Page 13 of His Sold Fated Mate

I turned back to him and crossed my arms. “Are you about to say that it’s going to be that much harder?” The idea of giving up one bad situation for another wasn’t my idea of being free. I couldn’t just stop trying because things got more complicated.

He shook his head. “No. I don’t have time to constantly keep my eyes on you and try to keep you here. You were enough of a pain in the ass during the drive. I’m not going to imagine how exhausting it will become after a week.”

I swallowed. “So, you’re saying I’m free to go?”

“No,” he shook his head. “If you try running away again, I’m driving you back to the bar and letting someone else pay for you. I’m not throwing away twenty thousand dollars. If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine. I’m not going to waste a ton of time on you.”

I felt like someone just threw water down my spine. “So, you’re saying I’m a prisoner.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not a prisoner.”

I ground my teeth together. “I’m not free either. So, sounds to me like I’m a prisoner here, Klaus.”

He ground his teeth together. “I don’t have all day to argue with you about this, Aubrey. If you want to leave, I’ll bring you back. But from how you reacted, I’m a much better pick than anyone else who was there. Or, did you forget the entire trip up here?”

I hadn’t. I kept waiting for something to happen, for him to pull over and hit me, for something to snap, and his calm to dissolve. He was cranky and irritated, but Klaus wasn’t mean. He didn’t even raise his voice. He just stated facts as they were.

I couldn’t help but picture all the things that could go wrong. Mike was always telling me I was lucky. He would tell me that he didn’t force me into darker things that others were into. That he didn’t beat me as badly as he could.

But the idea of being here, being forced into a marriage. That seemed almost worse. That was legally binding. This left a paper trail, and I couldn’t run from that.

I shook my head. “I can’t marry you, Klaus. I don’t even know you.”

Klaus sighed. “It’s just until the pack is healed. Once that’s done, you’ll be free. You won’t have to stay here anymore after that.”

I didn’t believe him. “You’re lying.”

“Why the hell would I lie about that? You think I want this? I have a pack to run, Aubrey. I don’t have time to waste. So, what’s it going to be?”

“You can’t give me time to comprehend this?” I looked around. “Everything you’re throwing at me? You literally pulled me here overnight and expect me to make a decision like that?”

“I don’t have time. Make your decision, Aubrey. You either go inside with me, or I’m driving you back.”

I stood numb. I couldn’t fathom staying here. I didn’t even want to think about what I was getting myself into. But I couldn’t stomach going back even more. I don’t know what deal Mike made, but he wasn’t planning on me staying with whoever purchased me for long.

I was hours away from Mike, and if I wanted my freedom, this was a step in the right direction.

I swallowed and straightened my shoulders. Because in the end, I didn’t have any other options. “Fine,” I said.

“Great,” Klaus said, grabbing my hand. “Let’s get married.”

The ceremony was quick, if you could even call it that. The members from earlier were council members. They didn’t introduce themselves. They just stood there while Klaus and I stated our vows. I could feel their eyes on me as Klaus spoke. My head was blank. I could hardly think, let alone process what was going on.

“You are now wed,” the priest stated, offering us a tight smile.

I pulled my hands from Klaus and took a slow breath in. Klaus turned to another guy just a step behind him. “Aubrey, this is Cal, my Beta. You saw him earlier today. He will be an extra set of hands you can use.”

Cal offered me a softer smile. Unlike Klaus, Cal seemed more approachable. He had a softness to him. He wasn’t as tall or muscular as Klaus, but he wasn’t someone I’d want to pick a fight with either.

“I threw a party together.”

My eyes widened. “You what?”

“You’re joking,” Klaus added.

Cal shook his head. “I’m not. The council advised it. It’s a way for the pack to get to know Aubrey. I didn’t agree with it, but I wasn’t going to argue with the council. I tried to make it short so you don’t have to stay long.”

“Klaus doesn’t even know me,” I stated. “Why should the pack?”