Compensations

*Kiara's POV*

There was an army of maids pacing about. Each with a task of their own—setting a table,getting the candles, and anything else to make the unhappy affair of meeting my fiance look like a happy one. We believed in the display of paradise. If one didn't actually meet me,they wouldn't believe that the hybrid lived in Whitman Castle.

I had seen very little of Shadrach recently, and I think my father had sent him away again. That also didn't make matters better between us. I was acting up and not speaking to him. It's the most I could do,sadly.

"Smile." Carlotta ordered after adding another shade of pink to my lips.

I gritted my teeth, and she gave me a gentle slap on the cheek. "Not like you want to bite me."

"I'm not going to pretend anymore." I protested. "God knows I have done too much of that already."

"Oh, you poor thing. Someone might think you are being sold into slavery." Carlotta mused as she resumed my make up.

"They will not be entirely wrong."I mumbled.

Since my level of optimism deteriorated, Carlotta's increased. She even made jokes in an effort to cheer me up,all in vain. I felt dead inside. I'm only grateful to the heavens that it wasn't a marriage at first sight situation. I knew I would bawl my eyes out if that was the case, and somehow, I think my father knew so too. The morning smelled and looked beautiful. The meeting will be done in the evening, but the preparations seem to be halfway through. Even I was all dressed up in purple and gold.

I pulled a rose from the bouquet Alpha Forchesca had sent and plucked its petals till it was left with none. My ladies in waiting stared at me avidly,like it was some weird art show. Carlotta,who had always taken on the role of an older sister rather than a friend, was glaring at my face. We locked eyes every now and then, but I didn't stop, and her protest never came. The bouquet arrived early this morning, with big and beautiful flowers. As if this were the only assurance or proof I needed to know my husband was a good man. I plucked out another rose and held it up, searching for a defect. It was too old so I plucked its frail petals away.

A knock came in, and my hands froze. "Answer the door." I spoke, and one of my ladies in waiting rushed to the task.

"Oh my word!" Aunt Lydia exclaimed, Entering my dressing room, "what are you doing with those flowers?"

Just in case I forgot to mention,Aunt Lydia had returned to her old judgmental self again. Dear Aunt Lydia had vanished into thin air, and the woman who wanted to force me into a tight dress at any cost was back in front of me.

She placed the wooden box in her hand on the table and ran her delicate fingers over the destroyed flowers as if to see if what she was seeing was real. She dropped them and suddenly turned to me.

"Kiara,we need to talk." I lifted my gaze to meet hers. "Alone."

The room was immediately cleared for our privacy.

"These flowers are beautiful,"she said picking up the bouquet, "Dont ruin them"She carried it to a far corner of the room and set it down.

She turned back to me and smiled with a look of pride in her eyes. I questioned this act severely in my mind, but I didn't talk.

"Carlotta has always been so good with your hair. Que bonita! (how beautiful!)"

"If those praises are ground softeners for the talk of how my father just wants the best for me,hold your breath; Grandma already did it." I snapped and she rolled her eyes.

"That was an actual compliment. You look gorgeous," she said, holding up my face in both hands.

I gave a light frown—the small one that wasn't intended for people to notice. Judging by the beam that was still on her face,I knew she hadn't noticed the change in my facial expression.

"Tu eres chistoso. (You are funny.)" I said sarcasm vividly dancing in my tone. "What do you really want?"

She gave in and looked for a seat to sit across from me. "I am going to be honest and say that I don't know Lohan personally.But-"

"How do you know he is such a good man as you all claimed then?" I asked, leaning further.

Her hazel eyes stared back at me intensely and she sighed, "Because I know my brother too well. And I know how much he cherishes you." She placed both her hands in mine as she whispered the last words. "And he will never ever put you in the hands of someone who could bring you harm."

I don't doubt that; I never did. "But what of my happiness?" I asked.

Lydia sighed defeatedly.

"Everyone keeps talking about my safety, but what about my joy?" I breathed, tightening my hold on her hands.

She grew silent, and I cut in before she could speak again.

"I can't be a sad locked up animal forever. I wanted to have a happy marriage...Alpha Forchesca is literally my father's dog at this point."

Lydia nodded. "I understand."

"No!" I found myself yelling as I raged out of my seat.

"You do not. You all say you do, but you do not!!" I screamed at her.

I realized what I was doing and reduced my voice considerably. She stared at me with pity.

"Hugo and I didn't always love each other, you see," she began solemnly. "I didn't even like him. It grows little by little Bella. Tolerance, acceptance, and then finally love."

My eyes drifted from the dead roses to her face.

"Do you love your husband?"

"Yes,"she answered,looking so sure. I don't believe it. I had heard of my parents' love, and that wasn't what she had with Hugo. If anything,they were still at the acceptance stage.

"Are you sure?" I asked again, facing her fully with my hands folded in front of me.

"Yes,"she said again. Maybe with so many years of practice, she had forgotten how to be honest about her marriage or could no longer identify the difference between the truth and the lie.

I chuckled lightly and returned to sit in front of the mirror. Maybe I could manage. Maybe if I lied to myself and pretended for just a couple of years, I could be like her. I didn't know what that was. I did not want to know, but I felt like that would be me in a couple of years.

My eyes found the box Aunt Lydia had brought in earlier.

"What is that?" I inquired, and she came over to open it.

The inside of the box held a comb in a pile of cotton. At least I thought it was.

"What is that?' I asked anyway.

"A comb. From your husband to be."she replied just as plainly. I raised it in the air and studied it. It was silver and therefore could kill Werewolf. Our wounds take longer to heal if they are cut by silver. I picked it up to study it even further. It was a beautiful murderous piece fashion.

"Why?" was all I wanted to know.

"It is tradition that during the courtship of a female royal,the man must give her a comb with his family's seal so she can display it in her hair. If any man is to go near her enough to see her comb,he will know she is already taken and by whom." She explained it like some grand elder.

I laughed at the idea. I had always thought there was a trend toward silver combs at certain times of the year. Which also happens to be mating and courting season. That's how excluded I was from the world. It sort of made me happy that I got one. Finally, even if it was a fake marriage,.

"But why silver? Did the goldsmith run out of gold on the day of the invention?" I joked.

"Fun fact." Aunt Lydia spoke, pacing around the room and speaking to the air. "It was also designed to serve as a weapon against other male suitors. If, by any means, a person without a mate tries to disturb you way too much,you will be able to defend yourself. It was a beautiful hair piece and a funny little defence mechanism. It was meant that way."

I smiled a bit, suddenly embracing the whole idea. Whatever Aunt Lydia was doing was working because I was already excited about it already.I played with it in the sunlight.

"Where is yours?" I asked absently.

"Tucked away in a drawer in my room. You won't need to wear it as often if you are married. Just on anniversaries. There are three given: one for the engagement,one for the wedding, and the last one,the gold one, for anniversaries and romantic celebrations."

I placed it in my hair, but it fell off.

"How do you wear this?"

Aunt Lydia shrugged playfully and called in Carlotta to help put it in. Carlotta did a cheeky smile when she saw the silver comb and quickly got on to doing my hair. There was an air of silence, but no bad feelings were hanging in the air, so it wasn't awkward. Carlotta worked diligently in silence, fashioning the little comb to be pinned in her hair.

"I will miss you when you are gone, Kiara,"

Aunt Lydia said out of the blue.

I stopped Carlotta so I could turn to look at Aunt Lydia as I replied. "And I will miss you too."

"Your father wants to see you after this,"she said as she headed out.I will go see about the food."

* * *

The father's office was slightly open,which was often never the case. I stood at the door, debating if I really wanted to face him now. He never gave a formal apology. What if the formal apology was in there? What if that's what he called me for? I sighed as I rested my hand on the doorknob.

"God forbid I accuse you of anything Alpha Denzel, but I'm just saying it's a bit coincidental that he died a few days after the confrontations with you." I heard a voice say. It wasn't my father's voice. It was not Uncle Hugo or any of my cousins.

A thought flashed into my mind of a certain dark-haired vampire. I pressed my ear to the door for better volume. I quickly found out that my heart had started thumping abnormally in my chest. I might be the most pathetic being in existence.

"Alpha Leo had no heir, and since you are of high rank, I'm assuming his territory becomes yours." the same voice said again. Listening to it now made me realize it sounded nothing like Adriel. I could actually sense some respect in the tone. Adriel's mere voice told tales of arrogance and thoughts of superiority.It was condescending , commanding and somehow charming. I will never know how he did it. To pack up so much in every single word,manipulate it as he chooses, and turn his cold demeanour into something suggestive and desirable. Or maybe I was just mad. After all, I had imagined my mother's painting talk; it would be no surprise if it was just my bored mind playing games.

I stepped into the room,obviously forgetting to knock. My mind was far away.

"You called for me?" I asked shyly. The two men pinned my eyes on me. My father and a blonde, tall man dressed in royalty. Our eyes locked for a second, and he gave me a small smile, which I politely returned. Those were certainly a beautiful pair of brown eyes.

"Kiara,my precious pearl,"my father called. "This is Alpha Lohan,your future husband."

"But I thought he won't be here until the evening."

"I could barely wait to see you." Lohan said, and I glanced at him. He wasn't here to see me. He was here to discuss something with my father. I was a bit shocked that he could lie so easily, but I forgave him for the sake of his good looks.

Lohan got up, and I offered my hand. He kissed it tenderly. "Till we meet formally, my lady." he bowed and headed out.

"You two are already getting along," my father declared.

"The first thing he told me was a lie." I replied, and he quickly decided to change the topic.

"I got you the Hybrid Foundation back. The entire castle is yours now."

I stared at him. "You bought it from Adriel?"

He scratched his head. "It wasn't exactly the case, but I managed to get it."

I ran over to give him a hug. All anger had dissolved with this one gesture. He was a master of gifts.

"I can't believe you did this for me." I said, breaking the hug. I didn't know how he managed to convince Adriel, but I know it must have been a hard thing,especially since they don't get along.

I placed a kiss on both of his cheeks. "Thank you." I whispered again, and he laughed, pulling me into another hug.

A thought hit me. Was this just a bribe to go along with the wedding? Another thought came to me: if it was, would I reject it? Of course I will not. Those children needed that place, and I would rather have them there than go bankrupt trying to provide well for them in the town. It all sounded too good to be true, though. I wasn't doubting my father had bought it back, but at least I thought he did, but Adriel was the one who worried me. He might have tricked him.

"I need to go see it for myself," I decided loudly.

"No,"my father said, holding on to me.

"I have to." I begged. "Just to see if everything is intact as I left it."

"Kiara,you could do this after the party, " he insisted.

"Why not now? I will be back in time "I promise."

"Kiara, " my father said, setting the tone for another rejection.

"Please, I beg you," she said forcing a tear.

He gave in and agreed, and the rest was history. I asked for my fastest horses, and Carlotta and I rode to the mountains. My smile vanished as we approached. Just as I had predicted,it was still under Valerian property. Several guards in Valerian uniforms were stationed at the gate, blocking our path. I stuck my head out of the carriage's window.

"Good day, men." I was greeted with cheer, trying to hide my disappointment. "Are visitors allowed?"

"It's best not to meddle with a Valerian, " Carlotta mumbled behind me. "They can be aggressively possessive."

The guards walked closer to the chariot to examine me. I assumed he wanted to guess my identity, so I gave it to save time.

He glanced at his friends and bowed deeply. "Welcome Princess. His highness has been waiting for you for quite some time."

"His highness?" I repeated, ignoring Carlotta's nagging behind me.

"His Highness ,Adriel Valerian,"the guards answered in unison,still bowing.

My heart skipped a beat, and I exchanged looks with Carlotta. Carlotta mouthed the word no.

"Open the gate then." I asked, and instead of rushing to open it, they stood rooted to the ground. One of them looked up enough to tell me that I was the only one allowed in.

Upon hearing this,Carlotta grabbed my arm and pleaded with me not to go. I stared at her for being dramatic and decided I would go. To thank him,this was what I told Carlotta—what I had convinced myself.

"Kiara please. Your father will hang me if anything happens to you. Think about your safety." She blabbered too quickly,shaking and all. "Or at least mine!"

I gave her a reassuring smile and got out of the carriage. She placed both hands on her chest as if I were walking into fire.

The gates were opened, and I walked in and released a deep breath. As my shoes clicked on the limestone,I realised what a horrible idea it was. I didn't turn back, though. I just realised it. There was something about this danger that lured me in. I reached the tall wooden door and rested my hands on the doorknob.

I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer for my soul and threw it open.