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“Ah, my daughter, you’re awake. Good.”
I narrow my eyes at him, refusing to let him see any of the weakness or fear I may be feeling. The truth is I'm terrified. After all this time, I have no idea what to expect. Taking a few steps towards me, he chuckles.
“I hope you don't mind the minor adjustments I made to your bed. I must say, I’m proud of you for managing to evade me for so long. Make no mistake, you were always going to end up back here. As Rogue's leader, it’s my responsibility to ensure the future leader fulfills her duties to the society.”
Of course, all he cares about is this stupid fucking society. He doesn’t want to know where I've been or what sort of struggles I’ve encountered. He fishes a small key out of his front pocket and walks over to uncuff me from the bed. I rub my wrist, easing the pain from when I pulled at it.
“Get yourself together and meet me in my office. You have five minutes. If you’re not there willingly, I’ll send someone up here to drag you down. Your fiancé will be meeting with us momentarily to discuss your upcoming nuptials. I believe six and a half years is enough time for you to roam about and have your fun. You and Damien will finally be wed, and there’s a lot of planning that needs to be done. This will be the biggest celebration Rogue has seen in years, after all.”
He walks out the door, leaving it open behind him, expecting me to follow along like a lost puppy. Once I hear him reach the bottom of the steps, I let my mask fall, and the emotions flow out of me. The weight of everything that happened over the last 24 hours sinks in. Kyler is likely dead. I am back in my father’s grasp and about to be forced to marry a stranger. It's Déjà vu. It was all for nothing.
I can’t afford to let anyone see me like this, so I walk into the ensuite bathroom and splash my face with cool water, washing away any evidence of the tears I just shed. Straightening my shoulders and lifting my head high, I take one more deep breath before walking out of the room and down the oak staircase to my father's office. I stop at the landing for a brief moment.Once I’m sure I have myself put together and the mask is fully in place, I turn towards the first door on the right.
The door is ajar as I walk up to it. Everything looks just as it did before. My father is sitting at his desk, writing something in an old-looking notebook. I saw him use it a few times when I was younger, but he never let me see what was inside. I got curious one night and came in here to peek at it before realizing he kept it locked in the small safe hidden behind the bookshelf. He sees me standing there, closes the notebook, and motions for me to come in and take a seat. I walk over to the winged back, faux leather, dark walnut-colored chairs across from his desk.
“Thank you for being prompt with your presence, Callie. It's nice to know you still have the ability to follow directions.”
I don’t bother responding to him because I know he doesn’t give a shit about what I have to say anyway. I just sit there, continuing to scowl at him.
“It really is a shame we lost all those years together,” he says. “I was so sure that you were close to completing your training. You were shaping up to be the perfect leader for Rogue. It seems we'll have to start training again to ensure you’re up to the standard of the position.” I just stare at him, refusing to give him any sort of emotion besides disgust. After a few moments, there is a light tap on the door frame that leads into his office.
“Yes, yes, come in.” Keeping my eyes on my father, I hear footsteps shuffling into the room before stopping in front of the chair next to mine. Slowly, I peel my eyes off my father and look over at the man standing next to me. What the hell?
Chapter 40
Callie
“Julian?” I whisper, jumping out of the chair and flinging myself into his arms. For a moment, I feel a small sense of safety and security. My father didn't kill him, and he found me again. He's going to get me out of here.
Realization begins to sink in, and something about this isn’t right. Why would Julian be in my father's office, in my childhood home, in the middle of Rogue's compound? My father killed Maxton for threatening his precious kingdom. There’s no reason for me to believe he wouldn't do the same to Julian. I push off him, frantically moving backward, tripping over myself, and falling onto the floor next to the chair I was just sitting in. My heart is pounding, and I don’t know what to do besides look back and forth between my father and Julian.
My father sighs and looks over to Julian, motioning at the chair beside me. “Damien, thank you for joining us. Please excuse my daughter’s rash behavior and take a seat. We have things to discuss.”
“My pleasure,sir.”
Damien? Why is my father calling him Damien? Thoughts rush through my mind at a million miles an hour. Oh my god, there’s no way.
“Callie, get off the floor and sit down. Now.” My father snarls.
I look over, glaring at him as I rise to my feet and step back over to my chair, flopping down in it. Upon sitting, Julian or Damien, whoever he is, reaches over and grabs my hand, interlocking his fingers with mine. I try to pull away from him, but his grip tightens forcefully. His hold is tight enough now that I know there will be bruises there tomorrow.
Letting it go, I look back over at my father with a newfound fierceness in my tone. “Would someone like to clue me in on exactly what the fuck is going on?”
Ignoring my question, my father looks over at Damien. “We’re here to discuss the upcoming wedding and what will be required of you both before the event occurs. I'll be quick as our dinner reservation is rapidly approaching, and you know how I feel about tardiness.”
My father looks back at me. “This is Damien, your fiancé.” My face drops. I’m exactly where I was all those years ago, and this time, there’s no escape.
“The two of you will be wed in three months. I know that's not a ton of time to plan a grand event, but given Callie’s track record, I’d like to have this done as soon as possible.” Glancing back in Damien’s direction, he continues, “Since you’re now my second-in-command, I’d like the event to be bigger than weoriginally planned years ago. I trust you can manage making the tweaks and confirm the more finite details. Being that we cannot trust my daughter to leave this compound, I’ll have a stylist come to us with a variety of dresses she can choose from and have fitted.”
Like I give a fuck about a dress. There is no way this wedding is happening if I have any say in the matter.
My father continues rambling on. “This will be the biggest event the majority of our community will attend in their lifetime, outside of the next leader being initiated, so we must live up to the expectations of grandeur. I want invitations finalized and sent out by the end of the week.” Damien nods at his request.
“Callie, you will be present and smiling throughout the next few months. The society will have questions upon seeing you’ve returned to the compound. When you left, the people were informed you requested some time away to live freely before stepping into a more formal role within the community. They are under the impression that you’ve been living in unison with Damien at the international chapter, and they will continue to believe that. If, for any reason, you make it seem like the two of you are anything less than a happy-in-love couple, you will be confined to your room until you say I do. Being that you spent a year together with him under the guise of Julian, this shouldn’t be an issue for you. Draw inspiration from your previous time together if you must.”
He pushes his chair out from behind him and proceeds to stand up. Glancing once more at me and then Damien, he says blandly, “Now that everyone understands the expectations required of them, I’ll give you two some time alone to get reacquainted before dinner. Damien, please bring Callie to the dining hall at 7pm.” My father then walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.
I look over at Julian, I mean Damien, and stare at him blankly. He releases my hand and stands up to walk over to me. Everything my father said hits me all at once. He’s my father’s second? When did this even take place?
