Maria.
Stay away from him?
Was he serious?
I stared at Adrien, trying to process the command he had just delivered as though it were a decree carved in stone.
Stay away from Daniel.
Was he kidding me?
I am not a child.
The words burned at the back of my throat, desperate to be spoken. My pride flared instantly, sharp and defensive. Who was he to dictate who I could or couldn't speak to? Yes, he was the Alpha. Yes, I was his personal maid. But that did not make me incapable of deciding something as simple as a conversation.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides.
He stood there watching me, his expression rigid, his jaw set with that infuriating authority he wore so effortlessly. There was no teasing in his tone. No room for debate.
He meant it.
And that was what unsettled me the most.
Part of me wanted to argue. To tell him he had no right. To demand an explanation that didn't revolve around control and territorial instincts.
