Disgust was very evident in his countenance as he stared at me. It was as if he was staring at something that could make him throw up within seconds. His face was pale out of disgust as his eyes traveled from my feet to my exposed shoulders and he let out a scoff. "Why are you covering up, it's not like I haven't seen it before. There's nothing special about your nakedness."
My jaw dropped at his words. Had I misheard him? What has gone wrong? Had I managed to offend him in the space of five seconds? This man standing before me was the most confusing creature I had ever encountered. Had yesterday night been a dream? Or was what was happening a dream?
I rubbed my eyes and then pinched myself to be certain but the results were the same.
Or was the man standing in front of me a different person from Dagen? Someone who looked like him or perhaps a shapeshifter?
I remembered Dagen telling me I was perfect last night when he had held my face and placed a loving kiss on the bridge of my nose. He held me like an egg, like a porcelain dish, like I was the most fragile thing in the world and he was scared to break me. Now today it was as though I was a rag that had been used to wipe the dirtiest of places. Dagen did not even bother to hide his repulsion towards me.
As though he read my thoughts, he said in a gruff voice, "Yesterday meant absolutely nothing. Don't let it get to your head, little rogue. It was only necessary so I could have an heir and nothing more."
"Dagen, I don't understand. We- I..." I trailed off as my voice broke. My eyes threatened to betray me with the tears that sat at the corners.
"Like I said, it was just so I could have an heir and get rid of you as quickly as possible."
"No Dagen," I shook my head stubbornly. If he wanted just an heir, he didn't have to be gentle. He could have been brutal about it. "I saw the way you looked at me, and the way you held me. If it was just because of an heir you could have done things in a different way. Dagen, this isn't you."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He spat.
Nydia walked in just then, clad in a red silk dress. At the sound of the door, Dagen turned and gave her a lopsided smile, pulling her closer to his bare chest. He ruffled her hair in a familiar way and her cheeks turned red.
She looked so beautiful and when I turned to the side, glancing at my profile in the mirror, I cursed inwardly. My hair was a huge mess and my neck was red from love bites. I looked like a sick raccoon and now I could understand Dagen's disgust.
"I figured you'd be here," she murmured with a sigh.
"Yeah, I came to get rid of this thing."
Thing? I wanted to ask. So I was just a thing to him?
Jealousy coursed through my veins as he placed a light kiss on her lips but who was I to be jealous?
You're his wife. A voice whispered in my ear and only the moon goddess could tell how angry I was at that voice. Who would treat their wife this way?
You're not his wife. You're nothing but a sex slave. He used you to satisfy himself last night. Another voice whispered.
I wanted to scream out all the conflicting emotions within me.
"I don't think she remembers who I am." She smiled cockily. "Her gaze is condescending and I find it rude. She should learn to respect me.
"I believe you have met Nadia before," he said coldly. "She is the one I have chosen to be my mate and you are to give her due respect. You are only for show, do I have to remind you every time?"
"But... I thought," I could not find words to complete my sentence. How could it be? This man in front of me was supposed to be my second chance mate. Yes, he rejected me when I was in his presence the other day. He had told me the council would not allow him the bride he wanted but after yesterday I thought perhaps he had changed his mind. That maybe his cold demeanor was a facade so that everyone could see him as tough. I had thought that deep down, he was just as normal as any other werewolf.
"I thought I made this clear to you the other day, little rogue?" He spat.
Without saying anything, I stormed angrily away from where I stood and pushed past them out of the room. Their presence was riling me up and only the moon goddess knew how much I wanted to strangle them right now.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Nydia asked in a sickening sweet voice, dragging me back inside the room with my hair. I fell to the ground, the blanket unraveling itself from my body. Wincing, I tried to cover myself up from their prying eyes but she snatched the blanket away. "Have you no manners? How dare you push me?" She screeched.
Dagen squeezed her hand and then gave her a knowing look as if to tell her he could handle it. "Have you no manners?" He hissed coldly, advancing towards me. He pulled me up by the hair and threw me across the room. "Be mindful of how you treat my wife."
The tears that had been threatening to leave my eyes finally came pouring out in torrents. I stared at them with unveiled hatred. I could feel my wolf wanting to burst out of me, to claw at their faces and wound them severely but just as usual, there was something trapping her within me.