Aldrik was insanely annoying.

Icen decided on that fact in seconds as she sat in the Dollmaker's office, while Lake tried to teach her how to drink tea correctly. She hadn't realised there was a wrong way to go about it, and yet there the Dollmaker was, pointing out every flaw possible – like her unelevated pinkies.

It didn't help that a certain Alpha Lord was hanging over her shoulder like some lost puppy.

He kept trying to retain some form of contact with her, which Icen was slowly becoming adept at avoiding like her life depended on it, so she was glad when the pointy eared fiend finally announced it was time for lunch.

"Let's go." Lake stood, making his way towards the locked door, revealing the key he'd kept hidden from her. "It's about time you learnt how to handle cutlery."

Her shoulders sagged, flinching away from the hand which tried to grab a hold of her. "Don't touch me, mongrel." She hissed, pure venom lining her voice as she glared daggers at Aldrik. The limit of her patience was nearing, and that wasn't usually a good thing. Not when she could turn the entire room into an ice rink without batting an eyelid. Fortunately for her, the two she was stuck with would be able to survive that, unlike most of the rest of the werewolf population.

"How's my little doll adapting to things here?" Aldrik skipped to the Dollmaker's side, having seemingly realised Icen didn't enjoy being pestered. "I trust the others are playing nice..."

"She seems to be able to stand two other dolls, but I think that's her limit." His hands knotted at the back of his head, a slight smile on his face. "Other than that, she's the one being nasty... Honestly, if you hadn't told me not to hand her over to my brother, she'd probably have already been dragged off to his part of this lovely house by now."

"Stop with the subtle threats, maggot."

"I'm just telling your dear Alpha what you've put me through." Lake smiled, ignoring her harsh glare. "He's the one who asked how you were doing."

"Tch."

"As you can see, she's a wonderful ball of sunshine most of the time..." The Dollmaker said, continuing to ignore her infuriated expression. "And as much as she hates to admit it, she likes being part of a conversation – even if pretty much every sentence comes laced with an insult."

"What of it, pig?!"

"See?"

Aldrik laughed, pushing open the doors to their destination – a small dining room set for three – a sight which made her stomach drop to her toes. He was joining them for lunch, and as much as Icen hated to say it, she'd have preferred to stick with the Dollmaker on his own. If only for the fact he didn't try to cling onto some part of her every few minutes.

"You're at the head of the table, doll." He pulled a ridiculously posh chair out for her, smiling as he glanced around the rest of the room, silently checking everything was in place. It was a smaller replica of the dining room back in the Alpha's Palace, the deep reds and earthly browns of the wallpaper making Aldrik feel like he was already back home.

Icen stared at him, eyebrow raised as she took in the floral-themed room.

"Would you like to sit down, doll?"

"Not particularly, maggot."

Aldrik went and sat down to her left, smiling as he turned to face her. "You could always sit on my lap instead..."

"I'll pass, creep." She scowled, sitting down in her chair, keeping her gaze fixed on the table runner in front of her, her fingers playing with the burgundy material. She'd already taken off her gloves, so it came as no surprise to her when frost started to spread from her fingertips, turning the dark ruby colour to an extremely pale blue.

"Thanks." Lake mumbled, ignoring Icen's insults, sitting down on her other side. "Now, are you ready to begin the lesson, doll?"

"Just get it over with already, dog."

"If you insist." He smiled, and it sent shivers down her spine. "Now, you do know what to do with that neatly folded cloth in front of you, don't you?"

Her voice was barely audible. "No."

"What was that?"

"No, pig, now tell me what I need to do." She grumbled, eager to get the ordeal over and done with. She didn't particularly like the way Aldrik was staring at her like a hawk.

"Unfold it, then fold it into a triangle and put it on your lap." He explained, quickly doing just that with his own, watching on eagerly as she did as she was told without any complaints or insults. "Good."

"Now what, mongrel?"

"Tch." He shook his head, ringing the small silver bell which had been waiting there on the table. "Now we eat."