Lord Mars went to his chamber, leaving Blake to handle the introduction.
Blake stepped forward with Nathan beside him.
"Hello everyone. This is Nathan. He will be trained as a warrior to protect Lord Mars. I hope you all welcome him."
The maids and guards stared. Some nodded slowly, others gripped their spears a little tighter.
"Welcome!" they shouted in unison.
Nathan bowed politely.
"Thank you. I won't let you down."
Lord Mars went straight to freshen up and came out a few minutes later in a robe. He headed to the study and found Mia reading the second book he had given her.
"You're still reading?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, looking up at him.
Water was still dripping from his hair down his neck. Mia's imagination ran wild watching it slide down his adam's apple. She was staring, and it made Lord Mars feel uncomfortable.
"So, how's your progress?" he asked.
Mia shook herself out of her thoughts.
"I am done with the first book. Now I'm on the second one."
"Do you like it here?"
"Yes… I like it, and I don't like it. It's boring being alone."
"I know," he said.
"Where's Lola?"
"She's busy all day, and I'm left alone doing nothing," Mia sighed.
"I don't think I can be a queen. I can't even sit still."
"So what are you trying to say?" Mars asked.
"I'm saying that I can't do this," she replied, voice shaking. "I can't be a mate. I can't—"
She never got the rest out. His lips were on hers, rough and unyielding, stealing the air from her lungs. Only when she was nearly out of breath did he pull away.
She couldn't find her breath.
His forehead rested against hers, his voice low and final.
"Don't ever say such a thing again. You are mine, and mine forever. Got it?"
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and left for his room. The door slammed shut behind him with the weight of his anger.
---
Meanwhile, in his chamber, he was raging. Even his dragon Marcus felt it.
"Oh, she doesn't want to see me anymore," he whined.
"Shut up, Marcus. I thought you were so untouchable and cold. Now just because she said she doesn't want to be your mate, you're crying?"
"Shut up. My mate is my weakness. If it weren't for her, I would have separated from your body a long time ago."
"Ah, you know full well that without me you also can't survive."
"What? Are you joking? I can't destroy you, but I can take over, and you will never be able to turn back to human form."
"Shut up. All I care about is making her love me."
"Yes, I agree with you on that. Make her love us, and then we'll teach her a lesson in bed," Marcus laughed wickedly.
"Shut up."
"Just saying, though."
Then Marcus's voice vanished.
---
Meanwhile, Mia was confused by his behavior, so she decided to go look for Lola for advice.
In the garden, Lola was busy and happily tending to the plants. When Lord Charlie approached her, his presence carried a certain weight that pulled her out of her focus.
"Good morning, Lord," she replied.
"Call me Charlie," he said.
"No, I am not worthy to say that."
"Are you not worthy even to like me?"
"No, I am not."
"You know what? Forget about it then."
He left in anger, leaving Lola confused about what had happened.
"Why is he angry? I'm just a maid."
Lola shrugged and continued what she was doing when Mia found her.
"Lola," she called.
"Oh, Mia, what brought you here?" Lola asked.
Mia paused and said,
"I need your help."
"What help?" Lola asked.
"Um, come and sit down then."
Mia sat down. That was when Lola noticed her swollen lips.
"Mia, what happened to your lip?"
Mia blushed.
"Olala!!" Lola whistled. "You and your Lord Mars couldn't let go of each other, right?"
"Stop it, that wasn't what happened. This is what happened."
She explained everything to Lola.
"Oh my God, Mia, how could you say such a thing? If it were me, I would be hurt. Telling him that you don't want to be his mate? That's the most awful thing to us supernaturals."
"I'm sorry, I'm just overwhelmed."
"You know what? You have to make it up to him."
"How?"
"Since you are his mate, you have to do something special. I know you're not ready for intimacy, but at least do something to make him happy. Treat him like he's your boyfriend—like how you call it in the human world. You don't need to treat him like a husband right now. You can date him, then marry him, okay?
And Mia, listen. _Rejecting a mate bond doesn't just hurt his pride. It weakens both of you. The bond starts to rot, and it'll leave a scar you can feel every day._ That's why what you said hit him so hard."
"Okay, now tell me, have you ever had any thoughts about him?"
"Yes, I remember looking at him when water was dripping from his head down to his adam's apple."
"Oh, looks like we have someone in love," Lola teased.
"What about you and Lord Charlie?"
"Lord Charlie is mad at me. He told me not to call him Lord, that I should call him by his name, but I can't do that."
"Oh, why?"
"Because if his mate comes now, I'll be in trouble."
"But don't you wish to be with him?"
"I have a crush on him, but I can't say if I wish to be with him."
"You might end up together. Come on, you two should start as friends. Friends can call each other by name, not only couples."
"Okay, okay."
"Good. Now let me go and solve my own problem first and see how to calm down the raging dragon."