Aleksasha straightened her thin emerald green silk dress and checked her make-up in her mirrored vanity. She left her waist length crimson tresses unbound, as she remembered that was his preference before he left. The events of the day had been taxing and the estate had been thrown into beautiful chaos with the triumphant return of its lord, her husband, Matias Volkov after almost ten years at war. She lived for his letters and now, the man himself had been delivered to her door.
Just a light touch of make-up and then I can go surprise him in his quarters. He's returned even more handsome than when he left. Tonight will be the night it'll all be real.
She thought brightly. The dress heightened the color of her eyes against her pale skin.
I'll be his present for returning victorious. He should be done dealing with that woman by now.
Her bright green eyes darkened at the memory of the raven haired beauty Matias returned with, Selene. It had taken her back but Matias swore there was nothing going on. Selene was the daughter of a fallen comrade that he'd promised to look after. She was stunning and there would no doubt be plenty of suitors waiting for her hand once they held the victory banquet.
She shook her head and ruffled her hair one last time before hurrying off toward his wing of the estate. It was late, the bell tolled ten times. She had never visited Matias before so late, even though they had been wed, she had been too young at the time to consummate their marriage before he left for war.
She moved easily through the darkened halls, her slippers softly padded over the cool, smooth dark hardwood floors. All along the walls were tasteful tapestries and curtains - closed to help keep the temperature of the mansion comfortable. She couldn't recall how many times she'd traversed this path to Matias's rooms to seek comfort in the lingering scent of his cologne while he was gone. It had been bitterly lonely and difficult to survive without him all these years but she had been raised to run estates like this.
How many times these lonely years have I fantasized walking into his rooms, ripe and delicious for the picking for him to claim? Him staring at me with those icy blue eyes and holding me in those strong, muscular arms…
She heard muffled voices as she approached Matias's study. She froze and saw the flicker of candlelight under the heavy oak door. She frowned.
Why is he in here? Is he doing paperwork? It's so late? Who is he arguing with? There's no way that she's…
She tried to ignore the way her heart tightened at the possibility as her hand gripped the doorknob.
Selene stood in her pale blue gown tattered and worn from traveling through a war zone, her ample bosom heaving against the tight bodice as she pressed a thin blade against Matias's throat. Her body pressed against his massive chest, a sneer on her face. Her hair spilled like black silk over her shoulders in disarray. Her dark eyes burned with a mixture of anger and something else. "You think you can control everything, don't you?" She hissed. "Even me."
Matias looked at the woman with a coldness in his ice blue eyes. His lips curled into a faint, almost daring smile on his handsome tanned face. "If you wanted me dead, Selene, you'd have done it already," his voice is even and composed. "But this... you're hesitating."
Aleksasha froze at the doorway, her eyes wide in dismay as her breath caught. It felt like her entire body had been dipped in ice water. She didn't understand what the two were saying from where she was at the entry to the room. The low voices, and the intimacy of the way Selene was pressed against her husband who was backed against the bookcase as her husband smiled even with a knife at his throat told her much.
He's never expressed any… and tonight on all nights, when we should be enjoying our reunion, he's here with her!
Aleksasha stepped forward, her voice sharp to mask her discomfort. "Am I interrupting something? Or is this how you resolve your... disagreements?" She irately tossed her hair over her shoulder, holding her head up high, trying to salvage her pride if not her heart.
Selene turned her head, the blade still a breath away from drawing blood. "How thoughtful of you to join us, Lady Aleksasha," she sneered, her gaze sliced through Aleksasha as easily as the knife. "Your timing is impeccable."
"If I'd known this was your idea of foreplay, I might have knocked first." Aleksasha's voice was laced with distaste as her eyes were drawn to the way Selene's dress revealed her cleavage and the swatch of thigh from how she was pressed against Matias. She shifted to stare to Matias with a disapproving frown. Her chest heaving as she stood within a few steps of the door. "Though, this is my home and I don't need permission to enter anywhere."
Matias's eyes met Aleksasha's, his brows lifted in surprise, the corner of his lips twitched as if to suppress a laugh. "This isn't what it looks like," he commented in a voice smooth as silk. Not at all like Aleksasha thought she'd hear in her husband's voice during an intense intimate moment. It was the only explanation why a highly trained soldier and decorated war hero would allow anyone to hold a knife against his throat.
Aleksasha's eyes flicked to the blade still in Selene's hand, then back to Matias's calm, almost amused expression. "Really? Because it looks like my husband the returning hero has a knife to his throat yet is not angered by it. I'm not sure if her trying to kill you or kiss you is worse." She sarcastically laughs, trying to ignore the way her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and her body trembled with outrage. Her eyes were wet, on the verge of angry tears.
He shoved Selene easily away and walked toward Aleksasha. His shirt open revealing a criss cross of scars across his massive chest. His gaze softened slightly as he reaches out for Aleksasha. He lowered his voice as he touched her arm. She felt a jolt as he touched her. She desperately wanted him to take her into those arms. "Alek, you misunderstand-"
No. I do not.
Aleksasha jerked away from his touch as she cut him off. "Am I?" her voice sharp and full of hurt. "Because from where I'm standing, you're enjoying an evening on the edge with company instead of being with…" She didn't finish, shrinking away from Matias as he tried to pull her close. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her chest heaving beneath the thin fabric of her dress. She wanted to scream at him. It had been one thing to bring Selene home with him but it was another to be here with her in the middle of the night instead of being with her.
Matias stared at her blinking, a frown on his lips. He ran his hand over his short black hair, smoothing the strands out of his face as he tried to find the right words.
Selene moved from the bookcase, something unreadable flickered across her face as she is forgotten and abandoned at the bookcase, The dagger hangs limply in her hand at her side. Aleksasha's eyes snapped to the woman as she moved, watching the way Selene readjusted her bodice and skirt to recover from having such an intimate moment interrupted.
"He likes his games, doesn't he?" Selene interjected as she stalked over to Matias. "You would know, my lady." The way she said the honorific was like she was spitting. "Don't you worry, I'll leave you a piece when I'm done." She leaned against Matias's shoulder, openly glaring at Aleksasha from behind the man.
I wouldn't know. I don't know. We never had the time together.
Aleksasha's wide eyes narrowed at the woman. She forced her hands to unclench as her jaw tightened.
Don't give her the satisfaction of arguing with her.
Aleksasha ruefully and pridefully shook her head and glared at Matias with a hot enough hate to cut steel. "A game, Matias? Is this what this is to you?"
Matias stepped away from Selene, shrugging away her hand from his shoulder like she was a pest. His expression faltered, caught off guard by Aleksasha's words as worry flickered across his face. "No. Alek, this isn't what you think. Selene and I…"
Aleksasha shoved Matias away angrily. "Save it. I don't want to hear it. Explain later, if I decide to see you at all." She turned on her heel and stormed off, her heart racing wildly. Selene's mocking laughter followed her from the room. She saw Matias's pained and lost expression for a second before the door slammed shut behind her.