My heart pounded in my chest at the very mention of that night all those years ago. A night I had not thought of in such a long time. I mean, why would I? It was irrelevant to me. A night camping out in the wilderness was hardly my idea of a fun time. But, my occasional Nanny, at the time, had taken me there. Me and my friend. Hard to believe we had ever been friends...
"I can't believe we found one another again." Kael's voice disturbed me from my wandering thoughts. This night seemed important to him. Really important. That was why I had gone along with it, and allowed the conversation to flow. The man seemed to need it. And, maybe this was the key to ensuring the marriage went ahead? I pondered once again. I offered him the smile that he appeared to need before nodding.
"Absolutely. Destiny works in the strangest of ways." I told him, only for his brows to furrow this time. I shrugged, unbothered by his confusion or concern, as I allowed my eyes to drift out of the window. All talks of destiny made me instantly think of Jake. I could not help but wonder where he was, or what he was doing...
"Do you think fate is as important as they make out?" Kael suddenly questioned, making me wonder then if he was thinking of his fated mate out there somewhere waiting for him. Was he questioning if chasing a childhood memory was in fact the right thing to be doing? Was he thinking that he should be doing the traditional thing and following fate, like I wanted to?
"You mean waiting for our fated mates?" I asked softly, my mind once more upon Jake. Remembering his striking green eyes and the curls of sandy hair I had run my fingers through. My fated mate. The man the Moon Goddess had decided was the one for me. I shrugged lightly, trying so hard to appear nonchalant, while the mere thought of being without my mate was killing me. "I think sometimes we have to follow our duties too." I had to lie, because I knew that was what was expected of me as an Alpha's daughter, yet the ache within my chest as I was thinking of my mate told me anything but... and the whimper from my wolf too.
Kael nodded, looking at me with a smile. "I think sometimes fate may get things wrong too." He offered, and I found myself frowning. I think the only things I would say fate got wrong for me was my mate's rank. Not that it actually bothered me. In my mind, he was perfect in every way. But to my family he never would be...
"I don't have much experience in it all, so I can't really say." I lied once more. If this was how our relationship was going to be, me lying a lot, then Kael and I would not have a good basis for a bond, I knew that much.
Kael's eyes drifted away awkwardly, before I felt them back upon me. Studying me almost. "Your eyes are beautiful, you know." He said almost seductively. "Such a rare colour."
I smiled awkwardly. So many people commented on the colour of my eyes. A rare colour, as Kael had said. One that was from far back within my family on my father's side. I nodded. "Thank you."
"So I was shocked to see your maid had the same colour eyes." He added, and a flicker of irritation rushed through me. Of course. He had to bring her into it. Had he not done enough by chasing after he earlier? The fact he had noticed her eyes meant he had been paying her too much attention already. He may not be my fated mate, nor the man that I truly wanted, but he was here to marry me. And I was not about to give him up to my fucking maid. I did not like that he noticed her...
I shook my head giving him a disgruntled look. "Those are not her natural colour." I told him with a roll of my eyes. "The girl is jealous. I already explained that earlier. She often tries desperately to be like me. She even dyed her hair blond for a whole month to try to look like me, pathetic, isn't it?" I watched as Kael's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"You mean she wears contact lenses to copy your eye colour?" He asked incredulously.
I offered a sad smile. "Not always, no. She has been told not to. It freaks me out. But yes, she has been known to. She sees the attention they can bring. The comments. I assume she likes the idea that she could gain the same focus. And, when you met her, that was exactly what she was doing. I have warned her not to do it again, so hopefully you will not be seeing that again." I gave Kael a reassuring smile, hoping that would be the last I heard of it.
There were footsteps by the doorway, and the scent of my father hit my senses, immediately making me recoil. He was the last person I wanted to see. But, he strode into the room with a smile upon his face. "Hi, Kael, nice to see you again. Hope my daughter is being the best host she can be."
Kael nodded, offering what could only be described as the most forced smile I think I had ever seen. "She is, thank you."
"And are you enjoying yourself? Is there anymore we can do for you? I know my daughter is somewhat lacking in the brains department at times, so if there is anything else we can do to make you more at home..." My father began, as humiliation washed over me. Nothing like showing me up.
"Your daughter is doing a fine job. We are currently discussing our marriage plans, actually." Kael interrupted him with a lie, and a smug expression upon his face, but his words stopped my father in his tracks.
I could not help but notice a shift in my father's body language. He seemed to relax somewhat. He looked to me with almost a warmth within his usually cold eyes. And his face broke into a smile. He was looking at me with what actually looked like happiness, and pride. "That sounds perfect." He said with a nod. 'Well, well, well, Gracie, it seems you are capable after all. Good girl.' He added through the mindlink so only he and I would hear. 'Keep it up. You will be an Alpha's wife before you know it.'
I could feel Kael watching me, but I did not care. My eyes were on my father. He was looking at me differently. I was sure of it. All these years of feeling like a disappointment to him, and now, I finally felt like I had made him proud. The pain in my chest from losing Jake may just have to be a casualty of that...