Word Count: 1662

The next few weeks past by so quickly, I hardly have time to grasp everything.

Tomorrow, Tai and I will be married in front of a strategically chosen guest list. From then on, we will be closely monitoring the rebel presence, and the strength of the local villages support. If all goes well, I may not have to stay here much longer, but that is all hypothetical. Right now, nothing is known for certain.

Jessa and I lie in bed together, night nearing on early morning. Sleeping isn't a realistic possibility right now, my mind busy trying to process everything that has been going on. Tomorrow will be a defining moment for all of us.

"Are you nervous?" Jessa asks softly, turning over to face me. She agreed to stay the night with me tonight, to keep me company until I have to wake tomorrow and ready myself for the wedding.

"No," I admit. I'm not nervous for the wedding; it's not real. Tai and I will not actually be legally bonded together, it's just a formality. "None of it seems real."

"You know what marrying Tai will mean for you, right?" she says softly, pointedly.

I stare at the ceiling, imagining I'm looking through Tai's skylight. Will I have to sleep in his bed, pretend to be his wife at every public gathering? How long could I keep my the facade? I haven't seen Marek since last week, although it was in front of Tai. I've wanted to speak to him privately, but he has been ignoring me, despite his position as my personal guard.

"We aren't going to be the typical husband or wife," I remind her. I want to add that it won't be for long, but I don't want to promise anything. She's assured me in passing she is happy here, beginning her relationship with Vaia. Vaia has been avoiding me, which I'm secretly grateful for.

"That's not what I mean," Jessa murmurs, her dark eyes looking concerned. Jessa has made it clear to me that she much prefers me with Marek, and that she doesn't trust Tai. "People here are angry. Vaia tells me about it often, and how she is grateful the attention is on you now, instead of her."

I frown, bracing myself up on my elbows. "What does she think the rebels want?"

"They despise Tai's father's expansion of his rule. His father is taking down leaders who truly don't deserve it," Jessa says uneasily, clearly restating what she has been told by Vaia. "And on the other hand, they are desperate for power like the original people had. They want to create more Tani, and gain power themselves."

That I know, which makes me shiver. So it's true then...Tai has a real reason to be concerned. Will me marrying him truly do anything to stop the issue? Perhaps together we can find a way to educate people, to teach them why the Forbidden River was named that in the first place.

"That's disgusting. People are greedy," I mutter, having to keep the frustration from my voice.

"People are doing it for a variety of reasons," Jessa murmurs. A knock suddenly sounds from my bedroom door, making Jessa frown. "That better not be Tai."

Pulling the covers up more, I watch as Jessa gets up, moving to the door. If it's Tai, I don't know what I will say to him, scared I'll suddenly change my mind and run off with Marek. The hunter should have been told to leave today...In fact, he may already be gone.

"Oh," Jessa murmurs as she opens the door, startled. She glances behind her shoulder, raising her dark eyebrows at me. "Akara, it's Marek."

Immediately I sit up, kicking my legs out from under the covers as my heart flutters. What is he doing here? He hasn't come to my room since the night of the ball, which still elicits sinful memories that make my cheeks flush with heat. Him and I both know the risks of us being in the same room only together.

Adjusting my night gown, I watch as Marek steps in and Jessa slips out, closing the door behind her.

"Everything okay?" I ask softly, my voice breathless.

He stands there in silent for a moment, regarding me intently, gaze never wavering. He's not wearing any clothing that suggests he's working, opting instead for a dark tunic and pants. His marking is as bright as ever, fragments of light glittering off it brilliantly, fractured by the thick strands of bronze hair that spills down.

"You're having me sent away," he mutters roughly, my blood running cold at the sound.

"I'm doing you a favour, Marek," I assure him, knowing that after our conversation at my family home, he isn't going to agree with me. "I'm getting married tomorrow, which means that anything that was happening between us must stop."

He winces, turning around as his fingers delve into his hair. My heart shatters at the sight of his despair, knowing I'm hurting him by sending him away, but ending this.

"I know," he grits out. "I just want to make sure this is fully your decision."

"It is. No one is pressuring me into it. I'm doing what I want to for my family," I breathe, taking a step forward. His eyes are wild as he looks at me, showing so much emotion it's hard for me to comprehend it. Marek is usually a blank slate, rarely letting me see what is going on inside his head...Now, I'm seeing far more than I am comfortable with.

"I wish I was good enough for you. I wish I had as much power as him to give you everything you want," he mutters, closing his eyes for a moment, drawing in a breath. He sounds defeated, having fought for this for so long, having endlessly compared himself to Tai.

My throat is dry as I struggle to swallow. "Marek...You have given me everything I could have dreamed of. But I can't think of myself anymore, I have to keep my family safe, and then I will find you, and we can truly be together."

"You don't owe him. You don't owe either of us."

"This isn't about Tai or the rebels. It's about everything else," I sigh. As much as I don't want to admit it, part of me wants to help Tai, after he was willing to die to save my life. Marek wouldn't understand, since Tai would have happily let the hunter die.

"With everything going on with the rebels, I honestly don't think this is the best idea. You marrying him..." he comments warily.

"That's what Jessa thinks," I exclaim, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, wishing less of my legs were exposed. Marek doesn't seem bothered, eyes not lingering. "I'm safer here in this place than anywhere else."

Marek comes to stand in front of me, looking taller than I remember as he folds his arms over his chest, looking at me like I'm foolish, like I'm not heeding his warnings that I can hardly decipher.

"No Akara, you're not," he breathes, getting to his knees in front of me.

I watch him uneasily as he rests the palms of his hands on my thighs, the warmth of his hands on my bare skin causing heat to rise within me. He knows what he is doing to me when he touches me like this, tempting a haze over my mind that will encourage me to do something I will regret tomorrow.

"Why do you say that? I understand this is hard, but you don't need to make excuses," I breathe, biting my lips lightly at the way his fingers brush across my skin, so soft and slow I don't bother telling him to stop.

"I know a bit about this rebel presence, and it's not looking good. I believe they are stronger than Tai thinks," Marek admits.

I shiver, knowing this is a risk, but also knowing what is at stake. "I'm getting a lot more out of this marriage than you think."

"What about love? What about pleasure?" he asks softly, tilting his head just as his fingers squeeze tighter on my thighs, forcing me to release a long breath. He knows exactly how to touch me so subtly, yet achieve so much by doing so. "Are you getting any of that?"

"None of that matters for me now," I assure him.

Releasing his hold on my thighs, he stands up, grabbing a hold of my hand to pull me up also. Startled, I don't move as he holds either side of my face, forcing me to look into his glacial eyes, to feel every emotion accompanied with this intimate moment.

"I know it matters to you. You can't live without that," he murmurs, the warmth of his breath brushing against my face.

"It's not forever," I promise, even if I don't know how long it will be until Marek and I can be together with no interruptions, with nothing else between us. "If you leave tonight, I will find you again. We can be together then."

"I don't think our story is over Akara," he exclaims assuredly. "I know I'll have you one day."

And despite everything, I believe him.

💚••💚

So KING'S POSSESSION is now completed on Radish! The sequel, KING'S SEDUCTION is now up and available to view.

Do no, and I cannot stress this enough, read King's Seduction without completing this novel. It will spoil everything!!

🐼••🐼

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜🐼