Miranda's Point of View

Claire looked expectantly at me after asking that question. Not wanting to sound or appear awkward, I cleared my throat and walked toward the kitchen.

"He's my brother-in-law. It's not strange that we're friendly with each other," I said.

"But you behave more than friendly with him. Others would think there's something going on between you. Even the Luna Queen mistook him to be your mate, and neither of you corrected her," she argued politely.

"Hm, you're quite observant." I faced her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you feel like I'm cheating on your Alpha or betraying him, but trust me, you'll soon understand everything that's going on."

She wasn’t satisfied with my response, but she didn’t argue either. She simply nodded quietly. It's not that I don't want to tell her the truth, but Lorenzo had placed her by my side to spy on me, after all... I can't risk letting her in on our plan.

As if she sensed my guard against her, she smiled softly.

"I'll always be by your side, Luna," she said reassuringly.

I smiled back appreciatively. "Thank you, Claire."

I helped Claire do the dishes despite her attempt to stop me, and with my assistance, she was able to finish on time.

By the time I made it to our room—mine and Vincenzo's—he was already sleeping. So, I took a quick shower and joined him, using a pillow as a barrier between us.

>>>>>>

>The Next Morning<<

A knock on the door woke me up. When I opened my eyes, I tried to get up and check who was at the door, but something hard was pulling me down.

With a frustrated groan, I looked down at my waist and found a strong arm holding me tightly. My eyes followed the arm up and...

"Arhhhh!" I screamed.

"What? What's going on? Are you okay?" Vincenzo asked as he sprang up into a defensive stance.

"Are you okay, Luna? Should I come inside?" I heard Claire ask from outside.

My eyes widened in panic when the doorknob twisted.

"I'm fine! Don't come inside!" I shouted, reaching out my hand as if I could stop the door from opening from here.

I heard giggling outside and someone speaking in a hushed voice. Even though the person was whispering, I could still recognize her—it was Annalise.

"What are you doing here, Anna?" My eyes located the alarm clock on the bedside table. "It's just 8 a.m. Don't you have things to do in the palace?" I asked.

She scoffed. "I'm sorry that I disturbed your intimate moment, but there are other things to do here than fucking your mate," she said.

It was early, but I felt my cheeks heat up at her uncensored words.

"Get ready, girl. We're going shopping in twenty minutes!" she said, then I heard her walking away.

I sighed but quickly glared at Vincenzo as I recalled his arms had been around my waist earlier.

"Why were you holding me?!" I snapped at him.

His brows knitted slightly as if he was a bit confused, then he said,

"We're sharing a bed, baby. Cuddling is bound to happen." He sighed. "Besides, I didn't initiate it. You did."

"What do you mean? I would never initiate that," I argued.

"You were shivering last night because it was cold. I wanted to turn off the air conditioner, but you grabbed me in a tight hug and restricted my movement," he explained.

Hearing his explanation, a vague memory of last night's event replayed in my mind, and I realized I must have truly initiated it. I bit my lip in embarrassment.

Vincenzo leaned closer to me, his nose touching mine, and I could perceive his morning breath. He didn’t have bad breath— all I could perceive when he opened his mouth was mint.

"Baby, you can't burn the bridge after crossing the river," he said.

"You..." I wanted to speak, but remembered that my morning breath wasn't as pleasing as his.

I pushed him away from me and jumped out of the bed.

"Stay away from me throughout this trip!" I warned him.

I don't trust myself around him. Staying near him might make me lose control, and I might end up banging him before the end of this trip.

"You know staying away from you is not possible."

"Is it?! I'll be sleeping in the living room from now on." That being said, I dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

>>>>>>>

"Hey, girl!" Annalise hyped me the moment she set eyes on me, wagging her brows teasingly. "How was your night?"

"Fine," I replied grumpily.

She patted the sofa next to her, and I sat down. Then she gestured toward the kitchen with a big smile.

"You're so lucky, girl. Your man is domestic. I'm envious!" She did her fake crying again.

"I've told you to stop doing that." I pulled her cheek gently but hard enough to make her wince slightly.

She scoffed. "You're lucky a beautiful view is keeping me in check," she said, her eyes fixed on Vincenzo's back.

I knew Vincenzo heard her because he suddenly started flexing his back muscles.

"Stop checking him out. You're feeding his ego," I scolded her.

"Are you jealous?" she asked.

I furrowed my brows. "Jealous? Over who? Him?" I scoffed, unbelievably. "Never!"

Annalise stared at me for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Anyway, we're leaving after breakfast."

"Why didn’t you have breakfast at your palace, with your mate?" I asked.

She placed her hands on her chest and released an overly dramatic gasp as if she had just been stabbed in the chest.

"I abandoned my mate to come spend time with you, and you're questioning my loyalty?" She wiped her imaginary tears. "I can't believe this."

Shaking my head, I turned away from her and covered my ears with my hands. "What a drama queen," I murmured.

After waiting for almost thirty minutes, breakfast was ready and everyone sat around the table to eat.

When we were done eating, I bade Vincenzo goodbye, then Annalise and I left.

>>>>>>>

>Shopping Mall<<

It’s been an hour since we came to the mall, but Annalise wasn’t done shopping. In fact, she was gliding excitedly from one shop to another, completely forgetting she’s pregnant and could hurt herself or the baby with all her jumping around.

"Alright, that's enough!" I said as I caught her, stopping her from bumping into someone.

"You're such a killjoy," she grumbled.

"I know. I'm just trying to protect my godson," I replied.

"Godson? You can't be sure it's a boy."

I frowned. "You haven’t done the scan yet?"

"No. My mate and I want it to be a surprise for us."

I nodded. "That's cute."

We walked in silence, which didn’t last long because Annalise can't keep quiet to save her life.

"I can't wait to see your child. I'm sure he or she will take after your mate, because he's so beautiful," she said.

I laughed briefly. "He's not my mate..."

"He's not your mate?" she interrupted before I could complete my words, her eyes widening in shock.