"I am sorry, Mom." Ava suddenly turned around, seeing tears glistening down her mother's face reflecting from the glass window right in front of her.
She rarely saw her mother cry because her father never failed to make her happy. An arranged marriage might be how her parents started, but she had never seen a more loving couple than her parents.
She only wished for something similar to what they have, a marriage that still ended up based on love, but that seemed impossible. Her parents were the exception to the rule.
However, marrying this man would only mean a miserable life for her or worse. She was even afraid to imagine his face. He must look like a monster, suddenly feeling a dread crawling into her skin.
"Please, do not cry." She walked back closer to her mother, enveloping her in a warm embrace. The last thing she wanted was to see her mother and father disappointed with her.
She had grown up being the dutiful daughter. She always felt guilty for being the one who survived when her older brother should be the one that lived.
He was supposed to be the next alpha of the pack. But the unfortunate accident killed him before his time, a fate that devastated them all.
"Do not mind your emotional mother. I am just getting old." Mara laughed, trying to make light of the situation. But despite her effort, she could see through her mother. She was not at all at ease with this situation.
She wrapped her mother in a tight embrace, wanting to savor these few moments with her. Once she married the prince, she would probably rarely see her anymore.
Or, she might not see her mother again. A dreadful chill ran through her spine of her impending doom at the hands of her future husband.
"You are too young to be old, Mom." Avana tightened her hold on her, smiling at what she said, hoping to dispel her negative thoughts.
Her mother might be old if you would base it on the numbers, but her appearance would still fool anyone. She still looked like she had barely hit her mid-life crisis.
"You are too young to be so wise." Mara countered back, kissing her on the forehead. "But you know we have to hurry. We do not want to make them wait for too long." Dragging her back to the vanity mirror.
Her mother looked at her, checking if her makeup was still intact. Then, she assisted her up from her seat and guided her toward the door.
"I guess." She did not want to concede to her fate. But. What else could she do?
Her face dropped to the floor, wishing that her every step was towards her freedom. "I don't want to disappoint father."
She wished to find another way aside from sacrificing herself. But so far, no one could help her, not the scholars and the advisers.
Her father and mother sought out other witches to disprove the prophecy, but no one had the answer. She was left to resign to the future already written for her.
"But you know, sometimes." Her mother stopped her from her tracks, turning her around to face her.
With the tip of her fingers, she curled the tendrils that kept escaping from their bond, rolling them on her fingers. Then, finally letting them spiral freely on her shoulders.
She only looked at her mother, hopeful that her final words would be enough to appease her drumming heart as she stood in front of her, defeated.
"Just like these strands of your hair, some don't wish to be tied. It will fight whatever you pin on it. Eventually, it would escape its bound." But her words only confused her more.
She looked at her mother, unable to fathom what she desired to tell her. Her mother sometimes mumbled words as if she was in a daze. Right now, she believed she was doing it again as she stared into her mother's eyes.
Mara could only smile at her reaction. She might have easily understood her mother's meaning if she was not so distraught about her fate.
"I love you, Avana." Her mother whispered in her ears as she kissed her on her temples.
Then, Mara touched one strand of her hair that grazed her shoulder and showed it to her before letting it fall, free to move around with the wind.
Then, something in her mind clicked. Like a lightbulb just suddenly flicked on and produced a bright light. She finally understood what her mother was saying.
"I love you, Mom." She said, hugging her tightly, but not with tears in her eyes this time. But a lovely, victorious smile on her face.
She could not believe that her mother would do this for her. Give her blessing to what she had been longing to do. She could not do it for fear of making her mother sad, but now, she could see that she also wanted her to do it.
"Are you sure, Mom?" Avana needed some guarantee that she was not misinterpreting what she said. But her nod said it all.
"Go! Before I change my mind." Mara directed her to the other path, away from where the gatherings were ongoing.
Then, with a gentle pat on her daughter's ass, she forced her to make a few steps away from her. "Go!" She told her again. This time, Avana thanked her mother and hesitantly ran.
"Be always safe." Her mother whispered to her as she disappeared into the corner.
But as she was running in the hallway, something made her stop. She decided to go back, doubting if she was doing the right thing. How could she turn away from her obligation? How could she run away from her family and the pack?
She sneaked on the corner of the narrow path, looking for her mother, finally finding her walking toward the stairway. Then, her mother halted by the window.
"It is now your turn." She heard her mother say, looking up to the sky outside the window. It appeared her mother was daring the heavens to challenge her decision, to make their next move.
Her mother had just shown her how tough she was, making her admire her courage even more as she faced her fear without hesitation. Suddenly, it also ignited the fire in her.
With a new determination, she turned around. She ran on her way to her freedom without looking back this time.
***
As soon as Mara sensed her daughter was already out of the house, she squared her shoulders. Then, she started moving again towards the top of the staircase.
This time, she knew many would hate her for destroying the treaty for peace. She could only hope that her husband would be able to forgive her someday.
But her daughter was right. They could not use her as a pawn in their games. She was not the answer to what was happening to their kind and the rest of the species.
She now defied fate and the prophecy. She dared whoever was controlling them to make their move against her. But she would not allow them to use her daughter anymore.
Judging from the noises downstairs, she believed that the King and the Prince had already arrived. All that was left for her was to cancel the celebration. She had to end the wedding plans that her husband should never have arranged in the first place.