Chapter 44

Terra's POV

Everyday is the same. Everyday a chore. How I haven't killed him yet is a mystery to me. If I have to live this insufferable life for another month I'm running away.

The only reason I haven't ran away yet is because it's all part of the plan. The only way my whole family will survive.

You see, I have powers. I can see the future, although not all the time. I can never choose to see the future, or not to, it just happens. I know I've never mentioned them before, but my dad used to beat me when I talked about them, my brother used to hate me when I used them. I was told from a young age never to mention them, and never to use them.

It was a bit like pavlov's dog I suppose. Only reversed. If I talked about them, I was beaten, hurt. If I didn't talk about them, I was ignored. I just started to connect my powers, to pain.

It was only once I was alone with my wolf, trying to find a way to survive, without my mate or family being put in danger, my wolf remembered my powers.

The first few times I tried I ended up passing out, I got a beating for that, for sleeping on the job, but it only made my resolve stronger. I would find a way out. a way out while simultaneously protecting my family.

It took lots of training to remember how to use them. Lots of practise to perfect them. But once I could use them, easily and effectively, I started to look for a way out.

The only way I could find still wasn't perfect. A lot was left to chance, and they still had to go to war, but they all survived. Miraculously no one would die except some rogues. And... well, that's not important. As long as my family is safe at the end of it.

So that's what I had to do.

I had to time everything perfectly.

For everyone.

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The door slammed shut and my dad strided in. "Go get us some coffee." He instructed me before sitting down at the kitchen table as Simon walked in.

Silently I made the coffee, eavesdropping. I wanted to know what had ruffled my father's feathers. These last few weeks he's been so happy with himself, so sure he was winning and would continue to win. So what had changed?

As I silently mixed the coffee into the cafetiere I heard my dad yelling, "How did he do it? You said she'd only said it once."

Who were they talking about?

"Well," Simon said, carefully, "She did only mention it once, but it was around a few people, and fake trees aren't a particularly average view, maybe it was memorable."

Oh, they were talking about me. I had always called inside rain forests fake trees, ever since I was a kid, although I had only told my family that once, when Forest asked me if I wanted to go.

Wait. My father's mad. Does that mean they solved the first clue!

I had read the riddle. Simon left it on his desk one day when he went out to a club. He had been stalking me for months to gather the information he needed for it, it actually freaked me out how much he knew.

It didn't take me long to solve it.

I had always called the trees fake, and I had been reading a book that included faeries and the fire wolves.

I wasn't sure if it was possible for my family to solve though.

They would have to had payed a lot of attention to me. I just didn't think they could. I'm not a particularly interesting person. No one ever really likes listening to me talk, or really like seeing or spending time with me.

If they had payed attention to what I said, and looked to their past, they would be able to solve it, I had called them fake trees before, and I knew Atlas had been in the Fae caves, I had told Forest about the fire wolves one night before bed, he had asked me what I was reading, but I doubt he was really listening, who would actually listen to me.

I placed the coffee on the table, careful not to spill any when I poured it. I busied myself around the kitchen, doing the washing up and wiping the surfaces. Any excuse to stay in the kitchen.

I wanted to hear what they were saying about my family.

My family. I missed them. I would do anything to protect them.

Including this.

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I was running out of patience. At every shop they'd ask, "are you excited, it's your big day!" And at every shop all I wanted to do was run back to my mate and my family.

But I couldn't.

Instead I had to plaster a fake smile on my face, "Oh yes," I'd say, "I'm so excited," They'd look at me as if I was the luckiest person alive, marrying the love of my life.

If only they knew.

Simon was never happy. We went from shop to shop, trying to find the right wedding dress, but he wasn't happy with any of them.

If it was up to me, I'd have bought the first one I saw. I really didn't care. I didn't want to get married. But Simon said, "It has to be perfect." Every single dress I tried on he found something wrong with, "The skirt is too short." "The train is too long." "It's the wrong shade of white."

I mean come on, how can you have the wrong shade of white?

All the shop assistance kept swooning, they thought he was attractive, somehow, even more so since he was helping me find the perfect dress.

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I tried on another dress, we were in the 5th shop and my patience was wearing thin, it couldn't even be called a thread anymore, more like a few atoms.

This dress was a shade of white, like all the other millions I tried on, it had a long, blue, silk sash, quite similar to all the others, and, like literally every other dress,the skirt went down to the floor in pleated waves.

So basically like every other dress I tried on.

But according to Simon it was "Perfect, perfect, oh that dress, the skirt, oh it's just perfect!" I rolled my eyes as I saw all the shop assistants swoon.

Idiots.

Tasha, as my maid of honour, another of Simon's choices. Smiled as well, "It's great, but what do you think about it?"

I saw Simon bristle beside her, I plastered a fake smile on my face and mustered up all the acting skills year 8 drama taught me, "Oh I love it, it's perfect. All the others were just lacking something. But this dress, it has that, that certain something."

There is a reason I dropped drama for year 9.

Tasha though, seemed to buy it, "Yes, yes, I agree entirely. It's perfect. I think I'm going to cry."

I sighed deeply and just wished the wedding day could come, all the preparations were annoying, especially, as I had to act all excited for them.

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Who knew organising a wedding could be such a chore.

Of course, the fact I really, really, didn't want to marry Simon, probably didn't help matters.

We had to order a cake, book a venue, even book a honeymoon, although if my plan worked out the way it should, they would all be dead, and I would be free, before the wedding even ended.

Finally though, all the preparations were done to a standard Simon was happy with.

He wouldn't stop smiling. All day he kept on repeating how it was going to be "The happiest day of our lives!" Yeah right.

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Eventually, that dreaded day arrived.

People fussed around all morning. Doing my hair, my make up, checking on preparations.

People kept telling me, "It's fine dear, we don't need your help, it's a big day for you, go and relax."

I wasn't planning on helping anyway.

I watched the clock tick. I had tried not to think about it. I tried to trust my family beyond any margin of doubt, but as the days turned to hours, I started, although I tried not to, to think about the what ifs.

What if they don't get here in time?

What if they fail?

What if I have to marry Simon?

I felt a tear trickle down my cheek at the thought of never seeing my family again, or my mate.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," Tasha said, "You'll ruin your makeup. No one wants a bride with smudged makeup, even if it is from happy tears."

She's in luck then. They weren't happy tears.

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I closed my eyes and pinched my arm, hoping this was all a nightmare, hoping I would wake up and be back at home, with Forest, Isla and Atlas.

I opened my eyes. It wasn't a nightmare. I actually was about to walk down the aisle to one of my worst enemies.

My dad took my elbow, pretty much dragging me down the aisle, "Come on," He hissed, "Wouldn't want the service to be running late, would we."

I wished the ground would open and swallow me, anything to get out of this wedding.

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All through the wedding I hoped Forest would crash through the door, although I knew for the plan to work, I needed to wait a little longer.

We had just got to the vows part of the sermon, every word I said, I knew it was a lie. I didn't love Simon, and I never would.

Just then, the man I actually loved came running through the doors, but for the plan to work, I couldn't turn to look at him.

In fact, I had to put on the ultimate show of indifference, which, given the circumstance, seemed impossible.

I kept my eyes on the priest, on the altar, anywhere but Forest.

I wanted to look over at him, but I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to continue with the plan.

I heard his wolf howl out to me, tears threatened to fall as my wolf whined out to me. She wanted to answer her mate, she wanted to go to her mate, but she knew if we did, he would die.

So I stayed quiet.

I heard my father go to Forest, I saw out of the corner of my eye as he lead him to a chair near the front, a perfect view of his mate marrying someone else, how kind.

I heard him tell Forest I was Terra, that I wasn't the same person he knew, that I was no longer his.

I wanted to turn to him, to tell him I would always be his.

Forever belonged to us. No one will ever take that away from me.

I didn't realise I had zoned out until I heard the priest,

"And do you, Terra Nightly, take Simon Haydren, to be your lawfully wedded husband."

I took a deep breath, finally giving in and turning to look at Forest, the look on his face made me wince, he looked like he had gone to hell and back while I was gone. His eyes pleading with me to say no, to run away and never look back. If I could have, without him dying, I would have in a heartbeat.

He wasn't exactly as I remembered him, but it had been weeks since I last saw him. His eyes were bloodshot, a striking red clashing with his usual breathtaking green, as if he hadn't slept for days, and the stubble on his chin showed he hadn't shaved for a while, he had changed, but then again he hadn't changed at all.

He was still my mate.

I still loved him with every fiber of my being.

I knew what I had to do.

I looked away.

"I,I,I" I could feel his wolf whining out to me, begging me to come to him. The walls around my heart started cracking. I took another deep breath, keeping my resolve strong.

"I don't."