Dear Alpha

Fourteen

DENI’S POV

After arguing vehemently with her Deni had finally agreed to Alaric escorting her to the lake where she was to take her bath.

“I do not know why you just follow me.” She said. “No harm surely will come to me.”

“Do you have any idea how annoying you are?” He asked her.

She pouted and feigned disbelief. “I understand not what you speak off.”

“You are quite like your name goat.” He said.

She flushed and became an instant red.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” She asked him.

“Because it fits you.” He stated.

“Pray end such character.” She couldn’t not believe she was begging this man, but he was most definitely pushing her to the wall.

“Till you behave.” He said. “Which I doubt. That shall be your name.”

“It is not the name my father gave me.” She said.

“So it would seem, but it is the name your husband had given you and bear it you shall.” He said.

She stopped and looked at him.

He gave her a gentle but possessive shove.

“Move.” He said.

The man was such a bully.

First he was calling her a goat, now he was pushing her like a child.

Her? Being called a goat?

Was the torture of it not enough. But he had to look for other ways to frustrate her life.

She eyed him quite up and down before setting her chin straight and leading the way.

“Well if you insist on going on with such madness,” she said. “Then I beg you to call me that only when people are around.”

“What gives you that idea that I would only call you goat when no one is around?” He said. “It is a splendid name. And I believe that everyone else needs to hear it.”

“You would bring shame to me.” She said.

“Who said its shame?” He asked her.

“Many a women are dying to be given pet names by me. You should count yourself lucky.”

The man irritated her.

She stomped her feet and marched and when she pulled a tree branch out of her way, she let it go with such force that it smacked right into his face.

“Bloody hello!” He swore.

“That was a mistake on my own part.” She said and then continued going without stopping.

Before she knew it, he was right behind her.

“Do you know why I like you?” He asked her. “You think you are so smart. God cursed me to live with an English woman. Even get married to one.”

Then she thought about it for a while.

“Why did you never marry?” She asked him.

“Marriage does not suit me.” He answered.

“But you are married now are you not?” She asked him.

“Given the circumstances yes.” He said.

“Why did you not wish to marry?” She asked him. “Mayhap if you had already wed, you would have been with one of your Scottish women you seem to love so much.”

“Well unfortunately for the both of us, marriage does not add to my name.” He said.

“Because of women?” She asked him.

“You understand me already.” He said and she became appalled.

“I have quite a number of mistresses. They do as they are told and keep away from any of my business.” He said. “Not That a wife would bring any change.”

She stopped in her tracks. “What do you mean by that?”

“It means that you would not interfere with my life.” He said.

“But I am your wife and I am stuck with you.” She whined.

“There is that. But that does not mean you would question any of my actions.” He said. “You would be my wife primarily by your duties.”

“My duties?” She said in alarm.

“Yes, you are to mind my keep, always make sure my food is well served and ready, do as you are being told and keep my bed warm.” He said.

“That is slavery.” She scowled.

“It is the right way of a man and woman.” He said.

“And your many mistresses?” She asked him.

“What about them?”

“You do not intend on keeping them do you?” She asked him.

He shrugged. “It depends. A man can not stay by one woman alone.”

“Then if that is the case with you why marry in the first place!” She snapped in disgust.

“Believe me I had no intentions of marrying.” He said. “I had already told you that had I not?”

“Well now you are married!” She said. “We are married and I would not accept such disrespect. It is adulterous and we were married by a man of God.”

“Does not change anything. But then.” He said. “It all depends on you.”

“How?” She snorted.

“It depends on how you warm my bed.”

She looked at him.

He had been saying warm my bed, warm my bed.

What did he even mean?

She did not want him to think she was nought but a clueless woman. But she was very curious and she would like the bigger fool if she pretended that she knew what it meant and then he would eventually catch her.

She was tempted to ignore it all together, but she was curious.

She was tempted to know probably because she felt that it had a more sinister meaning.

“What do you mean by warming the bed? She asked him. “You keep on saying warm the bed, warm the bed.”

He looked at her like she was mad.

“My God.” He said in awe. “What on earth do you know about marriage?”

She folded her arms. “What do you mean by warm the bed?”