Chapter 5: The Mating
AYLA
I was scrubbed to one inch of my life.
My mother stepped back, her eyes now sweeping over me critically.
The dress she had chosen was one of her own.
It was a gown with soft ivory chiffon that fell in delicate layers to my ankles. The fabric was so light it seemed to float around me.
The fitted bodice clung to my waist and the sleeves hung from my shoulders, leaving my collarbones bare while the low neckline of the dress revealed far more of my chest than I was comfortable with.
It left very little to the imagination.
Instinctively, I crossed my arms over myself.
"I cannot wear this," I whispered.
My mother clicked her tongue in irritation and swatted my hands away then she moved behind me and tugged gently at the loose waves she had coaxed from my hair.
"For once in your life, look at yourself properly."
I reluctantly lifted my gaze to the mirror.
The girl staring back at me looked unfamiliar.
The pale ivory fabric made my skin appear softer and warmer. But it was my eyes that held my attention.
My strange violet eyes.
The one everyone whispered about.
My mother rested her hands on my shoulders.
"The dress brings out your eyes," she said quietly. "That odd shade of purple finally looks like an advantage instead of a curse."
I swallowed hard as she drifted away from me, returning with a necklace which she placed around my neck so it lay in the perfect divide on my breasts.
"Now remember how important this is to us. Put a smile on your face and do whatever they want you to do." My mother hissed in my ear.
I did as she asked and forced my lips upward.
I did not need her slapping me again or reminding me of everything she claimed to have sacrificed for me.
"Good girl."
I flinched at the words.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.
The walk to the ceremonial hall felt like a march toward my execution. Each step made my pulse pound harder.
My palms grew slick with sweat and my lungs refused to fill properly.
The closer we got to the ceremonial hall, the louder the pounding in my chest became until I was certain everyone around me could hear it.
Run.
The thought flashed through my mind.
Run now.
Disappear into the forest.
Hide.
But where would I go?
The princes would chase after me, there would be no place to hide and if the priestess was telling the truth, rejecting them meant death.
Not just for me but for all of us in the pack.
The ceremonial hall came into view soon and my feet stopped moving.
I could not go in there.
My mother yanked my arm forward.
"Keep walking," she hissed.
"I cannot breathe," I whispered.
"Ayla... do not start this"
I forced my legs to move. One step after another, my stomach twisted into a knot so tight I thought I might be sick right there on the stone floor.
I saw the princes as soon as we got to the door.
They were waiting
Ares stood with his back to me, leaning against the wall with one shoulder braced against the stone. His arms were crossed and he was speaking in low tones to Cassian, who stood facing him with his silver-white hair catching the torchlight like strands of moonlight.
Cassian was listening, nodding. His blue eyes were soft, focused on his brother.
It was Damon who saw me as soon as I walked in.
For the first time since I had known him, he looked completely speechless.
His jaw dropped and a low whistle escaped him, drawing the attention of the others.
I heard Cassian inhale sharply, his blue eyes widening slightly as they swept over me.
But it was Ares’ eyes that pinned me to the spot.
They moved over me slowly, starting at my bare feet, trailing up my ankles, over the curve of my hips where the fabric clung, up across my waist, my exposed collarbones, the hollow of my throat.
His gaze was like fire raking across my skin, leaving trails of sensation that I had no business feeling.
I felt my breath catch in my throat but I could not look away from him.
A small smirk curved his lips and something inside me tightened.
My mother released my arm and stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"My lords," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I present my daughter to you. May the Moon goddess bless this union."
Then, to my surprise, she pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"Be good" she murmured against my forehead.
She sounded almost motherly.
If not for the bruising grip she had left on my arm moments earlier, I might have believed it.
The sound of her footsteps faded into the night, leaving me standing alone in the entrance of the ceremonial hall, facing three men who were about to become my mates.
Cassian stepped forward, clearing his throat, his blue eyes searching mine.
"You look beautiful, Ayla."
My heart thumped so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.
No one had ever called me beautiful before.
I opened my mouth to respond but was caught off by Damon’s scoff.
"So what?" he continued, stepping forward, his amber eyes burning with contempt. "They bathed her and put her in a pretty dress and suddenly we are supposed to be okay with this?"
His gaze swept over me with barely concealed disgust.
"Do they think we are just supposed to forget what she is and stick our cocks into her because fate said so?"
Humiliation burned through me.
I felt the heat crawl up my neck and spread across my cheeks. My hands trembled at my sides. I wished the ground would open and swallow me whole.
I dropped my gaze to my bare feet, staring at my toes against the cold stone floor. I could feel the tears threatening to fall but I swallowed them down.
"You need to shut the fuck up sometimes." Ares’ voice rang out.
My head snapped up.
He was standing so close to me now. I had not even heard him move.
His cold green eyes fixed on Damon with a coldness that made me shiver.
"I have seen the girls you stick your cock into, brother and I would pick Ayla over them any day."
I was so sure I had stopped breathing.
A tingling sensation danced across my skin and my stomach fluttered.
Damon scoffed. "Whatever. Let us just get this over with."
Ares turned to me now and put out a hand.
"Shall we?"
I stared at it.
I thought about the fact that I had no choice but I also thought about the way Ares had defended me.
I reached out. My hand trembled as I placed it in his.
His fingers closed around mine and he led me into the ceremonial hall.