Chapter 6 An Unexpected Command

“Did you enjoy your walk?” The deep voice instantly pierced Luna’s chest like a blade. The man turned slowly, meticulously peeling off his black leather gloves.

Luna froze in place, able only to swallow hard as the Duke closed the distance between them.

“Close the door,” Rex ordered without preamble.

Luna dared not ignore the command, immediately pushing the heavy oak door shut behind her. As Rex’s measured footsteps grew closer, she stood entirely paralyzed, trapped in the sharp, unyielding grip of his gaze.

“Are you deaf?” Rex demanded. He tilted his chin up slightly, though his dark eyes remained heavily fixed upon her. Rex’s towering frame, coupled with his broad, muscular chest, meant Luna barely reached his shoulders.

“I will ask you one more time…” he murmured, taking a slow step forward. He slipped both hands into his pockets, narrowing the suffocating distance between them even further.

“Were you enjoying your little walk, Lyra?”

Luna had nowhere left to retreat. “I-I was just… getting some fresh air, D–Duke…” Her voice betrayed a pathetic tremble as she tried—and entirely failed—to sound composed.

Rex’s dark brow arched slightly. “Duke?”

Luna swallowed the dry lump in her throat. “Rex. Duke Raimonds.”

“Rex?” he repeated softly, the dark rumble of his voice twisting Luna’s nerves even tighter.

Luna fell dead silent for a moment—had she said the wrong thing?

“Call me Sir,” he commanded firmly.

Luna nodded frantically. “All right, Sir Rex.”

“Now tell me, did I give you permission to leave this room?”

Luna bowed her head, shaking it slowly. “I… don’t think so.”

“Then why did you deliberately disobey your husband’s orders, hm?” Rex leaned in, tilting his handsome face down toward hers. She could instantly detect his distinctive scent wafting through the tense air—a rich, intoxicating blend of sandalwood and a faint hint of rosemary. It was the strong, unmistakable aroma of absolute, aristocratic authority.

“I truly didn’t mean to disobey the or—” But before Luna could even finish her frantic excuse, Rex abruptly straightened, his large hands reaching out to aggressively pull at the heavy coat draped over her shoulders.

“Take off your coat!”

“What?” Luna’s eyes blew wide as the intimidating man turned away from her, striding purposefully toward the massive bed.

He sat on the edge of the mattress, resting both hands casually at his sides. His legs were spread wide in an arrogant stance, and his slightly unbuttoned shirt offered a glimpse of his rugged, broad chest. All the while, his piercing, inescapable gaze waited for her.

Luna remained frozen; her heavy coat was already discarded in a heap upon the floor. I cannot possibly strip off my dress in front of this stranger, can I? she thought wildly. Technically speaking, Rex was her legally wedded husband. Yet emotionally and spiritually, they were separated by an ocean of cold, terrifying unfamiliarity.

“Wait, Sir, I…” Luna took a hesitant step closer, desperately trying to weave together a plausible excuse. But as she came to stand before him, Rex offered her a dark, utterly infuriating smirk.

“One…” Rex warned, straightening his broad back.

“Two…” He waited, his eyes unblinking. “Three… Four…” Rex abruptly stood up, his towering frame forcing Luna to crane her neck just to look at him.

“You know perfectly well that I am not a patient man, Lyra.” Rex’s cruel smile thinned, his gaze darkening to a dangerous pitch. “Five. You are out of time.”

Rex raised his hand, hovering it in the air to reach for her. Just as his fingers were a breath away, Luna violently squeezed her eyes shut. She instinctively threw both hands up to shield her face, bracing herself for the devastating sting of a slap.

Rex immediately furrowed his brow; he had absolutely never seen his defiant wife act with such raw, cowering terror. Then, with shocking gentleness, his calloused fingers grazed Luna’s cheek, slowly and deliberately lowering her trembling hands away from her beautiful face.

“Why are you so terrified?” he asked, his deep voice dropping to a soft, bewildered murmur.

Luna blinked open her tear-filled eyes, acutely feeling the warmth of Rex’s rough skin gently cradling her jaw.

For one paralyzing moment, a horrific memory of Arden’s violent abuse had flashed like lightning through her mind; she had truly, entirely believed that Rex was about to strike her just the same.

“You have never behaved this timidly before—why?” Rex inquired, a profound curiosity lacing his tone.

Luna was utterly certain her racing heart was about to give out. Why is this man’s intimidating face so impossibly close to mine?!

“Take off your bodice so that I may inspect your wounds.” He paused, seemingly granting her a brief window to reply. Yet, just as Luna parted her trembling lips to protest, Rex cut her off fiercely before she could utter a single syllable. “That is not a request—it is an absolute order!”

With agonizing slowness, Luna’s shaking fingers undid the intricate front buttons of her dress, all while Rex watched her every movement with predatory stillness. Finally, the heavy fabric slipped from her shoulders, pooling gracefully onto the floor. She stood there in her delicate undergarments, feeling completely, terrifyingly exposed before her formidable husband.

“Turn around,” he commanded.

Luna blindly obeyed. She turned her back to him, and a few tense seconds later, she gasped quietly at the astonishingly gentle touch of his large palm pressing against her bare, scarred back. His skin was incredibly warm, strong, and firm; his thick, long fingers tracing the edges of her healing flesh with a ghost-like reverence.

“Your wounds…” He abruptly stopped mid-sentence; his deep voice catching thickly in his throat as if he had just been physically struck.

“What is wrong with my wounds, Sir?” she whispered nervously.

A suffocating silence answered her.

“Mr. Rex, what is it?” Luna called out softly, growing anxious.

“Do not turn around!” Rex snapped harshly, his sudden volume forcing Luna to freeze in place. “Do not turn around just yet,” he repeated, his tone tight with an emotion she couldn't name.

Behind her, Luna could hear his chest heaving with heavy, ragged breaths, though she was entirely clueless as to what had triggered such a visceral reaction.

For a long, fragile moment, Luna remained completely silent, obediently holding her posture just as he had demanded. Even though she could not see his face, she could vividly feel the overwhelming gravity of Rex’s towering presence standing just inches from her spine.

“You will end up in a drastically worse situation if you ever choose not to listen to me again,” he murmured, the dark words sounding like a solemn vow rather than a mere warning.

Luna swallowed hard, her muscles twitching awkwardly as those warm, calloused fingers continued to trace the devastating burns across her back.

“Stay perfectly still for a moment; your skin is finally healing.”

A heavy silence enveloped them once more, dragging on until Luna finally scraped together the courage to speak up. “Mr. Rex, are you leaving the estate again today?”

“Is the answer not entirely obvious?”

Luna muttered under her breath, her words almost completely inaudible, “Why must I be forcefully stuck in a place like this...”

“What did you just say to me?” Rex whispered, his breath fanning hotly against the sensitive shell of her ear. Startled, Luna quickly whipped her head around to look at him, instantly locking her wide eyes with his smoldering gaze.

“Ah, that… n-no, it is absolutely nothing…” Luna stammered in a nervous frenzy. She instantly crossed her arms to cover her exposed chest, even though she knew full well the desperate gesture was pointless—he had already seen everything anyway.

“Turn back around,” he demanded softly.

Luna hesitantly turned to face him fully, her trembling hands still fiercely shielding her chest as if it were her absolute last line of defense.

“Why do you try so hard to hide yourself from me? Your body legally belongs to me,” Rex declared smoothly, his dark, calculating eyes scanning her shivering form from head to toe.

Without granting her a single second to protest, he reached out. His long, dominant fingers firmly grasped her wrists, effortlessly forcing her protective hands down to her sides. Meanwhile, he casually slipped his free hand into his trouser pocket, acting as though this deeply intimate dominance was perfectly ordinary for him.

Luna violently jerked her face away. A fierce flush burned across her pale cheeks—whether from profound embarrassment or boiling anger, she truly could not tell. Meanwhile, standing flush against her was a breathtakingly dangerous man, openly devouring her exposed body with an infuriating, knowing smile.

“Please… stop looking at me like that,” she pleaded softly, her voice barely a whisper, terrified that angering him might trigger something infinitely worse.

The corners of Rex’s aristocratic lips curled upward. “Why? Are you suddenly feeling shy around your own husband?”

“I simply do not like it.”

Rex leaned in, closing the gap between them, his predatory gaze never once wavering from her flustered features. “You know perfectly well that we are entirely alone in here, my dear. I could do whatever I please with you.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, and you had best not get any wicked ideas,” Luna shot back, tilting her chin up to defiantly meet his stare. However, the dangerously heated look he gave her instantly stole the breath from her lungs, leaving her utterly speechless.

Rex let out a low, vibrating chuckle. “Are you truly my Lyra? It feels almost as if… you are an entirely different person.”