Page 19 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

“Why?” She looks pale now. “What about Miss Asher? Does she know you’re here?”

Bella?

“What the hell does Bella have to do with this?” I snarl, and she flinches once again, snapping her mouth shut.

I look at her, and she diverts her eyes, as if unable to meet my gaze. Why?

I choose to change the topic, to put her at ease. I don’t know why it matters to me. “Why haven’t you done anything with this place?”

“What?” She looks tense.

“Your bedroom. You haven’t decorated it.”

“It’s not my bedroom,” she says slowly.

“What the hell are you talking about now?” I growl at her.

She trembles but looks me in the eye. “You told me this room was for Princess Vivian, and that it’s not mine. I’m just following your orders.”

“My orders?” I want to choke. “You are living in this room, aren’t you?”

She stays silent.

“Decorate the damn place.”

It hits me how easily she accepts her situation. Any other female would have kicked up a fuss. She just accepts anything I throw at her.

“If you were to tell her to stand naked in the garden outside, I believe she would do so.”

Harriet’s words come flooding back to me, and I feel the same sense of discomfort I felt then.

“What would you like me to put in here?” Leanna finally asks, quietly.

“It’s your room, isn’t it? What are you asking me for?!” I explode, angry beyond my own understanding. Irritation eating at me, I see her wrap the coat around herself even tighter, and I growl, “Go get dressed!”

As she walks past me, I catch that familiar scent of her. For a brief moment, I close my eyes and savor it. When I hear her open the wardrobe, my eyes fly open. I turn my head and see her taking out a gray dress. “What were you thinking when you got those dresses? Not even a commoner would wear such designs.”

“Miss—” My mate falls silent once again.

She looks uncomfortable now, and I demand, “What were you saying?”

“I’ll choose something better next time,” she murmurs.

“Those three dresses in the back, who ordered those?”

“I did.”

“Why the hell did you order the rest that look like such garbage? You are the queen. I expect you to dress like one.” When she doesn’t speak, I ask again, “What were you thinking when you ordered them?”

She lifts her head now, and for the first time, I see a hint of anger in her eyes. “I didn’t order them. The ones I asked for were the latest trends and were meant for everyday wear within the castle.”

“Then why did the designer give you these?!”

The flash of anger, that fire behind those brown eyes intrigues me. So, she does have a spine. She has just been hiding it.

“Why don’t you ask Miss Asher?” Leanna clutches the dress to herself, her jaw set. “She told me I don’t deserve to wear nice things. She called the maids, and together they ordered these clothes. I told her they are not appropriate, but she refused to listen to me. And if you don’t believe me, you can ask the designer. She was here for the whole conversation. Miss Asher told her to use leftover fabric for my dresses. She and the maids even made recommendations. I was told to shut up and know my place. So, I stopped protesting and accepted what was given to me.”

This is the first time I’ve seen her so passionate, so worked up. She looks beautiful. My wolf approves of her anger and rage.

---