POV Luella
I woke feeling surprisingly refreshed after a peaceful night's sleep. The nightmares that had been plaguing me finally stopped, and the artificial mate bond felt stronger with Tobias.
Finally. A good night's rest. Maybe things are getting better.
My improved mood made me more receptive when Tobias arrived at my chambers with an elaborate breakfast and yet another collection of expensive gifts. Rare jewels sparkled on the table beside silk gowns from distant kingdoms and exotic flowers that must have cost a fortune.
This is becoming overwhelming. Every day brings more extravagant gifts.
"Tobias, this is beautiful, but you really don't need to give me so much," I said gently, fingering the latest necklace with obvious discomfort. "I'm grateful, but these constant gifts are becoming excessive."
I don't want to hurt his feelings, but this is too much.
His smile faltered immediately, and I caught a note of offense creeping into his voice. "I'm trying to show you how much you mean to me. I'm putting thought and effort into making you happy, and this is how you respond?"
He looks genuinely hurt. Maybe I said it wrong.
"That's not what I meant," I tried to explain, feeling guilty for seeming ungrateful. "I just think your attention and time matter more to me than expensive things."
But instead of understanding, Tobias's offense deepened into something darker. His perfect princely mask slipped to reveal something I'd never seen before.
His scent is changing. Getting sharper. More aggressive.
"Stop showering you with gifts?" he said, his voice getting cold. "After everything I've done to make you feel valued and cherished? Perhaps I've been too generous, too devoted to someone who clearly doesn't appreciate the sacrifices I'm making."
Sacrifices? What sacrifices? These are gifts, not sacrifices.
"Tobias, that's not what I—"
"Do you have any idea how much thought I put into these presents?" he interrupted, his brown eyes flashing with anger. "How much time I spend planning ways to make you happy? And you throw it back in my face like it means nothing."
This isn't the gentle man I thought I knew. This is someone who needs constant praise.
Our argument escalated as his true personality emerged. He began listing all the ways he'd been the ideal fiancé, how ungrateful I was being in return, how he deserved better appreciation for his efforts.
He can't accept even gentle criticism. Everything has to be about how wonderful he is.
"I need some air," I announced, leaving him mid-sentence as I fled to the castle gardens.
I need to think. Need to process this side of him I've never seen.
In the rose garden, I discovered Kyrell in a state of controlled fury. He was methodically destroying the beautiful flower beds with his claws, shredding petals and stems with precise, violent movements.
What is he doing? These roses are beautiful.
The sight of such deliberate destruction triggered my own anger. "Why are you destroying something so beautiful?" I demanded. "These roses took years to cultivate, and you're tearing them apart like a wild animal."
My wolf is outraged. This is senseless destruction.
"Because I destroy everything I touch," he replied without stopping, his voice flat with self-loathing. "Beauty, peace, hope—it all turns to ash in my hands eventually. I'm simply being honest about my nature."
There's real pain in his voice. This isn't just casual cruelty.
Before I could respond, he moved toward me with that predatory grace and placed the sharp tip of one claw against my chin. The threat was both intimate and dangerous.
His touch sends electricity through me. Even when he's threatening me.
"Unless you'd like to test whether you're different? Care for another bout, little wolf? I promise this time I won't hold back."
He's challenging me to fight. And despite everything, I want to.
The electricity of his touch and the challenge in his voice overrode my common sense. "Fine," I said, my wolf surging to the surface. "But don't blame me when you lose again."
I need this. Need to release all the tension building up inside me.
Our battle became an intricate dance of violence and barely restrained attraction. Every movement was loaded with tension as we exchanged cutting remarks while circling each other like predators.
"Is this what you do when someone hurts your feelings?" he taunted, deflecting my attacks with fluid grace. "Run to the garden to play with the dangerous brother?"
He's trying to get under my skin. It's working.
"At least I don't take out my problems on innocent flowers," I shot back, landing a blow that actually connected.
I'm getting better at this. Stronger.
Our combat became increasingly intimate as we grappled and broke apart. We were touching far more often than necessary to cause actual harm, our bodies drawn together by forces neither of us wanted to acknowledge.
The artificial bond should make me recoil from another man's touch. But I don't. I want more.
The fight reached its peak when Kyrell managed to pin me against an ancient oak tree. His body pressed against mine so closely I could feel his heart racing, his breath hot against my lips as he looked down at me with black eyes dark with desire.
He's going to kiss me. I want him to kiss me.
My own lips parted in unconscious invitation as the world narrowed to just the two of us. The overwhelming pull I felt toward this dangerous, broken man was stronger than anything I'd ever felt with Tobias.
This is wrong. But I don't care.
But instead of claiming the kiss I was expecting, Kyrell pulled away with a mocking smile that cut deeper than any insult.
"Did you really think I'd want to taste my brother's leavings?" he said with cruel satisfaction. "How pathetically naive you are, little wolf."
No. He's rejecting me. After making me want him so badly.
With that cruel parting shot, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving me pressed against the tree in complete confusion. My body ached with unfulfilled desire and my mind reeled from the realization that I'd wanted him to kiss me more than I'd ever wanted anything from Tobias.
What's happening to me? Why do I want someone who's so cruel?
Unable to process these terrifying feelings, I ran back to my chambers, my heart pounding with the knowledge that something fundamental had shifted in my understanding of myself.
I wanted Kyrell more than my own mate. What does that make me?