Chapter 153- Listen To Me

Arabella:

For a second, Jasmine seemed to forget that my hand was in her hair. Her eyes snapped to mine. "What did you just call me?"

"You heard me!" I gave her hair another vicious yank. Fuck her perfect dress. Fuck her title. Fuck the royal family watching us. I had spent enough time keeping my mouth shut around these people.

Jasmine grabbed my wrist and tried to pry my fingers open. "Let go of me, you slut!"

"Fuck no."

"Arabella!" Theodora screamed from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder, still holding Jasmine’s hair. "Stay out of this, you royal pain in the ass!"

The Queen stared at me in disbelief. I turned back before she could recover.

Jasmine was no longer shocked. Her face had gone red as she struggled against my grip, one hand locked around my wrist. "Let me go right now," she warned through her teeth. "Or I’ll let my wolf out."

That stopped me. Not because the threat frightened me.

I slowly leaned closer until our faces were only inches apart. "Do it." Jasmine froze.

"Go on. Let her out." I tightened my fist in her hair. "Show everyone how the great head warrior needs her wolf to fight a wolfless girl." Her eyes flickered toward the people surrounding us. Exactly.

I smiled coldly. "What are you waiting for, Warrior Jasmine?"

"Enough!" Amy practically yelled.

I turned my head toward her and found her gripping the edge of the table. Her eyes were glowing, and her breathing was heavy as she struggled to hold back her Lycan.

"Take your hands off her, Arabella, or I’ll kill you right here!" Her threat didn’t scare me.

Kill me here? None of them had the guts.

This family had buried their beloved daughter and spent years punishing everyone except the person who had actually murdered her. They could threaten me... scratch me here and there. Maybe even beat the shit out of me.

But kill me? In front of this many guests? They wouldn’t fucking dare.

Jasmine was still trying to loosen my fingers from her hair when I raised my voice deliberately. "You were the one who gave me that potion!"

Jasmine’s face turned pale. "I trusted you!" My throat burned as the words came out. "You told me what to do, and like a fucking fool, I believed you. And look what happened!"

She swallowed hard. For the first time since I had grabbed her, she looked scared. "You killed his Lycan, you two-faced snake!"

"Arabella. Let her go." Bradley reached for me, gently trying to pull me back, but I refused to loosen my grip on Jasmine’s hair.

She wasn’t even struggling anymore. She just stared at me, her eyes wide, and all the anger from moments ago was suddenly gone.

"I... I didn’t give you any potion." She protested in a weak voice. I could feel my blood boiling.

"Yes, you did!" I shouted in her face. "You gave it to me and told me it would only knock him out. I trusted you because you said you two were in love!"

Jasmine shook her head, but I wasn’t going to let her stand there and lie to my face. "You knew I wanted to leave. You knew I was desperate enough to believe you. And look what you did! You killed him, you lying piece of shit!" I started yanking her hair again when two strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist.

My body was pulled firmly back against a hard chest. "Let her go, you little troublemaker." That deep murmur came right beside my ear making my body go stiffen in his arms.

For a second, I couldn’t even move, then I slowly turned my head. Lucien was standing right behind me.

"She’s the one who gave me that potion," I whispered. Lucien looked at me for a long moment before giving a small nod.

"Okay."

His hand closed gently around mine, and one by one, he loosened my fingers from Jasmine’s hair. I didn’t fight him. The anger that had kept me going only seconds ago was suddenly disappearing, and all I could feel now was the pain. Suddenly I felt tired.

The moment my hand was free, Lucien pulled me into his arms. I pressed my face against his chest and squeezed my eyes shut.

I was not going to cry. Not here. Not in front of Jasmine. Not in front of all these people... but my eyes were already burning.

Lucien didn’t say anything. He simply held me, one arm around my back and the other resting against the back of my head, shielding my face from everyone around us.

For a few moments, we stayed like that. Then his arm slipped beneath my knees.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he scooped me up against his chest and stepped away from the table.

This time, I didn’t threaten him for carrying me without permission. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and let him take me away.

***

Lucien didn’t stop until we reached his chambers.

He carried me straight to his bedroom and lowered me onto the edge of his bed. The moment he started to pull away, I caught his wrist.

"Lucien, please." He stopped.

"Please believe me." My voice cracked despite how hard I tried to control it. "I know what I did was wrong. I know putting something in your food was a crime, but Jasmine gave me that potion. She told me—"

"I don’t want to talk about it, Bella." He whispered.

For a second, I genuinely wondered if I had heard him wrong. "You don’t want to talk about it?"

I pushed myself to my feet on the mattress. Screw the tears. I was furious.

"Then what the hell do you want to talk about, Lucien? The weather?" I threw up my hands in frustration. "My body? My boobs? Is that easier for you?"

"Arabella," he warned quietly.

"No. Tell me." I pointed at myself. "Will you finally listen to me if I take these off?"

His brows pulled together as he looked at me.

"Fine!" Before he could figure out what I meant, I reached down to grab the hem of my gown and dragged it over my head.

"Arabella! What the fuck!"

I threw the dress aside. "There." I stood on his bed in my underwear, furious and close to tears. "Now will you fucking listen to me?"