Giovanni

Chapter 16

Thora Hawthorn:

"Daddy!" I screech at the top of my lungs. "You cannot force him to leave!"

Mother sighs and rubs her forehead "Listen, your father and I have decided that it would be in your best interest. Your twenty second birthday ball is coming up and it's the perfect opportunity to start courting you." I glare at them both but then zero in on mother.

"I thought you were on my side! Giovanni is in the exact same position you were in," I huff and stand from my seat. "I refuse to be married off to some dimwit," my father goes to open his mouth and I glare at him "Dad, if you say Prince Sebastian so help me Goddess."

"Giovanni and I have different situations. He has zero self control or remorse for how he acted," Mother claims. I slam my hand down on the desk making it rattle.

"How would you know if he's remorseful or not? Neither of you have bothered to talk to him!"

Father sighs and looks up at me. Eyes blazing with disappointment "Thora, you don't even know him. It's been what? Three days?" I gasp and open and close my mouth like a fish. It's true that I haven't known him for long but he's still my mate. I don't plan on marrying him tomorrow or anything. "Your mother and I took it slow-" I cut him off

"You two were married after a month despite the pleas of the people," I mutter sitting back down.

Mother nods her head in agreement "And I never caused problems. We were in love from the first day we saw each other and we made a vow to make it through everything," She claims with a longing smile.

I roll my eyes "How is this any different then me and Giovanni?"

"That boy doesn't love you, Honey."

I shrug and stand from my chair once again "Maybe not now but with time maybe he will." I go to the door "If you plan o marrying me off at my own birthday then consider in cancelled."

"You can't cancel we have already sent out the invites," Mother says smugly

I smirk and turn towards her sitting on my dads lap as they sit behind the desk. "Then I guess I just won't be in attendance." I open the door and start walking towards the training room. What in the hell is wrong with the two if them?

They act as if they never had to overcome challenges to get where they were. To my understand it wasn't only that my mother is human that the people hated her for. They hated that she was a human and the fact that she was a hunter. She and her family would kill wolves for sport. Now she's preaching to me that she never caused problems? Bullshit! She was the problem.

"Nadia?" I ask as she follows me to my destination. "What's the time?"

"5:38, Highness," She answers curtly as always and I groan. I am so late and now Rayan and Santiago are gonna force me to run suicides until I actually die from them. I walk faster and basically jog down the steps. until I reach the training room.

"You're late," Santiago grunts across the room as he and Rayan spar. "Forty minutes to be exact," He adds pinning Rayan to the floor. Both of them are dripping in sweat and red faced.

"I was talking to my parents about last night," I mutter taking my jacket and sweats off to reveal a black sports bra and matching bicycle shorts. I yank my hair into a low ponytail and get on the sparring mat with Santiago. He shakes his head and points to the track.

"Suicides," he says between breaths predictably.

"Awe come on!" I groan "Cut me a break."

"You missed forty minutes of training!" Rayan yells between gulps of water "When I missed four minutes you two forced me to do pushups until my arms almost spontaneously combusted."

I groan and stomp all the way over to the track before starting my runs.

This morning starts off the time with Giovanni which I can only hope will go well. I never had boyfriends growing up. Of course me and Santiago had that brief thing like a year or two ago. Honestly, we just figured we were better as close friends and cut it off pretty quickly after. I am in no way a virgin and I would've gained the same rep as the boys if it weren't for the fact that I am good at hiding it and most of the guys are to afraid to say anything for fear of my father.

But boyfriends always seemed to elude me. If we aren't mated then why would we get into a relationship? It's a waste of time that I never participated in. It never even crossed my mind besides when I was with Santiago but even I skeptical about that.

Thinking about me with a mate is crazy. At eighteen I had always assumed that Santiago would be my mate. Everyone pretty much did and it made since because we've been close since basically birth. But on my eighteenth birthday when him and I saw each other there was no connection I kind of just stopped thinking about a mate altogether. Partly because all my life I had been conditioned to think that he would be my mate only to find that he wasn't. I couldn't imagine myself with anybody else really as bad as it sounds.

But now Giovanni has entered my life and I can't imagine feeling this connection with anybody else. It would be weird to be drawn to someone in the way I am to Giovanni. He literally crosses my mind all day and night and when I'm not in his presence my body screams at me to go back. When I am around him it's like i'm content in a way. No matter the strife he puts me through its like I need to be there with him in that moment.

While i've never been in love with a guy i'd assume it's tiring work. The millions of songs on love and the billions of songs on heartbreak prove one thing to me. Loving is not an easy job. I love my parents and even thats hard. I love Santiago and Rayan as my brothers but thats about it. Could I ever love Giovanni? Could he ever love me?

I run for the rest of the training session and when I'm done I can barely see from all the sweat dripping into my eyes. My clothes are soaked especially since we keep it hot in the training room at all times. I pant and bend over with my hands on my knees.

"Here," Rayan says smiling evilly while he hands me my water.

I huff and look up at him through my wet eyelashes. "Just pour it on me." I fall to the ground and my chest burns as I struggle to get air into my lungs

"Drink the damn water before you pass out, Thora," Rayan laughs and plops down on the ground next to me. I sit up and shove him and he laughs. Snatching the water from him I take big gulps of water trying hard to breath and drink at the same time.

"You and Santi are evil people," I groan finishing the water in record time. "Speaking of, where is Santiago?"

"He left," He laughs "It's Wednesday so he has breakfast with his dad, remember."

"Forgot it's already Wednesday," I say. The days are just flying past but this is also the most drama we'e had at the castle since the time some girl claimed to be having Rayan's baby. It was all a lie but it was big news.

"Yeah and since you are eating with your mate I guess i'll be eating alone before work," He whines standing up and stretching.

"You'll live you big ass baby," I smile letting him help me up "And on that note I have to go get ready for breakfast with my mate."

"Why does he get special treatment? You always eat with us smelling like an absolute cow," Rayan smirks and I glare.

"Must be smelling your upper lip," I snap before sauntering out of the training room.