As I suspected, drama did ensue.
My mother kept latching Phoebe with her words until I had to intervene, ordering Phoebe to come sit close to me.
But my mother wouldn't have that either, snapping and complaining about how she couldn't 'eat with trash' before storming out of the dining room.
"Well, she's so lovely, isn't she?" Phoebe muttered with a sarcastic smile before walking to sit close to me.
However, the moment her butt met with the chair, I grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at me.
"What were you up to last night that made you sleep in for so long?" I growled, staring into her eyes which now shook with fear.
But that fear soon turned into aggression as she tried pulling her hand out of my grip to no avail.
"First of all, can you let go of me?!" She snapped, her eyes darting to the few guards that stood behind us. "For the moon's sake, can't I catch a break in this house? This is barely the second day and you and your mother are already ganging up to make my life hell."
A sly smirk curled up my lips. There it was. The feistiness I craved from her.
"I do recall promising to make your life hell, or didn't I?" I asked rhetorically, arching an eyebrow.
She blinked at me, her mouth agape but she couldn't say anything.
But soon enough, her eyes lit up as she stuttered with a low tone. "Y– You only said that in the context of us having s– sex. I didn't think you meant generally, that's just cruel!"
Oh?
The smirk on my face deepened as I leaned closer to her while still holding her hand. "Oh, trust me, the sex part is still going to happen. In fact, would you like us to go do it now or would you want to wait till tonight?"
She gulped, causing me to chuckle. She was able to use that opportunity to slip her hand out of my grasp, pouting with reddened cheeks.
"Why the heck are you laughing?" She asked, rubbing her hands.
I fixed my gaze on her, shrugging. "What, don't I have a right to laugh? Or do you wish to take that now that you know I want to make your life hell?"
That question seemed to make her mad as she clenched the spoon in her hand. "Why don't you just let me go? I'll hide myself away from the pack and free you from the burden of being your mate. Because honestly, I'm already getting tired of this."
Hmph...
She was getting tired? She should try getting in my shoes.
"I told you, my future depends on it," I answered with a blank tone, taking a bite from a chicken skin. "Besides, where's the fun in that?"
She clicked her tongue, placing her focus on the food in front of her.
I watched her hesitating as if she was new to eating.
"I guess you've never eaten so much food before?" I asked with a snort.
To my surprise, her response was devoid of anger or spite and plainer than a plyboard. "Yes, I haven't. In my family, we work for our food tirelessly instead of leeching off the poor and using them like rags. But I guess you can't relate to that."
My mood changed instantly, my brows furrowing as I stared at her. But she pretended like she hadn't said anything, picking up a spoon and taking a bite from a salad.
"Mhm..." She placed her hand in front of her mouth with a satisfied moan. "My compliments to the hardworking maids who made this."
I clenched my fists, glancing at one of the guards who quickly tried avoiding my gaze.
They were wolves... They could obviously hear us.
"Also, to answer your original question, like I said, I went on a walk to the gardens to clear my head last night." She spoke up just then. "This house is suffocating. This new Luna position is suffocating. Being your mate, IS suffocating. I needed a little break."
Oh, she was testing my patience with her words. But she'll soon regret that.
"Leave us." I blurted in a loud tone, addressing the guards and her maid, who still stood a good distance away from us, watching discreetly.
But it seemed they thought I was talking to Phoebe and glanced among themselves with confusion written on their faces.
I repeated myself. "I said, leave. All of you."
The command finally registered in their heads as all the guards and the maid scurried out of the dining room with bows, leaving me and Phoebe alone.
"Uh, what's happening?" She queried with a wary tone, arching an eyebrow at me.
I smirked, my voice oozing with sarcasm. "Oh, you just mentioned the house is suffocating, so I sent out the people who might be taking away all the air you require. Are you satisfied?"
She blinked at me with a confused expression at first before shrugging. "Well, it would be nice if you sent yourself out as w–"
Before she could complete that statement, I got up, grabbed her by her wrists, and yanked her out of her chair.
She gasped, unable to react on time as I pinned her to the table, my gaze immediately landing on her breasts which were slightly exposed.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" She twisted and turned, struggling to escape my hold but it was no use.
My breaths came in husky puffs as I grunted. "Am I still suffocating? Do you still wish I disappeared out of your sight? Out of your life?"
Her eyes fluttered as she stared at me, speechless.
But I went on regardless. "Well, get used to it, hun. We're fated mates meaning we're stuck together until one of us dies. And I'm sure as hell not dying anytime soon, and neither are you, whether you like it or not."
She gulped, her breathing increasing while her gaze became more intense.
We were alone. The tension in the air now was palpable and couldn't be ignored.
My eyes went to her lips just then, my dick already rising thanks to our proximity.
The howling from my wolf inside my head didn't help matters either, causing my resolve to falter as I leaned in closer, ready to kiss her.
However, before that could happen, a shrill voice sounded. "Hey, Kaene! Guess who just came back from shopping."
I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice only to see Elsa with a smile on her face, holding several shopping bags while accompanied by some maids behind her who carried even more bags.
But then her smile soon turned into a frown when she saw the compromising position Phoebe and I were in.
Shit…