Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

​"A life away from this is the only answer right now, Arianna," he said, desperate sincerity bleeding from his eyes. "We could start all over again, and I promise not to..."

​"And what are you going to do about the heart you broke?" she interrupted, trying her absolute best not to raise her voice. Anyone could wander by at any moment, and if they were caught together in the dark like this, there would be no convincing explanation.

​"I know what I did was wrong and trust me, I never wanted things to turn out like this between us," Ethan said, aggressively scratching at his head and neck as if inflicting pain on himself could somehow earn her forgiveness.

​Arianna took a step back, suddenly unsure if he was even in his right mind. "You can’t even control yourself, Ethan. Is this really how you plan to lead? Your mind is scattered and you have no idea what you actually want."

​"I do know what I want! Trust me, all I want is for you to stop this madness with my father and come back to me," he pleaded.

​"I can’t," she replied, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. It was absurd of him to think she would ever leave Kane for him. "You aren’t half the man he is. Why on earth would I leave such a sweet, honorable gentleman for a foolish rake like you?"

​Ethan looked utterly stunned to hear her describe his father in such a glowing light. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he stepped closer. "Kane will remain a gentleman right up until he finds out the truth about who you really are. I promise you, Arianna, you won’t like what happens when his eyes are opened."

​Arianna swallowed hard as a cold shiver traced its way down her spine. The thought had been weighing heavily on her mind for days. "I am going to tell him the truth tonight. Whatever punishment he decides to give me, I will endure it."

​Ethan clearly hadn’t anticipated her making such a sudden, bold decision. He let out a harsh breath, resting his hands on his hips. "What punishment? Are you stupid? The man is going to execute both of us!"

​"It is still better that he learns the truth now. Whatever comes of it, I am ready to face it."

​Ethan stared at her in utter disbelief, unable to grasp that this was the same woman. Just a few days ago, she was terrified of the king discovering their secret, and now she was actively planning to confess to him.

​It could only mean one terrible thing... and he deeply feared that she was falling in love with his father.

​"Wait... are you in love with my father?" Ethan demanded, whipping around to face her, his voice dripping with rising anger and disbelief.

​Arianna hadn’t even given it proper thought, but as his words hung in the crisp night air, she asked herself quietly... was this truly love?

​If what she felt for Kane was real love, then it was the most beautiful feeling she had ever known.

​She offered Ethan no answer. Instead, Arianna simply smiled, turned on her heel, and walked away from him, stepping out of the dark shadows and back into the soft glow of the camp’s lantern light.

​A light, breathless laugh escaped her lips as she made her way back to Aunt Freya’s tent.

​Inside, Kane was still sitting faithfully by the bedside. Aunt Freya was being carefully fed by Samantha, and the small group was sharing a rare laugh over a joke Kane had just made.

​Arianna stood at the entrance, her eyes lingering softly on him. Her heart ached with profound regret for being so foolish from the very beginning.

If only she had told him the truth from the start, it would have saved them both from this tangled web of deceit. Now, she had no idea what he would do to her once he finally learned about her past with Ethan and all the lies she had spun to keep it hidden.

​She bit her lower lip, fighting back the heavy tears that threatened to blur her vision. She turned to slip away quietly, but his voice called out, stopping her in her tracks.

​"Queen Arianna?" Kane said, confusion flickering across his features. He had been wondering where she had vanished to. "Come, my wife."

​She forced her feet to move, walking over to where he sat. "How are you feeling, Aunt Freya?" she asked softly.

​The old woman gave a single, dismissive nod without uttering a word. Arianna wasn’t offended by the cold gesture—they had never been fond of each other anyway.

​Kane, however, answered on his aunt’s behalf. "The priest said it was the cold. My aunt carries a sickness brought on by the severe chill, and she requires much more warmth to recover."

​"Pneumonia?" Arianna gasped, her eyes widening in realization and concern.

​"Something close to it," Kane said, a faint smile touching his lips. "I know you must be wondering how a werewolf could possibly suffer from the cold, but not all of us are built to withstand extreme temperatures... especially children and the elderly."

​"I see..." Arianna nodded, genuinely feeling sympathy for the old woman despite their rocky past. "Have you thought of a way to cure it?"

​"It requires a preventative method, Princess," Samantha interjected, offering a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "The cold is only going to get worse in the coming months."

​"So what preventative measures have you all taken?" Arianna asked, doing her best to ignore the subtle hostility coming from the wolf beside her. "Have you come up with anything?"

​"Yes," Kane said, standing up from the edge of the bed. He turned to his family. "I am going to take a walk with my wife, Aunt."

​"Should I come along, Brother?" Samantha asked quickly, taking a step forward.

​Arianna silently prayed in her heart that Kane would say no. She desperately needed to be alone with him tonight. Tonight was the night she would confess everything to him—her past with Ethan, the bet, and all the lies—and face whatever terrifying consequences her foolishness had brought upon her.

*****

Ethan couldn’t believe what had just transpired. He stood completely dumbfounded in the dark, wondering if he was trapped in some living nightmare. It seemed obvious now—the Moon Goddess had turned her face away from him, leaving him to be punished for his past mistakes.

​Why on earth would Arianna fall for his father, especially after everything she knew about him? Kane was more than a decade older than her, yet she preferred him?

​Ethan let out a bitter, dry laugh into the silence of the woods. Nothing had been going his way lately, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Selena was the one who had brought this curse of bad luck upon him.

​"What do you think you’re doing, Ethan?" A familiar, deep voice snapped him back to reality.

​Ethan whipped around and found his uncle standing in the shadow of the trees. A cold shiver raced down his spine as the sickening realization hit him: they had been caught.

​"U-Uncle... Cassius?" Ethan stammered, swallowing the hard lump in his throat. He took a hesitant step backward, terrified of what the older warrior might do.

​"You and Arianna?" Cassius asked, his brows furrowed in deep confusion and disgust. He was clearly still trying to process how the two of them had managed to keep such a dangerous secret hidden right under the king’s nose.

​"N-no, Uncle! You’re misunderstanding everything," Ethan stammered, cursing his luck. But deep down, he knew there was nothing he could say to stop his uncle from going straight to the king.

​"Are you still trying to play clever with me?" Cassius sneered, pointing a trembling, furious index finger at him. "Just wait until I present this to the king... you disgust me."

​"I-I was going to tell him the truth!" Ethan tried to defend himself.

​"No, it certainly doesn’t look that way to me. I can’t believe he put his trust in both you and that girl," Cassius growled, brushing past Ethan with furious, heavy strides toward the camp.

​Ethan had no idea his uncle had been lurking in the woods, overhearing their entire conversation. He had brought absolute ruin upon himself. The king was not going to spare him and he certainly wouldn’t spare Arianna.

******

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