CHAPTER 44: SAW ME ENTIRELY NAKED

Leia stepped out of the bathroom in a soft white towel wrapped snugly around her body. Stretching her arms above her head, she let out a contented sigh. "That was exactly what I needed," she murmured, twirling lightly on her toes.

She reached for the edge of the towel, ready to change.

The moment she loosened it, her eyes flew open, and a sharp scream escaped her lips.

"Ahhh!"

Leia instantly clutched the towel back to her chest and spun around, clearly mortified.

Lucien sat casually on the lounge chair in the corner, one leg draped over the other, a lazy smirk curving his lips as he watched her.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?!" she yelled, cheeks burning with both anger and embarrassment. "You’re so—so shameless!"

Unbothered, Lucien leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees. "You’ve got a nice body," he said, meeting her gaze.

Leia’s jaw dropped. "Get out!" she barked, pointing at the door. "Now!"

Instead of moving, Lucien just tilted his head, the smirk never leaving his face.

"But I’m here to give you some good news," Lucien said, finally rising from the lounge chair.

"Don’t come any closer," Leia warned sharply, keeping her back to him. "Say whatever you need to say from right there."

She froze as she felt the warmth of his breath suddenly fan against the nape of her neck.

"Delia’s been caught," he whispered.

"What?" Leia gasped, instinctively spinning to face him, only to realize too late her towel barely held together. Her eyes widened as she clutched it tighter, hands trembling as they hovered near her chest.

Lucien straightened, his sharp gaze flicking briefly over her before shifting away.

"I didn’t come here to take advantage of you," he said calmly, taking steps backward. "I’ll be waiting downstairs. Put on something nice."

With that, he turned and left the room.

Leia rushed to the door and locked it with a shaky hand. She leaned against it, exhaling hard.

"I should’ve been more careful... What if someone else had walked in?" she muttered, pacing to the wardrobe. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. "That’s twice now... twice he’s seen me like this. The first time, I was curled up, barely aware of anything. But now, he saw me entirely naked... ugh!"

She buried her face in her hands as she lightly hit her forehead against the cupboard.

~~~~~

Ronan glanced up from behind the newspaper, raising a brow. "You seem unusually cheerful this morning. What’s got you in such a good mood?"

Lucien smirked faintly, sipping his coffee. "Do I? Maybe I just happened to see something... pleasant to start the day."

"There’s a ball at the palace," Ronan said, eyes scanning the newspaper. "The annual Lunar Masquerade Ball, it’s the headline."

Lucien leaned back on the couch, relaxing his posture with the coffee cup in hand. "We received the invitation this morning. I was going to tell you and Kieran."

"So... we’re actually attending this year?" Ronan asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

Lucien nodded slowly. "Yes. We have Leia with us now."

Ronan lowered the paper slightly. "I thought we agreed not to reveal her... not until she accepts us."

Lucien’s gaze didn’t waver. "The truth’s already out. Everyone knows Leia is the last she-wolf... and that she’s staying under this roof."

He took another sip of his black coffee.

"Are we really introducing her as our mate at the ball?" Kieran asked as he stepped into the living room, fresh from his morning run, a water bottle in hand. "One mate shared by three Alpha brothers?"

Lucien didn’t even flinch. "That’s the plan. She belongs to all three of us."

Before either of them could say another word, a furious voice echoed from the staircase.

"You three are again making decisions about my life without me!"

All heads turned upward, except for Lucien’s.

Leia stood on the landing, glaring down at them. She looked different this morning. Dressed in a fitted white top and a black miniskirt that showed off her long legs.

Ronan and Kieran exchanged a look, suddenly unsure of what to say.

Lucien, however, leaned back with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Leia descended the stairs. She halted in front of Lucien, who was lounging on the couch, still nursing his cup of coffee.

"You’re not introducing me as your mate," she said firmly, locking eyes with him.

Lucien looked up at her slowly. But instead of replying, his eyes briefly scanned her outfit, lingering just long enough to make his interest clear.

Kieran stepped forward, towel slung around his shoulders. "If Leia’s not comfortable with it, maybe we shouldn’t go."

Ronan stayed silent, caught in the middle, uncertain whose side to take.

Lucien finally spoke. "Leia’s uncomfortable with everything."

He placed the coffee cup down and rose to his feet, facing her fully. "But this isn’t just about comfort. You can’t turn down the Alpha King’s invitation."

Leia’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t stop.

"You’re in a house full of wolves now. You are one of us. And with that comes certain rules, responsibilities... and expectations, Leia. Your defiance is good till one limit, but not beyond that." Lucien leaned forward and placed the cup on the table me.

"Fine, I’ll go to this ball," Leia said in a loud enough voice. She sat next to Ronan on the couch, keeping the sofa pillow over her thighs.

Ronan gulped and moved a little away from her.

"So, how did you catch Delia?" Leia inquired inquisitively.

Both Ronan and Kieran weren’t too surprised because they knew Lucien would catch her anyhow.

"A witch helped me," Lucien said with a victorious smirk.

"But you don’t like witches," Leia said, feeling confused.

"My name is quite popular among witches that they don’t dare to cross paths with me," Lucien answered.

"You’re famous among everyone, except for humans," Leia muttered, rolling her eyes. "So, where’s Delia? I would like to see her," she requested, her tone softening.