She cringed. She hated hearing the actual word out loud, but it also did something to her. And not that she would ever let him do that to her, not really.
"No," she grumbled.
"Then clean your f*****g act up, because I don't like the thought of hurting you either, but your behavior and attitude is getting out of hand. You can either grow into the Luna I need and the Luna you are capable of being on your own, or I'll help you along as needed, and trust me, neither of us want that."
He stood up and placed his plate in the sink. He cleared his throat. "Now, I'm going to head back into my study. Max will come by to get you in a minute. If she tells me that you're becoming too much to handle, I will take the remainder of the day off and I promise you're going to regret it."
She watched in te
