Chapter 38
Iris.
Waking up with beautiful memories of a magical intimate moment with the man your heart yearns for, to having aromas from different dishes wafting into my nose felt divine.
My body warmed up when I remembered the intensity of last night's kiss and then a strange feeling of nudity struck me. I quickly lifted the duvet and gasped.
Simultaneously the door opened and Gradel appeared. He was without a smile but he looked content and fulfilled.
"Good morning, pretend mate." He greeted warmly.
Still tongue-tied from the discovery, I nodded in response and glanced at my naked body. I cleared my throat after collecting myself.
"Did you... Did anything happen from last night?" I stammered, feeling slightly embarrassed.
I didn't want to believe that I was so high from the passionate kiss we shared that I couldn't remember what happened afterward. It wasn't a good tale to tell at all.
He sank onto the bed, wearing a bemused expression. "Were you expecting anything to happen?"
I gulped, raking through my hair in frustration. "Then what's this?" I raised the blanket slightly to elucidate my message. "Why am I stark naked?"
"Oh Iris, you need to take a look at yourself in the mirror. Why are you acting like something abominable happened? I don't want to believe that you completely forgot what happened last night."
I slapped my forehead and threw my head backward. This wasn't going the way I wanted, and why did it feel like he was trying to mess with my brain?
"Look, Gradel, I didn't forget anything. I just want to understand what happened to my dress, at least I remember getting out of the water-"
"Aroused, tired and cold," He cut in. "You didn't bother putting anything on aside my shirt and you slept off as soon as we got home. I only did the logical thing by taking off the shirt so that you could enjoy your sleep. Are you fine now?" He explained.
I exhaled deeply, feeling relieved. "Thank you."
He tilted his head to the side and then I glanced at the bed stand where the aroma emanated from.
"I'm guessing you brought this?" I placed the tray on my thighs.
"Yup! I figured that you would be hungry so I asked the cook to prepare several dishes since I didn't know your favorite. You should dig in,"
My head swelled at his thoughtfulness and I was spurred to ask a question that had been bothering me. "Where do you go every day?" I blurted and trained my attention on the plate of bacon in front of me. "I'm always here and you're not and if this room truly belongs to you, then I should see you most of the time but that's not the case and I just want to know why."
He stood up abruptly and headed towards the door. "That shouldn't bother you, Iris, but if you aren't comfortable here anymore you can move to your apartment." He replied coldly and blood drained from my body.
The friendship and romance I thought had sizzled between us was quenched and then I realized that everything that happened last night meant nothing to him.
My appetite disappeared automatically as I returned the tray to the bed stand with hot tears shimmering in my eyes. I went back to sleep.
********
My mood took a downward trajectory after the conversation with Gradel and if I didn't leave the room, I might become more depressed. It still baffled me how someone could switch from sweet to sour within a fleeting second.
I put on a yellow sundress and a pair of flip-flops, then headed towards the garden and a nostalgic wave hit me hard when I sat in front of the pond.
The cheerful screams that echoed into the night rang in my head while I watched the ducks waddle freely.
"Mind if I join you?"
I jerked in fear, nearly falling to the ground and then I let out a cuss on seeing the uninvited visitor. "What are you doing here?" I asked coldly as the memories from the past flashed back to my mind.
"That's really cold for someone about to be a part of our family," Prince Devin said with a smirk that irked me greatly.
Without my permission, he dropped onto the chair and crossed one leg over the other, letting off a sigh.
"I wonder what you and my brother see in this kind of place. It's so boring,"
I snorted, ensuring it was loud enough for him to hear. After the embarrassment he caused me, did he think I'd warmly welcome him into my space?
"Not everyone understands the beauty of nature, and you fall into that category." I retorted and sank my teeth into my lower lip.
His presence alone was unsettling and I just wanted him to disappear. How did he even find me here?
We fell into silence and slipped into a breathing competition as I wasn't willing to start a conversation with him. The Dai family had something in common, and that was ruining my mood without trying too hard.
"What do you want from my brother?" He finally asked and I glared at him in disbelief.
"That shouldn't concern you. It's not like you care about his well-being,"
He chuckled darkly. "Being with my brother has given you some level of boldness, I see, but don't forget where you came from. Some weeks ago, you were the laughingstock of the pack and suddenly you have become my brother's mate. I don't know what is going on, but one thing I'm sure of is that I don't like you. Your kind don't even deserve to live because you aren't just useless to yourself but to the whole pack as well."
My heart sank lower while my eyes burned with tears, but I willed myself not to allow them to fall. Not in front of him.
My throat was choked with emotions, but I'd learned that keeping quiet in the face of humiliation would only make things worse. And if anything happened, I was sure to have Gradel's backing.
"I'm not useless, Prince Devin. Unlike you, I'm not wandering around, hoping for my father to pick me as a successor. It's not my fault that I belong to the Omega rank and I'm without a wolf, and it's not also my fault that Gradel is my mate. You should be worried about the condition of your heart because bitterness has eaten deep into it and I'm not sure you are capable of leading the pack. Gradel might be nonchalant, but he isn't an unrepentant hypocrite like you!" I blasted him.
He raised his hand and I was expecting a strike on my cheek, but it didn't happen. Then I spared a glance at him and saw that his hand had been restricted.
Gradel's face glowered, his eyes threatening fire and brimstone and then he shoved his brother's wrist aside with his nose flared.
"How dare you attack my mate?" He growled.