The Prince's Fiancée | ✔

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 is dedicated to Jamin219 and basically_silent

Thank you for your support ❤
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Ashton's POV

The soulmate party was an extravagant affair. Loud and vibrant; everything I didn't need right now. Hailey was beside me chatting away but I wasn't really listening to her.

I couldn't see the king, but I could feel the throbbing headache that his ability caused, a reminder of the deal I'd made with him. Ever since that day, he'd made sure to keep a steady stream of pain pulsating through my head. When I was younger, I thought that no-one on Earth could possibly be worse than my grandfather. I was wrong.

Hailey tugged at my arm, probably sensing that my attention was elsewhere. I gave her a small smile and that was enough for her to keep the conversation going. I stifled a sigh.

This would have been comical if I had not been the one in this position. Standing beside her felt like such pathetic façade. We weren't even soulmates, but I had to be here tonight. It had to be some sort of punishment.

She suddenly turned to me with excited eyes. "When will you mark me?"

I stiffened ever so slightly. Marking between non-soulmates wasn't permanent. The marking had to be redone every year and could only happen after both persons had rejected their own soulmates. Needless to say, I wasn't in any hurry to do it. I offered her another smile and she grinned back and struck up another conversation. God, I needed a drink. This girl was going to drive me crazy.

I tried to tune her out and focus on something else. My eyes wandered through the crowd of people, all happy with their soulmates, and I felt a pang of sadness and anger. Was this how Jackson felt after losing Grace? No, his pain had probably been much worse after having the bond with his soulmate suddenly severed like that. At least for me, Elizabeth was still alive.

I allowed my eyes to roam the many unfamiliar faces. I shouldn't look for her, I tried not to, but like a moth to a flame, I was drawn. How could I not see her when she was shining so brightly? I'd already seen her a few minutes ago, but seeing her again, she somehow looked even more beautiful. The crimson satin of her dress made her skin glow and the material hugged her delicate curves in a way that made me jealous.

She was standing next to Jun, who was sulking a bit while Kris and Diana fawned over each other. She looked... uncomfortable? Was she cold? The party was outdoors so she probably was cold... That thin dress must not be offering enough warmth. What if she got sick? I itched to give her my jacket, or hold her close.

She shifted a bit and then glared at her heels and I stifled a laugh at her obvious contempt for the shoes. I shook my head to clear her from my thoughts, and forced myself to look somewhere else.

I spotted my mother somewhere to the left, congratulating Kris and Diana. She would stay away from us tonight. There were few people that she did not fancy, and Hailey was one of them. She had congratulated me earlier about finding my soulmate, emphasizing that she was talking about Elizabeth and not Hailey.

A sudden feeling of irritation washed over me. My eyes snapped back in Elizabeth's direction. Who was he? I could sense his rank... a Zeta. I watched in disbelief as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, making sure his hands lingered on her cheek. She shied away from him, her face going as red as her dress. I loosened my tie, suddenly feeling hot.

He was unmarked, so why was he here? Did that idiot Zeta come to a soulmate party just to flirt? Sure she was unmarked, but she was a human! There must be a good reason why she was there! A low growl escaped my throat and my canines extended slightly.