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"I love you", I blurted out without thinking and I saw Aloia's face change in an instant.

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"You- what?" I said as I backed away from him.

"Aloia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He said walking towards me and trying to grab my hand, but I pulled back.

"You did mean it. Caspian I-"

"No Aloia, can we please talk about this?" He said cutting me off.

"I- I have to go", I said as I looked around for any of my belongings and trying to pick them up.

"Aloia please, can we talk about this?", he said with tears in his eyes. "You don't have to love to me back but please don't go".

"I'm sorry", I said with tears in my eyes and started to run away from him.

My heart broke into a million pieces as I ran away from crying Caspian calling out my name. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't give myself to another man, only to have my heart given back broken and having to pick myself up again.

The last man to love me was my 'father' who raised Ali and me. What he gave me wasn't love. It was fake, a show for people when they saw it. In reality, if either of us passed he wouldn't care. And here Caspian was ready to give himself over to me completely.

'But men don't want a broken woman', I told myself as I kept running. 'I wouldn't know how to love him.' I reassured myself, 'And he would despise me for it.

I wiped the tears streaming down my face and continued to sob as I ran until I was out of breath.

A million thoughts flew around my mind about Caspian and if I truly could love him in return. I knew from the day we met in the woods we were connected, I just hoped it would go away over time. Maybe it was a mistake. But I realized after our dance in at the most recent ball that it wasn't going anytime soon, I knew then and there we were mates.

But I hoped, I prayed Caspian didn't know. I hoped maybe there would be a chance he had another mating bond with another girl. A normal girl who wasn't broken or damaged. One that could bring him happiness and not despair.

Caspian deserves a happy ending after all that he had been through, and I couldn't give it to him. I needed to fix myself before fixing anyone else.

I looked around my surroundings and realized I had no idea where I was. I crouched down to the ground and started to sob into the back of my hand trying to slow my breathing. that's when I heard a rustle behind me.

"Caspian, please leave me alone. I- I" I tried to say I don't love you to him, but it was impossible.

"Caspian? My my, Aloia you seem to get around." Ares said coming in front of me.

"What the hell do you want Ares? Now it's a good time for your jokes", I replied getting up and sneering at him.

"Well frankly love I couldn't care less if now was a good time or not. You see your dear sister brought it to my attention that you aren't who you say you are." Ares said stepping closer.

"What are you getting at?" I asked him moving closer to face him and not back down.

"Ali love, care to come out?" Ares said with a smirk.

From the corner of my eye, I see Ali come out from behind a tree with a small smile on her face.

"I saw the letter mom left you before she died", she said and I knew I was fucked. "You know you were never good at hiding things. But this, this is something else. I always knew mom loved you the most. Always teaching you piano, but she gave up on me. Always spending more time with you and giving you more attention, father couldn't care less about the both of us of course. But then the ball. Everything I dreamed of was taken away by you. You knew this was a chance at my freedom from the hell we called home. You trained every night, you could've run away and survived but you never had the guts. It was my chance, but of course, selfish Aloia had to take everything away."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked her with a disgusted look. She thought I wanted to become the prince's mate. I did it for . To make sure she doesn't end up with a husband that beats her.

"I always acted nice towards you but deep inside I was holding myself back from killing you. I kept telling myself, 'she will have a death that serves the things she did to me, the jealous she made me feel'. And now I see as you are the only heir to the South, you get a death that fits you perfectly. It will be public, and you'll be getting all the attention you ever wanted." She said stepping up towards me.

I grabbed her by the collar of her dress and pulled her face to mine. "You bitch." I said spitting in her face. "Everything I have ever done was for you. Mom died and I tried to be the best mother figure for you. When I found out my father was going to marry you off to the Pinkerton boy, I stopped it from happening. When father came to the garden claiming he was going to sell you to a whore house, I asked Silas to let you stay in the castle. And what do I get in return?"

I pushed her on the ground and crouched down to her level. "You think the world revolves around you and your sad little life? Well, guess what, it doesn't. I should've let father marry you off to the Pinkerton boy you would have been black and blue, but you would've known your place."

I got up off of the ground and didn't dare look at Ali again. It was like adding salt to an open wound. My own blood turning against me. Caspian wouldn't want a person like this, I did the right thing turning him away even though I knew I loved him. He didn't deserve a person like me, he deserved someone better.

"Enough of the dramatics Aloia love. It doesn't suit you. Guards!" yelled Ares as he approached me.

I took my dagger out of its harness and got into a fight stance. If I was to go down, I would go down trying.

The first guard tried to grab me by the wrist, but I twisted it away and kneed him in the stomach. The second guard came from behind and tried to wrap a blindfold over my eyes, but I stepped on his feet and turned around.

"Fucking bitch!", the guard yelped out holding onto his foot and I smirked.

"Enough!" yelled out Ares. "This is the training I pay for. You can't take down a helpless girl?"

I saw him get into a fighting stance with his hand pulled out in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, fire arose from his hands and I saw him smile at me. There was no way I would be able to beat him unless I suddenly had water powers, which was no way in hell happening.

So, my next option was to run. I turned around and tried to run in the other direction but was stopped by the two guards that I beat the crap out of earlier. They grabbed me by my underarms and pulled me back to face Ares.

"It was a good fight girly, but you are up against a real man this time." He said with a smile.

The last thing I remember was a throbbing pain in my forehead as I blacked out.

'Where the hell did she go?', I thought to myself as I ran back to the castle to try and find her.

I spent an hour in the forest calling her name and trying to find her, but I couldn't find her anywhere.

"Caspian!", I heard Silas yell as I entered the castle.

"Now isn't the right time your royal fucking highness", I replied as I walked to Aloia's room.

"No now is the right fucking time!", he said standing in front of me. "Ali found the letter from Aloia's mom and went into a fit. I guess she went through Aloia's things and found them somehow. She stormed off into my dad's office and told him. I'm guessing they found Aloia because in-"he looked down at his watch and looked back into my eyes with fear "10 fucking minutes there is going to be an execution for someone who committed treason in the great hall. Now I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I am going to go out on a limb here and say that IT'S GOING TO BE FUCKING ALOIA! But HEY, if still is a bad time for you, I guess I could go save the girl's life myself."

"Fuck", I muttered under my breath.

"MICHAEL!" I yelled out and the servant ran into the room.

"Yes sir", he replied in a small voice.

"Call Lorenzo and tell him that Aloia has been found out. Tell him to get to the great hall immediately." I said with a cold voice. I don't care if she loves me or hates me, I love her, and she wasn't going to get away like this. We aren't over just yet.