Chapter 8 8
EIGHT
Lena's pov
I raced down the stairs, my feet treading heavily on the stairs as I descended down, anticipation on my face, just before meeting Mercy alone in the dinning room.
Disappointment clouds my features and I don't bother hiding my crestfallen expression when suddenly I'm lifted up into the air. My heart races as I find myself seated on strong, powerful shoulders that carry me with ease.
Lucien.
"I'm here now, you don't have to sob about my disappearance" I look down seeing his mass of dark curls, swallowing seeing his biceps curled around my legs to keep me in place, his muscles strong and taunt as he moved.
I humph, pretending like my lower stomach didn't form knots just by noting the tinge of tease in the tone of his dark sinful voice I've missed hearing. Fucking mate bond. I barely knew this man and his voice held so much weight over me . "I don't know what you're talking about."
The edge of his lips curled into a smirk. It steals my breath in one soft gasp. I still wasn't used to the fact that he was mine. My mate. Even for a momentary time, he was mine and mine alone.
"Pretend all you want, Lena. You've missed me. Admit it." He walks out into the yard, green grass spanning over the large cubic meter area, glossed wet from the morning dew.
"Is there a point to this exactly?" I restlessly kicked my legs back and forth, arms folded while he took me to the goddess knows where.
"I wanted us to have breakfast before I'd have to leave you again. I've been told you've been rather-"
"You've been told a lot of things. It's obvious why you'd want to have breakfast with me- you feel sorry for me," my cheeks heat up with embarrassment, knowing it was too good to be true. That he'd actually be empathetic towards me feeling his absence and genuinely want to spend time with me. I was getting ahead of myself already. "You don't have to."
We finally approached the garden, and the setting before me stopped the words in my mouth causing them to trail as I took in the scenery.
A bench, hung like a swing from both sides of the garden tilted back and forth, the flowers arranged around it looking colorful and succulent under the soft sunlight streaming through.
On it was a tray filled with an array of food just like last night.
He finally set me down, and I kept my eyes trained on the bench, ignoring the way my heart fluttered when his arms curled around my waist to set me down.
Those arms don't move and I'm pulled back into his embrace. The hard walk of muscle is surprisingly comforting, and his scent Infiltrates my skin, seeps into my bones, offering me a sense of safety and I melt into him. Although my pout doesn't waver- I don't let him see me falter.
"I'm hoping by the end of breakfast, you'd forgive me, Lena. I don't joke with my duties, but I'd never not make you my priority."
"These are just words though." With that I headed for the bench. Amusement shone in my eyes admiring the set up as I carefully sat on it. It almost toppled over, but Lucien is by my side and with ease, one that surprises me, he holds the entire weight of the bench, preventing it from tilting as I climb over.
"I could have found a way to sit just fine." I grumbled, hating the way he smirks at me again and my body responds instantly to him. I groan inwardly seeing the amusement that shone in his gaze as he watched me. He's probably smelled my arousal right from the moment he had spoken to me.
He doesn't bother hiding his. Bastard.
Moments go by, and all that meets us is silence as I eat. He sits across from me from the bench, one leg swung up to the knee, the other grazing the floor as he rocked the bench with his weight slowly.
He's watching me like I'm a fascinating creature, not moving from his spot one second. The Omegas who pass the scene don't make it very discreet about observing us, but their gaze could burn holes through Lucien.
The female especially. They giggle sweetly, one that could practically drip with honey as they walked past us, holding laundry baskets or going off to perform their morning duties.
Lucien barely paid them a glance. Instead his whole focus is on me. I feel wary for a while. Embarrassed a bit, reddening from time to time when I would catch his eyes incessantly fixed on me before lowering mine to eat.
"You said you were joining me for breakfast."
"That's what I'm doing yes." Finally, he checks the time, and I try hard to hide my displeasure. He'd soon leave.
"But you haven't eaten anything."
He gives me a blank stare. There's the usual amusement at first, but then it's replaced with Surprise and he's just staring at me like I said the most odd thing.
"What?" I frown. "Why are you looking at me like I said something stupid?"
Slowly, realization dawn's in his eyes before his lips curve into that tempting smirk again and I can't take my eyes off them.
"My preference for food is much different than yours."
I mop at him. "What do you mean?"
"Didn't your father tell you what Lycans feast on? Or were you not enlightened on the takes they told about my kind."
I'm unable to pretend to hide the fact that I'm horrified when it hits me. His smirk turns teasing as I smack him over the shoulder without thinking.
"Lucien that's not funny." He chuckles, and for a brief second my heart flutters at the sound. It's deep, rich and genuine. But unfortunately, he stops, like he's surprised at the sound leaving his lips.
His gaze softens before he just his chin to my food. "If you're done, I'll have servants take it away."
"Tell me."
"What?"
"What do you eat? If not people- I mean... You could have been joking, right?"
He suddenly reached out, casually pushing my hair back behind my ear. The darkness behind his gaze is palpable and I know I might be tugging on strings I'm not supposed to even touch.
"Eat, Lena."
I resume eating, but after a short while I pat my stomach, full.
Without words he signals to two Omega servants who automatically approach us to take the tray away.
"Wait," everyone pauses, turning to me. "You don't mean they'll throw all this food away, do you?"
He gives me that same look again. "Why not?"
"Why... Why not? Look at all these? This serving could be enough for ten people. I understand the urge to feast bountifully, but this is too much, and I have to waste so much food."
"We don't have to manage here. Maybe at your father's pack, it was the case, but here- "
"It was the same at my father's pack," I cut him off and the underlying tension tightens between us leaving the Omegas stepping back to witness it in sheer discomfort and nervousness. "I don't want the same thing happening here. If so much good is going to waste, then it should be given to the Omega servants. I mean they barely have enough to eat themselves. This will go a long way."
"Don't be ridiculous Lena," he turned to the Omega servants, ordering in a cold voice filled with venom so powerful, I felt chills run down my spine. "Take it away."
"No. Don't." I push a hand out, barring their way to retrieve the trays. Their expression turns conflicted as they darted their gaze between I and their Lycan.
"You answer to me, not her." He's amused though.
"Why not?"
"Because you're not my Luna, Lena. Know your place here."
Silence. Humiliation and anger burns through me seeing the Omegas grow even more uncomfortable. I feel my heart break into pieces in my chest, the shards piercing my insides from his words. I had been clearly mistaken. In my excitement of finally leaving my father's 'prison', hoping to start on a clean slate with nothing subduing me, I hadn't realized.
Marking me, I had rationally thought it meant one thing. I was a fool. He's a Lycan. An immortal who's done this countless of times. To him I was just another woman to warm his bed and appease his entertainment before he got bored and found something else.
He looked at me like I was stupid, gave me his time when needed and it's clear my place here to him. He wasn't concerned to hear my opinions. It was clear at the treatment I received from the Omegas at the quarters last night. They would not acknowledge who their Lycan hadn't bothered to even consider me Luna.
Was I even Luna worthy.
"Lena- "
I hop off the bench, feeling like an actual stupid person for actually being so attached and trusting to him of all people. He took my innocence and so what? Right? It meant nothing to him, it should mean the same to me.