••• Arabella’s POV •••

Max was spookily silent for a while, and I felt a bit nervous seeing his calculating yet cold gaze toward me.

It seemed he was a bit angry.

But I didn't say anything wrong, did I?

We weren't fated mates, so even if we made love, it would only be about sex and not feelings, much less children.

Then he finally opened his mouth and said in a cold tone, “As a Luna, you should have a better grip on your emotions. You should know how to hide them and obey your Alpha even if we’ll only be together for a year.”

Then he stood up and left the bedroom.

I stared at the door in shock.

How could he expect me to obey his every word when our ‘mateship’ and this whole thing were fakes?!

It was nonsense!

He was talking nonsense!

Then I realized that I had indeed willingly entered Hell.

I should’ve known that the most ruthless Alpha would want everyone to obey him.

If he thought he could control me or trample on my self-esteem, then he could dream on and be prepared for bloodshed!

Even my parents would never ask me to obey their every word!

Okay, my Dad would, but he would never force me to do anything I didn't want to. He would scold me for not obeying him, but that was it.

With that thought in mind, I stood up and went to the door to lock it.

He should just sleep outside tonight.

Served him right for angering me!

No one would dare to keep a powerful Alpha locked out, especially not from his own bedroom, but I needed to teach Max a lesson.

He should know I would never be a submissive puppet!

But that night, I tossed and turned on the bed.

I couldn't sleep with too many things on my mind about this whole contract marriage thing.

Letting out a sigh, I knew I needed to have a conversation with him in the morning to make everything clear.

Morning came, and I finally unlocked the door after I finished showering and was ready to face him.

Thinking of how to best talk to him since I didn't want us to have awkward or cold interactions for the rest of the year made me unable to have a good night's sleep, and now I had slight eye bags that I needed to cover with concealer.

Urrggghhh... This was all his fault!

He had ruined my perfect, pretty face now!

I went down to the first floor and entered the living room to find that Max was no longer in the house, and I saw a pillow and blanket on the sofa.

Did he sleep on the couch?

Were there no other rooms in the house?

“Good morning, Luna,” an Omega greeted me respectfully.

“Good morning,” I greeted her back.

“Luna, breakfast will be served in the dining room,” she said.

“Umm... Can you show me where the dining room is?” I asked awkwardly.

Max hadn't shown me the rest of the house, so I didn't know where each room was.

“Of course, Luna,” she smiled and gestured politely to me where the dining room was.

Stepping toward the direction of the dining room, I noticed the Omega was following me silently, which kind of amused me since I was never treated this way.

Of course, my parents always had guards following me, but not when I was loitering around at the Red Moon Pack’s main house.

Maybe because I was now their Luna, and I guessed Max must have asked them to keep an eye on me.

I always had a healthy appetite, so I ate the food they served me with gusto, especially since the breakfast they had prepared was delicious.

After finishing breakfast, I went to the living room to watch the TV since I didn't know what else to do.

The Omega from before came to me and informed me, “Luna, the Alpha had decided to take you on a tour of the Silentmane Canines Pack later on. If you need anything while waiting, please let us know.”

I still felt weird being treated respectfully and politely like this since the Omegas at the Red Moon Pack weren't so ‘distant’ like this.

Maybe it was because I was still new here, and they were still cautious around me, afraid of angering me.

I hoped they would warm up to me soon…

A flight of footsteps was heard from the main door, and I looked to see Max coming toward me with a faint smile.

Was he not mad at me for locking him out last night?

That was good, then; I breathed a secret sigh of relief.

I stood up and met him halfway, and he took hold of my hand as if it were the most natural thing to do, causing me to blush slightly.

“Are you ready to see your new pack, Luna Arra?” he asked with amusement as he saw me blush.

I nodded, and we went to the car with Beta Jaxon as the driver.

“Max, why do you call me ‘Arra’?” I asked him with curiosity.

“Don't you like it?” he asked.

“No. I mean, I’m fine with it, but you are the first one to call me that,” I told him honestly.

“What do others usually call you?” he asked as he flipped through some documents in his hands.

“My parents and those close to them call me ‘Ari’, while my friends usually call me ‘Bella’,” I informed him.

“And that piece of shit mate of yours?” he asked. “What does he call you?”

I should’ve felt hurt when Max referred to Shawn as a piece of shit, but instead, I giggled because it suited him perfectly.

“Bella,” I told him. “He calls me ‘Bella’.”

Max put the documents down in the space between us and suddenly pulled me onto his lap effortlessly, his arms holding me close to him, causing me to yelp because I was unprepared for it.

“Then I’m glad I’m the special one, my mate,” he whispered in my ear, just like he did when he took me away from my wedding.

My body shivered involuntarily, and my heart started to thump fast again.

I didn't know why Max had this effect on me.

Even Shawn had never affected me this badly, that was why I still could remain a virgin, and Shawn was my fated mate!

What was wrong with Max?

To be more specific, what was wrong with me?!

“L-Let me go,” I stammered because of how flustered I was.

He chuckled and put me back in my seat but didn't let my hand go.

Before long, we arrived at the center of the pack’s ground, and Max pointed out and explained everything to me - the training ground, the housing area, his company, and everything else.

Then we went to the school, and I was surprised to see Omegas as teachers and students.

“They are Omegas, right?” I whispered to him.

He hummed in response.

“You let the Omegas teach the kids?” I asked in astonishment.

“Why? Are you looking down on Omegas?” he asked in a sharp tone.

I rolled my eyes at him and muttered, “If I look down on Omegas, I wouldn't have been best friends with an Omega.”

And how I regretted it. Not about befriending an Omega but about befriending a specific slutty Omega named Abigail.

“I let the Omegas in my pack choose their educations and careers,” he explained as though he didn't hear my words.

He knew Abigail was a sore spot for me.

“That’s good. I like the way you think,” I told him.

“I don't believe social status should determine everything, at least on my pack. Your abilities and intelligence should count,” he continued his words.

I looked at him in a new light.

It turned out he wasn't as cold-hearted as I thought. He had been protecting the weak in his pack all along.

Maybe the rumor of him being the most ruthless Alpha was wrong.

“Luna Arabella,” some members called me when Max stepped away from me to take a phone call.

“We are very surprised to see you,” one of the members said with a huge smile.

“Why?” I asked in confusion.

Was I not Luna material in their eyes?

“This is the first time Alpha Maximillian has ever shown interest in a girl. He must have liked you very much!” she said, and the rest nodded in agreement.

I blushed when I heard their words.

If only they knew the truth…

“Alright, don't scare your Luna,” Beta Jaxon joined us, and the rest laughed before dispersing.

“Luna, you should know that Alpha Max doesn't really care about the curse. That’s why he never searched for his mate and has no interest in having a Luna, but unexpectedly, he is still going to marry you,” he grinned at me.

I became even more embarrassed.

“You know why we are marrying,” I said in a voice only he could hear.

He laughed and said, “If he wants to have what you guys have, he could have done it a long time ago. You know what I mean?”

I was about to reply when suddenly I felt an arm snaking around my waist, and I was pulled away slightly from Beta Jaxon.

I looked at Max, who looked unhappy and glared at Beta Jaxon.

Did he get mad because I talked to his Beta?

What a possessive man, I thought to myself.

Remembering that I needed to talk to him, I quickly told him, “Alpha Max, there is something we need to talk about.”