Chapter 8 "Don't move!"

He carried me all the way to the outside of the hall.

A black Bentley was parked outside, adorned with the silver-gray royal emblem. A Beta respectfully opened the car door for us.

Prince Louis carried me into the car. He held me tightly in his embrace. My head was forced to rest on his shoulder, and my cheek was pressed against the smooth and exquisite white shirt.

I could hear his heartbeat clearly, like a steady and powerful drumbeat, knocking against my eardrums, merging with the sound of my own heartbeat. Remembering the gazes of the werewolves watching us as we left earlier, I could only bite my lip and bury my flushed cheeks in the man's embrace.

It all happened too quickly.

It was only when the car door closed, and the narrow and dim space inside the car made my nerves tense up again.

I cleared my throat, straightened up, and was about to speak, but the man bent down and held my ankle, removing the remaining high-heeled shoe.

The words I wanted to say instantly got stuck in my throat.

A prince was serving me?

My brain was in chaos. Memories that I had ignored earlier resurfaced in my mind. Prince Louis said I was his mate... But to be honest, I didn't quite believe it.

Because I had just asked my wolf, and she didn't feel anything for him. Maybe Prince Louis had made a mistake, or perhaps my wolf hadn't yet recovered from the blow of betrayal. I knew she needed time to heal herself.

And I haven't forgotten what Mrs. Smith said to me before. Prince Louis had a mate, and he even killed his own brother in order to snatch his mate. Regardless of whether he is a member of the royal family or not, I can only keep my distance from such a ferocious and ruthless man.

"You're distracted," Prince Louis stared at me.

Dangerous desire surged in the depths of his eyes as he hoarsely asked, "Do you regret it? The moment you get in the car, you have no chance of regret."

I snapped back to reality, "No, it's not like that! I was just..."

But the man didn't listen to my defense. His warm and rough fingertips caressed my smooth calves, as if touching a soft and silky fabric.

This action made me tremble involuntarily. Instinctively, I tried to withdraw my legs, but a force prevented me from doing so. The man suddenly changed his gentlemanly demeanor and grabbed my ankle, pulling me into his embrace. He rudely held my chin, forcing me to lift my head and meet his gaze.

My body instantly tensed up.

In this car, there are more than just the two of us!

The Beta, who opened the door for us, was still sitting in the driver's seat. Although he maintained the silence and showed no intention of turning around, he was in the car and he could hear us.

"Go outside and buy her a pair of shoes," the man glanced at the driver's seat following my gaze, his tone cold and commanding.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The driver seemed relieved as well. After receiving the order, he quickly left the driver's seat. But my heart raced because the man trapped me between the car door and his arm. My back was pressed against the locked door, and there was no one on the empty street outside. I had no way to escape.

"I've said it before, I'm not going to punish you," he smirked at the corner of his mouth, pressing his thumb forcefully against my soft lips. "But you may have heard some rumors. I'm not the kind of person who is generous."

"Now, it's time for me to demand something in return."

He leaned down, tightly embracing my waist and pressing me against the car window for a kiss. The hot kiss almost left me breathless. I gasped, trying to push him away with my hand, but he grabbed my wrist and held it high. My resistance only intensified his passionate kiss, and the hot breath sprayed onto the tip of my nose. I trembled involuntarily.

In the midst of chaos, I felt a hand roughly kneading my waist. I cried out in shock because the man lifted my hips, making me straddle him.

"Your Highness, please don't..."

I choked on my plea, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. But Prince Louis looked even more excited, staring at me with a beast-like gaze as if contemplating which part would be most suitable for his advances.

My hands were held tightly behind my back by him, restricting my movements. This posture forced my soft chest to face him. The suit jacket he had draped over me had already slipped off during the intense kissing just now. I huddled my shoulders, feeling uncomfortable as the man's gaze lingered on my breasts for too long.

"Don't cry."

He was truly a strange person. Just when I couldn't help but start crying, thinking that something even more terrifying would happen next, the man's expression gradually softened. He looked at me, sighed, gently wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes with his fingers, and then placed a tender kiss on my lips.

"I thought you would like this," his tone was calm, but I felt like he was slightly remorseful, "Did I hurt you earlier?"

I bit my lip, shook my head, then nodded abruptly.

The man looked at me with a warm expression on his face. He released my hands, but he didn't let me get off him. He just maintained this position and buried his head in my neck once again.

I could feel his fingers moving through my hair. He lightly kissed my collarbone, cheeks, and neck, nibbled on the back of my neck with his teeth, and then soothingly licked the marks he left.

Strands of hair tickled the skin near my ear, making me feel a bit itchy. I grabbed onto his shirt, feeling the places he touched gradually heating up. Although his actions this time were far less intense than before, they still triggered an uncontrollable impulse within me.

An electric current traveled down my spine. I couldn't bear it and squirmed my body, only to hear the man, who had buried his head in my neck, suddenly take a deep breath.

"Don't move!"

A loud slap echoed in the car, and my eyes widened. This jerk actually slapped my buttocks!

My face instantly turned red, and before he could react, I pushed him away. I huddled in the corner like a frightened deer, staring at him with alert eyes.

The man raised an eyebrow, curved his lips, and reached out his hand towards me, as if he still wanted to do something. But at that moment, there was a tapping sound on the car window from outside. The Beta had returned.

"Your Highness, I bought the shoes for this young lady."

"OK, "he replied, and closed his eyes and took a deep breath. By the time he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he had regained his old composure and coolness.

"Go back." He ordered, as if nothing had just happened.

On the way back, his expression remained gloomy. He leaned against the back seat with his arms folded, pursed his lips, and remained silent, not even looking at me. Although he didn't say anything, I strongly suspected that he might be thinking of deducting a substantial amount from that poor driver's wages. Of course, I could be mistaken.

I felt like laughing. His expression reminded me of his earlier dominance. My mother was right, men are all childish. Even princes are the same.

After driving for about ten minutes, I withdrew my gaze from the window and hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Where are we going?"

"A villa under my name," he replied simply.

The villa wasn't far from the venue of the banquet. Soon, our car passed through a dense forest and arrived at a villa perched on a cliff by the seaside. The villa had a European-style design, with a classical and magnificent exterior. There was also a large garden and fountain decoration at the entrance.

Noticing our arrival, an elderly butler came to greet us at the door. He was dressed in a tailcoat, looking lively and spirited, like the kind of gentleman butler one would expect to see in an English aristocratic estate.

"Welcome home, Your Highness," he said, slightly bowing as he looked at us from outside the car. "And this young lady. How should I address you?"

"Claire Gam..." I started to say, but suddenly stopped.

I changed my wording and said, "Claire Miller. Just call me Claire."

Miller was my mother's family name.

"Very well, Miss Miller," the butler replied.

When it was time to get out of the car, I intended to open the door myself, but Prince Louis stopped me.

"You needn't do it yourself," he said.

He got out of the car and went to the other side to open the door for me. Then, he half-knelt down and personally helped me put on the newly bought silver high heels. I was shocked to find out that these shoes were the latest design from the current fashion week and cost more than twice as much as my $6,000 dress.

I wrapped his suit jacket tighter around me and asked him in confusion, "Your Highness, why are you being so kind to me?"

"I told you, you are my mate," he said.

"But my wolf hasn't sensed it..."

"My wolf told me you are my mate," he looked up at me, his back against the villa. His deep eyes sparkled like sapphires in the sunlight. "He is my comrade, my best partner. I trust his judgment."

I hesitated for a few seconds.

"Are you sure we're wasting our time here? This is your future home. Come on in. Maybe you can't wait to do something private with me here?"

He smirked at me and put his hand on my waist. He pulled hard and I bumped into his broad chest.

Oh, Moon goddess, I can't stand such intimacy with him any longer.

He chuckled, his hot air blowing in my ears.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. My face must have looked like a red apple.