AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Will she be bound to the Marriage Law, or does her status as princess and heir get her out of the same expectations others must adhere to?” he asked, once again not looking at me.
“She will be bound by it just like everyone else,” my father snipped.
“Then even she should understand the truth about what is expected of her,” Matthyw continued. “This whole nonsense with the Marriage Law is just so the alliance between wolves and humans are strengthened in case war is inevitable. The Vrykolakas only grow in numbers and the victims are plenty — both human and wolf alike. In fact, my wife tells me they’ve been spotted close to Stone territory. But just because there’s truth in that arrangement doesn’t mean my dearest sister can’t enjoy pleasures of the flesh.”
“She’s eighteen,” my father said.
“Much older than your wife when you married her,” Matthyw pointed out. He raised his brows, daring my father to contradict the statement.
“And where shall she learn such valuable information from?” Taskier asked. There was something to his voice, something that hinted at his mind turning and working at something not even I could even figure out.
“I’m sure she knows someone more than willing to teach her.” Eyes on my profile, turning my skin inside out. “She deserves to know it, just as we all do.”
Though there was nothing said on the subject at hand, even I couldn’t suppress a shudder rolling down my spine.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to be taught about pleasure, especially if I had to find it outside of my marriage.
And yet, there was a dark part of me that couldn’t help but wonder what sort of things Matthyw would teach me, and if I would truly enjoy myself the way I suspected I would.
Freya
Iwasn’t sure how long I was in the tub for, but it wasn’t long enough. At least I was able to scrub the dirt and the grime, the dried blood and the sweat, even the tears, off of my body. I could rinse my hair, letting the conditioner help me untangle the array of knots my hair seemed privy to.
I sighed when I stepped out, careful to remain on the fluffy mint-green mats. I wrapped my body in a towel and then did the same thing to my hair. My stomach rumbled already, insistent on food. If the meal Lily prepared last night for me was any indication, the food here was delectable. I could only imagine what morning meal might bring.
I pulled on my uniform, keeping my towel wrapped around my hair so as to not get the clothing wet. I only let it loose after drying it as best as I could, and then I quickly ran the offered brush through the tangles before pulling it into a high ponytail.
By the time I walked out of the bathing room, I felt like I was a new person. There was more energy in my footsteps and the prospect of food was enough to bring a small smile to my face.
Until I almost ran into Kent Byron himself.
I hadn’t been looking where I was going. In truth, I might have forgotten how to get back to my room, and I was looking for anything I might have recognized that would get me there. Because of this distraction, I wasn’t paying attention, and I walked into something solid. And warm.
I sprung back, just in time to see Kent staring down at me. The scar across his face was enough to make my skin crawl with unease, but the intensity of his crisp, blue eyes didn’t help matters either. He wasn’t wearing his typical captain’s robes. Instead, he had on a tunic tucked into grey breeches. The tunic itself was opened more than I expected, revealing a good amount of upper body skin.
Gods, he was built. Muscle sat upon muscle. His chest expanded at least three times than mine did, and there was light hair that sprinkled across his skin.
You’re staring. Freya, you are staring and he knows you’re staring!
I snapped my gaze up at him, and suddenly realized my mouth hung open like a gawking fish. I immediately closed it but there was an arched brow and a cocked head that informed me he was annoyed and confused with me – something I was almost positive he would continue to feel for me as time progressed.
“You bathed,” he murmured.
I nodded once. “Astute observation,” I said before I could stop myself.
He furrowed his brow, taking a step towards me. “You know,” he said, “as unfortunate as the circumstances are, I’m your supervisor. You’re in my pack, which means you have to treat me with respect. You can’t talk to me that way.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling myself get defensive. “I was taught that in order to receive respect, you had to earn it. You had to give it.”
“You think you deserve respect?” Captain Byron asked. “You’re a human. The only reason you’re here is because your mother is a Legacy and Master Grey feels responsible for you. You haven’t earned your place here, and you certainly haven’t earned my respect.”
“I’m not asking for it,” I replied, squaring my shoulders. Any intimidation I felt when seeing him vanished. Instead, my anger and torment over the last couple of days came to a head, and I couldn’t control my mouth, even if I wanted to. “The least you could do is show some compassion. You heard what happened to my mother and you never even asked how I was feeling.”
“You want me to coddle you?” He wrinkled his nose. “Let me tell you something very clearly, Miss Foster. The world is an unfriendly place. You might as well get used to it.”
“Just because it is doesn’t mean you have to be,” I said. “You hold a position of leadership. Your job is to inspire us, your students, your pack. Not show us cruelty as a way of preparing us for it.”
Captain Byron took another step forward and hunched his shoulders so his face was mere inches from my own. “You do not get to dictate how I run my pack,” he said. “There will be no compassion, no coddling. You think your mother dying is something to be sad about? Things much worse than that have happened to other people. Get your head out of your ass. And if you should have a problem with how I run my pack, you are more than welcome to petition Master Grey for a transfer. I will gladly take you there myself. Otherwise, shut up and get over it. The world isn’t a nice place.”
