ARIA.
"Don't touch me!" I backed away from him, shaking my head wildly. "I don't want you touching me, Lyall."
His eyes narrowed. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Everything!" I screamed. "You did everything wrong! I don't want this. I don't want this at all."
He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair in the process. "Then what do you want, Aria? Tell me, what exactly do you want?"
"I don't know. I don't know anymore!" Tears slipped down my cheeks as I spoke. He stared at me in silence, not making a move. I was glad that he got the memory real quick. I didn't want him touching me. "We have talked about this several times but I see that it's not going to change how you see me. So if you are here to have my body, fine! I'll give it to you. I'll give you my body, I'll take the insult from your wife when she returns and keep taking the subtle jabs the maids throw at me."
"Hold on, Aria. You're getting this all wrong," He raised a hand to stop me. "Listen to me. I am not here to have your body. I want to take you out tonight. And what the fuck are you on about with the maids?"
I shook my head and wiped my nose. "It doesn't matter."
"Aria, I need you to listen to me." He strode towards me and grabbed my arm when I tried to move. "I want you. I yearn for you, earnestly. But it is hard to walk away from a life that has been stamped for me. The Council Elders have accepted Sheila as my wife and until she dies, I am stuck with her."

A heavy sob clogged my throat and I tried not to choke on it, swallowing slowly and nodding my head before blinking back as tears threatened to fall.
"I understand." I forced a smile.
He smiled back and pulled me into the strength of his arms, planting a kiss on my lips in the process. "You look breathtaking tonight, Aria. I am trying so hard not to rip your clothes from your body and fuck you right now and that is because we have somewhere to go."
I remember him mentioning that. "Somewhere?"

He nodded. "Yes, somewhere.."
"Isn't that risky? I mean, you're well-known as the Alpha King. You will definitely be recognised. I don't think I am ready to take that risk."
He grabbed my chin when I tried pulling away and looked at me, shaking his head in the process. "Of course, I am Alpha King. It is why I stand out. And trust me, no one will snitch on us. Our privacy is protected. It is why I am taking you there. I want to spend time with you for the whole of tonight and bring you back in my arms. Do you want that too?"
Of course, I did. But right now, I want things to be perfect. I wanted to be his Luna, I wanted him to be able to show me off to the world. But this was it.
"Yes, I do."
He took my hands and led me out of my room, a smile on his face as we left the Palace through the other entrance which nobody ever frequented. Once again, I felt a tight squeeze in my chest that I was being led in that direction. It wasn't enough that this was hidden. He wanted it to be hidden so well that we had to leave through the back of the Palace.
Finally, I was helped up by the royal carriage. Lyall lifted me with ease before entering right after I did and soon, the carriage began to move through the smooth Palace path before we drove out of the gates.
Lyall took my hand in his and pulled off my black lacy glove before planting a soft kiss on each of my fingers. "I should get you a sapphire embedded piece of bracelet. Though your eyes are grey, it would be a perfect, perfect match. And I want you to have it on. Always."
"Like I have an option." I forced a laugh that didn't get to my eyes and looked out of the window.
"What did the maids do to you?" He asked. His voice was lower this time and it conveyed an expression I couldn't even decipher.
"What did they do to me?" I reiterated. "Nothing. They did nothing to me."
"You talked about the maids throwing subtle jabs at you. And no, don't you fucking deny that they didn’t do anything because I will have them all punished, including Daneesha."
My face dropped and my lips trembled as I spoke. Tonight wasn't going as planned. It wasn't the happy night I wanted. I snatched my glove from his hand and slipped it back on quite ceremoniously before looking back at him. "If you're going to keep blackmailing me into doing what you want, then just leave me be. Go ahead. Do it! Punish my friend! I do not care. Not anymore."
I turned away, letting the tears fall this time. I didn't care if it was going to mess up my kohl or my makeup. I wanted to be distant from him. I wanted this night to end really quickly!
He said nothing for the whole of the drive and when we finally got to the so-called private place, I realised it was a manor outside the Pack.
It was well hidden. Surrounded by thick bushes and tall trees and a clean, smooth path led towards a very large courtyard.
Our carriage stopped right behind the others, the horses neighing as they halted finally. Lyall pushed the door open and jumped down before turning and stretching out his hand.
I ignored him, climbing down on my own and pushing past him.
People loitered about and the area was surrounded by beautiful flowers. A garden that looked like it had been perfectly curated by an artist shone with bright lights similar to the ones that lined the path as we rode by.
I lifted my gown, heaving as I took my first step. My thighs peeked out and I caught a few men looking my way. The women were too engrossed in talking to even notice me but as soon as Lyall stepped into the light, they all turned towards him, checking him out in the process. I tried not to grit out my anger as I made my way towards the door.
"That's the wrong way," he called out from behind me when I took a few steps up.
I stopped, closing my eyes and nodding before I turned back to face him with a caustic smile. "And where is the door?"
People parted as he made his way towards me. He had an effect on people. It was intimidating and fascinating to watch the men cower at his sight like he was a god stepped down from heaven.
When he finally got to where I stood, he slipped his arm around my waist, ascertaining possession as we walked down the steps.
Everyone turned in our direction. I could feel the tension in the air. It was thick enough to be cut through with a knife and I didn't make a statement as he walked us to the main door.
Music floated into my ears. Beautiful, beautiful music and I noticed the people inside the hall looked more aesthetically pleasing than the ones outside.
Lyall must have seen my confusion because he gave me an answer. "These people are royals and those outside are rich people who come from. The cream of the society. We have free access to the ball because it is our right. This place was built a long time ago. During the times of my great grandfather so we're pretty much royals here and our fathers before us erected this place."
"And what was it built for?"
"Various things." He shrugged. "From conferences to secret meetings to parties like this where you can come with your mistresses if your wife isn't enough for you. And oh, orgies. But I do not attend any of that."
What should have made me comfortable made me more uncomfortable than I already was. So I was here because I was to remain hidden. Embarrassment washed over me, flooding my chest with a feeling I couldn't even contain. I wished there was a way I could make myself feel better about this whole thing but I couldn't. Not when I knew this.
Orgies.
That was extremely... unconventional. I had no idea why he emphasised on the fact that he never attended any of those. Like he was any different from the men here.
The rich could be nasty at times. Not having what to do in your free time could make you negatively productive.
"Feel as comfortable as you want. No one is going to say a word out of this place if they don't want to be severely punished. Besides, we're not all saints here." He snatched two glasses from a tray and handed one over to me.
"I guess."
"Lyall? Is that you?!”