Chapter 31
Chapter 31
"We need to do something about Cahir," Asena said in a quiet tone after he spoke those words with raging possessiveness in his voice.
I now understood the problem he had with my dress which I did not see anything wrong in. The dress was shorter than I would usually wear but it was not so short that it would make people ogle me as I passed.
I'd heard about the possessive instincts of Alphas. It was something that pushed them – a drive that made them strive to be more powerful in order to be able to protect the things they considered theirs. Some Alphas had it worse than others but Cahir – the words he said still rang in my head as we walked down the stairs with my hand still firmly grasped in his.
"Now you see that he's a dangerous man," I said to Asena. "You see what I have been scared of all this time while all you thought of was wearing his mark!" I snapped at my wolf, my breath hitching.
An Alpha's possessive instinct can make him destroy himself – after he destroyed everything around him, that is.
"He's an Alpha. He is supposed to be possessive but this – I didn't like the way he spoke to us." Asena sounded humble and reserved. "Cahir isn't a man to make empty threats." She said it as if I didn't know already.
How could he get angry that I used my father's last name instead of his? We only mated less than twenty-four hours ago and we hadn't even registered our mating yet! How could he be angry over something like this?
"He threatened us," I said to Asena. "I had my reservations about mating with this man because – we can't handle a man like this, Asena. If things start to go bad – and they will in no time – what am I supposed to do?"
There lay my biggest fear. I was no match for Cahir. Despite him not being my Alpha and having no control over me outside of our mate bond, when he spoke, my wolf had no choice but to comply as she recognized the power in the words of a more superior wolf.
I tugged my hand from Cahir's when it felt as if he was going to crush my bones but he held on even tighter.
"You're hurting me." I whimpered, pulling my hand again. His grip loosened but he did not let my hand go.
"Cahir," I called in the softest voice I could muster as we got down the stairs. "We're mated. I'm not going anywhere," I reminded him. "Cahir," I called again.
It felt like hours passed but it was just a few minutes before he let go of my hand and then snaked a hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Right there, at the foot of the stairs, in plain view of everyone passing, he lowered his lips on mine.
His tongue flicked against mine once, then again, urging me to open up for him. I did slowly, conscious of the many people whose eyes I could feel piercing into my back. His tongue dove into my mouth the second I opened for him. I sucked on it with caution and felt him freeze against me.
His body taut and fraught with tension and bristling anger began to sag against me. I could feel the tension in his body sip out as he kissed me, the kiss slow and tentative as he pushed his hand into my hair.
Panting for air, I broke the kiss. His wet lips and glazed eyes made me rise to my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his tempting red lips.
A man had no business looking this good. His full lips had no reason to be this alluring!
"Perseus is being a stupid dog." The tension gone from his shoulder, his voice went back to its normal state. "You can keep the dress," he said but his eyes flashed after he said that and he gritted his teeth.
I watched him fight an internal battle and because the mate bond made us one, I felt the conflict also making me nervous. I took his hands in mine. His eyes snapped to me and his lips parted for a split second before he relaxed.
"Lauretta!" He barked, startling me. The head of the maids in the Alpha's Castle rushed to stand beside us, her neck barred. I hadn't noticed she was in the room until I saw her rushing towards us.
"Alpha," with her neck barred, she wore a serious expression but when she caught my eyes, she gave me a wink that made me blush and look away.
"Show Sihana around the house. I have work to do." He let go of my hand as he gave that command. I watched him as he walked out of the room, my eyes drawn to his derrière.
"Congratulations on your mating, Luna Sihana," Laura beamed at me, her eyes zeroing in on the mating mark at the side of my neck. Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
"T – Thank you." I found something fascinating on my white shoes as I pressed my fingers to the mating mark. A shot of pleasure zinged through me, making me gasp out loud.
"Mating marks are incredibly sensitive for the first few weeks after mating." She gave me a knowing smile that had me looking away again. "Your wolf will also fight anyone that tries to touch it."
"I know that," I mumbled. While I never had a mother to teach me these things, we had mandatory wolf education. I failed that class because it was the first class every Monday morning and I was always late to school, but I still picked up some things.
A mating mark was a symbol of the sacred bond between mates and a wolf would see an outsider touching their mating mark as a disrespect to their mate.
"Did you like Maribeth?" Lauretta engaged me in conversation as we walked.
"She smiles a lot." I remembered the other girl's large smile and how uncomfortable it made me feel. "It's unnerving."
"The girls are all trying to win your favour so they can become your personal attendant. Be warned, you will meet many more smilers until you pick a favourite from the lot."
Favourite? Win my favour?
I had been tossed into a new world and I was finding it hard to settle into it. There were now people who cared about my existence enough for them to try to win my favour. That used to be my place in Silver Moon pack. The girl that tried to win the favour of others so they could look at me with something other than hatred and disgust. I was the same person who people now wanted to win over.
Lauretta showed me around the ground floor of the house. The place was large and grand. I didn't know how she managed to find her way around. Dressing rooms, visitor's rooms, parlours, and random rooms whose purposes had been forgotten over the years. I counted over ten rooms on the bottom floor alone before we entered a kitchen larger than the banquet hall in Silver Moon pack.
The minute we entered, everyone went silent. The silence made me shuffle on my feet. It was the same silence that used to welcome Avalon every time she entered a room with workers because we all knew she would pick on the first person to make a sound.
"Luna Sihana!" I let out a sigh of relief when the uncomfortable silence broke. I did not want to be similar to Avalon in any way whatsoever.
"Maribeth," I returned her large smile for the first time.
"I told you she likes me!" Maribeth shouted to the girl beside her. "Luna Sihana, would you like some cookies?" As she asked that, she was opening the microwave and bringing out a batch of cookies.
"Luna Sihana, I just picked fresh fruits!" A boy produced a basket of fruits. "Would you like a pitcher of freshly squeezed juice?"
"Warm milk!?" I took a step back as numerous people started to rush forward with different offerings for me.
"Enough!" Laura saved me from the overwhelming experience of having people shoving things in my face. "I am showing the Luna around. If she wants anything, she'll ask. Don't try this nonsense again!" Her eyes blazed as she glared at the people pushing closer to me. They all shrank back with bowed heads.
"We are sorry. We got too excited." Apologies started to pour in but I managed a weak smile.
"It's alright. I appreciate the kind gesture but I just ate. If I want anything else, I will make sure to ask. Thank you very much." I waved then stepped out of the kitchen, letting out a deep breath.
Luna Sihana.
I'd gone from bitch, monster, slut, useless omega, filthy thing, to 'Luna.'
"Laura?" I called out for the woman leading me to the second floor of the castle. "What – How long have you known Cahir?"
"I have known him all his life." Her tone quieted. "Is there anything you want to ask?"
Yes. If I was to take on the daunting task of being the Luna to this kind of a man, I had to know what made him like this.
"Why is he like this?" I asked.