When I awoke, I discovered Alaric was now wed. Though he felt guilt when he learned I hadn’t run from the wedding, I told him to divorce Ariel and marry me. He refused.
“Don’t be harsh, Raven,” Alaric said. “Ariel acted for our reputation. How would it look if I divorced her immediately?”
“What about me?” I pressed.
“One year,” he promised. “One year, and then I’ll divorce her and take you as my mate.”
But before that year passed, a strange request came.
“Raven, Ariel wants a child before she leaves. Her dying grandparents have wished for grandchildren,” Alaric told me.
I frowned. “Why involve me? She won’t even stay.”
“Just help her, Raven. She’s your friend, and she’s always been kind to you,” he insisted.
I didn’t understand at first, but Alaric explained, “Ariel cannot bear children. She wants you to carry them, so when she leaves, they’ll be yours to raise.”
I hesitated, but his words persuaded me.
“Don’t worry. Once Ariel leaves, we’ll marry—and the children will be ours,” he promised.
I agreed. I carried the twins for Ariel and Alaric. But before I could deliver them safely, Ariel died in a tragic accident.