ELLA.

I was honestly getting tired of climbing the stairs with him.

At this point, my legs were beginning to ache slightly, and the irritation bubbling inside me only grew stronger with every step we took.

Was this his own method of punishing me?

Because honestly, it felt intentional now.

"Are we climbing the entire building or what?" I finally asked, unable to hold back my annoyance anymore.

My voice echoed lightly through the quiet staircase.

Lurgard slowed briefly and glanced back at me.

Just one glance.

Then he turned his head away again and continued walking as though nothing happened.

"One more word from you, Theresa..." he said coldly. "...then don’t blame me for whatever you see."

Gosh!

I nearly scoffed out loud.

The triplets were seriously impossible to deal with, especially Lurgard as serything about him irritated me lately—the cold attitude, the commanding tone and the way he always acted like everyone had to obey him.

Was he threatening me now?

"And why would I—"

I didn’t even get the chance to finish speaking. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Because Lurgard suddenly stopped walking.

And before my brain could properly process what was happening, he turned around instantly, grabbed my waist firmly, and crashed his lips against mine.

My eyes widened in complete shock.

For a second, my entire body froze.

I genuinely didn’t know whether to push him away or remain standing there because the moment his lips touched mine, Nyx stirred wildly inside me.

Mine.

The voice echoed possessively within me.

Nyx practically purred in satisfaction, begging me silently to stay still and savour every second of him.

After all...

He was my mate.

Lurgard pushed me backward gently but firmly until my back pressed against the cold staircase wall.

His hands remained tightly around my waist, holding me in place as though he was afraid I might disappear.

"I told you to keep quiet, Theresa..." Lurgard muttered roughly against my lips before kissing me again.

This time deeper and more intense.

"Why couldn’t you just obey me?" he added between the kisses.

My breathing became uneven instantly, because unlike Lawrence’s impulsive kisses, Lurgard’s felt different. It was more controlled yet somehow filled with suppressed emotions, like he had been holding himself back for far too long.

I tried to speak, to practically complain.

But every single time I attempted to open my mouth, he swallowed the words completely.

His lips claimed mine again and again with frustrating intensity.

And slowly, I could feel every emotion he was trying so hard to hide pouring into the kiss itself–frustration, jealousy, possession and confusion.

It was all there.

And somehow, that only made my heart beat faster.

"Obey, Theresa," he murmured the moment he finally pulled away slightly, his forehead almost touching mine. "Don’t try to speak..."

His darkened gaze locked onto mine intensely.

I stared back at him breathlessly, completely stunned.

Can you imagine?

He was allowed to speak, allowed to threaten me and allowed to kiss me senseless in the middle of a staircase, yet somehow...I wasn’t even permitted to say a single word.

I was still thinking about how unreasonable he was for making me keep shut when he suddenly brushed a strand of my hair backward.

The touch caught me off guard, as it was gentle yet careful and somehow that only irritated me more.

My brows furrowed immediately as I stared at him, still annoyed from earlier, still unable to understand why he always acted like he could control every single thing I said or did.

"Theresa, why do you hate me so much?" he asked suddenly.

His expression dimmed slightly as he spoke, the usual coldness in his eyes fading into something quieter... almost pitiful.

The question threw me off for a second.

But only for a second.

"You are thick-headed, Lurgard!" I snapped, glaring at him instead of answering the actual question.

Because honestly...

What kind of question was that?

"What’s wrong with you, Theresa?" Lurgard asked angrily.

His expression hardened instantly as he stepped away from me, taking one step down the stairs. Frustration was written all over his face now, replacing whatever softness had been there moments ago.

"You don’t behave this way with—"

He stopped abruptly.

The words died on his lips.

And for a brief moment, something strange crossed his face, like whatever he had almost said carried too much weight for him to finish.

Silence followed, heavy and awkward.

He didn’t say anything else for a while, and somehow that silence became even more irritating than his words.

"Let’s keep moving," he said coldly at last, his tone completely different now as he turned and continued walking down the stairs.

I rolled my eyes immediately.

Honestly, if he wasn’t tired, then I was.

I wasn’t about to keep stressing myself because someone suddenly believed I hated him and was trying to vent his frustration on me because of it.

That was his problem.

Not mine.

With that thought, I simply sat down on the stairs, crossing my arms as I watched Lurgard continue descending without looking back.

Step after step.

Further and further away.

After a while, he disappeared completely from my sight.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips instantly.

’Finally.’

Without wasting another second, I pushed myself up and turned around, deciding I would just climb back up and take the elevator instead.

At least that would spare me from dealing with his mood swings.

I climbed quickly, almost relieved with my decision. I had barely reached the last step and headed toward the elevator when...

"Did I ask you to leave, Theresa?"

The cold voice stopped me instantly.

My entire body stiffened as I slowly turned around and immediately, I was met with a pair of furious eyes fixed directly on me.

"Do you want another punishment?" he added.

My breath caught instantly.

I swallowed hard, feeling my face flush red almost immediately as the memory of his so-called previous punishment flashed through my mind without permission.

What was wrong with him?