I ignore her disappearing from the manor. There is no way in hell Harlyn is marrying Wayne. Not with me alive, there isn’t.