The Don's Unwanted Bride

CHAPTER 12

Alyssa’s POV

I don’t know why, but something felt off.

It was that prickling sensation, like a pair of eyes were on me. Watching. Waiting. I opened my eyes slowly, half expecting to see someone hovering at the foot of the bed, but no one was there. The room was dimly lit, quiet, undisturbed. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling.

I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes. The silence was deafening. Maybe it was a dream, or maybe my nerves were just shot. After everything that happened earlier today, could I even blame myself?

I threw the blanket off and rose to my feet. The room felt cold, so I grabbed my veil from the bedside chair and wrapped it tightly around me. It wasn’t enough to warm me, but it offered a strange sense of comfort. Like a shield.

As I stepped into the hallway, the floors creaked beneath my feet, echoing through the stillness of the night. I didn’t know where I was going. I just needed to move.

I walked slowly, not sure if I was looking for something or trying to escape something else. And then, like a bad habit I couldn't shake off, my mind went back to earlier.

His voice still echoed in my head.

“Sleep with me.”

Those words were too bold, too straightforward, and yet, they had sunk deep into my mind like a poisoned arrow. I stood there, completely still, too stunned to even breathe.

What would have happened if I had said yes?

Would he have undressed me slowly, like in the novels I read? Or would he have taken what he wanted, like the ruthless man everyone said he was?

Would he have noticed that I was still a virgin?

My cheeks flushed at the thought, and I pulled the veil tighter around my body.

My experiences were all in books, stolen from my sisters’ shelves, hidden under my mattress. I knew the theory, sure. But nothing could prepare me for reality, especially not with a man like him.

Would it hurt? Would he mock me afterward? Or... would he be gentle?

“Looking for something?”

I jumped, spinning around so fast that I nearly lost my footing. His voice. Again.

There he was, Hayden.

Standing in the shadows, like some silent predator who had been following me all along. His presence was overpowering, and my heart slammed against my ribcage.

“I—” I cleared my throat, “No. I just... I couldn’t sleep.”

He stared at me for a moment, eyes sharp, unreadable. Then, he motioned with his head. “Come.”

“Where to?” I asked, but I followed anyway.

He didn’t answer. He just grabbed my wrist gently but firmly, like he wasn’t giving me a choice. His hand was warm despite the cold, and the contact made my breath hitch.

We walked through the mansion, past the hallways, until we reached the back door.

He pushed it open and led me into the night. The moonlight bathed everything in a soft silver glow, and the cold nipped at my cheeks.

There was a smaller building behind the mansion, one I hadn't noticed before. We passed it in silence, and I followed until we reached an open clearing. And there they were.

Bows. Arrows. Targets in the distance.

“Sit,” he ordered, gesturing to a bench at the side.

I sat, still unsure of why he brought me here. But then, he picked up a bow and knocked an arrow. His posture was perfect, calculated. He let the arrow fly and it hit dead center on the target with a satisfying thud.

I couldn’t help it. I gasped.

“Want to try?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

I shook my head quickly. “No... I wouldn’t know how.”

He smirked. “Try. I’ll give you something if you hit the target.”

My eyes narrowed. “What kind of gift?”

He shrugged. “Try and find out.”

Curiosity and pride pushed me forward. I stood slowly and took the bow he offered. It wasn’t unfamiliar. I had held one like it before.

Back then, before everything fell apart, training was one of the only freedoms I was allowed. My father said a weak girl was a useless girl. So I trained. Daily. And when he caught me, instead of punishing me, he hired trainers.

They weren’t kind, but they were thorough. For five years, I trained in silence, bows, knives, even hand-to-hand combat.

Hayden watched me like a hawk as I lifted the bow. I could feel his eyes on me. My fingers curled around the string. I inhaled. I released.

The first arrow flew. Hit near the center.

His brows rose.

I smiled and fired another. This time, closer.

Then another. And another. Each shot fueled my adrenaline, sharpening my focus. I hit the center three times in a row before I turned to face him.

“Well?” I asked, slightly out of breath. “Where’s my gift?”

He didn’t answer right away. His face was unreadable, but I saw it in his eyes, shock. Intrigue.

“Where did you learn that?” he asked instead.

I froze.

Panic surged in my chest. I hadn’t meant to reveal too much. “I’m... a fast learner,” I replied quickly. “I watched you do it. It made sense.”

He stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “So if I used a gun, you’d be able to fire one too?”

I stiffened, shaking my head. “No. Guns are... loud. Scary.”

He chuckled, his lips curling slightly. “Honest. I like that.”

I looked away, feeling my cheeks burn again.

He pointed to the bench. “Sit.”

I obeyed, and he sat beside me. For a while, neither of us spoke. We just stared at the targets, the arrows still quivering in place.

“You were lying,” he said quietly after a few minutes.

I turned to him, startled. “About what?”

“You didn’t just learn that by watching me. Those shots were too clean. Too perfect.”

I bit my lip.

“I told you I trained a little,” I admitted.

The air between us grew still again. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, it was strange. Heavy. Like something unsaid hung between us.

The cold began to sink deeper into my skin. I curled my legs onto the bench and hugged my knees. My eyes felt heavy.

“Sleepy?” he asked.

I nodded slowly. “A little.”

“You can sleep here,” he said. “No one will disturb you.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but I was too tired to ask. I let my head fall to the side, resting against something soft like a pillow, as I drifted off to sleep.