Luke had to admit, he was impressed by how long Thea had managed to stay hidden.

In truth, he had already noticed her while descending the stairs.

She has been concealed quote brilliantly until she shifted from the shadows to look at him. Maybe curious or cautious?

But that alone had been enough for him to realize someone was hiding nearby. His natural sense of hearing has been sharpened compared to before.

But rather than exposing her immediately, he deliberately walked farther away, giving the hidden observer the impression that he had truly left the area.

Then, with his enhanced vision, he quietly watched from a distance.

A woman dressed in white slowly emerged from concealment, her face carefully hidden as she advanced toward the oath house.

Her small stature and huge arse easily made him remember who it was.

The chief’s young mate.

The very woman he had cornered a few days ago and pissed herself later.

A grin slowly spread across Luke’s face.

Silently, he followed after her, activating <Shadow Walk> to erase even the sound of his footsteps.

By the time he slipped inside, the scene waiting for him nearly made him laugh.

The short woman was repeatedly hopping in place, stretching her arms upward as she struggled to reach the knots tied around the crown of the central bamboo.

It was a treat to his eyes though, seeing her plump buns juggle when she landed back on the ground. He would have stood there, and wait for that short dress to completely reveal those globes. But since it was quite late, he decided to end the game soon.

Advancing closer, he leaned in slightly and whispered,

"Need some help?"

"Eiik!"

Thea jolted violently and spun around so fast that her back nearly slammed into the rising bamboo poles behind her.

"Y-You..." she stammered, her face turning slightly pale as her widened eyes locked onto him in shock.

She had watched him walk far away just moments ago, so how in the world had he suddenly appeared behind her again?

Then realization struck.

Tch.

Right.

He was a magician.

Of course he had some sort of strange wizardry trick up his sleeve.

Luke hummed thoughtfully as his gaze dropped toward the pouch in her hands.

"So... what do we have here?"

"Ah, don’t touch that!" Thea cried out in panic, quickly trying to snatch it back from him.

But it was already too late.

Luke was far stronger than her, and stealing something from his grasp was nearly impossible.

With casual ease, he opened the pouch and peeked inside.

His brows lifted slightly.

A shed snake skin.

A small vial containing a dark, murky fluid.

Dried flowers, needles, and several other strange objects bundled together.

"Hm." Luke glanced at her. "What is this? Some kind of dark ritual?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Thea’s body visibly stiffened.

Her eyes widened in alarm before she hurriedly shook her head.

"No!" she blurted out. "You’re misunderstanding it!"

Then, almost desperately, she added,

"I’m only here to raise my knot above Roxanne’s!"

"Shhh!"

Luke suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth and shoved her against the wall with a sharp thud.

Thea winced from the impact, but the pain barely registered.

Her eyes had already widened into circles at the sight of his expression.

His gaze was cold, but a trace of irritation was there.

In a low, dangerous voice, Luke muttered,

"Do you even know what time it is? Screaming like a bitch in the middle of the night."

A faint growl lingered beneath his words.

Then he leaned closer, his voice dropping into a whisper that sent a chill through her body.

"Listen carefully, woman. If you scream again..." He lifted one of the needles from the pouch between his fingers. "I swear I’ll put this somewhere that’ll take your voice away forever."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"So be very careful from now on."

Thea nodded frantically.

She absolutely did not want to lose her voice.

Luke slowly removed his hand from her mouth and, thankfully, she remained quiet this time.

Keeping her pinned against the wall, he stared down at her and asked in a low voice,

"Now tell me the truth. Why are you here?"

Then, without warning, he roughly cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look directly at him.

"And don’t you dare lie to me," he warned coldly. "You already know what happens when you try to defy me."

Thea’s breath hitched.

She didn’t understand why.

Maybe it was his eyes. Maybe it was the sheer force behind his actions.

But every time he acted like this, she found herself completely overwhelmed, unable to resist him properly.

She was the chief’s mate, for God’s sake.

Yet here he was, cornering her against a wall and treating her however he pleased.

And the worst part was...

Thea knew far too well what Luke was capable of to ever take him lightly.

As Luke slowly released her cheeks, Thea lowered her gaze and finally confessed in a trembling voice,

"I... came here to ruin their knots. To offer them to the Goddess of Death..."

Luke let out a quiet chuckle, as though her answer had only confirmed what he already suspected. But still it was quite childish of her to believe into something like that.

"As expected," he muttered. "You came here to curse Roxanne out of jealousy."

Thea immediately scoffed at that.

"Why would I be jealous of that woman?" she snapped in a hushed voice. "My Lord cares for me far more than he does for her."

Luke simply shook his head.

"If that were true, you wouldn’t have approached me that day." His gaze sharpened. "And you definitely wouldn’t be sneaking around here tonight."

Thea’s expression stiffened.

Luke leaned closer and spoke bluntly,

"You’re scared."

Her breath faltered slightly.

"You’re afraid Roxanne will eventually regain her place and you...would be thrown out."

Thea growled but that did nothing to affect him.

Luke suddenly slid his knee between her legs and drew intimately close to her, causing her breath to get stuck in her throat.

His knee faintly brushed against her lower lips, her body going on her toes instinctively.

Leaning closer until only a breath remained between their lips, Luke whispered,

"Now imagine everyone finding out that the chief’s young mate was so insecure that she snuck out in the middle of the night just to pollute something as sacred as the oath house."

Thea’s breathing grew uneven.

"Are you... threatening me?" she asked weakly.

Luke’s grin widened.

"Of course I am."

There wasn’t even the slightest attempt to deny it.

"The truth is," he continued calmly, "I’ve had my eyes on you for quite a while now." His gaze slowly traveled across her face. "I just wanted to understand what exactly made the chief abandon his first mate for someone like you."

Thea stiffened at the blunt remark.

Luke tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes.

"And now that I’ve seen you up close..." he murmured, "I think I’m finally starting to understand."

Thea’s face has turned hot from his breath...or was it something else. Regardless, she watched him with her eyes half lidded and said, "So what...are you going to do about it?"

Luke grinned and suddenly pressed his lips against her.

Time to taste the fiery one.

•••••••••

A/N:- Thanks for reading. I hope the story is enjoyable thus far.