Bride of the Cursed Alpha - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Auren POV
I gaped at Alpha Lucien for being so curt. How could he be so impolite to Alpha Magnus as to stop the conversation so abruptly? The way his voice sounded made my stomach twist. He wasn’t yelling, but the edge in his words was clear. It was like he was holding back his frustration, but I didn’t understand why.
At first Magnus didn’t seem bothered, so he kept smiling and speaking calmly, even when Lucien’s responses grew more clipped. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that Alpha Lucien was being protective.
Or maybe he was just being possessive?
I wasn’t sure, but I could feel his tension like a storm cloud hanging over us. It made me nervous and confused, and I didn’t know if I’d done something wrong or if this was just how Lucien always acted around other Alphas.
Now he was sitting so close to me that our knees touched. His arm on my back curled around my waist and his fingers dug in my flesh, like he was angry with me.
“So Alpha Lucien, I was saying that—” Magnus continued.
“I think that would be all!” Lucien almost growled. “I have an impending matter to attend to.”
It was Tarian’s turn to jerk his head back in surprise. I darted my gaze between Tarian to Magnus to Lucien and back to Magnus.
Though Magnus’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, he got up and so did Tarian. “Yes, of course, Alpha Lucien. Thanks once again. I’ll take my leave.”
As Magnus made his way to the door, he turned back and gave me one last smile. “Take care, Auren. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“You too!” I said, waving awkwardly.
The moment the door closed Lucien spun around to face me.
“Why were you staring at him like that?” he demanded.
I blinked, confused. “Like what?”
“Like he hung the moon,” Lucien snapped. “With moon eyes!”
“I wasn’t,” I protested, my cheeks flushing again. “I was just… admiring him. He’s so big and strong. I haven't seen a bear shifter so close in my life.”
Lucien’s eyes darkened, and he took a step closer, towering over me. “Admiring him? How dare you? You don’t admire other Alphas when you’re with me.”
Feeling intimidated, I took a step back, genuinely puzzled. “Why not? He seems really nice.”
Lucien’s jaw clenched. “Nice doesn’t mean anything. You don’t know him,” he snapped.
“But he is helping his community,” I pointed out. “That’s pretty nice.”
He let out a frustrated growl. “You’re impossible.”
I frowned. What was wrong with him?
Lucien leaned in, his voice low and dangerous. “You belong to me, Auren. Stop acting like some starry-eyed pup around other Alphas.”
His words made my stomach twist as butterflies fluttered violently inside. “I wasn’t acting like anything,” I explained softly. “I was just being polite.”
Lucien exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing. “Just stay away from him or any other bear shifter!”
Why was he being so possessive? My cheeks warmed, sending my heart racing. I turned and started to walk back towards my room, feeling let down. “Why does he care so much?” I muttered to myself.
“What did you say? And where are you going?” he growled.
“To my room,” I said, flinching as I glanced at him over my shoulder. I really didn’t want to stay next to a thundering thundercloud. When I reached the top of my stairs, I heard heavy footfalls behind me. I turned to see that Alpha Lucien was rushing up the stairs. I increased my pace to reach my room, but just as I opened my room, he was next to me, looking like he was about to burst. “Al—Alpha Lucien?” I whimpered, shrinking under his fierce gaze and deadly demeanor.
“You don’t leave me just like that!” he said sharply.
My mouth dropped open as I blinked my eyes at him. “Okay…” I murmured.
His eyebrows furrowed until they resembled two slashes above his eyes. “What do you mean by okay?”
Goddess, I was getting so confused by his words. “Okay, I’ll stay until you finish,” I explained.
For a moment tense silence hung between us. He stared at me intensely. It was as if he forgot what he wanted to say. Then slowly he straightened and said, “And you will not, I repeat, you will NOT go near the bear shifters now!”
I gulped. “Okay.”
Alpha Lucien shot me a last glare before he turned and stormed down the stairs. I let out a sigh of relief, placing my hand on my chest. I entered my room, closed the door and leaned against it. I shook my head as I tried to calm my heart. Wondering what to do next, I dragged myself to the bed and then flopped on it. Suddenly, the door opened again. I squealed and jumped out of the bed to see that Alpha Lucien was standing on the doorway. He was still fuming to the extent that if he was a pressure cooker, steam would come out of his ears with a whistle.
“L—Lucien?”
His one hand was on his hip while the other was in front of him. He took a ragged breath and said, “And from now on, you won't drink champagne! You get a headache.”
“Okay…” I murmured.
He nodded tightly, and then stormed out of my room.
I stood on my spot for a long moment, wondering if he would come again, but he didn’t come. How did he know that I had a headache? Did he put the pills on my bedside? Impossible. He didn’t worry so much for me. Shaking my head, I returned back to my bed and flopped.
At lunch, Vivi didn’t come with my food to my room, and I grew hungrier by the minute. Usually, she came by this time. I peeped out my door and noticed that the house was absolutely quiet. Taking a deep breath in, I stepped out of the room and tiptoed my way to the kitchen.
My stomach growling like a baby wolf now. It was way past lunch, but I was too hungry to wait until dinner. The light from the fridge spilled onto the floor as I opened it, my eyes lighting up at the sight of leftover pie. As I shut the fridge door, I nearly screamed. Lucien was standing there, arms crossed, standing over me with an air of menace. “What are you doing?” His deep voice made me jump.
“Um... looking for food?” I squeaked, clutching the pie.
He narrowed his eyes as he took the pie from my hand. “This is not for you. It is too heavy,” he growled. “Where is Vivi?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, clutching my dress.
What happened next was nothing short of cataclysmic shock. Such things happened only when two continents collided, earthquakes occurred and apocalypse happened.
Alpha Lucien took the kitchen apron and wore it. “Sit, I’ll make soup for you.”