Cullen was furious.
Furious because he had never wanted to walk in on the both of them having a fight.
He had been in his chambers all morning working when his olfactory receptors perceived a refreshing peony scent that had almost blinded his senses.
At first, he wanted to ignore but the soft, floral refreshing scent was too strong that it had him standing on his feet in a matter of seconds and tracking down the owner. He couldn’t stay away.
His little catch the scent, brought him to the kitchen area, a place that he has never set his feet in for years and that’s when he came face to face with Adria.
He watched her from afar as she walked around the kitchen, effortlessly blending in with the environment. He noticed her dress and her new hairstyle which was different from the one she had on last night.
Staring at her made his cock twitch In his pants as he fought the raging hormones that rushed through his bloodstream at that moment.
Why is he so attracted to her?
He knew that the mating bond between them played a significant role in heightening his feelings for her but he couldn’t help but wonder why it was this intense.
Everything felt new and strange to him. It felt like he had just walked into another territory of his emotions that he couldn’t comprehend. It was nothing like he has ever experienced before.
Cullen continued watching Aria closely and that’s when Anya walked inside the kitchen. The next minute was followed by constant bickering and noises that he couldn’t ignore.
He knew that Anya had no idea that he had seen her and he never wanted to make it a point of interrupting them but when he saw them almost at each other throats, he knew then that he had to intervene before the matter escalated.
He stepped into the kitchen and they both stopped when their eyes came in contact with his. Anya dropped her hands harshly with a sad glint in her eyes.
She quickly approached him while Adria went about her daily business as though she wasn’t interested in whatever he had to say.
Cullen had noticed that she always had a knack for ignoring him or talking back at him to the point of bruising his ego but he had vowed not to let her actions get to him.
He could never tell what was going through her mind; not that he cared anyway.
"My Lord." Anya bowed down in front of him, her eyes had gone red and puffy as though she had been crying.
"I had come into the kitchen to make breakfast but she keeps on ignoring me and as if it wasn’t enough, she had that maid insult me too." She pointed at a girl who was trembling visibly next to Adria.
"Anya—"
"I’ll show you" She raised up her hands to hit Adria and that’s when he caught it halfway through the air. He pushed her down roughly to face her squarely with an unpleasant look on his face.
He hated being involved in the affairs of women but he was already stuck here so he might as well deal with it.
"Anya." He called out in a deep voice and she stuttered a response.
"Do you have any idea who this woman is?" He asked but she furrowed her brows at me.
She shook her head in the negative. "No, My Lord. I literally just met her here. Is she a new maid?"
"She’s the New Luna of the pack. My wife." His said, his tone raw and possessive.
Anya’s hands flew to cover her mouth while Adria refused to spare them so much as a single glance.
"Forgive me, My Lady." Anya apologized continuously while Adria focused on the task in front of her without uttering a single word.
"Forgive you?" She questioned "You had a lot to say before he came so go ahead, I’m not complaining."
"It wasn’t my intention to insult you, My Lady."She apologized "I knew that the King had brought his wife home but I had no idea that you’d be in the kitchen. I thought it was your handmaid."
"And you think because I’m a maid, I deserve to be insulted? Is that it?"
Her eyes widened in terror. "Please My Lady, I never meant to insult you or anyone else. It was an accident."
"Why do you speak so harshly to her. You may be my wife but you have no right to degrade the King’s mistress."
Adria scoffed "And do you think I care? You both were the ones who came in here unannounced to disrupt my morning so how exactly is any of this my problem?"
"My Lord, she..." Anya was about to say when Cullen cut her short.
"Leave!" He ordered and she immediately scampered out of the kitchen.
"Anya is just as important as anyone in this mansion and so, you will accord her the respect that she deserves." He chided her.
"She would’ve enjoyed those words of reassurance coming from your mouth so why did you send her away, My Lord?"
He arched a brow at her "Are you trying to insult me?"
"I would never do something as despicable as that and you of all people should know that. You are the untouchable Lycan King after all. Next time, tell your mistress to stay away from me because if she dares to come close to me then I will handle it in any way I see fit."
She picked up the tray from the counter and made to leave when his voice stopped her.
"Make no mistake Aria," He stalked towards her "I have no intention of making you think that I am interested In helping you out of anything let alone your misery. I am not interested in you and sending Anya out doesn’t mean that I side with you or hate you even more I already do so you’d better understand that."
"Trust me, I also have no interest in you showing your love or generosity to me. My father is an Alpha King so I got to have all the love and affection in the world. Yours mean absolutely nothing to me so don’t think that I married you to get it. I hate you with every fiber of my being and it will remain so."
She made to leave but Cullen grabbed her by the collar of her dress, letting the contents of the tray spill to the ground in anger.
"No one speaks to me in that manner Aria and as long as you are in my household, you will learn to respect me, do you understand?"
"Respect is earned, My Lord. It is not something that is forced to be given and doing this, is only cutting down your chances of getting it from me; that I can assure you."
"I will not respect you because you do not deserve it and I don’t care if you torture or kill me because of it. Now, Let me go!" She yelled trying to break free from his strong grip.
"It’s about time I teach you a lesson or two about what happens when anyone tries to disrespect me, My Lady."
He turned to face the maids "The Luna has been assigned to all chores in the mansion. She will work on it herself and no one is allowed to assist her in any way even if she dies while doing them."
"Whoever goes against me to defile my order will face my wrath and I will make sure to punish them severely."
Leaning close, he whispered into her ears "Welcome to hell, dear wife!"