Chapter 23

Damon:

This was unbelievable! Today was the worst day to pull this stunt. I won’t let this slide easily.

“You can’t sleep on my bed,” Clara said suddenly, drawing my attention.

“What?” I muttered, turning to her. She folded her arms.

“You can’t sleep on my bed; you’ll have to sleep on the floor. I’ll lay down a blanket for you,” she murmured, then walked away. I stood there for a while before letting out a scoff. The audacity!

I watched her lay down a blanket next to the bed. Only when she was finished did I walk over and lie on the bed.

“What are you doing?” she asked. I turned to her with an innocent look.

“What?” I questioned. She groaned.

“I said you couldn’t lie on my bed,” she muttered through clenched teeth. I raised an eyebrow.

“Last time I checked, this house belongs to me, and so does the bed. So, if anything, you can’t lie on my bed. Now shut up so we can sleep and get this night over with,” I muttered, then closed my eyes. © 2024 NovelDrama.Org

“What kind of gentleman are you? You’re really going to let a lady lie on the ground?” she said, and I opened one eye.

“Where’s the lady?” I murmured. She glared at me before jumping into bed and lying next to me.

“Fine, then we’ll both lie on the bed. Have fun listening to me snore,” she muttered. I instantly wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close.

She gasped, staring at me with wide eyes, while I smirked.

“Are you sure you want to lie next to me? We’re supposed to be mating; maybe I’ll just…” I trailed off, dragging my fingers down her thighs. I was just teasing her, but with my pants getting tighter, it felt like I was the one being teased.

Clara immediately moved away and got out of bed.

“Fine, I’ll sleep on the ground!” she exclaimed exasperatedly. I smiled before turning away.

“Off the lights,” I ordered. She sighed and grumbled as she turned off the lights. I listened to her groan as she got on the floor. I opened my eyes slightly to spy on her.

We were both silent for a while. I couldn’t sleep because I could hear her tossing and turning.

“I would never let my colleagues touch you, Clara,” I said. I didn’t know why I was saying this, but my wolf had been giving me attitude ever since I spoke to Clara that way, and even I was starting to feel guilty.

“Those girls I gave to them were sluts and would do anything to climb the social ladder. They willingly gave themselves to those men; I was just a stepping stone,” I murmured. She was silent for a while, then sighed. 11:35 Mon, 1 Jul i GB.

Chapter 23

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?” she asked softly. I pursed my lips.

“I’m not usually one to correct someone’s bad perception of me, and there’s no doubt I’m a bad person. But if we’re going to make this ‘happy marriage couple’ facade work, we have to learn to tolerate each other, as hard as that sounds,” I murmured. She sighed.

“I guess I can learn to tolerate you, but please become Alpha King soon. I don’t know how much longer I can stay with you,” she said. I chuckled.

“The feeling is mutual, little devil,” I murmured. I was about to close my eyes when she said, “You still cannot interfere in my personal life, and I will do the same. We will pretend to be a happy couple in front of everyone, but when we are together, we don’t have to pretend.” She frowned. I didn’t know why her words angered me.

“Sleep,” I ordered. I heard her sigh.

After a while, her breathing evened out, meaning she had fallen asleep. I lay there wide awake. For some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep.

I heard Clara groan as she twisted and turned on the floor, and I finally understood why I couldn’t sleep.

I groaned before getting out of bed and walking towards her.

I bent down to pick her up but was captivated by her beauty when her mouth wasn’t moving. She grimaced slightly and adjusted herself, causing her gown to ride up her legs, exposing her thigh. She was still wearing the gown from the wedding, and maybe that’s why she seemed so uncomfortable.

I gulped, then pulled her gown down before carefully carrying her in my arms and placing her on the bed. She immediately snuggled in, and a content smile appeared on her face, which made me smile as well.

I climbed into bed and scooted closer, staring at her face, engraving her features in my mind.

Without thinking, I raised my hand and caressed her face. She was going to be trouble, I could feel it.

“Today, I felt so jealous of Liam. I’ve never felt that way before, and I know it’s because of the mate bond, but shit still hurts,” I murmured. I don’t know why I said it aloud, but it made me feel better.

Whatever I was feeling for her had to stop, whether because of the mate bond or my wolf. I couldn’t have her being my weakness. She wasn’t going to be in my life for long.

After I become Alpha King, she and I will go back to being strangers. But if this continues, I might not be able to let her go, and that’s not fair to her. She doesn’t deserve to be in my world.

“I won’t taint your innocence, Clara. I’ll give you your chance to be free from me…”

The passage has been significantly improved with correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The narrative flow is also smoother. "SEND GI" at the end was removed as it seemed out of place and unclear.