26

Tarian POV

“Are you completely out of your mind?!” I barked, stepping into the private spa sanctuary and slamming the door shut behind us. “A male masseuse?! You are the Luna of May Town, yet you stand there acting like a starved, shameless woman in front of the resort staff!”

Livyana didn’t even flinch. She slowly turned around, smoothing down the edges of her white spa robe, and tilted her head at me with a lazy, mocking smirk that made my blood boil.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Highness,” she chided, her voice dripping with feigned sweetness as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Did I hit a sensitive nerve? Or are you just throwing a tantrum because you realize you’re not the only man on this continent with broad shoulders and actual muscles?”

“Watch your tongue, Livyana!” I growled, taking a menacing step toward her. “You are my wife! Asking for some burly stranger to lay his hands all over your bare body is a direct insult to me and my title!”

“An insult?!” She laughed, rolling her eyes toward the vaulted ceiling. “That is rich coming from you! You stood right there in front of the resort attendant and requested female masseuses for both of us without even asking me first!”

“So what if a woman massages me?!” I snapped, my jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched in my cheek. “It is a standard, professional spa treatment!”

“So what if a man massages me?!” she flipped the exact same question back at me, taking an aggressive step forward until she was standing barely two feet away. “Why on earth are you getting so absurdly upset over my choice of masseuse when you’re about to lie down and let another woman rub oils into your back?!”

“Because I am the Alpha King!” I roared, the sheer arrogance of her challenge driving me insane. “And you are supposed to be my reserved, respectful Luna!”

“Well, your reserved Luna has feelings, needs and wants..!” Livyana shot back, her dark eyes flashing with fire. “You expect me to just sit back, relax, and watch another woman touch my husband while you act like I’m completely invisible?! You won’t even touch me! You won’t even look my way without a scowl on your face! I have feelings, Tarian! I have desires! My entire body is sore from this ridiculous journey, and if it takes a masseuse with strong, capable hands to ease the tension in my muscles, you are just going to have to deal with it!”

Her words hung heavily in the warm, steam-filled air of the private spa suite.

The attendant had looked so visibly startled when Livyana requested the burly male therapist she had spotted near the entrance, trying her best to force a professional smile while I stood there glaring daggers. Now, left entirely alone in the private suite, the argument between us reached a violent boiling point.

The room was humid, scented with lavender, crushed eucalyptus, and hot steam rising from the sunken marble bath in the center of the floor. Livyana stood near the edge of the water, her chest heaving as she glared up at me, completely unbothered by my towering size or my crushing Alpha aura.

My wolf thrashed inside my chest, furious at her defiance, but even more enraged by the mental picture of another man placing his hands on her waist.

She wasn’t Moriah but something about her fire reminded me of her when we first met.

She was just as stubborn and hot headed.

The only difference was that Moriah and my mother never got along, and I am wondering how the timid girl I was suppose to marry turned into this audacious woman.

And I didn’t quite understand why I was jealous.

Why her decision to choose a male masseuse hurt me so much.

“You think this is a joke?!” I growled, walking into her personal space until there wasn’t a single inch between us.

I was tempted, I swear I was tempted to hold her and kiss her, but that would be cheating on Moriah.

Livyana didn’t back down, she seemed to make matters worse. Instead, she lifted her chin, her gaze locking into mine with an infuriating, challenge-driven smirk. “I don’t see anyone laughing, sugar lips.”

Sugar lips?!

That was the absolute last straw.

Before she could spit out another humiliating nickname, I lunged forward. My hands shot out, gripping her by the waist and driving her backward until her lower back hit the slick marble edge of the sunken bath. She let out a soft, swift gasp as I leaned over her, pinning her completely between my broad chest and the steaming water below.

This lady had a lot of nerves, but my hands remained pinned against the slick marble edge of the sunken bath, trapping her completely between my chest and the warm water. Wondering if I should silence her with a kiss, those tempting lips of hers. Her breath hitched, her eyes wide and dark as she stared up into mine.

The space between our lips had shrunk to less than an inch, the scent of lavender and raw heat consuming the tiny air between us. My gaze dropped to her mouth, my wolf roaring inside my chest to claim the mouth that had been mocking me all week, and I wondered why she had such a sharp, unbearable tongue.

“A..Al..Alpha…T..” she stammers. “I need some air…”

She tried to push, but I held her in place…softly, but firm.

Firm enough to crush her lips in solemn silence, for once.

Her body was soft, warm, and practically radiating a feminine primal pull that made my head spin. I could feel the faint tremor in her breath, the rapid flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat, and the sudden, undeniable shift in the atmosphere from pure hatred to dangerous, suffocating desire.

I leaned down, my control snapping entirely. My lips brushed hers for a split second—a hot, electric touch that sent a violent jolt of lightning straight down to my groin.

Her eyelids fluttered shut, her lips parting slightly to yield to the kiss—

Moriah.

And that was when memory of my first kiss with her hit me like a physical blow to the sternum. Moriah’s face, her smile, the sacred vows I had made never to give my heart or body to another woman slammed into my mind with brutal, unforgiving force.

Horror crashed over me. What in the name of the Moon Goddess am I doing?!

I pushed myself away abruptly, stumbling backward as if she had burned me. My heels caught the edge of the wet tile, my chest heaving as I clutched my head, panting for air. I was utterly disgusted by my own weakness, disgusted that this insufferable, sharp-tongued girl had almost made me betray my mate’s memory.

Livyana stumbled against the edge of the tub, her face flushed red, gasping for breath as she clutched her white robe tightly over her chest. Her eyes were staring at me as I backed away toward the door.

“Look at you,” she rasped out, a breathless, wicked moan lacing her voice as she slowly straightened her spine. “Now I see... you’re jealous, aren’t you?”

She let out a soft, taunting chuckle, her fingers tracing the edge of her collar as she looked at me through her lashes. “You want me so badly, Tarian, but you act like you don’t... sugar lips.”

“Shut up!” I snarled, my voice trembling with raw, unadulterated fury and shame. “Do not speak to me!”

“You almost kissed me!” she taunted, stepping away from the bath, her confidence returning in full force. “You were a second away from eating me alive, Alpha! So don’t you dare stand there and lecture me about propriety when you’re practically starving for my touch!”

“I would rather die than lay a hand on you!” I yelled, backing up until my spine hit the door of the spa suite. “You mean nothing to me, Livyana! Absolutely nothing!”

“Then prove it!” she challenged, crossing her arms and smirking at me. “Go sit out there, let your female masseuse touch you, and try not to think about my lips while you’re lying on that table!”

I stared at her, my blood running hot and cold all at once. Without another word, I yanked the spa door open, stepped out into the hallway, and slammed it shut so hard the frosted glass rattled in its frame.

I leaned my forehead against the wooden wall of the corridor, my hands shaking violently as I forced my wolf back down into the dark. I was in deep, catastrophic trouble. Because as much as I hated her sharp tongue, her arrogance, and her infuriating defiance... my body was fighting a war I wasn’t sure I could win.