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Lexi’s voice echoed in the kitchen, making the ground shake slightly beneath their feet. She may only be a half-wolf, half-shifter, but she still possessed the uncanny ability to intimidate.
The chef took a step away, nearly cowering. It all felt satisfying before she heard the door of the kitchen open, then snapped her head in the direction to see Xander and Maureen staring at them in confusion.
“What is going on here?” Xander boomed.
Lexi felt a wave of several emotions. She felt the inclination to point at the chef like she was a kid and blame him for the entire occurrence. But part of it was her doing, having not known the rules of the palace and her sensitivity toward any slight show of disrespect.
Instead, she stood tall, breathing deeply to keep herself level. She noticed a door out the back of the kitchen was open with a stairwell, likely where the chefs would bring in supplies. She looked at Xander, ignoring Maureen’s judgmental energy completely.
“You need to get your staff in order,” she said, struggling to keep her tears at bay. “This disrespect toward my family and I simply will not do.”
Xander stared at her with concern and compassion, but she didn’t want that right then and there. It made her feel weak, like a damsel in distress.
So when he opened his mouth, she stepped away and went out the back door with haste. She trailed down the steps and found herself in a fluorescent garden, one that looked like a surreal daydream in the approaching light of day.
She walked only a short way before sitting on a bench between two tall and bright purple orchids. Her face fell into her hands, and she let out a muffled scream of frustration. She hoped there weren’t any more staff around who would judge her for her emotions.
In front of her was a coy pond, bright and serene. She watched the flame-colored fish dance around, living a life of freedom and delight. She envied them as she envied wild horses, the wolves that roamed the mountains, and the trees that stood mighty and victorious through the changing seasons.
She had never really expressed to her parents the effect being only a half-wolf shifter had on her. She was the youngest of four amazing women, so she had to keep a stoic face to appear strong, even when she wasn’t feeling that way. Xander excited her, but she also had to be smart about the prospect of him using his masculine wares to fool her due to her youth and inexperience.
When Lexi heard someone walking in the garden, she groaned to herself. But when she looked up to see Xander standing in pajama pants and a gray T-shirt, her heart beat like an elated drum song.
“May I join you?” he asked.
EIGHT
XANDER
The moment Xander walked into the kitchen, he sensed the fury on his mate’s face. It wasn’t difficult to interpret; her cheeks had bloomed into a faint, red blush, one that didn’t disrupt her beauty but disrupted her essence. When she looked at him, her eyes twinkled with embarrassment. He never wanted her to feel that way ever again.
After fleeing the kitchen, Xander ran his hands along his face, then regarded Sebastian, who was his lead private chef.
“Seb, what happened?”
“My King,” he said, taking a bow. “She came in here wanting to make breakfast, making a mess of everything …”
Xander didn’t let him finish. He simply held a hand out in the air, and Sebastian stopped speaking.
“First of all, she’s your future queen. You’re going to have to take orders from her as much as you’re going to take them from me. Second of all, we will be married and mated.”
Xander felt a quiver of movement next to him. Maureen, who was usually solid as a statue, let out the most minute of gasps. One of disapproval, Xander knew.
“I will not have anyone disrespect my future queen. So if Lexi wants to come in here and make me a meal, or herself a meal, at midnight or the middle of the day, you will let her. Is that clear?”
Sebastian stood tall, hands behind his back like a good subject, then took a respectful bow.
“Yes, sir, I apologize. I will relay this message to the rest of the staff.”
“Good.”
He gazed down at Maureen, who had raised a silent eyebrow at him. Xander didn’t have the energy to deal with her. He wanted to save it all for Lexi, who had wandered into the gardens downstairs.
“Keep an eye on them and any more idle chatter about Lexi,” he ordered her. “I don’t need gossip stirring around the palace. Also, get Stephen for me. Tell him to meet me in my study in half an hour.”
Maureen simply nodded, bowed, and then left the kitchen. Xander knew she was one of the staff members who didn’t exactly approve of Lexi’s presence due to her inability to shift. But Xander didn’t care. He wanted Lexi to have everything and to prove to her that she deserved everything.
He descended the steps into the stunning botanical garden, a marvelous landscape of colors and keenly cultivated plant life. He thought he should spend more time there with the flow of several fountains and the binding scent of fresh flowers, then he came upon Lexi.
