The Untold Forest by Elisa Menz (web ebook reader txt) 📗

gave her the answer. She never visited a more ostentatious temple of prayer. Another pinch went to the magnificent outfits the lady and her companions wore.

Lady Callum’s new schtick was criticizing Maeve. “Sweetheart, did you know I knew your mother? What a perfect lady! How come you didn’t inherit any of her talents?”

Maeve clenched her teeth to contain a scathing answer and put together her most correct smile. “I’m very sorry, lady Callum. Embroidery is not my specialty, although my mother always told me it was the best way to empty one’s mind.”

Oops! Maybe she hadn’t been so correct, but the double meaning of her response went unnoticed to the lady. She left her with a nasal chuckle that made her cringe. Lady Callum clicked her tongue in disapproval before walking away to check the embroidery of one of her ladies. The girl seemed to have embraced the emptiness in her mind entirely.

“So sad!” The hefty lady carried on. “Embroidery is one of the most respectable arts, and you can never consider yourself a genuine lady if you don’t master it. I guess Kieran must find other qualities in his wife.”

“Betrothed...” Maeve muttered. The idea of becoming Kieran’s wife made her shudder.

He was the worst of them all.

Kieran behaved like a gentleman on the day of her arrival. He helped her climb down the carriage while welcoming her with a warm smile. Maeve even though he was fairly attractive. He was a young man, two years older than her, and he did not share his father’s plump features. The years would affect his appearance, but that didn’t matter to her. Maeve only hoped her husband would treat her with respect and affection.

During their first family dinner, Kieran showered her with kindness, and they held a cordial conversation. Maeve allowed herself a couple of smiles, and her discomfort dissipated. Some of Kieran’s friends—heirs of noble families spending the season—hid their snickers while watching their exchange. She assumed they were being immature.

But the genuine nature of her fiancé came to light soon after.

If Maeve considered Lord Callum arrogant and malicious, his offspring was nothing short of insufferable. Kieran somehow inexplicably inherited all the character flaws of both his parents and merged them into his violent personality.

The servants avoided him as much as possible. Kieran never asked for anything without yelling and name-calling. His so-called friends were not safe from his cruelty, constant victims of degrading jokes and caustic comments. Horrified, Maeve witnessed how his bullying drove a young man to tears. When she called him out on his behavior, he chuckled and pinched her cheek with a little too much force.

The other boys never stood against him. Kieran had a way of talking and carrying himself that exuded dominance. In a more worthy individual, she could consider it a positive trait.

Unfortunately, the young Callum held no interest in getting along with anyone. After a few months of living among them, Kieran’s ability to survive astonished Maeve. Then again, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t understand how everyone around Kieran refrained from bashing his head. He seemed to expect the same blind obedience from Maeve, but she soon made clear he was not engaged to a submissive and brainless girl.

“Maeve! I’ve been calling you for hours! Why don’t you join me when I say?” he shouted.

She didn’t hide her annoyance and didn’t bother to look up from her book.  The Callums owned an impressive library, and since none of them cared about reading, it became one of Maeve’s sanctuaries.

He stood in front of her, arms crossed, waiting for her to acknowledge him. Maeve made no move. Kieran needed to learn a little humility.

After a moment, his face took on a reddish tone, very like his father. Losing his composure, he snagged the book from her hands and threw it away. “Kieran! I was reading it! I already told you, if you need to talk to me, you approach me calmly. Don’t holler.”

“And I don’t want to repeat that you must obey me, damn it! You will be my wife, and I will not tolerate your disrespect!”

Maeve let out an unladylike snort. “We can do this every day, Kieran. I will not grow tired, even if they marry us. Do not believe for a moment I will accept you to—”

She was forcefully silenced. Kieran’s hand covered her mouth with a smack and pushed her hard, causing her head to hit the back of the chair. The impact made her gasp and squeeze her eyes. When she opened them—shocked by Kieran’s aggressiveness—she found his face only a few inches away. His disdainful stare showing nothing but malice.

“You... are... going... to... obey me.” The loathing in Kieran’s voice sickened her. His hand clenched, conveying all the contempt his eyes struggled to burn in her mind.

Was this the man with whom she would share the rest of her life? Did she have no choice but to accept a union with that horrible family?

Not even her father had found a better alternative, and the injustice of it all made her blood boil. Angry tears flooded her eyes, but Kieran interpreted it as fear. He smiled wickedly for a moment before releasing his painful grip and caressing her face. “Aww... shush sweetie, don’t cry. You just have to understand your place, and I will treat you like a queen.”

Maeve’s mind froze. Her body throbbed with the need to push him away, but she could not react without landing herself in the worst situation, so she gaped at him while trying to find anything to say.

“I know! I will bring you a magnificent gift! I know we have had some disagreements, but soon you realize you should be on my good side, my darling.”

Kieran left the library feeling victorious and leaving Maeve alone and in shock. She rose to her feet and let out a bitter howl. If someone in the castle heard her, they didn’t care.

CHAPTER VI

THE HUNT

Hakken

The morning after his encounter with the wolves,