Page 36

Back to Asher’s POV

I wake up with a massive headache, so I keep my eyes shut. I slip my hand from under the warm covers to put it on my eyes, and try to remember how I even ended up in bed. Am I in bed? I peek through my fingers to gather my bearings. I am lying on the bed in Cain’s rather dark bedroom. The only source of light is a silver moonbeam, illuminating the fur I am covered with. I mindlessly caress a fluffy fabric…

Wolf!

I shriek and try to wiggle out of Cain’s skinned-werewolf creepy cape, with growing panic. That’s when he leans over the bed and touches my ankle.

“Take it off! Take that thing off me!”

He does take it off, but then lies down on me, trapping me with his body, pinning me to the bed… I suddenly remember everything. Not being able to defend myself from the Rogue King, because of forbidding laws—then not being able to protect myself from the Rogue Prince, because he is my fucking true mate; and it’s literally impossible for me to use my wolf powers against him!

I thrash under him, trying to escape his hold, but he presses his body between my legs and catches my hands to pin them over my head.

He smirks at me, and I become hyper-aware of how naked we both are. He moves up a little and I feel his hard penis on my folds.

“Take. That. Thing. Off. Me.” I practically spit, but he laughs like it is a good joke.

He brushes his nose against my cheek and starts to purr deep from his throat, borrowing his wolf’s power.

“Could you stop acting like a huge cat and just— Mmm,” I moan involuntarily, when he suddenly presses his groin to my core.

My body’s reaction is not helping my situation at all. The bastard chuckles wholeheartedly at me, and puts his forehead to mine—not stopping moving his hips against me.

“Cain, you choked me. If you think you can… Mmm, fuck, stop it!”

I desperately want to push him off me, but he keeps my hands pinned over my head, and I can barely move.

“I don’t think I can stop when I smell your arousal, and feel your reaction on my dick. You are wet, Little Wolf.”

“Well, you don’t have my consent either way, so please get off me.”

He stops moving his hips, which my traitorous body immediately regrets, but he’s not getting off me, torturing me even more.

I look into his deep navy-blue eyes, and that prompts him to crush our lips together in a hot, wanting kiss. I kiss him back, despite knowing it’s wrong on so many levels I can’t keep track of them. When he finally let’s go of my hands, I wrap them in his hair and keep him close, deepening the kiss with my own desire for this handsome, dangerous man.

I love the touch of his tongue on mine, so I get frustrated when suddenly he bites my lower lip and stops the kiss.

“You choked me,” I say again, and he rolls over from me with an equally frustrated sigh.

“I… I’ve never wanted anyone else the way I want you,” he says, lying on his back with a hard dick on the loose.

I keep silent. It feels like my heart wants to escape through my throat. I know if I tried to say anything, my voice would waver.

“I know I said it jokingly, and to mess with you before, but I think I actually might have—”

“It’s just the attraction, probably,” I stop him from another love confession, because it can’t be true. Not if I want to be alive. “We barely know each other.”

I’m fully aware I sound like I am trying to convince myself.

“Well, being married, we will get to know each other pretty well—sooner or later,” he points out, getting up.

“Just… don’t get to know me well enough for me to become your greatest weakness,” I say bluntly to feel him out.

He doesn’t look at me. I observe how he puts his leather pants on his still semi-hard dick. Am I already his weakness? Was that why he choked me yesterday?

I need to break that mate bond of ours sooner than I thought. And I have to hurry in case he gets too curious for his own good again—like that night of my brother’s dinner party, but during sex this time. If he marks me before I reject him, we’ll be bonded forever, and there will be even more evidence against my lie.

“Give me one date,” he insists, after putting a loose black tank top on. Goddess, he looks like a rockstar, and I’m here for it. “I’ll show you we can have fun together, even with me being a cruel asshole.”

I shake my head at his sexy, arrogant smirk and stand up, too.

“You keep asking me on this magical date, but—”

“Sunday.”

I pause.

“You know I don’t behave well when you are acting like two different people.” I look for some kitchen-appropriate dresses in my wardrobe, so I don’t see his facial expression.

“It’s all me. Just me. You know I only do what I want. Don’t overthink it. I don’t do well with mental breakdowns.”

I turn around to look at him. He has a smirk plastered to his handsome, stubble-covered face.

“I think you actually did pretty well,” I admit, taking one of the dresses out and putting it on over my head. “I half expected to be stabbed or something, but you just removed yourself from a toxic situation, and set boundaries as you should.”

He has his left brow arched with clear amusement on his face.

“Look at us, being all mature and stuff,” he says, “Hm, maybe I don’t feel my true mate, because I just don’t have one. What do you think?”

There is this unsettling glint in his eyes that makes me really uncomfortable. Is he still suspecting something? Is he taunting me on purpose?

“I… I think, mate or not, you are enough, and you shouldn’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

And I do believe that, in some weird fucked-up way.

Maybe this realization is why I had my mental breakdown yesterday morning. I was brought up thinking Rogue Alpha Prince doesn’t deserve anything other than a painful death. It was very white-and-black thinking. Then, I actually met the man and discovered all this gray area. The work he does in his office is not so different from what I was doing before marrying him—just on the opposite side of the border. And I toured the Rogue’s capital city enough times to know it wouldn’t be that prosperous, if he wasn’t a good Alpha for his people.

“That’s… very cheesy. But… um, thank you, I guess.” He furrows his brows, and bends down to put his combat boots on.

There is a small knock on our door, and they open shortly after. That’s when my brain registers that there is sunrise already—the room is brighter.

Klara comes in with a tray of food for me .

“Alpha, Luna.” She bows at us, and puts my breakfast on the desk near the sword.

“Thank you.” I take the whole wheat buttered toast in my hand. “Klara, what time do you start working on lunch in the kitchen?”

She shoots me a quick look before bowing her head again.

“Um, in two hours or so, Luna,” she says looking at the floor, and leaves promptly.

“Perfect,” I say to myself, and slip my bare feet into my favorite Chelsea boots.

I try to leave too, but Cain blocks the door with his body. “Where do you think you are going, Little Wolf?”

“Hospital wing? I assume you had to choke me until there was some serious brain damage, if I was out healing almost all night.”

He looks down at me with pressed lips and a frown, as if I was the guilty one here. The nerve of this guy!

When I come back to our room from the surprisingly well-equipped infirmary, over an hour of check-ups later, I go straight to unpacking the rest of my backpack from yesterday.

I take out the trophy we won at the singing contest, and put it on Cain’s desk. I brush my fingers over the small gold plate. Ash and Cain —my mom was brave enough to put his first name on it instead of the title . She seems delicate, but she is a werewolf queen, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

I fish out all the lemons I grabbed at the last moment—before leaving my ex-Kingdom—a recipe from Chef Susan, and slowly make my way to the kitchen. The only doors I know are from the dining hall side, and fortunately they are open.

I put a polite smile on my face and enter.

“Hi, everyone! Alpha asked me to help you with lunch today, so please don’t hesitate to tell me what to do.”

Some of the staff is hesitant at first, but I quickly win everyone over—we all have a nice time; cutting veggies, cooking, baking, and talking about everything and anything. There is electricity in the kitchen just like in Cain’s office, no internet or anything we could use to listen to music though, but there’s no silence even for a moment. It’s loud and homey and warm.

I feel a sting in my temples, so I block Cain’s mind-linking me immediately. I don’t need more headaches in my life, and if he has a problem with it, he should stop damaging my brain whenever he feels like it!

I cut carrots a little bit too aggressively, and almost jump in my seat when Atlas comes in shouting my name.

“What do you want?” I hiss.

“Alpha is looking for you. You cut off his mind link!”

Everyone becomes quiet and I get weird looks, but I notice Klara is smiling under her nose.

“Yeah, I have a migraine, and he was the one who assigned me here. Is there a problem?”

“Luna, we need more thyme. Gamma can show you where it grows,” says the main cook, Greyson, sending me a pointed look.

He doesn’t want us to distract his staff, and I don’t blame him.

I stand up and go outside, with Atlas on my tail.

“Wait,” he stops me as soon as I shudder from the chilly air enveloping my naked arms. “Here.”

He takes off his black pullover sweatshirt, and puts it over my head.

It is warm and smells like his coconut body wash, and feels so wrong.

I thank him and go where he points with a gesture of his hand, until I see a small garden with all kinds of herbs.

“So, what does Cain want?” I crunch near rosemary and thyme bushes.

I immediately feel his hand over my mouth, “Oh, no, you didn’t!”

“What does Alpha want?” I mumble under his big warm hand, probably leaving saliva all over it.

“ Alpha thought you would be too proud to work in the kitchen. That you would come to the office once you were done with the doctor.”

“Well, I didn’t,” I roll my eyes and harvest some thyme, to swiftly go back to the kitchen.

“I’m supposed to be with you the whole day, if you need to go the city or—”

“Or parade in pants in front of the King?” I stand up and look him over. I can’t believe Cain is the one who drew all of the things Atlas has tattooed all over his body. “I have a dress, as you can see.”

“You know, I’ve never seen him scared like that before.”

“What do you mean?” I lift my eyes to Atlas’s face, remembering how they turned into the corridor completely indifferent, and barely looked in my direction. “You just stumbled upon us.”

“Yeah, because Alpha ran off in the middle of the meeting, frantically looking for you, just for fun,” he rolls his eyes.

I’m speechless.

I go back to the kitchen and ask Atlas to come get me after lunch. I don’t want to go to the city; I need to go to the Castle’s library. Alone. But it would be suspicious if I suddenly wanted to go anywhere alone—so I plan to take him with me a few times, until my presence there won’t be uncommon at all.

Servants start to bring dishes and plates out to the table in the dining hall, and I make the final touches on my dessert. Slowly, people are beginning to come in, and soon I see Cain sitting on his throne chair and looking around.

Is he looking for me?

I grab the plate of fresh lemon pies, and a pitcher of water with lemon slices—and go straight to him.

He smiles at me at first, but then looks down and frowns. Does he know that the sweatshirt I’m still wearing is Atlas’s? Is he jealous? Do I care?

I put the plate before him, and lean down to kiss him.

He stops me by grabbing my chin roughly when I’m just an inch away, to smell my face.

“Did you kiss him?” he growls.

I look at Cain dumbfounded.

“Who? Your gamma? Of course not.”

“Because I’m stupid enough to kiss your wife,” Atlas chirps in, and I see from the corner of my eye he sits down between Cain and Claudia.

Cain’s nose flares again.

“Then why do I smell him on your mouth?” he asks with another growl.

“Oh, he… I… I s-said…” I start to stammer.

“Yeah, go on, Luna. Tell our Alpha, what you said,” Atlas doesn’t even try to hide his amusement.

I need to calm down ASAP. I’m a royal werewolf princess. I’m an alpha-blooded werewolf. I’m Rogue Prince’s wife. I’m an alpha-blooded princess. I’m Rogue Alpha Prince’s fucking wife!

“I called you by your first name, Alpha,” I say in an apologetic, but strong voice, “I’m so sorry, it was a mistake that will never happen again.”

Cain looks at me with amusement, and lets go of my chin. I sit down and pour myself some lemon water from the pitcher I brought.

I feel his eyes on me, so I look up at him with a raised brow.

“Cute affirmations.” He shrugs his shoulders with an arrogant smile .

Fuck.

This time I block my mind properly.

“Who baked those?” Claudia asks, shoving one of my lemon pies into her mouth, and saving me from dwelling on my embarrassment.

“I did,” I admit, looking around for Gaia and her baby.

Oh, there she is. Sitting with him on her lap at the other end of the long table, surrounded by some young warriors. They all look like they know each other well.

“Woo can beak?” Claudia is chewing on a big bite, then asks again after gulping it down, “Sorry. You can bake?”

“Yes, my governess asked me to develop a womanly hobby, because throwing knives at a moving target is not very princess-friendly. I thought baking at least gives me an excuse to eat more sweets.”

Claudia bursts out laughing, and covers her mouth still giggling. I send her a smile and a playful wink.

“I thought you were supposed to work in the kitchen, not play with your hobbies,” Cain’s voice is dripping with jealousy once again, so I look at him taken aback.

Can’t I even wink at Claudia? The whore he famously used to fuck five times a day? Is he serious? Or is it his wolf part starting to be a tad bit possessive over his true mate? Another reason why I need to go to the library as soon as possible.

I take a deep breath.

“Yes, Alpha, I did work. I baked these for you—only when I was done with all the tasks your chef gave me,” I try to sound submissive even as I’m boiling with rage inside.

Cain looks at me briefly with his signature unbothered look, looking completely in control of his emotions. I realize even when he’s angry, it seems calculated. As if he allows himself to be angry because he wants to .

Must be nice.

I keep checking on him discreetly throughout the whole meal—barely registering what I’m eating—but he seems to be occupied by observing all his people gathered in the dining hall. Everyone, just not me. Hm. Whatever.

When I see Atlas grabbing my vanishing lemon pie, I stand up and wave at him to follow me.

“I need to do something in the city. We can go together,” Cain says, leaning back on his throne comfortably with his millionth burger in hand.

Seriously, no wonder the guy is enormous.

“Oh, no, thank you, your Highness. We are going to the library today,” I say with satisfaction, knowing he proposed that so I wouldn’t spend more time with Atlas.

I don’t wait for my husband’s reaction. I grab Atlas under his arm, and lead him out. He has such a big grin on his face, that I half-expect him to stick his tongue out at Cain any moment.