HIS ASSIGNED MATE
Chapter 3: The Challenge
After showering and putting on a pink-beige dress that flowed to my knees, I let my hair fall down my chest in curls. Slipping on white slippers wrapped around my toes, I let myself walk down the long hall and then the stairs, all the while thinking how dazzling the big chandelier was that hung over the rounding staircase.
I stepped down the last step of the staircase with wide eyes. Everything around me was so grand. As I walked through a big foyer, I passed by some servants who stopped amidst their scurrying steps and bowed when they glanced at me.
Awkwardly, I smiled at them when their dazed eyes glanced at me. "May one of you tell me which hall leads to the dining room?" I asked.
They both pointed to the third entrance in unison, making me nod my head in thanks.
Passing the bowing ladies, I quickened my steps down the hall and made my way to the dining room. I had expected there to be a crowd since that's how it is back at my Night Shade Pack where all the werewolves gather around a long table to dine, but to my surprise, only Analia and Grace were seated.
The long table looked bizarre with empty seats, so I slowed my steps. "Hello, am I very late or everybody here just eats fast?" I asked with a chuckle, making the two ladies turn their heads to look at me with a startle.
"No, no! You made it just in time!" Analia grinned while pushing her chair back when she stood up. She made her way to me and led me to a seat beside hers. Sitting down, I smiled at Grace who was beaming. "The breakfast is ready, we were just waiting for you before telling the servants to serve us," she added before glancing at the servant who was situated against a far wall. Just at her stare, the servant nodded his head and went straight for the kitchen.
"I like that color on you, you look very pretty!" Grace complimented, making me flush.
"Oh, thank you," I replied. "How long is everybody else going to be?" I finally asked the obvious question.
Grace looked at her mother while biting down on her bottom lip.
Scrunching my brows together, I looked at Analia and she slowly smiled. "The pack trains at this time and does breakfast around 10 am, since it is only 9 am, they will be late," I began to say something, but she continued, "...and Liam told me that you needed to rest," I squinted my eyes at that, "...so he said to do breakfast without him."
Raising my brows, I watched as the servant placed a plate of steaming breakfast in front of me on the table, consisting of bread layered with two eggs sunny side up. That's when I realized how hungry I was.
Looking up from my plate I watched as the servants placed breakfast in front of Grace and Analia, but they both waited for me to begin first.
To heck with Liam! Did he care how much pain he caused when he punctured my neck with his fangs? No!
Licking my lips, I began slicing my bread.
"You know, after you become our Luna tomorrow, you will be sitting at the head of the table, on that side," Grace pointed, making me pause in my process of placing a piece of egg on top of my sliced bread. I looked to my far left down a row of chairs and noticed the big heavy chair situated in the far middle of the table. "And Liam sits there," she pointed to her close left, and I followed her gaze to an identical chair situated at the right end of the table.
"I see..." I trailed off. I momentarily got lost in the thought of becoming a Luna.
The Luna has almost the same responsibility as the Alpha to serve and protect the pack, and as a Beta's daughter, I only got to play a portion of that role.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I placed the morsel of bread and egg into my mouth while Grace and Analia dug into their food. I was just relishing the warm taste when the big doors behind the left end of the table burst open.
Thundering footsteps echoed off the wall as a tall figure entered the dining room followed by numerous other people. I could smell fresh soapy scent fill the air as I gulped down my food before even chewing it. Analia and Grace had placed down their utensils before even slicing into their food and looked surprised at the intrusion.
Liam, my assigned mate, dressed in a white V-neck shirt that hugged his broad muscular body too neatly on top of his dark jean-clad legs came walking past the long table and over to his chair at the head of the table. I was stunned to see him again in all his dark glory, because the moment he sat down was when my knife and fork fell out of my clumsy hands, clinking against the wooden table with a loud smack.
The chorus of voices that were beginning to diminish stopped all at once, and all eyes turned to stare at me. Biting my lip I forced a smile. "Sorry," I murmured but did not bother glancing at Liam whose dark eyes bore into my right cheek.
Everybody said "It's okay" in unison while taking their respective chairs, making me feel a little relieved.
"It's not too early to act like a Luna," I heard his loud and deep voice break the soft mumbling in the room, making me flinch when my fingertips hovered over my fork. Glancing in his direction, I noticed him glancing at the servants with one raised brow, forcing them to hurry in their footsteps to serve him his breakfast. After he was served, all the other pack members were getting served, the room pin silent all the while, gauging my face for a reaction.
"How are you so early today, this has never hap-" Grace began to change the topic quickly.
"It's not too late to apologize to your Luna," I butted in, my fear subsiding as I stared holes into his face, which to my utter annoyance was gleaming under the ray of sunlight that broke through the glass roof panels.
He too stopped in his actions with his eating utensils in his hand. Liam looked up from his plate and just stared at me for a full minute. Although my eyes refused to break the glare, my toes were curling in my slippers.
All the people who were sitting around the table, whom I did not even get a chance to acknowledge and greet politely, were watching the drama unfold with held breath. There was too much tension.
Analia cleared her throat, maybe to get Liam's attention, but he wasn't giving her any.
"What should I be apologizing for?" He asked me simply, tilting his head to the side as his jaw ticked.
Rolling my eyes, I stated loudly and without shame, "For chomping on my neck without permission!" It's as if my skin was all-hearing because the mark on my collarbone buzzed in excitement.
There was a devious glint in his eyes when he replied, "I had to complete the blood bond."
My chest rose and fell as my hands turned into fists. I can still remember the uproar of the crowd when he sucked on my blood until I collapsed last night. "No werewolf last night bit into their assigned mate's neck except for you, and nor did anyone faint from the aftermath like me," I firmly said, trying to prove my point.
"And no one walked away with more power than me last night," he slowly smirked, and my eyes for a moment narrowed on his lips. Those same lips had glistened with my blood last night. "The more blood is consumed, the more power I get as an Alpha. I guess no other Alpha or Beta is willing to lead their pack as powerfully as I intend to. I will go to any extent to bring power to this pack..." his voice was raised an octave, but I wasn't intimidated for some unknown reason. "...and if that requires munching down on your neck, I will gladly do that whenever need be." It seemed like he had finished stating his perspective because the next second, he was slicing into his food and urging everyone to do the same.
I could feel Grace and Analia staring at me nervously while everybody slowly picked up their forks and knives, acting a little hesitant.
Liam, for an Alpha, was very patient. I hadn't expected so much calmness and control over his emotions. My experience with Alphas was that they were always on the verge of yelling and losing their temper, but the way Liam ate his food as if nothing happened made me stunned, and angry. I was livid.
No matter what, I wanted to satisfy my pride and anger that was blistering my insides, so I stood up abruptly, pushing my chair back loudly. Taking the knife, I walked around Analia who stared at me curiously along with others who acted as if they were feasting but their eyes were trained on the drama.
Standing beside Liam made my legs weak because his aura was so strong, but I forced myself to subside those feelings. Liam paused in his actions and rested his back against the backrest of the chair as he stared at me with raised brows as if getting ready to give me another blow with his words.
I raised my index finger over his breakfast platter and with hasty movement I sliced the tip of my finger, making blood drip over the sausage resting on his plate. This time nobody could hold in their gasps.
Placing the knife beside his plate, I kept my finger over his plate until the last drop of blood fell from my finger and into his breakfast platter. I watched with satisfaction when his nose flared in anger, his jaw ticking again, and his cheeks becoming red in fury.
"Enjoy the seasoning," I forced a polite smile.
A utensil dropped to the floor, a servant paused in his steps over to the table with a jug of water, and Analia stood up from her chair. "Jasmine!" Analia gasped out.
All the while Grace watched me silently, and skeptically.
Liam looked up from his plate, and if looks could I kill, I would already be dead and cremated by now. Standing my ground, I stared back into his dark orbs that had enlarged and turned dark with a shade of golden. With a loud thud, his chair was thrown to the side when he stood up dangerously close to hover over me, the tip of his shoes almost covering the tip of my bare toes that poked out of my slippers.
I gulped at his close proximity and the sudden heated aura that radiated off him.
"You dare disrespect me in front of my pack?" He all but roared out loud, his voice booming off the walls for the neighboring packs to hear.
I flinched but curled my bleeding finger until my hand was fisted tightly. "I will become the Luna of this pack from tomorrow," I started loudly, although not as loud as him, "...so I'm asking for the same respect!"
"Everyone out!" Liam growled without moving his eyes from mine. It took my all to keep my courage and not look away as the intensity of his gaze made my eyes burn. All the members of the pack scurried out of the dining room, along with Grace, but Analia hesitated. "Mother!" Liam muttered, making her take a step back and take her leave.
Now I feel guilty, which I shouldn't! The audacity of this man to make me think like all this is my fault.
Once the door loudly closed behind everybody, there was not even a servant in the room. Just a long table with unfinished breakfast and us two staring at each other. It looked like the vein on his neck would pop the longer he continued to stare.
"So, you want to gain the respect of a Luna?" He asked with venom dripping from his tone, his face inches away from mine as he bowed his head to meet my level.
Licking my lips, I replied, "If you want me to take an early start to act like a Luna, then why not?" I raised a brow in a challenge, hitting him back with his own words.
He pulled his head away and squared his shoulders. "If that's the case," he grumbled before putting his hands behind his back, "The first step to acting like a Luna is to satisfy her mate, her Alpha. Since mating with me right on this table will be too much of a hassle for you..." my eyes widened at his words as he looked around at the table with narrowed eyes, "...kiss me!"
My brows almost reached my top hairline at his words as he snapped his eyes to meet mine. "Yeah right," I rolled my eyes before turning around to leave, more like escape this heated tension he suddenly created.
I felt his large rough hand grab my right elbow and pull me against his chest, making me gasp at his quick actions. "Now you are afraid?" He said lowly, his forehead almost touching mine while I refused to meet his dark gaze. "Disrespecting your mate in front of his respectable pack members didn't make you hesitate, then why are you scared to merely kiss me?"
"All I wanted was an apology. If you had given me respect to start with it wouldn't have led to this point," I snapped but my heart was about to explode, which is why I was trying to wretch my elbow out of his steel grip.
Liam suddenly shook me by my forearm, making me look at him with creased brows, "An Alpha never apologizes," he murmured, and somehow his tone seemed to have calmed down a bit.
Squaring my shoulders, I pursed my lips, "Neither does a Luna forfeit!"
His eyes flickered to my lips for a second before releasing his hold on my elbow. I quickly stepped away from him as I rubbed my arm. "Okay. As your assigned mate, I affirm that I will make you forfeit. I will make your life a living hell until you do," he said sincerely as he took steps back, his eye locked in mine still.
"And as your assigned mate, I affirm that I will make you apologize. I will make sure I'm not your blood bag," I replied with a forced smile.
Liam turned around and walked away, making me step on my sandals and turn around from the table. It was only while walking away did I feel my stomach grumble for food.
**
Miss-independant647 <3