Page 123 of Rogue Alpha Prince

Maybe this realization is why I had my mental breakdown yesterday morning. I was brought up thinking Rogue Alpha Prince doesn’t deserve anything other than a painful death. It was very white-and-black thinking. Then, I actually met the man and discovered all this gray area. The work he does in his office is not so different from what I was doing before marrying him—just on the opposite side of the border. And I toured the Rogue’s capital city enough times to know it wouldn’t be that prosperous, if he wasn’t a good Alpha for his people.

“That’s… very cheesy. But… um, thank you, I guess.” He furrows his brows, and bends down to put his combat boots on.

There is a small knock on our door, and they open shortly after. That’s when my brain registers that there is sunrise already—the room is brighter.

Klara comes in with a tray of food for me.

“Alpha, Luna.” She bows at us, and puts my breakfast on the desk near the sword.

“Thank you.” I take the whole wheat buttered toast in my hand. “Klara, what time do you start working on lunch in the kitchen?”

She shoots me a quick look before bowing her head again.

“Um, in two hours or so, Luna,” she says looking at the floor, and leaves promptly.

“Perfect,” I say to myself, and slip my bare feet into my favorite Chelsea boots.

I try to leave too, but Cain blocks the door with his body. “Where do you think you are going, Little Wolf?”

“Hospital wing? I assume you had to choke me until there was some serious brain damage, if I was out healing almost all night.”

He looks down at me with pressed lips and a frown, as if I was the guilty one here. The nerve of this guy!

When I come back to our room from the surprisingly well-equipped infirmary, over an hour of check-ups later, I go straight to unpacking the rest of my backpack from yesterday.

I take out the trophy we won at the singing contest, and put it on Cain’s desk. I brush my fingers over the small gold plate.Ash and Cain—my mom was brave enough to put his first name on it instead of the title.She seems delicate, but she is a werewolf queen, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

I fish out all the lemons I grabbed at the last moment—before leaving my ex-Kingdom—a recipe from Chef Susan, and slowly make my way to the kitchen. The only doors I know are from the dining hall side, and fortunately they are open.

I put a polite smile on my face and enter.

“Hi,everyone! Alpha asked me to help you with lunch today, so please don’t hesitate to tell me what to do.”

Some of the staff is hesitant at first, but I quickly win everyone over—we all have a nice time; cutting veggies, cooking, baking, and talking about everything and anything. There is electricity in the kitchen just like in Cain’s office, no internet or anything we could use to listen to music though, but there’s no silence even for a moment. It’s loud and homey and warm.

I feel a sting in my temples, so I block Cain’s mind-linking me immediately. I don’t need more headaches in my life, and if he has a problem with it, he should stop damaging my brain whenever he feels like it!

I cut carrots a little bit too aggressively, and almost jump in my seat when Atlas comes in shouting my name.

“What do you want?” I hiss.

“Alpha is looking for you. You cut off his mind link!”

Everyone becomes quiet and I get weird looks, but I notice Klara is smiling under her nose.

“Yeah, I have a migraine, and he was the one who assigned me here. Is there a problem?”

“Luna, we need more thyme. Gamma can show you where it grows,” says the main cook, Greyson, sending me a pointed look.

He doesn’t want us to distract his staff, and I don’t blame him.

I stand up and go outside, with Atlas on my tail.

“Wait,” he stops me as soon as I shudder from the chilly air enveloping my naked arms. “Here.”

He takes off his black pullover sweatshirt, and puts it over my head.

It is warm and smells like his coconut body wash, and feels so wrong.