C9 I wanted to taste them before anyone could

"Hmm. Didn't our eyes meet? No one ever looked at me with that gaze," Adolphus said, and brought a grape in front of her mouth.

Iris gaped at Adolphus. So, he saved her because their eyes met. But, how? She tried to figure out the reason behind that.

"Open your mouth," Adolphus' deep voice fell into her ears and she slightly parted her lips. He pushed it in and she chewed it. Her mouth melted with the sweetness of it. She had almost forgotten its taste. She licked her lips, unaware of the fact that the Alpha was watching her.

She lifted her eyelids to thank Adolphus when his soft lips landed on hers. Promptly, she moved away and covered her mouth with her palm. Unable to understand what to speak, she only stared at him. Her heart raced wildly. The Crown Prince wasn't supposed to kiss her without her permission.

Gradually she put her hand down. "Forgive me, Master Adolphus, but if he wants any sexual favor for me, then I refuse. He can give orders to kill me," she said boldly, not fearing the Alpha before him.

Adolphus chuckled. "Kittie is indeed sharp-tongued. I don't need any sexual favors from you. If I wanted, then you would be lying naked before me," he affirmed. His deep yet cold voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Then, why did the Master do it? He is not supposed to—" before she could complete her words, Adolphus interjected.

"Because I wanted to taste them before anyone could," he affirmed. "You are mine, Iris," he confessed.

Iris was stunned to hear him. How could he say such a thing? She was of no one. She was a mere human, who had to survive somehow.

"Master Adolphus, you can't kiss anyone without their permission. A consent is a must," Iris stated while fiddling the fabric of her dress between her fingers. "I forgive him since it was his first time," Iris asserted.

Adolphus was amazed to hear her explanation. She was lecturing him, who was the Alpha, the strongest man alive on the earth. However, he liked it. He liked the way she put forward her thoughts without thinking about the consequences.

"You are a slave, Iris. I don't need your permission," Adolphus pronounced, and his lips twisted into a smirk. Iris had almost forgotten that she had been sold by that werewolf.

"Even a slave is a person, Master Adolphus. He has the full right to express his thoughts," Iris asserted.

"You could not express your thoughts when you were free. However, when you became a slave, your tongue became sharper." Adolphus' was right. When Iris was a free bird, she remained timid. Probably because in that house, she was a slave. However, in front of Adolphus, more than a slave, she felt like a free-spirited bird.

It was strange!

"Forgive me, Master Adolphus. But I really cannot—" Adolphus placed his pointer finger on her lips.

"Shhhh." Adolphus hushed her and moved a little closer to her. Their faces were almost inches away and they breathed the same air.

"You are an amusing person, Kittie. Maybe next time, we can have a passionate kiss," he affirmed and grinned.

Iris knitted her brows, wondering why Adolphus spoke that way. She moved back and thought about saying what was revolving in her head.

"You kiss the one whom you love or have feelings for," she stated, and wondered if Adolphus would confess that he liked her.

"I kissed you so that none can claim you," Adolphus affirmed, "as I said you are beautiful enough to win anyone's heart, to make men's minds spin. You have that charm, Iris."

She gulped and lowered her head. She wanted to run away as fast as she could. Because if she stayed around him longer, her heart might explode. No one ever said such words to her.

He brought another grape to her mouth and asked her to eat it. Iris listened to him and she quietly ate the grapes that Adolophus fed her.

"Shall I punish your family to death for torturing you?" Adolphus' sudden question shocked Iris.

"Tell me," he asserted.

She shook her head.

"Why? You look malnourished thanks to your so-called family," Adolphus remarked.

"That's the past now," Iris replied.

"You forget things easily," Adolphus stated.

"Because it is best to forget painful memories, Master Adolphus," Iris proclaimed.

"Interesting!" Adolphus chuckled and found that the grapes were finished. He put away the bowl. "I want you to accompany me to the ball which is in two days," he informed her.

"What? Why?" Iris was shocked for a while. "Forgive me for my rude tone, Master Adolphus," she said and glanced at him with inquisitiveness.

"Butler Anthony will follow me. I want my handmaiden to follow me as well," Adolphus reasoned and studied the expression of Iris' face. "Did you think of something else?" He asked.

"No," she immediately responded.

"Good. Now, you can leave. The medicine has dried. Make sure to wash your feet before resuming the other work," Adolphus asked her to leave. She immediately stood up and bowed before him. Finally, she could leave the lion's den.

She quickly wore the shoes and bowed before turning to leave.

"Iris, you and I are master and slave. However, you want me not to treat you like a slave, so I have decided to treat you as a special woman. Be ready to bear the consequences of getting into my eyes," Adolphus pronounced. His words intimidated Iris, who didn't speak anything and left the chamber.