Page 296 of Untamed

Because I can’t see a way out of this. Not without someone dying.

I wrap my arms around my legs, rocking slightly as if the motion might calm the chaos inside me. My mind spins with impossible choices, none of them ending with Ares safe or me free. The dress they gave me to wear hangs off the edge of the bed, white and delicate like it means something sacred. But nothing about this is sacred. It’s a mockery, a violation, a performance dressed up in silk and lace.

I press my knuckles to my mouth and try not to sob.

I want to go to him. To find where they’re keeping him and throw myself at his feet and say I’m sorry. That I love him. That I’m doing this to save him, even though it’s breaking me apart.But the door is locked. The windows are barred. Every avenue of escape has been stripped away with precision.

I get up anyway and pace the room. Fingers trail along the edge of furniture, tapping, lifting, searching. There has to be something I can use. A spare key. A tool.Anything. But the only thing I find is my own reflection in the mirror. Eyes red. Hair a mess. Face pale and streaked with tears.

I don’t look like a bride. I look like a prisoner.

A quiet knock breaks the stillness.

“Miss Windslow.” A male voice, muffled but sharp. “It’s time.”

Time for what? To walk into a nightmare? To make myself a bargaining chip for a man I loathe? To let Ares watch me give myself to his enemy?

My hand finds my stomach again, trembling.

This isn't just about me anymore. It's not even just about Ares. This life inside me deserves a chance. A future. A world where it father is alive and not buried because of a choice I didn’t have the strength to make.

I turn away from the window, one last glance toward the horizon as if it might offer some kind of sign. There’s nothing. Just light. Just sky.

Just the echo of his voice in my memory, whispering my name like a vow.

I take a breath and step toward the door.

Let them dress me. Let them lead me to the altar. Let Nicolai smile like he’s already claimed me.

Because no matter what happens next, I will never belong to him. I will never let him touch me.

And if he breaks his word, if he hurts the man I love, I’ll make sure he never gets the chance to breathe again.

“I’m not getting ready.”

A suited guard appears in the doorway, unsure. “You need to be dressed. The ceremony?—”

“Get Nicolai,” I cut in, cold and unwavering now. “Tell him, I want to speak to him.”

The man hesitates, then vanishes down the hall.

Minutes pass. Long, aching ones. I don’t sit. I don’t breathe right. My pulse is louder than the silence. Until finally, the door opens again and Nicolai steps inside, smug as ever, all silk and poison in a tailored suit. His dark eyes drag over me, expectant and a little disappointed. “This better be good. The ceremony is in two hours.”

“I need to see him,” I say, arms crossed over my chest, grounding myself. “Ares. I need to see him. Talk to him one last time.”

His brow arches and he smirks darkly. “Aw, you want a romantic goodbye before the vows, Stellina?”

I glare at him. “No. I want to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless that will get him killed,” I grit out. “I want him to know he has to walk away. That he can’t come after me after he walks out of here. I need him to hear that. From me.”

“And why would I allow that?”

“Because I’m not marrying you until I do.”

He narrows his eyes. “You promised me he’d walk out of here alive,” I go on, voice shaking with restraint. “Let me see him. Let me convince him to stay away. You get what you want. Ares lives. I marry you. But I need to know he’s still breathing. I need to see it for myself.”

For a moment, I think he’ll say no. He stares at me like he’s sizing up how far I’m willing to go. Whether I’m bluffing. But I’m not. I mean every word.

“Five minutes,” Nicolai finally says. “No touching. No whispering sweet nothings. You get your goodbye. And then you put on the fucking dress.”

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