Chapter 6 - I Do Not Agree With This Marriage

Jeremy’s POV.

For a minute, he doesn’t know what to say.

What is meek, little Fiona doing with his vicious brother? He eyes the hand on her back with narrowed eyes and glares at her. She keeps her head down, making her hair cover her face and doesn't meet his eyes.

“Jeremy,” Micah nods tightly at him, giving him little more than a cursory glance before he grabs her hand tightly in his and leads her to the room where their family waits. Jeremy follows with lead-like footsteps, still shocked at Fiona’s presence.

He watches as his brother sits down, pulling her gently next to him. Then, he drapes his arm on the back of the couch, completely at ease. Irritation prickles at Jeremy as he watches Micah's carefree demeanor.

While he dresses his best and is extra careful about the way he conducts himself in front of his father, Micah acts like he doesn’t care at all.

And yet, all eyes are on him. Always. As soon as he enters any room.

Jeremy grits his teeth and sits down next to his mother, Queen Alara, pinning his gaze on Fiona.

“Well, this is Fiona, my future wife,” Micah says casually, checking the watch as if he has more important places to be.

Jeremy sees his father’s face go red with anger and despite himself, he straightens up, as if he is the one about to be reprimanded by the king.

“Absolutely not,” the king bursts out. “I do not agree with this marriage. Who even is this commoner? We all thought you were going to marry Rowena, the one who suits your status.”

Jeremy watches with a sick sense of pleasure as his father humiliates Fiona. He sees her gaze drop and her face turn pink from embarrassment. He waits for his half-brother to fidget and to agree with his father. He waits with bated breath to see him shun her so she can further realize that he is her only option.

“You talk as if status matters to me, father,” Micah laughs easily. “This is the woman I have chosen as my wife and that’s all that matters.” He says the words with a dark expression in his eyes, and Jeremy watches in shock as he interlocks his fingers with Fiona's.

Slowly, it feels like everything aside from their joint hands is a blur. All he can see is them holding hands, and anger and jealousy rise within him. He can vaguely hear his father still shouting at Micah, even though his brother appears completely relaxed and at ease with the situation. Still, all he can focus on are their hands.

Suddenly, he feels a subtle poke on his arm and he quickly straightens, only to find his mother watching him closely.

Watch yourself, don’t let it show that you have anything to do with that girl. You cannot reveal your past with that commoner! Especially to your father.

Alara’s sharp rebuke comes through the mind link and brings him to his senses.

A small smirk makes its way to his face. Of course. Fiona is his past. Of course, she chose a method like this to make him jealous. She doesn’t even know Micah.

He shakes his head, silently laughing at her antics.

Guess she isn’t all that innocent after all, he thinks.

Fine, if she is willing to go to such lengths to have me back. If she loves me this much, she has trapped Micah and is coming to my house to make me jealous. Then, fine, I will take her back.

Of course, she would have to cut all ties with Micah first!

He thinks triumphantly and smiles at the idea.

***

Fiona’s POV.

“Let’s have a vote then. If the majority of the family agrees to support her, you can marry her, Micah,” the Lycan King says as he shoots another derisive look my way.

It’s clear that he thinks nobody would vote for me and is only offering this solution because he knows it would work in his favor. Aside from Micah's grandma, The Queen Mother, who now gives me a soft encouraging smile, everybody else is completely hostile. Both Jeremy and his mother look at me as if they don’t understand what I am doing here.

On some level, I know that winning over Micah’s family will be hard, but still, listening to their harsh opinions about me really shakes me. The only thing keeping me anchored is Micah’s large hand enveloping my own. I try to breathe in and out, focusing on nothing but his grip on mine.

However, the antagonizing looks from everyone are getting too much for me.

I need air.

Quickly excusing myself, I step out of the tense room and go to the hallway, blindly looking for the restroom. I have only taken a few steps into one of the corridors when I am suddenly pushed against the wall by somebody. Startled, I look up to find Jeremy looking down at me with a smug smirk.

“Oh Fiona, you didn’t have to do all this to get my attention,” he says to me in a mocking tone.

“Trying to trap Micah in a joke of a marriage just because you want me? That was stupid of you. He will never marry a commoner like you, and you are definitely going to lose the vote anyway.”

I look up at him, shocked.

He thinks I am here for him?

I open my mouth to tell him he is wrong, but he raises a hand, cutting me off. Then, his face takes on an ugly expression, and he leans into me until I feel trapped. A shiver of fear goes through me as he says his next words.

“Leave Micah right the fuck now. Stop your attention-seeking, and I will still have you back as a good little toy, but keep annoying me like this and you will be nothing. You won’t even have the privilege of being my mistress.”

His words are like a slap to the face, and they burn me like acid. For a moment, I am at a loss for words.

How did I ever fall in love with a man like him? Maybe it wasn’t love at all. Maybe, it was just me bending over backwards over someone who didn’t deserve it.

Just as I open my mouth to say something, another person joins us.

“Is there a problem here?” Micah’s smooth, velvety voice reaches my ear, and immediately, I feel myself relax.

I watch as Jeremy goes rigid, then slowly takes a few steps backward. He doesn’t say anything in response to Micah, and his entire body language changes, going from intimidating to insecure.

Almost lazily, Micah walks to my side. Then, I feel his fingertips on the back of my neck, brushing my nape. The light, reassuring touch sends unexpected jolts of heat through me, and my head whips towards him as if he's shocked me. At my reaction, he gives a barely-there smile.

“You alright?” He asks me in a soft whisper, and I find myself nodding.

Even if I wasn’t before, now I definitely am.

His gaze roams over my face as if searching for any sign of lies. When he realizes I am telling the truth, he looks back at Jeremy. Now, there is a hard glint in his eye, and he raises an eyebrow, which makes him look even more dangerous.

“I asked, is there a problem here?” He repeats the question in a low voice that makes the hair stand up on my body.

I watch the way Jeremy changes in Micah’s presence. He fidgets on his feet, clenches and unclenches his fists, and I realize that Jeremy is nervous in front of Micah. This man who has made me feel so small in the past few days is now acting like a fool in front of Micah.

Micah, who I thought was so ruthless and dangerous. Except now, he stands by my side and directs his wrath at my enemies which makes me feel oddly … safe.

Slowly, I straighten my shoulders and lift my head back up.

I am so tired of people running over me all the time. It’s time I stand up for myself a bit.

“No, there is no problem here because Jeremy was just leaving.”

This time, I am the one who answers, and I am almost surprised at how confident my voice sounds.

I stare at Jeremy without any fear, and after a beat, he is the one who looks away and walks back to the room he came out of.

Not me.