Chapter 13 CHAPTER 13 ARRANGED MATING

Chapter 13 CHAPTER 13 ARRANGED MATING
Ophelia’s POV
I woke up screaming.
My sheets were soaked with sweat. My heart was hammering so hard I thought it might explode out of my chest.
"Ophelia!" Hex's voice was urgent in my head. "What happened? Are you okay?"
I couldn't answer. Couldn't breathe.
The nightmare was still too real.
Ryan was going to kill me.
"Breathe," Hex said. "Just breathe."
I sucked in air. My hands were shaking.
In the dream, I'd been tied to some kind of medieval torture rack. Ryan stood over me with a sword, his face completely blank.
"You failed," he'd said. His voice was flat. Dead. "You couldn't save me."
Then the sword came down.
I pressed my palms against my eyes. "Oh my god. Oh my god."
"It was just a dream," Hex said gently.
"It felt so real." My voice came out shaky. "Hex, what if we can't fix this? What if I just make everything worse?"
"You won't."
"You don't know that!"
"I know you're trying. That's more than anyone else has done for him."
I looked at the window. Early morning light was starting to filter through. I could see the dark circles under my eyes in the reflection.
Great. I looked like a zombie.
"I need to do better," I said quietly. "I need to actually teach Ryan how to be a decent person. Not just feed him and give him a job."
"That's a good start though."
"It's not enough." I threw off my blankets and stood up. "I need a plan. A real plan."
"Okay. What's the plan?"
I started pacing. "I don't know yet! That's the problem!"
My door burst open.
I screamed and grabbed the nearest thing—which happened to be a pillow.
Jovie stood in the doorway, looking annoyed. "Miss Ophelia, your father wants to see you. Now."
"You couldn't knock?!"
"I did knock. You didn't answer." She crossed her arms. "He's in his office. And he doesn't sound happy."
Oh no.
"What did I do?"
Jovie gave me a look. "You really have to ask?"
"The Ryan thing?"
"The Ryan thing."
"Great." I grabbed a dress from my wardrobe. "Give me five minutes to get ready."
"You have three."
"Jovie!"
"Three minutes, Miss Ophelia." She left, closing the door behind her.
I got dressed in record time, splashed water on my face, and tried to make my hair look less like a bird's nest.
It didn't work.
"You look fine," Hex said.
"I look like I got hit by a truck."
"A very attractive truck."
"That doesn't make sense!"
"Neither does your face right now."
I would've argued more, but I was out of time.
Dad's office was on the second floor of the castle, overlooking the main courtyard. It was a big room with stone walls, huge windows, and a massive wooden desk covered in papers.
Dad sat behind the desk, looking very Alpha-like in his serious face.
Uh oh.
"Ophelia," he said. Not "sweetie" or "honey." Just my name.
Double uh oh.
"Hi, Dad." I tried to smile. "You wanted to see me?"
"Sit."
I sat in the chair across from his desk, trying not to look guilty.
He stared at me for a long moment. Then he sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Jovie told me what happened the day before yesterday," he said finally.
"Which part?"
"All of it. The marketplace. The fight with Tom. You bringing home a rogue boy and punishing one of our warriors for him."
"Tom was being a jerk!"
"That's not the point." Dad leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. "Ophelia, do you understand how dangerous this is?"
"What, helping someone?"
"Bringing a rogue into our pack without knowing anything about him!" His voice got louder. "He has no pack scent. No references. No history that we can verify."
"He's just a kid!"
"He's a rogue." Dad's expression was hard. "And rogues are dangerous. They have no loyalty. No bonds. They're unpredictable."
"You don't even know him!"
"Neither do you!" He stood up, starting to pace. "Ophelia, you met this boy two days ago. Two days! And now you're defending him, giving him a job, letting him sleep in your room—"
"That was one night! And the guest rooms were full!"
"That's not the point!"
We stared at each other across the desk.
Dad sat back down, his expression softening slightly. "Sweetie, I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"Are you?" He studied my face. "Jovie said you couldn't take your eyes off him at the marketplace. That you were completely mesmerized."
My face went nuclear. "She said WHAT?!"
"Is it true?"
"I was not mesmerized! I was just—just—"
"Just what?"
"Just being a decent person!" I crossed my arms. "Sorry if that's such a crime!"
Dad sighed again. "Ophelia, I understand you want to help. That's one of your best qualities. But you need to be careful. You're the Alpha's daughter. People are watching you. And getting involved with a rogue boy—"
"I'm not 'getting involved' with anyone!"
"Then why are you so defensive?"
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
Damn it, he had a point.
"Look," Dad said, his voice gentler now. "I know you're at that age where boys start to look more interesting. And this Ryan is apparently very handsome—"
"Oh my god, Dad, stop."
"But you need to think about your future. About the pack's future."
Something in his tone made my stomach drop. "What do you mean?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "You remember Richard, don't you?"
"Richard?" I frowned.
"Yes. Beta of Windplain pack."
Memories filtered through. Richard. Twenty-five years old. Tall, serious, kind of boring. I'd met him twice at pack gatherings.
"What about him?" I asked slowly.
Dad pulled out a document from his desk drawer. "His father and I have been discussing an arrangement."
No.
No no no no no.
"What kind of arrangement?" My voice came out weird.
"A mating arrangement." Dad looked at me seriously. "When you turn eighteen, you and Richard will be joined. It'll strengthen the alliance between our packs."
The room started spinning.
"You can't be serious."
"I'm completely serious." Dad pushed the document toward me. "This is good for everyone, Ophelia. Richard is a good man. Responsible. Well-trained. He was already the Beta of the most powerful pack, Windplain. And you'll be—"
"I'll be what? His trophy wife?" I stood up so fast my chair fell over. "Dad, I barely know him!"
"You'll have time to get to know him before the ceremony."
"I've met him twice! Twice! And both times he spent the entire time talking about patrol routes!"
"He's dedicated to his pack. That's admirable."
"That's boring!" I was starting to panic. "Dad, you can't do this. What about fated mates? What if the Moon Goddess has other plans?"
"Fated mates are rare, Ophelia. Most wolves never find theirs." His expression was firm. "This arrangement benefits both packs. It's not just about you."
"So I'm just supposed to throw away any chance at real love?"
"Richard will provide for you. Protect you. Give you a good life."
"But I don't love him!"
"Love can grow." Dad stood up, coming around the desk. "Ophelia, you're only sixteen. You don't understand what true mating means yet. It's not all romance and passion. It's partnership. Duty. Building something together."
"This isn't fair."
"Life isn't fair." He put his hand on my shoulder. "But this is a good match. Richard is stable. Reliable. He can take care of you."
"I don't need anyone to take care of me!"
"Everyone needs someone." His voice got harder. "And that someone is not a homeless rogue boy who can't even take care of himself."
I jerked away from his touch. "This is about Ryan?"
"Jovie told me how you look at him." Dad crossed his arms. "Ophelia, I'm not blind. I can see you're attracted to him. But you need to be realistic. What future could you possibly have with someone like that?"
My mind was racing.
Okay, here's the thing. I wasn't actually interested in Richard. Or Ryan. Or anyone in this stupid world.
Why?
Because I was an outsider. A dead girl doing a mission. When this was all over, I'd go back to my own world and the Moon Goddess would erase everyone's memories of me.
I'd be gone like I never existed.
So getting into any kind of real relationship here was pointless. Cruel, even.
But I couldn't tell Dad that.
And I needed an excuse to spend time with Ryan. To train him. To stop him from becoming a psycho tyrant.
Which meant I needed to get out of this arranged mating thing.
Time for desperate measures.
"What if Ryan is my fated mate?" I blurted out.