Chapter 13

13

THORAK

M y stomach drops as my parents weave through the crowd, their faces stormy. Beside me, Mariah tenses.

"Thorak, what's going on?" she whispers, her hand finding mine and gripping it tightly. Her touch sends a jolt of heat through me despite the dread churning in my gut.

Before I can respond, Gruna appears at my elbow, her eyes wide with panic. "I tried to stop them, but they heard about the event tonight and insisted on coming to show their support."

I swallow hard, my mouth going dry. This is the absolute worst timing. I'm not going to be able to hide my "relationship" with Mariah. And the thought of me being engaged to a human? It's sure to send them into a rage.

I square my shoulders as they approach, Ma's eyes narrowed and Da's jaw clenched beneath his beard. I paste on a welcoming smile.

"Ma, Da. I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

"We wanted to surprise you," Ma says tightly, her gaze flickering to Mariah. "But it seems you're the one with the surprises, Thorak. Who's this?"

Her tone is sharp, accusatory. Mariah stiffens beside me but she stands her ground, meeting my mother's glare head-on. Her fiery defiance is so damn sexy. It takes all of my self-control not to grab her and kiss her senseless, audience be damned.

Robert looks over curiously and my pulse quickens. I have to play this right or the whole charade will fall apart. I slide my arm around Mariah's waist, pulling her close.

"This is Mariah," I say clearly, making sure my voice carries. "My fiancée."

The shock that ripples across my parents' faces would be comical if my heart wasn't pounding so hard. Mariah breathes rapidly against my side, her body taut with tension.

Da's eyes flash dangerously as a deafening silence descends over the taproom. "What do you mean, fiancée?" he growls. "You're engaged? To a human?"

I meet his furious gaze unflinchingly. I've never defied my parents so openly before.

"I am," I tell him coolly.

Gods, this is a nightmare situation. I feel horrible for lying to them, even as I want to get this out into the open. I know what their views are, and I don't agree with them. It's just unfortunate that this is playing out so publicly.

And that this inevitable rift with my parents is the price for securing my distribution deal.

Ma gapes at me, her eyes wide. "But what about Ygra? How could you do this to her, Thorak?" Her voice trembles with barely contained emotion.

I suppress a sigh of frustration.

"Ma, we've discussed this so many times. Ygra and I are long over," I say firmly, willing her to understand. "I've moved on. I'm happy with Mariah now."

Mariah's fingers lace with mine and she squeezes my hand, a silent show of support even as tension thrums through her. I glance down at her and my breath catches. She's putting on a brave face for me, for this ruse, but I can see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. It makes me want to gather her in my arms and never let go.

Da takes a menacing step forward, his bulky frame cutting an intimidating figure. "She's a human , Thorak! What can she possibly know of our ways? Of your responsibilities to our clan?"

We don't practice the orcish ways of old anymore. What he really means is my responsibility to have many children and keep the Ironfist line going strong.

Mariah flinches almost imperceptibly and a flare of anger pulses through me. I know my parents' prejudices run deep but I won't let them disrespect the woman I love.

Love . The realization hits me like a war hammer to the gut. I've fallen irrevocably in love with Mariah Parker. And now I'm caught between my duties as a son and my desires as a man.

I chance a look at Robert, who is watching the unfolding drama with a speculative gleam in his eye. I can't let my parents' disapproval jeopardize this deal. But more than that, I can't bear to see Mariah hurt by their callous judgments.

I force myself to breathe, to unclench my jaw. Losing control now would be disastrous.

"Da, you need to back off," I grit out, barely recognizing my own voice. It's taken on a rough, guttural edge I've never heard before. "I won't let you insult Mariah like this."

Even if our relationship is not real, I mean that with every fiber of my being.

"Insult her?" Ma sputters incredulously. "We're trying to save you from making the biggest mistake of your life! How can you turn your back on your own kind?"

Every word is like a serrated blade sawing at my restraint. I want to rage at them, but I know I can't fight hatred with hatred.

Across the room, I catch Gruna's anguished gaze, apology written in every line of her face. I give an almost imperceptible shake of my head. This isn't her burden to bear.

Shifting to block Mariah from my parents' glares, I raise my chin and square my shoulders. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you about us," I say, fighting to keep my tone level. "I knew you'd let your backwards prejudice blind you."

"Thorak, be reasonable—" Ma starts, but I cut her off with a slashing gesture.

"No, you listen to me for once!" The words explode out of me, loud enough to send ripples of shocked silence through the crowd. "Mariah isn't just some passing fling. She's the love of my life, and I'll be damned if I let anyone, even my own blood, disrespect her."

As the words come out of my mouth, all I feel is a sense of...rightness. Completion.

I'm saying these words for Robert's ears. But the truth of them settles into my bones.

Mariah sucks in a sharp breath behind me, her grip on my hand tightening to the point of pain. I don't dare look back at her, too terrified of what I'll see in her eyes.

"I'm going to marry this woman," I continue, holding my parents' stares unflinchingly. "You can either accept that and be a part of our lives, or not. The choice is yours."

For a moment, the silence stretches on, thick and suffocating. My parents stare at me, their expressions inscrutable. There's the weight of dozens of eyes on me, waiting to see how this will play out.

Then, with a disgusted shake of his head, my father turns on his heel. "Let's go, Mor'ghan," he growls.

My mother hesitates, her gaze darting between me and Mariah. Something like regret flickers in her eyes. She opens her mouth as if to speak, but no words come out.

With a resigned sigh, she follows my father out of the taproom, the door slamming shut behind them with a resounding finality.

I let out a breath, my shoulders slumping as the tension drains out of me. Around us, the crowd erupts into a flurry of whispers and murmurs.

"Did you see that?"

"I can't believe he stood up to Krag like that..."

"Never thought I'd see the day an orc would choose a human over his own clan."

Their words wash over me, meaningless noise. All I can focus on is the warmth of Mariah's hand in mine, the steady presence of her at my back. I know I've just made a scene, stirred up enough gossip to keep the town buzzing for weeks.

But I can't bring myself to care. Not when every nerve in my body is singing with the rightness of my declaration.

I turn to face Mariah, my heart in my throat. Her eyes are wide, luminous with unshed tears. But there's something else there too, something that makes my pulse stutter and race.

"Thorak," she whispers, her voice rough with emotion. "Did you...did you mean what you said?"

I swallow hard, fighting the urge to brush away the single tear that escapes down her cheek. "Every word."

And I do. This infuriating, beautiful, stubborn human woman has worked her way under my skin, into my very soul.

I'm in love with her, plain and simple.

Mariah lets out a shuddering breath, a wobbly smile breaking over her face. She opens her mouth to reply?—

And that's when I notice Robert, standing a few feet away, eyeing us with a speculative frown.

I completely forgot he was here. Watching.

My stomach sinks as I think about how close I came to blowing our carefully constructed ruse. I squeeze Mariah's hand in warning, nodding subtly in Robert's direction.

Her eyes widen in understanding. Message received.

"Sorry for the commotion, folks!" I call out to the crowd, forcing a hearty chuckle. "Next round is on me!"

A ragged cheer goes up, the tension dissolving into raucous laughter and chatter. I breathe a sigh of relief, but it's short-lived.

Robert is already striding towards us, his expression unreadable. "I think we need to have a talk," he says, voice low and serious. "In private."