To Make A Compromise
1367 Words
[Zane’s Pov]
Today’s a brand new day. My anger for everything still exists. Anger is what I’m very used to. It drives me forward. Or sometimes it holds me back. I lay in bed and waited until I heard the sound of the door opening. Roanna.
She’s got new chores to do today. For some reason, I wasn’t happy about punishing her, and I don’t get why. I should be. I have so many plans. So many f*****g plans to make her miserable and unhappy. I want her to suffer.
I rolled onto my back. So why am I upset? I saw how down she looked last night. And Aspen had laid into. I still remember her words.
“You would never change your DNA, you wouldn’t alter what makes you you. I was there for the test, Zane. For f**k sake, that goes beyond being inhumane. She didn’t commit that bit of a crime. Give the girl a break. You’re my best friend, I hate what you’re doing. I get the conquering places and killing for draconia, but what did she do to draconia? Even your worst enemy did not get this treatment.”
I couldn’t even argue my side. She wouldn’t listen. She does have a point. She does know that my enemies have seen a better fate. She could have mentioned Agatha, my aunt. The woman responsible for destroying my childhood had gotten death as her punishment.
Caesar was tortured and killed by Rylan for what he put Aspen through. There was nothing this precise. This was well thought out all because she swapped places with her sister. Asking an alpha to turn into an omega sounds like punishment enough, I rubbed my face. f**k, leave it to my sister-in-law to lay in the guilt.
I sat up, Roanna was there in the slutty apron I’d given her. She does look good in it. Hmm, perhaps there’s a way for us to meet in the middle. I still don’t like what she did. But even I can admit it’s not that bad. Ugh, damn the f*****g guilt.
“Sit. We need to talk.”
She gives me a weird look, she’s expecting me to bring in more punishments. I had plans to do so but I’m holding out on that. Honestly, I think she’s got the worst going for her. I was the i***t who made the mistake of choosing to marry a thief.
I just want a kid. I really don’t think this procedure will work. But if it does.... not the point right now.
“I think we need to reach a compromise.”
She looked surprised, but this seemed to convince her to sit. “How so?”
“I think the punishment of taking your sister’s place is enough. I am willing to try... to be civil. You could die during these tests so why add chores and everything in between.” I say, shrugging my shoulders.
“Really? I don’t have to do chores again? I’ll just... we’ll just... I’m confused.”
So am I. I had plans to just be downright cruel, but for f**k sake, Aspen had a point. And now, I don’t know what to do with Roanna. I was right about saying she may die soon. That part is nothing but the truth. She could die, or she could live.
I should learn to be sort of a nice person. Ugh, I don’t like the sudden shift, and it’ll take time but we could have had a friendship. Until she... honestly, she merely swapped places with her sister. My guard keeping tabs on her family said her sister is dating the guard that helped them escape.
While I’m here working roanna to pay for what they did. I’ve done bad things, I’m aware that I’m not a nice guy. That’s the truth. My brothers and I are conquerors. The world has a good reason to fear us. But when someone annoys me or pisses me off in a minuscule way, I kill them.
I don’t... I should warn Rylan. His wife can lay some heavy guilt. That was how she got Malek to come to his senses.
She laid on the heavy guilt, and now she was doing it to me too.
“I can’t explain it. Aspen laid into me. Look, I don’t like you and you don’t like me. I don’t like the fact that you thought you could trick me. We had a deal, but your family didn’t honor it. But I know that they’re living up the life. Your sister’s got a new boyfriend. She traded being royal for a boyfriend who I plan to kill for betraying me. You and I will find a way to just co-exist with each other.”
She scooted back against the bed and crossed her legs. “My contract says to have a kid, and I am willing to try. I admit, my family makes a bunch of piss poor choices and all I can do is enable them. This one was probably their worst. But if in writing we are temporarily married, then can I ask you for a bit of a favor?”
I wanted to say no off the bat, but I chose to give her a listening ear. “Go on.”
“I don’t know how to live. I protect my family with my life even when they’re in the wrong, I think you do the same for yours. I want to explore Wyndora, and maybe you and I can be friends. Aspen pointed out that we’d have to f**k eventually. Which is what the doctor said as well.”
Right, s*x was a part of this. Why don’t I ever think anything through? I act first. That’s what I do. Thinking is my big brother’s thing. I let him think for the both of us.
She needed to learn how to live, I could introduce her to the Solerian ways. She looks like she fits in her well.
I sighed. She made a good point as well. I would die for my family. Even when they’re in the wrong. I worried so much for Malek when the i***t let himself get sick. Even when he was being a jackass to Rylan. I love my people. It doesn’t matter what happens between us, I will always have their back.
And if they wanted me to swap places with... yeah I would too. I wouldn't say I like logic. There's too much of it. So f*****g much. I hate it so much.
“Let’s try. You’re right. This test could kill me,” She sounded a little less upset saying that. I chose to ignore it. I want to try to work this out but she’s making alot of good points, and I just need a moment to process what I’ve been doing for the past few days.
It made sense at the time.
And so does this. “You think this test will fail and kill you, and you want to spend those last moments learning how to live.” she looked at me with bewildered eyes. “What if it works?”
“We have a baby.” She says, trying to smile at it. Yeah, the guilt is clawing at me for some f*****g reason. I really don’t like it.
“I’ve heard. Go back to your room and get some rest.”
She didn’t hesitate. She must have been really tired. I sat there long after she’d left and tried to understand things myself.
She can’t give me what I really want. There’s a chance she could die. In fact, I think she’ll die. If I go into this with no expectations, maybe we can come out as friends? And if it works, it’s a bonus too.
It just seems like she gains nothing out of this. The anger is gone, and I’m left with something I don’t think I’ve felt before.
Something stronger than guilt. And I don’t like it. It’s going to make me regret choosing to blindly punish this girl for something so small.
I could have laughed it off. Why didn’t I?
- Writer
