Chapter 4

Peasant?

He never insulted me. No matter how much I annoyed him, the most Malric usually did was raise his voice slightly, but this…this was new.

Nonetheless, I swallowed it up, seeing that I had limited time to talk to him.

I heaved a deep breath, allowing my shoulders to slug as I exhaled, “Y-You’ve been ignoring me, Malric,” I stammered, unable to meet those ferocious eyes that looked like they’d burn me whole, “Why?”

He breathed, shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced behind him. “Look, Aluin. I’ve been very busy lately.”

A pang hit my chest firmly and the air around me suddenly turned bleak, “Aluin? Am I not your heat-kitten anymore?”

His eyes flashed again and he seethed through clenched teeth, “Are you fucking crazy? You want me to call you that in public?” He snapped and swiftly scoured the surrounding area again. “You have to leave now.”

“Not without the truth.” I said firmly, despite the shameless trembling of my lips.

His eyes darkened, “What do you mean by that?”

“I can feel your heartbeat at times. I know that it surges whenever you tell a lie and right now it’s beating like a drum.” I replied softly, my voice quaking in embarrassing chasms. “Y-You don’t have to lie to me, I can take it. I know about the girl…Lyra. Is it her?”

He scoffed and it suddenly grew agitating when he kept glancing behind him. “Whatever you think you know about Lyra isn’t important, Aluin.”

“So, am I not wrong? Is it her?” I asked desperately, my heart thumping with curiosity. “You try to shove your balls into my ass whenever we are fucking, I expect you to grow some now and at least tell me the truth.”

His fist suddenly flashed in the air and my eyes widened, my entire body helplessly frozen to the spot, waiting for the impact of his raised hand. But it never came. I breathed shakily, watching him withdraw the fist that hung in the air and thanking the goddess for preserving my life.

He suddenly squinted at me and the way his expression hardened sent shivers into my spine. I was suddenly hesitant to hear what he wanted to say, but it was too late.

“Fine. You want all the juice?” He sighed. “My parents have been arranging potential matches for me, girls of high calibre that they believe will be capable of serving as my Luna when I sit on the throne. And I think their search has ended,” he admitted, an impassive look etched on his face, “Lyra seems to be the one.”

I thought it would hurt less since I already had an idea, but hell no. My heart bled, stabbed by his cold words that turned into daggers right before they tore into my heart. I bit back my tears, unable to bear the burning pain coursing through my veins. Never did I think I’d be a victim of a heartbreak. I could have sworn on my life that Malric would never leave me.

“You are loyal to me, Malric,” I whimper, “You said so.”

He sighed, “You shouldn't be surprised by this, Aluin. We both had it coming. I am the heir to this pack. I’m obligated to my people to marry, crown a Luna and have children. I don’t imagine you can make that possible.”

I scoff bitterly, he would never miss an opportunity to take a gibe at me. “And what about your obligations to me, Malric? Your mate.”

He shrugged, “Nothing has changed. We can just reschedule our meetings.”

“You’re wrong, Malric,” I moaned, the full realization of this situation dawning on me now, “Everything has changed. You are in love with me, I know it! You fancy me, but you will be living with another woman, sleeping with her and defiling the mate bond between us. It’s not fair, Malric…not to me, not to her, you’re the only one benefitting from this set up.”

My voice grew acrid and accusing, “You’re just seeking convenience and your position as the Young Alpha is just some sort of excuse to maneuver your way around it.”

He snarled at me and my breath hitched. I took a step back out of the fear for his temper, but he didn’t just look angry, Malric was irritated by the sight of me. I sickened him.

“You know nothing about me, Aluin. You will never feel the weight on my shoulders, or know what it means to be in a position of power and yet, sit back and watch others make decisions for you.” He stated, towering over me as he cornered me to the wall. My heart thundered against my ribs, terrified by the ominous aura oozing out of his intimidating frame.

His eyes burned a void into mine, “You seem to have forgotten your place here, Aluin. I thought you understood how this works, but I guess I was wrong. I made a huge mistake with you, but your ignorance doesn’t change your position,” his tone grew colder, “Take one step out of line again, and I am calling our visits off…for good.”

I gasped, he couldn’t possibly do that!

But his eyes said it all, he wasn’t bluffing. My heart sank to the base of my stomach. I never expected the storm to swoop in so quickly. I thought Malric would wait a bit longer, maybe until his mid-twenties before he thought about getting married.

A part of me that had dared to dream even hoped that Malric would come up with a plan for our future. I always admired how intelligent he was…but now, it was clear that it had never even crossed his mind to try.

The world I thought I had built on solid grounds crumbled right before my eyes. The realization was devastating, but this entire time, I was the one deluding myself. Living in a delusional world I had created for Malric and I, one Marlic wanted no part in.

My eyes widened the moment I saw her approach from the classroom behind. Lyra’s eyes met mine briefly, cold and threatening, then that deadly look morphed into a smile when she looked at Malric…like a bloody chameleon.

“Is anything the matter, dear?” she asked and locked arms with him.

No wonder he had been glancing back into the classroom and even called me a peasant earlier. It was all her!

I swallowed the bitterness of seeing them together, it tasted sour and oh, did it burn down my throat like lava!

Malric didn’t even look at me when he shook his head. They walked away, chatting and clinging together like lovebirds.

The scorching pain sliced through my heart, but it was nothing compared to the writhing pain I felt like that night. I squirmed in my bed, my wolf was restless, growling and scratching against my spine. I tried to push the thought out of my mind, completely ignoring it if possible. But each wave of pain that swept through my feeble body only made me think about it more. I knew what this was, I knew why it was happening, even though I have never felt it before.

My tears pooled on the pillow my head rested on, soaking it in a matter of minutes.

Malric was in bed with Lyra.