Nicole and Daisy bowed their heads fearfully in front of their Alpha. He wasn't pleased with being disturbed. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the two girls, his expression unreadable.
"What do you want me to do ?" Chris demanded.
Nicole flinched. This was the man who had killed her father for trying to rape Luna. Her mother was heartbroken when Beta Thomas told them the whole story. Then he killed her uncle, Geoffrey, for challenging him. It was a miracle that Chris spared their lives, for he could have easily terminated them.
"The Luna hasn't eaten anything; she drove us out when we tried. My Alpha," Daisy answered quietly.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" He asked impatiently.
"She won't have anything until you agree to see her, please, my Alpha; she looked very frail and gaunt." Daisy pleaded for their stubborn Luna. "She only sips a little water, but that's all."
It had been almost two weeks since he had last seen her. He knew he couldn't keep avoiding her, especially if she was refusing to eat. And he needed her alive and well until next week.
"Get out," he growled at them. Nicole and Daisy cringed and quickly bolted out of the Alpha Office.
An hour later, he shrugged and decided to meet Grace. He growled in exasperation. He stood up and went to the grand dining hall to bring her something good to eat. The others bowed their heads to him in a mixture of respect and fear as he walked past them quickly. He would have seen Martin's hateful looks if it weren't for the fact that he was deeply engrossed with his thoughts over Rosalie.
He pushed open their chamber door slightly and saw that it was dark inside. He pushed it open wider with his leg as he was carrying a tray of food and drinks.
"Go away, Daisy," he heard her voice croak from the darkness. "Leave me alone!"
He went inside and placed the tray on a nearby table. He switched on the light and saw her huddled inside their duvet in the middle of their bed. It wasn't new; she was either angry or moping all the time. He sat down next to her.
Chris frowned at his mate. "Why are you crying?"
His voice was kind. She looked at him with alarm. Chris rarely cared for her.
"You shouldn't break down like this. You're the Luna. Did the female pack members hurt you?"
She gave him a forlorn glance. Her position as a Luna, not as his mate, was all that worried him.
"I'm fine," she said, but her teary eyes betrayed her words.
Chris reached out to gently wipe away her tears, a rare display of tenderness from him.
"A luna should not cry," he assured her, his voice softening.
"You should eat, Grace," he said gently.
She looked at him, and her sobbing stopped. Her eyes looked curious at his little display of kindness. She obeyed him instantly and started to eat the food. She was so hungry that she finished it within minutes. Perhaps she should give it another try at mending their relationship.
"Feeling better?" he asked her. She smiled at him weakly. He looked away and then started to take the tray. "Don't do this again, Grace."
"Don't go," she said. Her voice was still hoarse, but it sounded better than earlier. "Please don't go."
He placed the tray back on the table. He sat down nearly on their bed, creating a defined space between them. "What is it, Grace ?" he asked her seriously.
"Where were you?" She asked him, "I haven't seen you in ages.".
He rolled his eyes at her. "I was busy perfecting the plan to get what is mine, Grace." His words stung her, but she waved the pain away.
"I am—I'm sorry," she apologised quickly.
He snorted, "Why are you apologising for it? Has the hunger you inflicted on yourself damaged your brain?"
"Chris… Can we...restart again ?" She whispered.
He looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. "Restart what, Grace?" he questioned, his tone softening slightly.
"Our relationship," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I can't keep living like this, constantly being humiliated," she confessed. "I want us to start fresh and rebuild what we had before."
Chris was too stupified to reply. He was being kind to her because he was bored of hurting her; she was his punching bag to take out his anger over losing Rosalie. But that day, when he saw Gregory attacking his wolf, he rose to save his mate. He couldn't hurt her after that, so he avoided her.
"Grace, I am not sure if we can ever truly start fresh after everything that has happened," he finally admitted.
She heard his thoughts completely. She bit her lips, thinking for a moment in silence. He was about to stand up when she pulled him with all her strength and pushed him down onto their bed.
"Grace!" he growled, protesting as she straddled him. She bent her head down wordlessly and kissed him on his unwilling lips. He tried to wrench her off him, but she held tight to him, trailing her fingers down his shirt and unbuttoning it as her fingers went down.
Her audacity astounded him. He looked into her blue eyes as she bent down and kissed him again, and this time he was willing. The kiss was hesitant at first, but it grew as she danced her tongue with his. He realised he didn't want her to stop, and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.
Grace stiffened, then sighed. He continued to kiss her neck and trail his fingers along his bite mark as he lay on top of her, and she did not intervene. He felt strangely complete and happy.
Suddenly, it seemed as if a whiff of a very faint and yet detectable scent reached him. He automatically sniffed at her, and he frowned.
"What were you doing earlier? You stink."
He sniffed her hair and her exposed neck.
His eyes flared angrily. He growled as he wrenched himself off her. He felt used.
"Damn you, Grace." He grabbed his clothes from the bottom of their bed. " Is this why you came on to me?!?
"No!" she protested. "It's not like that." She protested. Grace realised she had not taken a bath after Martin had kissed her in the garden. She had been so caught up in the moment that she had forgotten about the lingering scent of another man on her skin.
"Who is he? It wasn't Gregory?" he demanded.
She looked at him fearfully. "Gregory tried to rape me. Thank you for killing him."
"So you have been sleeping with more than one? What a whore you are!" he shouted.
"Chris, listen to me. It's not like that. I just want to fix our relationship. " She pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you, Chris, and I want us to work through this together."
But he cut her words short, snapping, "JUST SHUT UP, GRACE."
He sat on the bed and grabbed her forcefully by the arm, his grip tightening as he leant in closer to her face. "You're nothing but a lying, cheating bitch," he spat out.
He growled and asked, "Who is the jerk who dared to touch you?"
She winced with pain, feeling the fear rising in her chest as she tried to pull away from his grasp.
"DON'T BLAME THIS ON ME!" she shrieked as she hit his chest with both of her hands. It didn't hurt him.
"You betrayed our bond by humping those sluts ! You hurt me and humiliated me. I trusted you, and you broke my heart," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
Chris pushed her away in disgust. She fell off the bed onto the carpeted floor.
Chris's eyes narrowed as he glared down at her, his anger palpable.
"If you had loved me... I wouldn't have become like this," she whispered quietly, but it was loud enough for him to hear it.
"How can I love a woman who I barely know?" he replied, strangely calm, yet she knew he was burning with anger inside.
"Your stupid father came to the Council and suggested ME, of all the eligible alphas, mate with you; his so-called perfect goddess of a daughter!"
"She was never meant to be with you," she cried as she stood up, walked up to him, and caught his collar in her trembling hands.
"I was meant to be with you, but you pushed me away into another man's arms! You make me feel disgusted with myself! We wouldn't have mated if you didn't have any feelings for me! Admit it!"
"You don't get to decide that," he snapped, pushing her away with a force that surprised them both. "You're nothing but a pawn in your father's game."
No, she thought as her knees buckled and she crumpled on the floor. "Don't!" but it was too late, as he had left her alone in the bedchamber.