Fated: The Alpha's Unwanted Luna-Chapter 103: Laughing together_Part 1
Viola didnβt know whether she should take his words as a compliment or not, because she did not feel that she looked good in a dress that swallowed her up. But what she hated even more was that her blush was uncontrollable and inevitable under the way he was looking at her. πππππ¬πππ·ππΏππ‘.ππΈπ
She composed herself and walked closer to the table and was stunned by everything laid out upon it. There were all kinds of meals, arranged as though they belonged in a five-star restaurant and was prepared by a top-chef. Just looking at the display made her stomach release a very embarrassing loud growl.
Her cheeks heated instantly, and she quickly turned her head away to avoid looking at Sebastian when she felt his eyes drop toward her stomach.
Sebastian bit down on his bottom lip to suppress the amused laughter rising in his throat when he caught her sneaking a secretive glance at him, like a rabbit peeking its head out of a hole to see whether the predator had left.
Viola instantly froze when her eyes locked with his silver ones, and she immediately regretted looking. His eyes were lit with mischief, and the way he was biting down on his lower lip made him look so ridiculously handsome that she found herself staring longer than she should have, until he cleared his throat.
She fought the urge to slap herself awake and internally scolded, Stop looking at him like youβve never seen a handsome man before. The psycho is being nice now; the next moment heβll become arrogant again.
She turned her back to him, standing stiffly beside the table and staring at the food with silent, hungry eyes, her pride and years of discipline under the Hollow system refusing to allow her to sit down and begin eating. After all, he had not given her the go-ahead to eat or touch anything on the table, and she did not want to act without permission.
Noticing how she remained standing, Sebastian let out a quiet sigh. "Have a seat. The food will get cold," he said casually, his silver eyes reflecting the chandelier light and twinkling with mirth as he found her reactions oddly adorable.
One moment she acted as if he were her enemy. The next, she completely ignored him. And then there were these rare moments when color rose to her cheeks, warming them, and tickling a corner of his heart he hadnβt known was still there.
The blush on her face had yet to fully subside as she carefully sat on the chair he pulled out for her. He had expected her to ignore the gesture, but the fact that she did not pleased him more than he cared to admit, because that was progress.
Instead of sitting down himself, Sebastian moved around the table, bringing forward the dishes he believed she needed most to maintain good health and a healthy weight, placing them in front of her.
If she was going to be the mother of his heir in the future, she would need more nourishment and more flesh. With the fact that she did not have her wolf, a matter he planned to investigate further once she became more used to him, once she warmed up to him, just as Muffin had said.
He carefully served the food onto her plate like one would for a special someone, because to him, she was beginning to seem like someone he needed to constantly take care of in order to have peace with the mate bond and his wolf.
Viola sat there silently, watching the Alpha serve her. She wanted to tell him she could serve herself perfectly, but she knew it would be useless. He would not allow it and would end in an unnecessary argument.
She waited patiently as he filled her plate and poured her a cup of hot, steaming coffee. When he finally stepped back, he fixed her with an intense gaze, as if he intended to watch her eat without joining her.
"Wonβt you have breakfast too?" she asked, looking up at him.
It wasnβt because she cared whether he ate or not, but because he had worked hard to prepare this meal. More importantly, his intense stare was beginning to make her want to squirm. Did he really plan to watch her like that? At this rate, she might accidentally put the food in her nose instead of her mouth.
When she lowered her eyes back to the table, she sincerely hoped she was not drooling onto her plate. Perhaps it was because she had not eaten anything since yesterday morning, but every single dish looked unbelievably delicious and professionally arranged she wanted to wolf them down.
She doubted this was his first time doing something like this. She could not help wondering if it was simply routine for him to cook for each of his mates.
She knew this was not special treatment meant only for her. Nobody had ever done anything especially for her, not even Evan. On the rare occasions her adoptive parents treated her differently, it was only because they had noticed how close she and Evan were becoming and how strong the possibility of her becoming their Luna seemed.
She refused to lie to herself and pretend this was something special for her alone. Everything always came with a price and she would wait for the price of his recent niceness towards her, but until then, she needed to be on high alert.
Still, a tiny prick pierced her chest at the thought that many other women might have sat exactly where she was sitting now, enjoying the same carefully prepared meal.
She blinked the absurd emotion away. It had no reason to exist. There was no way she was jealous over a man she did not even like bringing other women here to share breakfast with him. That would be completely outrageous. She quickly convinced herself that the uncomfortable feeling was simply because she had been thinking about Evan and how he had never done anything special for her, like cooking her breakfast.
"Are you going to keep standing there? The food is getting cold," Viola said when she felt his eyes still fixed on her. Didnβt he know it was uncomfortable to be stared at like that?
Sebastian, who had indeed been watching her, blinked before a smirk slowly formed on his lips. "Why does it seem like you want me to eat with you? I made everything for you, but if you want me to sit and eat with you, I will gladly do so," he teased.
Although he truly had made everything for her, since he rarely enjoyed his own cooking, he would not have minded sitting down beside her. He was simply skilled at hiding the eagerness that made him feel embarrassingly like a dog wagging its tail for attention.
However, she completely shattered that quiet, puppy-like anticipation when she parted her lips and replied flatly, "I donβt want you to sit with me."
Sebastian felt his heart knot at the rejection that slipped so easily from her pretty mouth, and it twisted like a vine tightening painfully around his chest. This woman was ruthless in her own quiet way, for she knew that every rejection she gave him would wound him, whether she meant it or not. Couldnβt she see that he was genuinely trying to make amends before their marriage?
Perhaps it was time he conducted a more personal assessment of her, to understand what she truly wanted in order to finally put their hostility behind them. Maybe he should speak with his sister and gain some insight. Women understood women better, after all... or so he hoped.
Viola noticed the dark look that crossed his face after her words and could not help but sigh as she rubbed her forehead lightly.
She had not meant her comment literally; she had only been sarcastic. But it seemed he had taken it seriously, and now the atmosphere in the room was turning frigid under the weight of his Alpha aura. If she wanted to enjoy her meal without choking on that oppressive energy, she needed to soothe him.
"You can join me if it makes you happy. Have a seat," she remarked.
However, her face was so straight and unreadable when she said it that Sebastian interpreted her tone as forced politeness rather than sincerity.
His expression only worsened in intensity, and Viola nearly rolled her eyes at what she perceived as childish behavior. Was he seriously throwing a silent tantrum now? She only wanted to eat in peace without feeling his mood darkening the entire dining hall.
Instead of speaking again and possibly making it worse, she reached out and grabbed his wrist, tugging him forward to sit down beside her.
Viola barely felt anything when she touched him, perhaps just the warmth of skin against skin, but for Sebastian, it was entirely different.
Because of the mate bond, a sudden spark rushed through his body, a tingling and strangely pleasing sensation that traveled along his nerves. He looked down at her fair fingers wrapped around his wrist, momentarily captivated by the contrast in the size of their hands and the difference in their coloring.
"I wasnβt being serious about not wanting you to join me. You made all this, so itβs only fair you eat with me. Now have your seat," she added with a light chuckle, unable to suppress the faint amusement she felt at the sight of the Alpha behaving so moodily.
Sebastian felt another subtle tickle in his heart at the sound of her soft laughter. He was genuinely taken aback. This was the very first time he had ever heard her chuckle. Even if it was small and fleeting, it still felt like progress in their strained relationship. Laughter meant she did not completely despise him anymore... right?
"Well, if youβre insisting, I will eat with you," Sebastian replied, his mood lifting considerably. He decided to simply enjoy this meal with her and allow her to grow more comfortable around him before bringing up the serious conversation he had been meaning to have.
Viola snorted inwardly. Yeah, right. I didnβt insist. You were being moody, and it was disturbing the entire atmosphere.
She kept the thought to herself and allowed him to believe whatever he preferred. Just as he had served her earlier, Viola now served him in return. She did it not out of affection but because she disliked feeling indebted to anyone in anyway.
However, Sebastianβs grin widened noticeably as he watched her serve him, and he began eating his own cooking for what felt like the very first time, savoring it simply because he was sharing it with her.
