Chapter 3

“Because I need to know what clothing to fill my future Luna’s walk-in closet with,” Adal said as he practically cornered me.

It took me a moment to register what he had said, but once it did process, I immediately thought he was joking.

“I do not think that I can be your future Luna. Elizabeth would appreciate you making such a joke to a servant of such a low class,” I said as I averted my gaze and tried to distance myself from him. I was only back up so far because of the wall of clothes hanging up behind me.

Adal let out a disapproving growl. “That brat is the most delusional woman I have ever met,” Adal said as he backed away from me. “She has such delusions of grandeur that she has forgotten that it is the Alpha who chooses his Luna in the end,” he scowled. “Her behavior is the most unbecoming for a Luna as well. There is no need for such cruelty within our pack.”

“Says the most brutal wolf in the pack,” I said without thinking.

Adal and I locked our eyes for a split second before I bowed my head to him.

“Forgive me. I misspoke,” I asked for forgiveness before he might react negatively.

“Despite what you may think, my violence is always justified,” Adal told me. “Have I ever been so cruel that I mistreated you?” he questioned.

While he may have never been directly cruel to me, he was also no hero. Even if he disagreed with the way Elizabeth or the others treated me, he never intervened.

“Not directly,” I answered before I grabbed the basket and attempted to leave the walk-in closet.

Adal responded by closing the closet door before I was able to reach it. I became frustrated and turned to him, ready to fight with him if needed, just so I could leave.

“Oof!” I dropped the basket as he abruptly grabbed my hands and pinned me to the now-closed closet door. I had no time to react since he was faster than I was and nearly twice my size.

“You seem feisty today.” He sounded pleased as he trapped me.

I turned my head away from him, refusing to look at him.

“Tsk.” Adal sucked his teeth at me. He easily took my slender hands in one of his large hands, freeing his other hand.

I shut my eyes tightly as he grabbed my chin, forcing me to face him.

“If you must know…” he started. “…the only reason I was not allowed to intervene was because of my mother,” Adal said. “She hated the fact that my father took in a stray, so to retaliate, she made a decree that you would be treated like nothing more than a lowly slave.”

I opened my eyes and locked eyes with his. His deep brown eyes widened at my sudden act of defiance. Staring directly into the eyes of a wolf with a higher class than you was an act that was punishable by death.

“Your mother was a weak Luna who took pleasure in hurting those who served her,” I spat. To my surprise, Adal responded by grinning widely.

“I could not agree more,” he mused. “But you managed to survive her, my father, and that delusional bitch with the bare minimum being given to you,” Adal pointed out as he leaned in close. “I also know that despite your respectful behavior, you are, in fact, not intimidated by any wolf in this pack, including my father.”

“Why does any of that matter?” I inquired.

Adal smiled as he leaned in even closer. I could feel his hot breath on my face as he spoke.

“Because the wolf that cannot be broken is the strongest,” he said before smashing his lips onto mine.

I gasped softly from the sheer shock of the situation. Adal took the chance to slip his tongue into my mouth and deepen the kiss.

As our tongues battled for dominance, I started to feel my head becoming dizzy. This was my first kiss, and it was heated. So much so that I started to lose myself to it.

It took all my willpower to keep my wits about me as I tried to pull away from the kiss. Adal eventually released me, and we both gasped for air.

I turned my head away from him as soon as he let my chin go and tried to wiggle my hands-free from his grasp. Much to my disbelief, he let me go as soon as I started to struggle.

“Huh?” I stared at him in confusion.

“Little Villi…” Adal spoke my name in a low purr. “…if I continue to keep you here, the others will become suspicious now, will they not?” he teased.

I grabbed the basket and turned to leave.

“I will not have to hide the fact that you are my Luna for long,” he reassured me.

“Is that so?” I asked sarcastically.

“I mean it,” Adal said seriously as I opened the closet door and walked out. He followed. “I will be announcing it tomorrow after I receive my blessing,” he revealed.

“You are crazy,” I said as I began walking to the bedroom door, trying to escape the ludicrous things he was telling me.

“Is it crazy for me to want the strongest female of the pack to be my Luna?” Adal stated, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

I turned toward him, keeping my gaze low. “I do not even have my blessing, yet you claim something so ridiculous,” I told him. “Please… do not make my life any harder by making such outrageous claims in front of the pack… have I not been tortured enough?” I asked him.

Adal gazed at me with a determined expression. I knew that he was not taking my words into consideration, at least in the way I intended.

I rolled my eyes as I turned away from him and left the dimly lit bedroom, accidentally taking the basket with me.

“Fuck…” I growled before throwing the basket back toward Adal’s bedroom door.

I then ran down the hall, looking for the staircase that led back downstairs. I ended up finding a small balcony instead and decided to hide out on it for the time being so I could collect myself before having to face the others.

The balcony doors had curtains on them, so once I closed the doors and stood off to the side, I was no longer visible from the inside of the mansion. I glanced out over the balcony and saw how high up I was.

The balcony faced away from the main courtyard, so there was no one running around beneath me. I went to the edge of the balcony and stared down at the hard patio ground that was underneath it.

“Maybe I should just jump…”