Chapter 10: A Little Pampering

As soon as we entered my bed chambers, I folded Soren’s cloak and handed it back to him, my face a picture of calm while my heart raced. Once, he took the cloak from me and stepped back; however, I snapped. "I thought we mated last night?!" My exasperation couldn’t be hidden. Soren’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes rounded in shock. "No! I stopped myself from doing anything-" "So..." I inhaled deeply, trying to calm my erratic pulse and breathing. "You just..." I was reminded of him running off into the woods after tasting me. My hands smothered my lips as I stared at him. "You ran off! Moon Goddess! You..." I rushed up to him and grabbed his sleeves, staring up into those hazel-brown eyes. My voice dropped to a whisper. "Did I... Did I taste disgusting?" Gods, my bottom lip trembled, and I sounded like a pathetic, vulnerable, whiny she-wolf. A loud snort from the other side of the room caused our heads to snap in the same direction. Theo was by the servant’s door, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking between us. I’d completely forgotten about Theo! I almost groaned in frustration, reminded of what I’d been planning with the slave. "Princess." Soren glanced warily at the slave. "Step outside," I snapped at Theo, my gaze on Soren’s. Mild pain formed along my temple, a headache growing from all of the events from the evening before. The door slammed shut behind him and was followed by a loud thud. I looked to the ceiling-- well, to the skies for help from the Goddess, but like usual, she never answered my prayers. I had enough to deal with than a moody Were. "Well?" I snapped. My ire was directed at myself for this ridiculous, insecure line of questioning. Soren wasn’t a man to flinch from my tone anyway. Instead, he clasped my hands, which were still clutched to his arms. "You did nothing wrong," his deep voice was low. His grip tightened as I looked at him like he was just trying to please his master and not tell the truth. "By the Gods, Princess, you tasted divine." My breath hitched. "If it wasn’t for that twig snapping, I would have mated with you." That little knot of anxiety in my chest began to unravel at his words. Even if they were empty words to make me feel better, they did the job. "Thank the Moon Goddess, I didn’t." And that slight happiness I gained was snatched away in a split second. My back snapped straight, my eyes turning into pools of ice. Of course, why would Soren ever want to mate with me? I was his annoying charge. Sure, he’d kneeled before me and made an oath of loyalty, but that’s what knights did! The guy was so honourable, he was happy to kill himself for something he couldn’t help! Soren might only be a knight, but I was a discarded princess who did not have a wolf or power. I never believed Soren to be the type of man who sought power, but maybe with his background and because of what happened last night, he wanted to climb the ranks of nobility and make a name for himself, so he didn’t have to protect someone like me. Well, not protect; like I have disclosed before, Soren is my jailer. "Yes, thank the Goddess, we didn’t," I clipped, my tone icy. I had some dignity to uphold. Soren frowned but nodded in acceptance; the little emotion he’d shown before fell behind a hazel shield. My hands slipped from his chest, and I turned away, my hair swishing behind me and looking anywhere but at the knight. It shouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter. "You’re dismissed." I waved my hand behind me, shutting him down. This was nothing to me. I’d been abandoned by society and disliked most of my life. What was one more to add to the list? "Princess..." He stepped toward me. But I was done with everyone today, including an upright, honourable knight; I stormed towards the servant door and threw it open, staring into the dark space, ignoring who was beside the door. Tilting my chin toward the room, Theo and Margarette followed my silent command, stepping inside before Soren marched away, his steps brisk. "If you need me, I will inin-" The door swung shut behind Soren before he could finish his sentence. This wasn’t the first time I’d acted like a brat towards him. In the past, I’d purposely tried to rile him up, but tonight, I was feeling somewhat hurt when I knew I shouldn’t be. It all started with my stupid pheromones messing up our guard-prisoner relationship. Turning around, I glanced at Theo, noting dryly that my heat had messed up many things. Theo whistled, staring at the door Soren left through. My eyes narrowed on him, and at the same time, Margarette stuck her nose up at the slave. My maid did not fall for his charms or looks. "Margarette, I need to have a bath." I flopped down on the chair beside the window with a large sigh. Resting my hand on the small, rounded table before me, my finger began to tap, trying to process everything. With a huff, Margarette followed my order, leaving me to my thoughts and the slave hovering behind me. He probably didn’t know what to do now that he was a house slave- "What happened?" Theo shifts to the ground, so he stares up at me in a typical house slave style. He is submissive, thighs together, feet beneath them. Unlike any other slave, though, Theo does not lower his gaze. It almost makes me smile. Almost. If there was one thing that should never change between us, it was the challenge and vivid brightness of his gaze. Others had been treated poorly, mostly those of Southern heritage; many had lost focus, their expressions almost haunted. "And why would I tell you anything?" I ponder aloud, but there is no bite to it. The only person whom I once called a friend fluttered his eyelashes like he used to when we were young. He used to win me over with that exact action whenever we had any disagreement. I was young and foolish. A pretty boy doting on me with compliments buttered me up. What can I say? I used to be a simple-minded girl. "Because we are partners," Theo whispered, ensuring Margarette, who kept peeking at us, couldn’t hear our conversation. I part my lips, almost about to tell him everything, but then I slam them shut, realising I am still simple-minded and falling for Theo’s tricks. He was just too pretty! My eyes narrow at him, and I look away, watching the flame flicker on the candelabra by the wall. In contrast to the dim golden lighting of my room, snow starts to pile up on the window, the wind howling angrily in the darkness outside. "Or have you already changed your mind?" Theo’s voice dropped, head following as he glared at his clenched hands in his lap. My heart pinched at the action. "I have not," I speak softly and wait to see his gaze meet mine. "A lot has happened. I cannot deal with this right now." I wave my hand in his general direction, trying to lighten his mood and expressing my desire to just be. It was rude, but he’d seen me far worse. "So please, let me sit in peace." Theo’s brows rise, but he does not say anything further, remaining on the ground before me. The longer he is there, the more awkward I feel. "Sit somewhere that isn’t the ground," I mumbled into my hand, my face resting on my palm and elbow on the table. Theo doesn’t move. I frowned, about to say something, when I noticed Margarette glancing between us. She has that look on her face, which means she will tell Deyanira about this. With the Alpha Prince’s appearance, I forgot to mention the change in Theo’s activities. Hopefully, this doesn’t come back to haunt us—obviously, that was wishful thinking; I can already tell the Queen Dowager will scheme with this. "That is all, Margarette," I dismiss her. "You may rest." Margarette shuffles her feet beside us like she has been on them all day. She has not. But her antics are more comical than annoying. Theo stands when the door clicks shut after my maid. I watch with intrigue, especially when he stands behind me. "What are you doing?" I twist my neck to look at him. Theo doesn’t say anything as he places his hands on my shoulders. One moment, I freeze; the next, my shoulders slowly rise, tensing. "What. Are. You. Doing?" I hiss. "My job,’ was his only response before his hands began to knead my muscles. A little too quickly, my body relaxes into the chair at his blissful hands. I hum at the sensation, melting further into him, my head lolling a few times. I don’t know how long I’m there, melting beneath his magical touch, but all my worries have fled my mind. "How do you know how to do this?" My whisper turns into an embarrassing moan. "I don’t." Theo shrugs. "It’s my first time." "Liar," I whisper, but I find it too hard to argue with him as my eyes flutter shut. "Do you feel better?" He questions quietly, and I nod with a low hum. "Good. Now, have your bath before it gets cold. I will warm the bed." I didn’t question any of it until I returned to the bedroom to discover my slave half-naked, adjusting his pants before dragging back the covers to my bed.