MALIA’S POV
Penelope scowled and I would have giggled if not for the pain in my ankle.
As we headed back to the palace, he regaled us with many stories about Africa, which was where he and his brothers had been the entire time before they returned to the palace.
I asked if he had stopped to see his mom at his aunty’s pack and how she was faring.
“I did. She’ll be fine. I’m sure of it,” he replied.
I didn’t need to see his face to know how mad he was at his father. The hard edge in his voice was proof of that.
“You should speak with your father. I’m sure he regrets his actions,” Penelope chipped in.
He gave a harsh laugh. “Sorry indeed. If he really is sorry, then he wouldn’t have danced so openly with Clara at the mating ceremony.”
We all fell silent after that till we reached the palace. Surprisingly, Ryder was at the entrance, and his scowl showed that he didn’t like the fact that I was in the arms of another man.
“She sprained her ankle,” Damien explained with a smirk.
“Hand her over,” Ryder demanded and I rolled my eyes.
“Easy, lover boy,” Damien said as he transferred me into the Alpha’s arms.
I suddenly felt like a Christmas present and I didn’t like it one bit.
We continued together into the palace. Penelope and her mate parted ways with us on the second floor, while Ryder and I proceeded to the third floor.
“Don’t you think this palace should have an elevator?” I queried.
“What makes you think it doesn’t?” he returned.
I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t seen any since I got here,” I replied.
“Just because you can’t see something doesn’t make it’s absent,” he said.
I wanted to scream in irritation but I knew he was just teasing me and trying to get a reaction from me. I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.
“Whatever,” I said and he chuckled.
I didn’t say another word to him until we arrived at his chambers. He carried me into his room and laid me gently on his bed.
“Wow! I never knew you could be this gentle,” I teased.
He ignored me and gently massaged my ankle which was taking longer to heal because I didn’t have a wolf.
“Ouch,” I exclaimed when he pressed the swollen area a little too hard.
His eyes danced with mischief. “What now, Malia? I thought you liked it hard.”
I glared at him and smacked his arm hard.
He chuckled. “I think I like it hard too.”
“You’re so incorrigible,” I said, at a loss for anything else to say.
“It’s one of the reasons you love me,” he returned.
He got up after a few more seconds of gentle massage, left the room and reappeared with two tablets of aspirin and a glass of water.
I immediately made a face. “I hate drugs.”
“Honey, you don’t have a choice,” he said, setting them on a stool beside the bed.
“You can’t force me,” I stated stubbornly and he gave me a wolfish grin.
He effortlessly pulled me up to a sitting position on the bed and held me in place while he reached for the tablets.
I struggled against his hold, trying to get his arm off me but he was a lot stronger than I was.
“Alright, you win. I’ll take them,” I said, accepting defeat.
“That’s my good girl,” he murmured, letting go of me. I reluctantly accepted the drugs and cup of water from him and mentally prepared myself to swallow.
He watched in amusement as I eventually took the drugs and tried not to throw up.
“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” he quizzed with a grin.
I frowned. “You have no idea. Can I at least get something sweet?”
He planted a chaste kiss on my mouth. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured and left the room.
While he was away, I tried moving my injured feet and discovered that I felt much better.
He returned a few seconds later with an apple.
I frowned as I accepted it from him. “I was expecting something like candy or cake,” I murmured.
“You don’t need that. I don’t want my future kids to be affected by your consumption of sweets.”
I nearly choked on my apple.
“Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself?” I queried.
His face was suddenly a mask of seriousness. I blinked in surprise when he went down on both knees.
“Ryder,” I whispered.
He cleared his throat nervously. “Malia, I’m not a man of many words. I’m not so good with words. So please do not mind my imperfection of speech.”
He looked at me expectantly and I nodded, giving him a small smile.
“I’ve only known you for a few months, but I’ve come to love you and need you in a way I’ve never needed anyone in my life.” He took my hands. “Please Malia, do me the honour of becoming my Luna, my wife, my Queen and the mother of my kids. Let’s rule this pack together.”
His expression was earnest and I saw the sincerity in his beautiful green eyes.
I swallowed. “But Ryder, you know that I’m not fit to be Luna. I don’t have a wolf and I don’t intend to pass this curse to the daughters I might have.”
His grip tightened slightly on my hands. “I’ll find a way, Malia. Even if I have to go to the ends of the Earth. I promise.”
I looked into his eyes for a moment and knew that I could trust him to find a cure.
I nodded and he shook his head.
“I want to hear you say the words, Malia.”
I inhaled deeply. “I accept to be your Luna. I accept to stand by you and rule this pack.”
He sighed in relief before giving me a broad grin. He then straightened to give me a passionate kiss filled with so much promise and love. I returned his kiss with equal fervour.
When he broke the kiss, we were both panting hard.
“You should finish your apple and take a bath. No offence meant, but you reek of sweat and it makes me just want to do some unholy and unlawful things to you,” he murmured.
I shivered at the intensity in his eyes. I wanted him to do whatever the fuck he wanted to me at that moment.
His lips quirked. “I know you want me to but I don’t think your ankle will be able to take it.”
I wondered what the hell my ankle had to do with it but I nodded anyway.
“Good girl. So while you clean up, I’ll be preparing lunch to celebrate our union.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “You can cook?”
He smirked. “I have lots of talents. You can’t even begin to imagine. But you underestimate me a lot,” he replied smugly.
“I do not,” I said dryly.
He gave me a lopsided grin before exiting the room. I sighed and had just placed both my feet on the ground when he returned.
“I forgot to tell you that I’d be announcing our union and also the date of your coronation ceremony tomorrow,” he said.
I blinked in surprise. “So soon?”
“Trust me, it’s not. I’d also be announcing the new Beta.” He planted a kiss on my forehead and left.
I looked at the door for a few minutes, half expecting him to swing it open and tell me something else he had forgotten to add.
I got up when it became clear that he wasn’t returning anytime soon and made my way to the bathroom with a slight limp. My lips parted in surprise at the fancy skincare items he had. Who would have thought that men also took their skincare seriously?
I ended up using nearly all if not all his products and spent a longer period in there than was necessary. I was about to open the bathroom door when it swung open.
I nearly screamed in surprise. “You should have knocked,” I berated.
He rolled his eyes. “I thought you had died in there. Remind me in the future to always put an allowance for an extra hour anytime we have to go somewhere together.”
I snorted. “Please, stop exaggerating. It’s not my fault that you have so many skincare products that I found irresistible. I had to use them. Now would you please get out of my way so I can get dressed?”
He stood aside to let me pass. “You do not have to put on anything.”
I gave him a look. “You want me to roam around naked in the presence of your servants.”
“I sent them away. It’s just me and you in here.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
“So,” he said hopefully.
“I’m going to get dressed,” I decided and nearly laughed at the disappointment I saw in his eyes.
My clothes weren’t there yet so I donned one of his briefs and T-shirts. He had been watching me the whole time and had given me an incredulous stare when I had grabbed a pair of briefs.
He scoffed when I was done and took my hand to lead me to the dining room. My jaw dropped when we got there and he chuckled. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat, still marvelling at how fancy the table setup was.
The curtains were closed, preventing sunlight from entering the room and this made the scented candles shine in their importance.
It worked well with the perfect array of beautiful flowers and the pretty hand-woven tablecloth.
My stomach grumbled at the delicious smells coming from the rotisserie chicken and the ravioli pasta.
“Bon appetit,” he said as he sat down.
I cleared my throat. “Are you sure you did all this yourself?” I had to ask.
“Of course,” he replied, looking a bit offended that I had dared to question his abilities.
I had the first bite and looked at him in surprise.
“That good, huh?” He asked with a grin.
“Where the hell have you been all my life?” I queried and proceeded to dig in with gusto.
He laughed and continued with his meal.
My plate was empty after a few minutes and I looked at him expectantly. His lips quirked in amusement and he rose to help cut the chicken into smaller chunks.
“Why didn’t you propose to me sooner?” I asked and he chuckled.
“I guess that’s supposed to be a rhetorical question,” he replied.
“Whatever. You won’t blame me if I ask for some more pasta right?”
He pointed to the serving bowl. “Knock yourself out.”
“With pleasure,” I murmured and proceeded to do just that. I could barely breathe by the time I was done.
I looked at Ryder who was savoring a glass of wine. I could have joined him but my stomach couldn’t take anything else.
“Stop looking at me like that. I didn’t force the food down your throat,” he said with mischief dancing in his eyes.
“It’s all your fault. How did you learn how to cook this good?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Let’s just call it a gift,” he replied.
I arched an eyebrow sceptically. “Indeed.”
I shifted in my seat to get more comfortable. I hated this feeling of being uncomfortably full.
I smiled as I thought of Penelope’s reaction if I could ever get Ryder to cook again so she could have a taste.
“What are you smiling about?” He asked.
“When are you going to cook again?” I queried.
He smirked. “Someday.”
My face fell a little at his answer and he noticed.
“But there are ways you could make me do it often,” he said and gave me a suggestive wink.
“Pervert,” I murmured but gave him a smile.
“I’m going to please you in ways you’ve only imagined before. I’m going to make you beg for more,” I said in a sultry voice.
His eyes darkened in anticipation. “Make me beg all you want. I’d be willing.”