I guess I'm engaged

"Stop," he cut me off, his eyes glinting with a dangerous certainty. "Lies don't become you, Amina."

I swallowed hard, the denial sticking like a lump in my throat. The walls seemed to inch closer, trapping me within the confines of his certainty and my own deceit.

"Believe what you want," I managed to say, though my words lacked conviction. I felt stripped bare under his scrutiny, any pretense of control slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.

Will paced slowly, deliberately. "You don't get it, do you? I've been watching you for some time now. Observing every little detail. It's not just about what you did with... him." His lips curled around the last word with disdain.

"Watching me?" I whispered, feeling the chill of his gaze like a shadow across my skin.

"Indeed," Will confirmed, his voice chillingly calm. "And I know much more than your indiscretions, Amina. I know your secrets, the ones that could ruin you."

My heart raced, panic clawing its way up from my stomach. What else had he seen? What else did he know?

"Let's talk about the werewolves," he began, and I flinched as if he'd struck me. "How their pups were almost slaughtered because the hunters knew where to find them. Now, who would have passed along such crucial information?"

I stared at him, frozen, the accusation wrapping around my heart like a vice. He stepped closer, his presence looming over me.

"Who else but you, Amina? The one so desperately in love with a creature of the night. The one who would betray her own kind to protect her forbidden love."

I opened my mouth to protest, to deny his claims, but the truth was a heavy stone in my belly. Yes, I had warned the pack. But it was to save lives, not to betray...

"Your silence is all the confirmation I need," he said triumphantly. "And now, you see why you will marry me. Because if you don't, your precious family, your father... they'll all know exactly who put their family honor in danger."

He was blackmailing me, holding the lives and trust of those I cared about as ransom. And in that moment, I understood the full weight of the cage that was closing in around me. With each word, Will tightened the bars, ensuring that escape was nothing but a distant dream.

William's eyes glinted with a malevolent satisfaction as he leaned against the mahogany doorframe. "You do realize, Amina, that it's your fault Kazeke was mauled? Your little warning led the pack right to him."

I felt sick, my hands clenching into fists. Kazeke's anguished face flashed before my eyes – a hunter, yes, but young and undeserving of such brutality.

"His family, the entire hunter community... they'd never look at you the same if they knew," Will continued, twisting the knife of guilt deeper into my gut. "They'd cast you out like spoiled meat."

"Then tell them!" I shot back, shaking my head defiantly, anger rising in my chest like a storm. "Go ahead, Will. I don't care anymore." My voice wavered, betraying my attempt at confidence. "I've wanted Shadow for so long, nothing else matters."

The admission hung between us, heavy with the weight of unspoken consequences. But in that moment, I meant every word. Shadow was worth more to me than their forgiveness or acceptance. He was the risk I had chosen to take, no matter the cost.

"Let's not forget the full picture, Amina," Will's voice sliced through my resolve, cold and calculating. "Your family, banished. Can you see it? Your father, an outcast among hunters because of you, choosing death over dishonor."

I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the pouring rain outside. The image of my father, proud and unyielding, flashed before me. Living among werewolves would be a fate worse than death for him. And mother... her loyalty was unwavering; she'd follow him into oblivion without a second thought.

"Your sister, too," Will pressed on, "forced to roam the streets. All because you wanted to play house with a monkey." His words were like venom, spreading through my veins and paralyzing my heart.

There was nowhere to run. The conviction in his voice anchored the threat in reality—a scenario that would unfold if I defied him. Will had laid out a future so bleak, so filled with pain for those I loved, it stole my breath.

"Fine," I heard myself say, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. "I'll marry you."

His smirk told me he had expected no less. To him, this was just another hunt, another prey cornered and conquered. But as I looked into his eyes, I saw only the reflection of everything I was sacrificing. Shadow, my love, my freedom—all traded away for the illusion of safety for my family.

Will's hands cupped my face, pulling me towards him with a possessive urgency. His lips met mine in a grotesque kiss, but I could only taste the bitter tang of coercion. Revulsion surged through me like an electric shock, and I shoved him away with all the strength that despair had left me.

"Remember, Amina," Will sneered, straightening his shirt with feigned nonchalance. "You need to break things off with Shadow by tomorrow morning. And keep your distance from him. I won't marry a girl who's been... tainted. A monkey’s sloppy seconds"

My heart pounded against my ribcage, a frantic drumbeat echoing the turmoil within. The words 'monkey's sloppy seconds' hung in the air like a noxious cloud, and I felt a profound sense of shame at his degrading terms for my beloved Shadow.

"And don't even think about telling Shadow or anyone else about this little arrangement," Will continued, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. "If anything happens to me—anything at all—a letter detailing every sordid thing you've done will find its way to every house in the hunter community."

A cold fist clenched around my heart as he pulled out several photographs from his pocket. They were candid shots of Shadow and me, stolen moments captured through the lens of Will's spite. The images scorched my eyes, each one a blade slicing through the last threads of hope I clung to.

"See these?" Will taunted, waving the pictures before my eyes. "Evidence of your betrayal. Not just to Shadow, but to your family. And let's not forget, I've named your father as the man who betrayed our community twenty years ago."

Tears stung the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. My breath came in ragged gasps as I imagined the consequences of Will's vile threat. My father, the man whose honor was his lifeblood, would be destroyed. And with him, my mother and sister would be dragged into a living hell.

"Shadow doesn't have to know," Will said, his tone almost comforting now, as if he believed there were any solace to be found in his ultimatums. "Just end it quietly. Be smart, Amina. For your family's sake."

I stared at the photographs again, the joy in them now twisted into a dark omen. The love that once filled my chest had turned to ash, leaving behind only the hollow beat of a heart breaking. There was no choice, no escape from the web of blackmail spun with such meticulous cruelty.

"Fine," I whispered, the word barely audible over the thundering silence of my defeat. "I'll do what you ask."

With a satisfied nod, Will pocketed the photographs and leaned in once more, his lips brushing against my cheek in a mockery of tenderness. I flinched away, repulsed by his touch and by the knowledge of the charade I would soon have to play.

"Good girl," he murmured, before turning on his heel and leaving me alone in the room, surrounded by the specters of a future I never wanted—one I was being forced to embrace.