Dorian stormed through the palace corridors with rage burning through his veins. His footsteps echoed off the stone walls as he moved with deadly purpose toward his chambers, not caring who saw him in his wine-soaked state.
The fabric stuck to his skin and the sweet smell of the wine filled his nostrils, but that wasn't what had him so unsettled.
He could still feel her hands on his chest. The way her fingers had trembled as they moved across his body, trying desperately to clean up the mess she had made.
The electricity that had shot through him the moment she made contact was still buzzing under his skin and making his wolf pace restlessly.
His body had reacted instantly and intensely to her touch. All he wanted to do in that moment was pull her closer and at the same time, push her as far away as possible.
"That damn slave," He snarled as Magnus caught up with him in the corridor. "She had the audacity to spill wine all over me in front of the entire pack leadership."
Magnus kept pace beside him and Dorian could see his beta trying to formulate a response.
"It looked like she tripped." Magnus said carefully, his tone was neutral but Dorian could hear something else underneath it.
"Are you defending her?" He snapped as he continued walking toward his chambers. "That worthless slave humiliated me in front of everyone who matters, and you're making excuses for her incompetence?"
"I'm just saying it appeared to be an accident," Magnus replied and there was definitely something in his voice now that sounded like he was trying to be reasonable.
"She was clearly terrified and apologetic about what happened."
Dorian's anger flared even hotter at Magnus's words. He didn't want to hear anything that might make him think of the slave as anything other than the worthless creature she was.
He didn't want to remember the panic in her eyes or the way she had frantically tried to fix her mistake.
He especially didn't want to think about how small and delicate her hands had felt when he grabbed her wrists to push her away.
"The moon goddess must be laughing at me," He growled as they reached his chamber doors.
"Giving me a slave as a mate is the ultimate insult and proof that the goddess has no respect for my position or power."
His wolf snarled in disagreement, but Dorian pushed the beast down forcefully. His wolf had been restless and angry ever since they discovered their mate. The animal wanted to claim and protect her while Dorian wanted nothing more than to forget she existed.
He would have done just that if he wasn't in desperate need of an heir.
"She touched me," He said and the disgust in his voice was thick and heavy.
"Her hands were all over me and I could feel the mate bond trying to pull me toward her like I was some weak-willed fool who can't control his own desires."
Magnus shifted uncomfortably beside him and Dorian could tell his beta wanted to say something but was holding back.
The hesitation only made Dorian angrier because Magnus was acting strange. They both knew that she was nothing but a slave who didn't deserve to be mated to him and now, Magnus, seemed to be sympathetic toward her.
"The worst part is that my body reacted to her," Dorian admitted through clenched teeth and the confession tasted bitter on his tongue. "I wanted to grab her and..." He trailed off because he couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud.
The truth was that when she had touched him, he had wanted to pull her against him and claim her mouth with his. He had wanted to rip away the barrier of clothes between them and take her right there on the table in front of everyone.
The urge had been so strong and sudden that it had taken every ounce of his self-control to push her away instead of pulling her closer.
"It's the mate bond," Magnus said quietly. "It's natural to feel attraction to your mate even if you don't want to acknowledge it."
Dorian whirled on Magnus with his eyes flashing dangerously. "Whose side are you on here?" He demanded and his voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"Are you my beta and my best friend or are you sympathizing with a worthless slave who just humiliated me?"
Magnus opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He stood there, looking conflicted and that only made Dorian angrier because there shouldn't be any conflict.
His best friend should be on his side without question just like he had always been.
"The dinner is over," Dorian declared coldly. "Tell everyone to leave and make sure that slave is properly punished for her incompetence."
He didn't wait for Magnus to respond before slamming the door in his beta's face. The sound echoed through his chambers and he stood there for a moment, trying to get his breathing under control.
His clothes were sticky with wine and his skin felt too tight like his wolf was trying to break free.
He stripped off the ruined clothes and threw them in a corner before walking naked to his bathroom.
The large tub was already filled with hot water because his servants always kept it ready for him and he sank into it with a sigh.
The heat helped ease some of the tension in his muscles, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging in his mind.
He tried to focus on anything else, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the slave. The way her dark hair had been pulled back in that tight bun exposing the elegant line of her neck.
The way her small hands had pressed against his chest with such desperation. The way her scent had wrapped around him when she got close and made his wolf purr with satisfaction.
"No," He growled at himself, dunking his head under the water, trying to wash away the thoughts.
But when he came back up, the memories were still there. He could still feel the ghost of her touch on his skin and his body was responding whether he wanted it to or not.
He was hard and aching and it disgusted him that a slave could have this effect on him. He tried to ignore it but the need was too strong.
His hand moved down his body almost against his will. He gripped himself roughly and closed his eyes as he began to stroke.
He tried to think of other women, beautiful highborn wolves who would be appropriate mates for an Alpha King, but his traitorous mind kept returning to her.
He thought about her hands on his body and imagined them moving lower. He thought about pulling her into the bath with him and watching the water soak through her clothes.
He thought about tasting her lips and hearing her moan his name as he claimed her completely.
His hand moved faster as the fantasy played out in his mind and he could almost feel her presence in the room with him.
His wolf howled with pleasure at the thought of their mate and pushed images into his mind of marking her neck and making her theirs forever.
The release hit him hard and sudden and he groaned as his body shuddered with the intensity of it.
For a moment, he felt satisfied and complete in a way he hadn't experienced in a long time, but then reality crashed back down on him and he was filled with absolute disgust at what he had just done.
He had pleasured himself to thoughts of a slave. The lowest of the low in their society and he had imagined her in his bed like she was worthy of being there.
The self-loathing that filled him was almost overwhelming and he slammed his fist against the edge of the tub in frustration.
"What is wrong with me?" He asked the empty room, but there was no answer except the echo of his own voice.
He was the Alpha King and he was supposed to be above such base desires.
He was supposed to be strong enough to resist the mate bond and not give in to the pull of a worthless slave, but here he was alone in his bath, doing something that made him feel sick with himself.
He got out of the water and dried off roughly, trying to scrub away the feeling of shame that clung to his skin.
He dressed in fresh clothes and tried to push all thoughts of the slave from his mind, but he knew it was useless. She was under his skin now whether he wanted her there or not and he didn't know how to get rid of her.