Chapter 195 Master and Pet
I stood up, wiping the tears from my eyes. "White, let's have breakfast."
I walked across the room, pulling out a chair, before sitting down.
I looked at the bread, and the carrot soup that had gone cold. On the side of the tray were a small plate of baked potatoes and grilled beef.
"I will eat the bread and the soup… as I am not sure if wolves eat that. You can have the potatoes and the meat."
I placed the plate on the floor, "on second thought, I'll trade some of my bread for your meat, how is that? Fair right?"
I turned to face White, but he sat staring at the food as if I had just insulted his entire generation. He tilted his head with a look of displeasure and irritation.
"What? You don't want to trade your meat for my bread? That's so selfish of you." I muttered under my breath, nudging the plate of meat closer to the potatoes.
He huffed, turning his face away. "You don't want the food?" I frowned seeing his behaviour. "Is the food not to your liking?"
He placed his paw on the chair, pulling it back.
'Is he going to sit on the chair? When did wolves eat on the dining table?" I rolled my eyes.
"White, I think we need to make some things clear between us." This made him stop pulling the chair, turning his head.
"I am your MASTER, and you are my PET. And you can not eat at the same table as your master." I emphasized the words so he would understand.
But why did I feel deja vu when I said that? It sounded so familiar but I don't remember where I had heard it from.
His eyes turned to one of disbelief.
"Don't give me that look, it's not going to work. Now be a good boy… You must be a boy right?"
He rolled his eyes before striding back to the rug. He looked at me with disappointment, and he huffed before he lay on the ground.
Before I could say anything, he rose and jumped onto my bed. He glared at me before spreading his limbs on my bed.
"White, get off my bed. Remember we agreed to you sleeping on it for only last night." I pushed the chair back, striding over to him.
He raised a paw like he was going to climb down, he paused, and gave me a snort that screamed "not happening."
I placed my hands on my waist. "Down, now!" I hardened my face the best that I could.
He gave me a side eye, before relaxing his head on my pillow.
'Do I need to get a book now, on how to take a wolf? How the hell is he so stubborn? But I need to show him I'm more dominant and I'm the master here… Hope he won't bite.'
"White! Down, now! Don't make me repeat myself." I paused, and he only twitched his ears like he was trying to brush away an annoying noise. "Don't make me angry."
He huffed loudly before taking his precious time to jump off the bed.
"To the dining table." I motioned to him with my hand.
He let out a grunt, but he obeyed me.
White finally settled beside the table, huffing like I'd just dragged him through war. His paw rested near the plate of meat, but he didn't touch it. Just stared at it with this… bored expression.
"I said you could eat it, not judge it," I mumbled, tearing off a piece of bread. "That beef was grilled by palace cooks. Show some respect."
He sniffed the meat once, then glanced at me with what looked like disappointment.
"What now?" I frowned. "Don't tell me you only eat roasted rabbit under moonlight."
He didn't respond, of course he didn't, but the dramatic sigh he let out said enough.
I slurped a bit of the soup, making a face. Cold carrot soup was as depressing as my life. I pushed the bowl aside. "Never mind, you win. I'll take the meat, and you can have the… nothing."
White's ears perked, and I swear he smirked as I reached for his plate.
"You're evil," I muttered, chewing a piece of beef. "Cute. But evil."
He wagged his tail once, satisfied, before curling up at my feet like he hadn't just let me eat from his plate.
"It's awful White, and very cold."
Silence settled over the room again. But not the peaceful kind. More like the heavy, uncomfortable kind that made your chest tighten.
I stared at my half-eaten bread, then looked over at the space where my mother had stood just minutes ago.
"She didn't even hug me," I whispered to no one.
White tilted his head.
"She used to… when I was younger. When I was sick, or when I got picked on at lessons. Even if she was cold most of the time, at least she used to hold me."
He didn't move, just blinked slowly like he understood.
"I don't know why it hurts so much. I should be used to it by now. Her coldness, her silence, and the way she only shows up when it's convenient."
I swallowed hard and looked up at the ceiling. "But today I really thought she'd say something. Anything. That maybe I mattered more than the stupid alliance."
I didn't realize I was crying again until White stood and gently placed his head on my lap.
I smiled faintly, brushing his fur. "Thanks for staying. I don't know what you are, or why you're here… but I'm glad you are here."
He let out a low soft whine.
"I wish I could stay here forever," I murmured. "But they're going to come for me soon. The betrothal ceremony has already been announced. In six days, I'll be sent off to a stranger I'm supposed to love."
White pulled back slightly, staring at me, before he let out a growl of displeasure.
"Unless I run away first."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
But as soon as they did, my heart started to beat faster.
Run away? Could I really?
I looked down at White.
"What do you think?" I whispered. "Do I look like someone who can survive on her own?"