The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn

~CLARA~

"You're home late today." My mother says as I walk into the house.

I nod, "I wanted to spend more time with Scarlett since she hasn't been well lately."

She smiles, "I'm so proud of you for looking after your sister."

I would have responded if that was the only reason I spent so much time at the Prince's residence.

The truth was even though I wanted to help take care of Scarlett while she was ill, I also wanted to get a glance at Alaric any chance that I could get.

"I never thought your sister would marry Carter," she continues. "I always thought that you would marry him. However, I'm happy that you're okay with how things ended up between the two of you. I didn't think I would like Carter after how he treated you, but I must say that I like how he treats Scarlett. I hope he keeps it up."

I also was happy with how much Carter loved my sister. I was afraid at first that he was using her, but now I knew his secrets and why he mistreated me in the first place. I understood him much more than I did in the past.

In fact, I was happy that Carter broke my heart. If we were still together, I believe the both of us would have been miserable.

There was also the fact that I would have never realized I was attracted to Alaric if I was still in a relationship with him.

I've always admired Carter’s older brother in the past. Seeing the way he took care of Carter and the rest of his siblings always made me fascinated by him. I never thought that fascination would ever lead to something more. Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

"Your father told me that Alaric is divorcing his wife." My mother continues.

My eyes snap to hers at the mention of Alaric. She rarely ever mentions him.

"I've heard that as well from Scarlett," I say, pretending that I was the least interested in this conversation.

I didn't want my parents to know I was crushing on him.

"It's really sad." She says. "Alaric has been married to her for some time now. I don't understand why they're splitting already."

"Have you met Nicole?" I ask her.

She nods, "I've seen her around, but I can't remember conversing with her."

"If you speak to her at least once, you'll understand," I tell her.

She looks surprised by my words.

"I'm exhausted and must wake up early tomorrow morning," I tell her. "I'm heading to my room. We can speak about this another time.”

I didn't want to hear anything about Nicole. Just the mention of her name angered me. She didn't deserve someone as sweet as Alaric. He was too amazing for her.

Even now, I didn't understand what Alaric saw in her except for her beauty. She had no other good qualities about her.

As I walk into my room, I look at the fabric on my bed.

Alaric's shirt was laid neatly on top of my pillow.

I walked over to the bed and took his shirt into my arms. I lifted it and pressed my nose against it. I inhaled deeply; I could still smell him.

Right after Carter woke up from almost dying just a few days ago, Scarlett told me everything I had missed while I was unconscious.

She said that after Fox had attacked me and I'd shifted back to my human form completely naked, Alaric had shown up not too long after.

And then, like my own personal hero, he covered my body with this shirt to shield me from everyone else. I remember how shocked I was when she first told me this. I couldn't remember much about that fight, but I remember opening my eyes a few times and seeing Alaric holding me. At first, I thought it was all a dream. After all, Alaric has been in my dreams a few times already.

However, when I finally snapped out of it, I realized it was indeed him.

I never bothered to wash it. Instead, I kept it in my bed. It was my comfort. I would hold onto it all night and wake up the next day with it still in my arms.

It made me feel closer to him. If anyone else saw this, they would think I'd lost my mind, and maybe I had lost it.

I shouldn't be this obsessed with him. There was no chance of us ever getting together. So then, why was I allowing myself to keep falling for him?

I've always had more control than this. While dating Carter, I've always had control but with Alaric, things were different. He made me want to break all the rules and do anything to gain his attention.

I inwardly groan and bury my face in his shirt.

I was losing my mind.

It was the only logical explanation for all of this.

I had to find a way to control myself. I couldn't keep this up. If I kept acting like this, eventually, others would pick up on my actions. Scarlett already suspected me, and there were already rumors at the academy.

I had to be more careful from now on, especially around Alaric.