Heads Up

“Dad, can you go without me?” I whisper a second later, clasping my hands over my chest in a plea, “Please. Just go by yourself and tell them that I won’t marry either of them. I don’t want to risk seeing them so soon. I’ll fall apart right there.”

My father closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. He hates when I try to avoid something just because it’s hard.

“Georgette,” he growls, but I continue pleading with my eyes, “They’ll want to talk to you anyway. This isn’t as simple as you want to make it, love. Both Asheron and Cain lead a pack. And both packs want to be connected to us. This isn’t just about the love you all might feel; one of the packs will demand a marriage.”

“They can’t force me,” I retort, frowning at him, “It is about love for me. It’s MY life. And I definitely can’t be with either of them without the other… even though it doesn’t matter because they don’t want me either. Please, at least for this ONE meeting, go without me. I’ll attend the next one.”