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“This night just keeps getting better,” Luna murmurs under her breath, her tone laced with sarcasm.
“Oh, really?” Tipping my face up, I sniff the air and wrinkle my nose. “Because this looks and smells like a mating,” I spit out in disgust. His scent is an assault on my senses. He smells like several days of poor hygiene, pitifully masked with cologne and alcohol. “You reek of filth, human.”
Although I am glad to see he has already proven how worthless he is, I am angry that he would have even dared to touch Luna, much less ask for her hand.
“How dare you speak to me like this.” He scowls. “I am the Prince of Avalor.”
“Regardless of titles, you are still a pig,” I snarl.
His head jerks back, and his shocked expression morphs into anger. “And what of you two?” He gestures animatedly at Luna, holding her bodice to her chest. “What were you both doing out in the woods?”
Instead of trying to justify herself, Luna narrows her eyes as she points an accusing finger at him. “Mention anything of this, and I’ll tell everyone of your exploits as well.”
Without waiting for him to respond, she runs toward the side of the house, and I follow closely behind her. Thick vines trail up the outer wall to a balcony overhead. She turns to me. “Help me get up.”
In one smooth motion, I lift her into my arms. She squeaks in surprise as I put her over my shoulder, and then climb up the vines to the balcony above. When we reach the top, I carefully set her back on her feet, and we slip through the door into what I assume is her room.
She turns to me, pursing her lips. “I just needed help up, but I could have climbed up myself, you know.”
Her bodice starts to slip off again before she presses it to her chest. I arch a brow, and she huffs out an irritated breath as she rolls her eyes.
She walks to her wardrobe, searching for something else to wear.
Frustration burns through me as she acts as if I’m not even here. “That’s it? You have nothing else to say?”
She clenches her jaw. “I’m thinking,” she says icily.
I walk up behind her and gently slip my arms around her waist. “Luna, please. Forgive me.”
She stills. “You have no idea what your letter did to me,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. “I—”
A sharp knock at the door startles us both, followed by her mother’s voice. “Luna, are you in there?”
“One minute, Mother,” she calls out. “I’ll be right there.”
She turns to me, urgency in her features. “You need to hide.”
“What?”
“Now,” she states firmly.
“Why?”
“Because, as I stated before, we are in Avalor, not Winterhold. Andhere, it is improper for me to be alone with a man.”
“I’m not a man, I’m a Wolf-Shifter,” I correct. “And not just any Wolf-Shifter; I am your mate. There is nothing improper about my being here with—”
She grips my wrist and tugs me to the wardrobe. “Hide.” With a strength I did not know she possessed, Luna pushes me inside and slams the wardrobe shut. “Stay quiet, Mal.” She eyes me through the narrow gap between the doors. “I mean it.”
She pulls off her bodice and gown, leaving her only in her shift. Pulling a robe around her shoulders, she answers the door.
Her mother pushes inside. Following on her heels is Prince Duren.
I bite back a growl as he turns toward her mother. “If you do not mind, I’d like a moment alone with my intended.” Indecision plays across her mother’s features before he adds. “I know it may be a bit improper for us to be alone, but you will be right outside the door to curb any vicious rumors for us.”
She nods and steps back out into the hallway.
As soon as the door shuts behind her, Luna places her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. “Why are you here?”
