Chapter 157: You need a reminder

The next morning, Alyssa woke to the sweet scent of roses cutting through the air of the bedroom.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. Resting on the nightstand was a fresh bouquet of red roses, and beside the bouquet was her teddy bear.

She stared at them, her chest tightening. She remembered sitting up on the sofa downstairs, waiting for Dorian until her eyes grew heavy. He must have carried her up to bed when he returned.

She shifted onto her side. His side of the bed was cold, the sheets undisturbed, indicating he had been gone for hours.

Sitting up, she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. A sudden wave of nausea rolled through her stomach, sour and persistent, making her breath catch in her throat.

She stayed still until the churning sensation passed, then reached out to touch the petals. There was no note, but she knew Dorian had personally picked up each rose stem for her.

She didn’t want this distance between them anymore. She wanted to make amends.

Pushing back the covers, she forced herself up and walked into the bathroom.

After a cold shower that did little to shake the fatigue from her bones, she pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans and a simple cream blouse. She swept her hair into a loose bun, checked her pale reflection in the mirror, and stepped out into the hallway.

The mansion was eerily quiet. Usually, the morning brought the brisk chatter of Jake and Alec arranging schedules near the stairs, or Pandora and Anthony engaged in their usual bickering while Henna laughed in the background.

Today, the hallways felt completely deserted.

As she reached the bottom landing, muffled voices drifted from the open door of the library at the end of the hallway. Then came a sound that made her blood run cold; Elvira’s light, melodic laugh.

She sharply walked down the corridor, her slippers silent against the floor, and pushed the door open.

Dorian was leaning over the central desk, dressed in a fitted black sleeveless shirt that exposed the intricate runes and tattoos along his arms. His jaw was set hard, his brow furrowed in concentration over a mountain of open ledgers.

Standing beside him, close enough that her shoulder brushed his arm, was Elvira. She wore a tailored, mocha-colored dress that cut high above her knees, her blonde hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders. She looked every bit the polished Luna she had once been.

She was leaning in, pointing out an entry on the ledger, whispering something that made Dorian’s shoulders tense.

Alyssa pushed the door wider, letting the latch click against the frame.

Both of them looked up.

Dorian’s eyes locked onto Alyssa. For a moment, his expression softened, but as his gaze took in her rigid posture, his lips compressed into a hard line. A shadow of exhaustion and wary restraint crossed his features.

​"Good morning," Alyssa said, her voice unnervingly quiet.

He straightened up, stepping back from the desk and clearing his throat. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Alyssa’s throat tightened. How are you feeling? No sweet pet name? No step toward her?Just a distant, polite inquiry? The coldness in his posture felt like a slap.

"Good," she said flatly, her eyes sliding past him to lock onto Elvira.

Elvira offered a warm, perfectly disarming smile. "Good morning, Luna Alyssa. I hope you don’t mind. Dorian was helping me review the territory ledgers. I asked him to give me something useful to occupy my time while we work towards breaking the mate bond."

Alyssa stared at her, saying nothing. The composure on Elvira’s face was terrifying.

Elvira took a small step toward Dorian, letting her fingers brush his forearm as she looked back at Alyssa with eyes full of false sympathy. "I know my presence here is painful for you. I know what it looks like. But I’ve apologized to Dorian, and now, I’m asking for your forgiveness. I don’t want to be the cause of the rift between the two of you."

Alyssa didn’t break eye contact. The audacity of the gesture made her skin prickle.

"Take your hand off my husband," she commanded.

Elvira snatched her arm away like she had been stung. She started to speak again but Alyssa dismissed her and turned to Dorian.

"Where is everyone else?"

Dorian moved away from Elvira’s side, his hands sliding into his pockets as he stepped towards her. His eyes were unreadable.

"I sent them into town to handle logistics for the eastern border. You and I have a meeting to attend, but I postponed it because you were still resting."

Alyssa’s brow furrowed. "Why didn’t you wake me?"

"I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. And about last night, I really wanted you to come with me to the swearing-in of the new Alphas. But you wanted to be alone, and I didn’t want to ruin that."

Alyssa didn’t comment on that. Just as she thought of a reply to give him, Elvira spoke out.

"If it’s any consolation, and given I was once the Luna Queen, I stepped in to handle the ceremonial protocol so the council wouldn’t question the Luna’s absence."

"Silence, Elvira!" Dorian snapped, turning to glare at her. But the damage was already done.

Alyssa let out a low, bitter laugh. "You stepped in? Are you so desperate to replace me?" She looked at Dorian, her chest heaving with silent rage. "It seems the two of you have everything under control. I’ll leave you to your business."

"Alyssa, wait!" Dorian called out, but she turned and walked away. However, at the threshold, she suddenly stopped and spun around again.

Her furious eyes locked onto Elvira. "What am I doing? You should be the one leaving. Get out of here! Get out!"

Elvira glanced at Dorian, waiting for him to say something, but his eyes were pinned on Alyssa. He didn’t even look her way.

Clenching her jaw, she lowered her head and slipped quickly out into the hallway.

The moment she was gone, Alyssa slammed the door shut, turned the key in the lock, and whirled around.

"Is this what you want?" she demanded, closing the distance between them with sharp, furious strides. "Two Lunas? You want two women ruling beside you?"

"Alyssa, stop this," Dorian growled, his voice tight. "You know that’s not true. I only have one Luna, and it’s you. I don’t want anyone else. I don’t want Elvira–"

He stopped abruptly when her hands grabbed the hem of her blouse. In one swift movement, she pulled it over her head and threw it onto the floor. Before he could speak, her fingers worked the button of her jeans and pulled it down her thighs. She stepped out and kicked them aside until she stood naked before him in the dim light of the library.

His breath hitched. The words died in his throat as his gaze swept over the curves of her body, his eyes darkening to a dangerous, shadowed black. His chest heaved, his throat working as he swallowed with visible effort.

"What are you doing?" he rasped in a voice thick and gravelly with the sudden desire that shot through him.

"Maybe you need a reminder," Alyssa said, her voice shaking with an edge of wild defiance that surprised even her. She reached up and pulled the pin from her hair, letting the thick locks cascade down over her bare shoulders. "Maybe that bond is clouding your head. So let me remind you who your wife is."

"I don’t need a damn reminder," Dorian retorted, his gaze locked on her, his fists clenching at his sides as he fought for breath. "I know who my wife is. You’re the only woman I love."

"Then prove it," she challenged softly.

She closed the remaining space between them, stepping directly into the heat of his body. Pushing him back against the edge of the desk, her fingers caught the top button of his sleeveless shirt.

He grabbed her wrists, his grip firm, halting her hands. "What has gotten into you, Alyssa? Look at me. You’re out of your mind with anger right now, and I’m not going to do this while we’re fighting."

"Why?" She tilted her head, her eyes burning into his. "You don’t want me? Would you rather it was Elvira?"

A dangerous flare of annoyance flashed across his features. "Don’t test me, Alyssa. I don’t give a damn about her, and I am losing my grip on my sanity trying not to cross a line with you right now. You’ve been furious with me since yesterday. You wouldn’t even open the door for me."

"Because you hurt me!"

"And I apologized!" Dorian snapped, his frustration boiling over. "I begged for your forgiveness, and you told me to get out! I’ve spent the last twelve hours losing my mind trying to figure out how to fix this..."

"Then fix it," Alyssa cut him off, wrenching her wrists free from his hold. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him face down toward her. Her fingers tore at the fabric, popping a button off that rattled across the floor.

She pressed her breasts into his chest, feeling her nipples pebble into hard peaks. She took his hands and placed them on her ass, feeling the tremor running through his muscles as he fought his own possessive nature.

"I need to know," she whispered, her lips brushing against his jaw, her breath hot in his skin. "I need to feel that I’m still yours, Dorian. That she hasn’t tainted what belongs to me."

Her hand slid down to the buckle of his belt and tugged firmly.

"So stop talking... and fuck me."