Gemini''s POV


    "How dare you walk out of a dinner with the royal family?" King Asher''s voice echoed through the room, his tone sharp enough to cut through an ice cube. His furious gaze bore into me, and I could feel the weight of everyone''s stares pressing against my back.


    "It''s so mannerless of her not to know that walking out on royalties is a big p on the face," Ba muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.


    I turned slowly, keeping my expression neutral, though inside, my nerves were radiating with anger. Ba''s smug littlement was nothingpared to the storm brewing in King Asher''s eyes, but it didn''t matter. I knew exactly what I was doing. I wasn''t some clueless werewolf stumbling into a royal mess. Thanks to thete Alpha Harvey''s extensive library, I read countless books on royal customs, traditions, and etiquette. I knew every rule and every expectation.


    And I was breaking them on purpose.


    "Gemini," King Asher growled, his voice low now. "You have two options. Leave this room and face the consequences, or sit back down and wait until this dinner is over."


    I arched a brow, meeting his re with a calm expression, despite the weakness I felt in my knees. I mean this was the fucking Lycan King... He could literally call me dead if I got him pissed. But here I was, deliberately pushing his buttons.


    I let out a soft sigh, knowing that I had done enough for the day and that this was probably the wrong time to push further. I spun around, my hair swirling like that of a model as I made my way back to my seat.


    Copsing into my chair, I leaned back and crossed my legs, deliberately ignoring every smugment thrown at me. I began picking arthy nails like an uninterested teenager. I could feel King Asher''s eyes burning into me, but I refused to acknowledge him.


    The sound of a soft gasp broke the heavy silence.


    I looked up to see Ba staring intently at her phone, her lips curling into a


    malicious smile. The energy in the room shifted as curiosity and unease tugged at


    me.


    "Ba, you know the rules," Asher''s voice was curt, almost dismissive, but his irritation was clear. "No phones at the table."


    She nced up, feigning innocence. "I''m sorry, Your Majesty, but I think you all need to see this."


    Her words made my stomach twist, an uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. Everyone''s attention turned to her as she stood and walked toward Asher, her phone held out for him to take.


    "Isn''t that your little wolf mate?" she said, her toneced with mockery.


    I stiffened at her words, What now?


    King Asher''s expression darkened as his gaze flicked to the screen. He grabbed the phone, his jaw tightening as he watched whatever was ying. His parents leaned over to look, their faces morphing from confusion to restrained anger.


    My curiosity burned as I tried toprehend what had caused such a reaction. Before I could ask, Ba''s voice cut through the tension like a knife.


    "Your mate is using the royal power to make people bow at her feet,” she said. "Throwing tantrums everywhere just to get people to obey her."


    My blood ran cold. Boutique chaos. She had to be talking about the boutique incident. My mind shed back to that moment, the anger I had felt, and the embarrassment that pushed me to stand up for myself. Now, thinking of it, maybe I had gone too far.


    I wanted to demand to see what they were watching, but I couldn''t move. Ba''s smirk grew as her eyes darted between me and Asher, clearly relishing the growing tension.


    The king''s expression was unreadable as he turned the phone to me. "Care to exin this, Gemini?" His voice was low and restrained, but it carried the weight of an unspoken threat


    I swallowed hard, my heart racing as I finally got a glimpse of the video. There I was, standing in the middle of the boutique stripping the mannequin off its clothes. Of course, the video didn''t capture how it all started, so defending myself was definitely going to be a hard one.


    The whole video had been so twisted that if I hadn''t been the one to experience it, I wouldn''t have believed me either.


    I kinda saw thising......


    "It''s not what it seems like," 1 started with the normal line everyone was


    expecting to hear, my voice steadier than I expected.


    BE


    8:00 PM dd.


    "Oh, really? Ba chimed in, her tone dripping with fake sympathy "Because it looks like your mate thinks she''s already queen." She turned to King Asher like a O


    venomous snake.


    "At first look, I knew she didn''t belong here..." Mrs ckwood added.


    I felt the heat of embarrassment rising to my cheeks, but I refused to let it


    consume me. Lifting my chin, I met King Asher''s intense gaze.


    "I was only standing up for myself," I said firmly. “I couldn''t just stay back and let her insult me."


    King Asher''s eyes grew darker by the second, "Dinner is over," he dered, his eyes never leaving me. "And you, you''reing with me."


    As soon as we got to a dark corner of the house, he mmed my back against


    the wall, his eyes shed red for a split second.


    I trembled under his livid gaze, my heart hammering against my chest. The Lycan King had always intimidated me, but I managed to cover it with a hard girl act- but all of


    that faded into the thin air in this


    very moment.


    "I warned you to behave yourself, didn''t I?" He let out a heavy growl, scaring the hell out of me.


    I was scared to my bones, it felt like my heart was about to jump out of my mouth.


    He mmed his hands against the wall behind me, causing me to flinch.


    I wanted to defend myself, I wanted to tell him that I didn''t mean for things to escte the way they did, but all I ended up muttering was, "I''m sorry..."


    "This is why I never introduced you to my Kingdom, ''cause you don''t have what it takes to be my mate."


    My breath seized at his words despite knowing fully well that I never even had it in mind to be his mate or even Queen of the Lycan Kingdom.


    "Gemini, you have contradicted mymands times and times again. And do you know what happens to offenders-"


    "No one defiles me and goes unpunished. You can ask that old wolf from your pack who tried to go against me."


    My mind shed back to the scene Elder Amarok caused which led the King to


    take him hostage. What had King Asher done to him?


    "Except you want to be another one of my victims-" He grunted.


    I shook my head in the negative, fear taking its toll on me.


    King Asher closed his eyes momentarily, letting a deep sigh escape his lips. "You would be on punishment for the next seven days. And if your attitude remains the same, your days will be extended..."


    I watched his retreating figure as I copsed to the floor, my body still shaking from the outburst.


    King Asher stopped by the guards who stood watch over the premises, his tone sharp. "Escort her to the dungeon."