I'm No Cinderella

Chapter 26

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What Choice

I leaned a hip against the doorway, taking a moment to process the scene before me. A small smile tugged at my lips, despite myself, and I was momentarily distracted from the unpleasant conversation I had just had with my family below.

It was so bizarre a sight, that had I not seen it with my own eyes, I might not have believed it. Even having witnessed it, I was still having a difficult time.

Gianluca, an alpha of the DiLuna line, was crouching low, so that the doll in his hand could cross the floor of the dollhouse. He had to have heard me approach, but his focus remained on the task at hand, as if playing dolls with my sister was of the utmost importance.

Reed was not smiling. He wasn't doing much of anything at all, except watching the prince play with Daisy like an overbearing mother hen. It didn't look as though he was planning on softening his stare anytime soon.

Despite that, Gianluca seemed completely at ease in his surroundings. Not for the first time that day, I admired his composure. It was such a contrast to my own behavior when his sister had treated me similarly. I had been a blubbering wreck that night at dinner, but he was handling my family's blatant distrust with a grace that even cranky, old Signora Flori would be proud of.

It could have been because he knew that Reed could do no physical harm to him, none that wouldn't heal itself in a short while. But, I had a feeling it was more than that.

Maybe he just wanted to know that he could win over one member of my family, even if that member was less than a decade of age.

The memory of the interrogation I had faced downstairs returned, breaking me from the sweet moment.

I had tried my best to sugarcoat my experience so far in the castle, but they were not buying any of it, especially when I reluctantly described the times I had been rescued from less-than-friendly shifters by the prince or his sister. As Reed was doing with his disconcerting stare, they tried to anticipate a hidden trap. When I reluctantly revealed the details of the deal that Gianluca and I had made regarding my future as his mate in one last effort to get them to understand that he truly meant me no ill will, I came to immediately regret my decision.

For a moment, I thought my mother might laugh in my face, but then her expression turned more grave, 'And you really believe that he will allow you to leave at the end of the year?'

'Well,' I crossed my arms defensively over my chest, 'yes.' My voice came out just shy of the confident tone I had attempted. That was a question that I had asked myself over and over in the months since the ball, and had yet to come close to knowing the answer.

Even sweet, kind-hearted Lily looked skeptical. 'The sister I knew would never trust one of them.'

'What choice do I have?' I asked, staring into each of their eyes in turn, as if they might actually have an answer to my question.

'So you're following along with his whims willingly?' She pressed. 'You'll play the part of his pretty little pet until the year is up and then you find out if your life has been forfeit or not? That's your plan?'

'What choice do I have?' I repeated, stressing each word individually, voice coming out just as desperate as I felt. Her words had hit their mark, and I had never felt more alone surrounded by people I loved. People I was trying so hard to be able to return to.

She doesn't understand, I tried to remind myself. It did nothing to dispel the hollow feeling that had taken up residence in my heart. None of them understood what it was like to live with the mate bond. They didn't know what it was to not know if your own thoughts and desires were really your own.