77. JALEN

I felt heavy with guilt as I sat in my room, staring at the blank page in front of me. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had let Clarissa down, that I had somehow failed her.

My thoughts kept drifting to the moment when I would have to tell her the truth about what had happened and I felt like a weight was bearing down on me, crushing me with its pressure.

I tried to push the thoughts away and focus on my drawing, but it was no use. The thought of losing her made me feel sick to my stomach.

My dad didn't see anything wrong in what he had done and my mum sided with my dad.

"Jalen, you're acting so irrationally," my dad said, "I don't understand why you're so against this. You need to start thinking about the pack and your future as our king

Marrying Malory would secure your spot."

"But I have marked Clarissa and I love her," I yelled angrily, "You can't force me to marry someone else just for the sake of the pack."

"Love? What do you know about love?" my mum interjected with a scof