The Claiming

Chapter Fourteen

He loves me.

That's why he let me go.

He loves me.

That's why he let me go.

He loves me.

I can actually feel myself going insane. Sitting in the fancy limousine across from the prince, I stare at the ground, slightly rocking back and forth to calm myself. It's not really working.

"Well, isn't this great? I finally have the most beautiful girl in Bayfell right across from me! You wouldn't believe how excited I am."

I glance up to see him grin at me with white shiny teeth and twinkling eyes.

Oh, the cold eyes.

Now I know why I felt that shiver down my spine.

"The moment our eyes met at the job screening, I knew it was love." He sits back and puts his arms behind is head, clasping his fingers together. "My parents are going to be so happy!"

I clench my teeth to keep me from bursting into tears. The prince made it clear that Alec will just pick another wife at the next Claiming.

I don't want that. I don't want him to choose someone else. I want to be his only. But what good will I be if I'm locked up in the palace forever?

"So here's what's going to happen," the prince says, bringing my attention back to him. "You will call me Prince Walden when we are in public, and Walden when we are alone together. You will sleep in my bedchamber with me twice a week once we are officially wed, and on those nights we will do adult things." He snickers at his remark and then continues. "Every morning a lady-in-waiting will bring you a schedule of the day and you will follow it very carefully. You will follow every command I give you, and every command my parents give you. Are we clear so far?"

I nod as my eyes drift back down to the floor.

"By the way, we will marry in three days. We will have what is known as a traditional wedding. Every royal is married this way because it's formal and more official this way."

Apparently so if my marriage to Alec can so easily be destroyed by someone else.

We sit in silence for a minute before the prince sighs in frustration. "Cheer up, darling. You're about to have the time of your life living in such a luxurious place. What is there to be upset about? You'll never have to worry about food or money or anything! You'll have the most elegant wardrobe. And, might I say, you'll have the most handsome husband." He flashes that cocky grin of his that makes me want to puke.

"One more thing," he says. "As soon as we're married, we're going to start trying for kids. I need an heir as soon as possible. I hope you can understand that."

I sigh. "Oh, I understand," I say sarcastically.

"Good," he says, oblivious.

I stare out the window of the vehicle at the passing trees as we make our way into the mountains that hold the royal district. I feel myself pulling further and further away from my home.

Closer to a prison.

***

The limo pulls up to the grand palace on the driveway that loops up to the entrance and around. The hatred I feel for this place is above and beyond anything I've ever felt before. This is where my hopes and dreams went to die.

Meaning the possibility of ever having a job I'd actually like.

And the fact that I'm now stuck with this idiot in front of me.

Prince Walden gets out of the limo and then walks around to my side to help me out. My body feels numb as he leads me up the front steps to the huge double doors that stretch up two stories high. Guards open the doors for us and we pass through the threshold.

The whole entranceway is different than before. There are less people for sure, and it's mostly empty except for a few maids wandering about carrying potted plants or dusters.

"Come, my dear," Walden says to me. "You will meet my parents and we shall discuss wedding details immediately."

A sudden pain surges up the side of my head. I press my cold hand to my head.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

"Yeah," I say with a wince. "This is just too much to handle."

"Don't worry, dear. Everything will come together once we are married!"

I hate him for saying that.

I hate him.

I know I shouldn't hate, but I do. I hate him for tearing my life apart and for taking me away from the man I love. I don't want anything to do with the creep who did this to me.

He leads me up the grand staircase, past the place where I saw him and our eyes met. We walk down the corridor and stop at an open doorway leading into a dimly lit room with a fireplace flaring on the other side of the room. We pass into the room and see a man and woman sitting on the sofa facing the fireplace. They talk quietly together, their words not easy to understand.

Walden clears his throat, and the two on the couch turn around.

"Ah, son! You're back! And you brought the lady. Good. Sit, sit!"

Walden pushes me in the small of my back a little forcefully, and I stumble clumsily into the room. My cheeks burn.

We sit together on another sofa perpendicular to the fireplace. I hate how close Walden sits to me, our thighs pressing against each other. I flinch when he lands his hand on my leg as if I belong to him.

I don't swat it away, though. I don't want to know what happens if I do.

"Now, you are...?" the man—the king—asks me.

"Isabella Bentley," I say. I sit up at the sound of Alec's last name still attached to mine. I'm proud of it.

The king pulls a slip of paper out of his suit pocket. He and the queen wear formal attire, but I assume that's the norm here. "Actually, you are now Isabella Reyes. On your journey here, you have been officially divorced from this Alec Bentley you were with."

"Ah, a single woman once again!" the queen chimes. She clasps her hands together in her lap as if this is such a joyful thing. "How refreshing that must feel."

I don't say anything. I simply glare at the ground as I cover my wedding ring with my other hand. I'll bite off anyone's hand who tries to take this from me.

"Now, we ask that the tomorrow you get a check-up from the physician. We need to know how healthy you are and when you will be fertile. A may need to jumpstart the whole process before the wedding, but that's all right."

I look up and stare in shock at the king. Nothing in this world would make me want to get into bed with this guy.

The king pulls out a tablet to start taking notes, I assume. "Now, let's start planning this wedding."