Doris stared at his back in silence. Her face grew hot and her throat closed instantly as his words pierced her skin. Doris silently stood and left his cabin before he could even turn around. If he was anyone else, she would have stood up for herself for once in her life. She would have took the cake and threw it in the trash right in front of him. His stupid title held her tongue and prevented her from smashing the dessert in his face like she wanted to so badly. The look on his face alone would be worth it all.
Her rage replaced her embarrassment. She didn't realize she had forgotten her coat until she was back in her own cabin. Not a lick of cold touched her, her anger heated her nicely. She wanted to strangle her wolf for even suggesting being nice to him when they both knew he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve an ounce of anyone being nice to him when all he knew how to be is horrible. She did something nice for him and all he could do was insult her in return. Reminding her she was nothing but a useless maid and that's all she'll ever be to him.
Doris roared and threw a candle against the wall and watched as the wax broke into a hundred pieces on impact. How could she be so stupid? Was having control of her wolf worth being near him for more than a second?
"You see what he is? And you want me to be with that? I'd rather die!" Doris shouted at her wolf. She wanted a fight and one was building inside of her. This new anger was confusing and strange, but she knew she wanted to release it all at once instead of letting it bottle inside her like she usually did when she was mad. All the years she let people insult her and walk all over her because she was nothing to them. Nothing had changed.
"You misunderstand him. He didn't mean it-" Cordelia spoke up almost hesitantly.
Doris laughed bitterly. "Your excuses only make you blind. I don't know what his wolf is like, but if he's anything like William-he's not worth it."
Cordelia growled. "How dare you insult my mate? He's worth more than you ever will understand. How many times do I have to explain how sacred a mate bond is? "
Doris went in the bathroom and yanked off her clothes as she prepared a bath. She was so hot, she didn't bother to heat the water. She lowered herself into the freezing tub and didn't feel this chill hit her bones at all as she scrubbed her skin. She wouldn't be surprised if the bath heated into boiling water just from her own rage.
"It's normal to have these moods." Her wolf said calmly. "Your body is changing to adjust to the wolf. You're feeling this way because of me, remember that."
"Of course I'm angry because of you! If I wasn't angry, I would just be crying. What he did was rude and-ugh! He's an awful man. Awful and rotten!" Doris shouted and rubbed soap through her hair as if it would clean herself from his existence. If only it were that easy, she would have been clean of him ages ago.
"You promised to give him a chance-"
"What do you think that was?" Doris snapped, then immediately felt helpless. It was like a flicker of sadness wrapped its hand around her emotions and tried to strangle the rage out of her. She dipped her head beneath the water and tried to rub it all out of the soap. It would be so easy to stay underneath and let go-
Her wolf caught wind of her thoughts and forced her up in a painful way. Doris started gasping for air, it felt as if her wolf shoved her head above the surface by stabbing her insides. .
"Are you insane?" Cordelia growled, her voice rattled through her aching mind and almost made her grasp her ears. "If you have a thought like that again, I'll never allow you near another bath in your life."
"Wonderful," Doris gasped and gripped the sides of the tub. "Then I'll ward him away with my smell if you do that. I think it's a great idea." Doris stood and wrapped a towel around herself before she stepped out of the tub.
"I truly think you're exaggerating." Cordelia said, almost as if she was amused but Doris wasn't laughing.
"I am not. He's the most awful person-" Doris stopped dead when she opened the door to her room and saw William standing in the middle of it. He had her coat clenched tightly in his hand.
Her grip tightened on her towel, suddenly she felt hot again. "William-" She gasped. How long had he been there? How much had he heard her say? As much as she wished to give him a piece of her mind, he was still a prince and she didn't wish to lose her life over her true thoughts. His face gave away nothing as he looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her bare legs. She cleared her throat. "Can I help you?"
His eyes lifted to her own. "You left your coat."
"Okay. Thank you." Doris reached out for it, but he threw it on the chair nearby.
"The cake was good." He took a step towards her. She forced herself not to take one back. Every time he was near her, her thoughts turned on her and made her feel something she shouldn't. Unsurprisingly, her wolf was completely silent as if it left her entirely.
"Glad you liked it." Doris crossed her arms over her chest.
"Where did you learn to bake like that?" He asked in a tone that suggested he might have actually been curious.
"I was taught by my mother when I was younger. She showed me all of her cake recipes and I suppose it's the one thing I can never forget." Doris shifted her weight on the other foot before she went to the drawers to pull out her clothes. She could practically feel his eyes follow her back. "Is there anything else you need?" She asked over her shoulder.
His silence made her think he was already gone, but she turned to find him watching her still as if she was his prey. A shiver ran across her skin, suddenly she felt ice cold and her heat from before had been fully doused. His eyes trailed the mark he left on her neck all those months ago. Her eyes almost dared him to say something about it, but he didn't.
"No." He said before he slowly walked to the door and left without another word. It left her convinced that he'd heard her shout about how awful he was to her wolf. At least he didn't hear the things her wolf said about him, then she'd truly wish the death penalty on herself.
Doris quickly dressed in case he came back-but he hadn't. Her wolf didn't have much to say either, she stayed quiet inside her as if his appearance scared her off. Good.
She glanced out the window and saw William in the courtyard speaking with Enzo. Their heads were bent in a deep conversation. She could tell they were both serious with the way Enzo's face was completely empty of humor. She didn't think that was possible for him.
Enzo gestured towards his cabin and William followed. Doris quickly opened her door and met them halfway before she changed her mind.
"Good evening," Doris said lightly with a smile. Enzo stopped and grinned down at her.
"Ah, Doris. Lovely to see you on such a beautiful night." He reached out to touch her wet hair that had already turned to ice. William shifted beside him, she didn't dare sneak a look at him this time. "You might want to let your hair dry completely next time. It'll keep you frozen all night and you'll wake up in a soiled bed."
"It's near impossible for my hair to dry here. It takes at least a few days." Doris laughed a little. Her eyes flickered towards William to see a frown on his face. "What are you guys up to?" She asked as she clasped her hands behind her back. Her curiosity had been eating at her for days. William and Enzo had been spending a lot of time together but neither of them had brought it up to her as if they hadn't been having secret meetings almost every night William had been here. She knew it was most likely over politics and it wasn't her business, but she was still curious to know what William was up to.
"Nothing to concern yourself over. Just a bunch of boring talk, truly." Enzo smiled and stepped around her.
"Yes, Enzo is right. Not meant for those who want nothing to do with the palace." William said as he passed her without a single glance towards her. He followed Enzo into his cabin and closed the door to leave her out in the cold.