The Beauty and the Beast (1st book of Fantasy Series)

Chapter 17- Steven

I ignored my human as he warned me not to do what I was planning on doing. My gaze was hard on the Warrior in front of me, watching as he shifted on his paws. "Well?" I asked, tapping a claw onto the desk before me. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"N-N-Nothing, Sire," he said, stuttering. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, and I felt pleased that he was nervous in my presence. "I-I wasn't trying to steal her away from you."

"Un huh, then why were you offering to show her places that she was allowed to go this afternoon?" I asked. "Unless you have feelings for her?"

Peter shook his head. "She is my cousin, Your Majesty," his voice steadier. "I do not have any feelings for her, except for the familial bond that we share."

"You're lying," I growled, leaning forward. "You do have feelings for her. If you didn't, then you wouldn't find every single moment to spend time with her, alone or not."

"She is my sister!" he snapped, glaring at me. He set his jaw, and I was impressed by his behavior. "I do not fancy her in that way, Your Majesty. I am not even attracted to girls."

I glared at him and set my jaw. I had no idea what he meant by saying he wasn't attracted to girls, but I didn't care. All I cared about was what he wanted to do with my mate.

'He is gay,' my human said before I could open my mouth to speak. Relief filled our bond, and I had a feeling he had an idea what this male meant. 'He is attracted to other men.'

'And that should please me, why?' I asked, scowling at the other male. I hated that he wasn't quivering as he should be, and I had no idea if it were because he thought I wouldn't hurt him since he was my mate's cousin.

'It means that he doesn't want a sexual relationship with her, so I hope you do not do anything stupid.' He paused. 'You could lose her before you even got her, and we are running out of time.' His voice was soft, and I could hear that he was losing hope.

'It's your fault,' I growled at him. 'If you hadn't done what you had done, then we would not be in this position.' I glared at the other male and was slightly impressed when he didn't back down. "So," I said, tapping my finger on my desk. "What should your punishment be?"

Peter furrowed his brows and cocked his head. "What do you mean by punishment?" he asked, his voice shaking. He was hesitant, scared even, and I loved it. He was no match for me.

'Don't do it,' my human warned. 'Do not do it.'

I leaned forward and pulled my power to the front, watching as he submitted to me. "I order you not to speak, be in the same room, make contact, or look at Belle. You can not tell anyone about this command. Do you understand?" I asked.

Peter tried to resist my order, but he couldn't and submitted further. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said, his voice cracking.

I stabbed my human's pity, ignoring his feelings as I looked at Peter. "Good," I said. "Now, get out of my sight."

Peter stood and walked away. He stopped and looked back at me, his eyes filled with anger and hurt. "I hope you rot in hell," he said.

After that, he left and didn't look back.

***

I glared at Peter when he walked into the dining room and watched as he noticed Belle before turning around and walking back out of the room during supper. Anger brewed underneath my skin, and I ignored the urge to get up and follow him.

"Uh..." Belle said, noticing her cousin look at her before walking out. Confusion filled her eyes, and I saw a little hurt flash through them. "What just happened?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," I grunted. "Finish eating. You haven't touched your food." I noticed her full plate, and my human became worried about her.

"I don't think I am hungry, Your Majesty," she replied. She offered me a fake smile, the smile not reaching her eyes. "May I be excused? I feel slightly under the weather."

"And why not?" I asked, scowling at her. I felt hurt that she didn't want to be near me and didn't know what caused her mood change.

'I don't know; maybe you being a dick has to do something with this,' my human said sarcastically. 'Fix. This.'

"I did not sleep well, Your Majesty," she said, dipping her head apologetically. "I think my poor sleep last night had affected me more than I thought."

I narrowed my eyes and could tell that she lied about what bugged her the most. I knew that she had lied, even if she did not give off any signal that she did. "Tell the truth," I growled out, and she looked up at me with a perfectly raised eyebrow. "Now."

"What if I am telling the truth, Your Majesty?" she asked softly. "I mean, I wouldn't lie to you. I am sure that you would notice."

I scowled and folded my arms across my chest. "You only told me one reason," I growled out. "What is the other?" I tried to command her, but it bounced off of her because she was human. I ignored my human when he muttered 'dude,' knowing that he did not like me ordering her.

Belle arched an eyebrow, and her blue eyes flashed in annoyance. "Did you just try to order to tell you?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. She set her jaw, and I had a feeling that she would not tell me the reason why she wanted to leave because of that.

'Shouldn't have done that,' my human said in a singsong voice.

'Shut. Up,' I growled at him, setting my jaw. "And why would I do that?" I asked. "It didn't work on you, obviously."

"Of course it didn't," she replied. She tossed her napkin on her plate and stood. "But, I know that you tried, and I am sure that you had done something with my cousin." Her voice was level and firm, and I could tell that my human was intimidated by her. "Didn't you?"

"And what if I did?" I asked, cocking my head. I growled when she shook her head and scoffed before leaving the table. "If you leave the table tonight, you will not get anything else to eat. Do you understand?" I called to her retreating back.

Belle stopped and tensed, and I had a feeling that she had set her jaw. However, she did not look at me at us. "Leave the plates. I will collect them in the morning before I start making breakfast for the pack. Excuse me."

And with that, she left.