A wide grin spread across Fang’s face before he looked at his stepbrother and chimed, “Great! Bane, go dump yourself wherever you want now. I honestly don’t care if you spend the rest of your life cooking for your new queen.”

“Fang!” I gasped.

Hailey chuckled at his words while Bane stood there looking expressionless as ever.

Fang looked at me will a charming smile while talking to Bane, “You both can have the room to yourself. We are going some shopping.” He tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, “Need to make sure my soulmate stands out among the entire crowd tonight.” 

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I let out a nervous laugh. 

Hailey waved her hand, “fine, fine, as long you don’t come back and disturb us.” She turned to Bane and winked at him, “I am going to take my time devouring him so it’s better you guys show up at the party itself.” 

My eyes stretched wide with the images that flooded in my mind, “You don’t have to reveal so-” 

“Okay, see you at Mr. Gillard’s,” Fang pulled me behind him, as I had to do a little run to catch up to him. He was taking big leaps with his long legs as we crossed the long lobby in few minutes. How he had flipped in just seconds of getting what he had wanted from me. He wasn’t excited like a giddy child but a glee of satisfaction was smeared on his face. The look that I would not mistake. The satisfaction of having his prey fall in his trap. 

“Wait,” I stopped as I pulled him back, “did you do that thing about Bane on purpose?” 

It sure had been a long time since Fang had actually tricked me into getting something from me. How his behavior had changed yet he had done this now. 

Fang turned around to come and stand, towering in front of me. My neck strained to look into his eyes. His eyes were serious and searched something in mine, “Does it matter?” 

It was hard not to feel the heat he radiated as I gulped, “No but-“

“Would you have said no in any other situation?” He asked, sticking close to the topic.

The depth of his eyes called me to him as his hand around my wrist tightened in anticipation. My lips parted as I drew in a sharp breath and with that, his ember scent flooded my being. It was a difficult question to answer. I wouldn’t have even skipped a beat before for arguing against it before, but now, things were all different. There was something so heavy I felt in my chest. “I don’t think so,” I answered with all sincerity. 

“Good,” his deep voice washed over me as he circled his arm around my waist, “shall we go then?” 

I nodded, my head still lost in my thoughts. 

Fang did not move ahead till I raised my head to meet his eyes. The look that he carried was everything other than what he has been all this time. Not the mischievous or caring look. There was something far more dark and boiling inside him. His eyes narrowed at me before he forced himself to pull up a smile, drinking back what he was planning to say. Fang simply walked ahead, breaking any point of contact with me, and I was left with no choice but to follow him. 

We rode a carriage to a less crowded area. Even where we were staying at was enough rich. 

I turned to look at Fang but he did not speak anything. There was a burning curiosity about what had gotten into him now. However, that was a dangerous area and a place where I had no interest in throwing myself into the lava. “What happened to that guy you have enslaved?” I started a conversation to take things away from his dark thoughts. 

He turned to me after a moment, “why? did you fell in love with him or something?” 

I rolled my eyes, “if you can’t have a normal conversation then we shouldn’t talk.”

Fang chuckled as he shifted towards me. I looked at him with my arms crossed and crossed eyes. He kept staring at me before one of his hand went behind me, but it never touched me. “This is better,” he said and relaxed without even trying to continue that conversation. 

“Don’t get so comfortable just because I am being fine with it,” I snapped, “I already told you to keep your hands by your side.” 

Fang hummed as he let his head on the back of the carriage. 

“I am talking to you,” a vein popped in my head but right then the carriage bumped over something, throwing me up in the air and sending me tumbling on the ground. 

I looked up at Fang as I was on my knees y his leg and he had stretched his hand ahead to try and save me, “sorry, I remembered where my hands should be. Hold on to the bar at the side of the carriage, since I won’t be able to save you.” I huffed as I got up, dusting my jeans and taking a seat properly. 

“You should really burn in hell,” I muttered to myself. I was sure he had a wide grin on his face for that but I wasn’t going to back out on my words just like that. 

In the next few minutes, we reached the market area with all the crowd dressed in gowns and coats. It was truly a place for the rich and I took a deep breath before I could ask Fang to go somewhere else, but right that moment, the carriage door opened in front of an extremely luxurious vintage shop. There was a crowd of ladies inside who turned my way and I wished I could bury myself in the walls of the carriage. 

“Can’t we go somewhere else?” I whispered to Fang. 

He smiled at me teasingly, “we do not want to cause traffic here little one. Give the lady a hand,” Fang asked the coachman standing by the door and he immediately complied with a short bow and extending his hand ahead for me to take. I looked at Fang with a curse on my lips and he just smiled as if he had brought me here to humiliate me. At least I could have changed into something other than jeans and a t-shirt. “Go on, he is waiting,” Fang said as I gritted my teeth to place my hand into the coachman’s palm.

All the ladies around me looked at me with a scrunched nose and I had never been so awkward before. 

The murmurs and whispers were evident around me and a few that were even audible,

“Do you think she robbed someone to be able to even afford a ride here?” 

“Her soulmate must be a rich man.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She is definitely sleeping with someone who will pamper h- is that!”

“My god, ew, the person with her is in joggers and sweatshirt-“

“Shut up, it’s minister Fang! Keep your voice down or you and your family are done for.”

On hearing them, I turned around to see Fang, who had just got down. “Your face really sells around Greenland,” I remarked.

No one had missed to recognize him around west Greenland, unlike how it was in other parts of Adalolpha.

Fang hummed, “the western Greenland is a place where you can kill someone in broad daylight and even the police would help you hide the body.” A chill ran down my spine as he turned to me with a smile, “Come, let’s find you a good stitch.” 

My eyes roamed around to see how the people repelled from Fang.

It was not that he did not look up to their standards. If he was here, even in his underwear, they would see highly of him. It was the fear that went around in the people’s heart here. I turned to Fang before we entered the shop, “who did you kill?” 

“The defense minister,” Fang replied without holding back, “along with his entire family.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. The defense minister was always chosen after strict trials, an Omega who could stand on even grounds with an Alpha. Besides, he is granted the team of best guards. “Why?” I could not help myself. 

Fang shrugged as if it was some casual talk, “he just tried rubbing some salt on my wound.. Let the past be. Come on, should be buy matching clothes?”