The car came to a halt after hours of driving, parked in front of an upscale mall.“Sweetheart, let's go. Buy whatever you like, alright?” Alice's words filled the air as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Alisha followed suit, opening the door and stepping out into the cool evening air.Her senses overwhelmed by the sight of the brightly lit mall against the backdrop of the starry night sky. The cool breeze brushed against her skin, offering a momentary sense of relief.In another situation, Alisha would have revealed the beauty of the scene before her. However, the purpose of their visit—her so-called marriage shopping—cast a shadow over her mood, robbing her of the ability to fully enjoy the moment.“Let's go inside, sweetheart,” Alice urged, taking her hand in his with a gentle yet firm grip.Alisha glanced around, taking in the grandeur of the mall. While she had been to malls before with Mother Mary, none had been as extravagant as this one. The opulence of the
The sudden change in Alice's demeanour caught Alisha off guard. Just moments ago, they were trying the dresses, and now he was behaving in a way she hadn't anticipated."I have hands, even if I'm tired, I can help myself," Alisha responded, trying not to provoke him but rather to assert herself with her words, refraining from physical contact.She couldn't understand how he could suddenly turn into a pervert whenever he felt like it, especially when they were out shopping together.It was a complete waste of time and utterly embarrassing for her."Sweetheart, I told you we have a lot more shopping to do, so don't worry. I can certainly help with this; your hands don't need to do all the work when your soon-to-be husband can lend a hand," Alice said softly, gently taking her another hand in his.Her hand felt so soft and small in his, making him realise how rough his own hands felt in comparison. He felt as though Alisha's delicateness was something he wanted to savour and enjoy, like
After paying for the dresses and arranging for them to be sent to his house, Alice gently took Alisha's hand as they left the shop."What else do we need to shop for now?" Alisha asked, her voice laden with exhaustion.Forced into a marriage she didn't want, forced into shopping for items she had no interest in, Alisha felt drained from trying on dresses alone. She had no energy left for anything else.But she knew she had to comply with Alice's wishes, or else face his unpredictable behaviour, which she dreaded."The most important thing now is wedding rings. Couple rings are crucial," Alice replied, leading her away from the clothing section and towards the jewellery department.Alisha's mind raced as she tried to process his words. She understood the significance of the rings, but the thought of wearing one felt suffocating. This marriage wasn't her choice, and now she was expected to wear a symbol of it?If she couldn't successfully escape before the wedding, she would be forced t
"Choose whatever you like, it's fine. I'm not sure what to pick," Alisha replied in a panic, suddenly unsure why he was so interested in her decision.With no experience wearing jewellery, Alisha found herself overwhelmed by the beautiful yet expensive rings adorned with dazzling stones. Even if she tried to base her choice on aesthetics alone, the numerous price tags made it impossible.The extravagant display was beyond Alisha's usual means, and the idea of choosing something so expensive filled her with guilt. She couldn't fathom selecting such lavish items when the money wasn't hers to spend, and she'd never indulge in such luxuries on her own."Just pick one, sweetheart. It's simple – whatever catches your eye, we'll go with that," Alice reassured her.“They all look like pleasing rocks,” Alisha answered."They're not just rocks, ma'am. They're diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones," the saleswoman interjected, her expression reflecting confusion.Both Alisha and the salesw
"If you didn't find anything you liked, we can explore other options," Alice suggested gently, pulling Alisha out of her reverie."These are all just too expensive," Alisha whispered, careful not to sound too disheartened in front of the saleswoman and salesman, who stood calmly nearby."You two can go," Alice instructed, sensing Alisha's discomfort. He didn't want her to feel pressured in their presence."Yes, sir," they both replied in unison before exiting the scene."Price doesn't matter, sweetheart. It's for you, and I have more than enough money to spend on you, my love. You'll be my wife soon, and this is nothing compared to you," Alice reassured her softly, gently holding her hand.Alisha looked at him, then down at their joined hands. "I don't like any of the rings. I've never worn jewellery before, and now they are just too expensive. I'm starting to worry about how expensive those gowns are going to be," she confessed, her voice reflecting her concerns."Of course, my soon-
"Sir, we don't keep silver collections. This store is exclusively for diamonds and other exclusive stones," the salesman, with fear clouding his eyes, replied.Knowing exactly who he was dealing with, he looked at the woman beside him, who was shivering a bit. He knows they both are like walking on a thin thread; once it breaks, they will fall.Though they both attend to rich people every day, Alice is an old customer and a dangerous one too.Dealing with rich people and dealing with someone who is sitting above all rich are both way different.And this is the first time he is asking for such a low-budget thing, which they don't keep in the store because no one comes here to buy silver or gold. It's always expensive stones, no matter how big or small it is."What the hell, then why do you even have this store when it can't provide good? What is with these only exclusive stones things? You think I am poor who can't buy the so-called exclusive things?" Alice's blood boiled as he asked.
“What are we going to do, Levi?” “How am I going to know, Rish? We don't have any silver rings, and within ten minutes it's just impossible to get them from any other stores,” Levi answered, panicked.“We're screwed then?” Rish asked, his face filled with fear, knowing exactly who they were dealing with.If they didn't arrange the rings, it was like do or die. Alice wouldn't show any mercy to them. He was already looking so angry outside, and they both knew better than to get on his nerves, which they already did without doing anything.“It's not even our mistake. How are we supposed to have silver when this store has an exclusive theme? It's not like we are the owners,” Levi reasoned, clearly stating it's not their fault.They were just staff who did sales; they didn't get to choose what to put on display. Getting threatened with their jobs was just worse.“Why didn't you say this outside?” Rish sarcastically asked.“As if you had the guts to say something. Maybe you should do it n
"Sir, here,”Levi and Rish both arrived with the boxes, sweating and trying to appear normal.Alisha looked at them, feeling guilty as they were sweating too. She couldn't feel any more guilty than she did now."Now, how did you get it? Didn't you deny it before?" Alice asked sarcastically, sometimes not understanding human psychology.Until they face consequences, they don't put any effort into things, and that's evident here too."We found some designs," Levi politely offered, not understanding why Alice had to sound so sarcastic.It's as if without the rings, he would be satisfied with the store and their jobs won't be at risk, and now he's acting like it's nothing.He is making it sound like they had any other option, which just makes it worse."People like you have no work other than gossiping and not doing your jobs right. You want to earn money without sweating or putting in effort," Alice insulted.Rish and Levi exchanged glances, maintaining polite expressions, but feeling hu
He glanced up and noticed who barged into his office without even knocking, making a ruckus.“What the hell, man? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”Alice sighed, recognizing his only friend. “Edward, I'm really not in the mood for chit-chat. You see that door you just breezed through like you owned the place? How about you use it to leave?”“Since when did you get a say in this? I'm here because Aunt Daisy is worried sick about you. How can you just ignore her? You've never done that,” Edward said, pulling up a chair and ignoring Alice's glares.“Not when she's faking illness to buy time for my soon-to-be wife's escape plan,” he retorted, eyeing his so-called friend.“She's not doing it to spite you, Alice. She just doesn't want you to hurt anyone. That matters, you know, even if you don't want to acknowledge it,” Edward reasoned, his expression serious.“I don't want to acknowledge it. You can leave now, Edward. I don't want to hurt you, but you're pushing it,” Alice said, g
"Have you found her yet? It's been more than three days now," Alice, with a tired-looking face and dark circles under his eyes, asked the guys standing in front of him.His once-perfect face, now disheveled, still screams perfection, but with an air of exhaustion.For the last three days, he hasn't gone to work or slept, as he has tried his best to find Alisha.Even after using his Mafia connections, he is still unable to find Alisha, driving him crazy bit by bit."Sir, we've tried everywhere, but it seems like she vanished into thin air.""Are you even hearing yourselves, motherfuckers? I'm paying your detective firm thousands of dollars to find her, and you still don't have a single clue. How incompetent can you all be?" He shouted at the guys from the best detective firm.He hired police, his Mafia connections, and detectives, but nothing.Where did Alisha vanish? She didn't take any transport, didn't leave any hotel, and didn't take any money, as nothing was missing from his room.
"Mom, why did you say you'll take her to the pack? We're not even allowed there, and we haven't received a response to your letter yet," Levi followed Maya into the room, while Alisha rested in another room, exhausted from the walk."I've made my decision. Even if we don't get a reply in two days, I'm going to pack. No one can stop me; it's the only way out," Maya declared, her expression serious."What do you mean, Mom? Do you want to get killed? We were banished from that pack. We'll be considered rogues, and you, me, and Rish don't even have wolves to protect us. Plus, Alisha doesn't know anything, and she's cursed," Levi's eyes widened, showing her panic."Do you think we can hide our whole lives? I don't want to hide anymore. Why should we? Especially when I've found the royal heir. It's time to face it, Levi. I left the pack because I wanted to correct my mistake. Now that I have Alisha, I want to go back and stand for what I believe in."Levi sighed, unsure of what to say. As m
"Did you two have a good walk?" Maya asked as she saw Alisha and Levi approaching. She felt relieved seeing them.She had been stressed, thinking about what they might be talking about because she didn't want Levi to spill everything, or worse, to have a slip of the tongue."Yes, Mom, we had a great talk. I love her; she's totally funny," Levi smiled as she supported Alisha and helped her to sit on the sofa."How are the wounds, Alisha?" Maya walked close to Alisha and sat beside her."Sore, but they're healing faster," Alisha smiled as she spoke."She told me her wounds always heal faster," Levi chimed in, passing on Alisha's words to Maya.Maya nodded, understanding exactly what Levi wanted to say. That meant Alisha had her wolf; it's just the curse that's stopping it.Without a wolf, it's impossible to heal so quickly. But how her wolf is still working even with the curse is questionable.Or maybe it's because she is of royal blood, which makes a huge difference. Normally, anyone w
“Haha,” Alisha laughed. “I am sharp, I don't think I am innocent, or else how would I be able to run?”Levi moved her head left and right. Even though she didn't know Alisha well, she could still see that Alisha was strangely different while telling everything: how she met Alice and how even her dog got killed.Levi couldn't help but feel something was very weird with Alisha. She wanted to talk about this to her mother Maya, but then she had to come here for a walk with Alisha. But for sure she would have a talk about this whole thing after this walk.There was something very strange about Alisha, an innocence she had never seen in anyone. Maybe it was because of the curse, but she wasn't sure about it all.“You are sharp, no doubt, but you are not sharp enough,” Levi stated.Visible wrinkled lines showed on Alisha's forehead as she heard Levi's words. “What do you mean?”She didn't know what Levi wanted to say. Clearly, it was confusing for her to understand. She did have innocence,
"Legs feeling comfortable?" Levi asked, seeing Alisha limp.She felt Alisha's unease, understanding anyone would feel the same, so she wanted to make her comfortable."Yes, they are fine. It's just that I'm walking with sore feet, so it's a bit difficult," Alisha smiled as she answered."Oh, it will heal soon," Levi smiled back, holding Alisha's hand to support her walking."To be honest, my wounds usually heal very soon, just like magic. I'm glad my body has immunity and it helps."‘It's because you're a Wolf,’ Levi thought, unable to say it to Alisha's face, knowing it's not the time to reveal the truth.Alisha looked at Levi, noticing she seemed lost in thought. "What are you thinking?"She didn't know what else to ask, but she had to start the conversation. She couldn't keep walking like this.Though it's fresh, the forest is clearly better than city life. The peace and the fresh scent of woods make it so tranquil.She could spend her whole life here, even if she weren't in a situ
Maya muttered, not knowing what she should say or do. It's literally such a pissing situation. If she can, she wants to kill him for such things.Without meeting him, she can tell how much of a disgusting person he is. Even before Levi and Rish told her about him, she thought he's just some money-blinded person who loves to look down upon everyone because they're rich. But that doesn't make sense now.She can just say he's worse than animals. Even the mate system in the werewolf world doesn't treat women as poorly as he did with Alisha, claiming that he loves her.But what the question here is, how he even gets close to her. That just shudders everything inside her. By thinking, just the mere chance is like he's her mate. The mere thought is terrifying aloneHe doesn't deserve to be mated with Alisha, their queen, but if he is Alisha's mate, no matter how much she tries to protect Alisha. She won't be able to do so.If he is her mate, not even the Moon Goddess can save Alisha.She can
“Please have a seat. I hope you feel better after resting. Is the chair comfortable?” Levi politely pulled out a chair for Alisha, leaving her shocked by her sudden politeness.Both Levi and Rish were giving her wary looks, as if ready to kick her out of the house. If Maya hadn't intervened, they might have done just that.Even though she knew it wasn't their fault, they weren't being rude; it was because of Alice's behaviour at the shop. She was the one who asked for stones, unaware that it was an exclusive store.How could she have known? It was her first time going somewhere like that, especially coerced into wedding ring shopping, from which she had already run away.When they revealed yesterday that, to save their jobs, they pretended it to be silver rings , Alisha could only imagine the true cost of the ring.Sudden politeness was still very shocking indeed.“Please sit, why are you standing? You're still injured, you should sit,” Rish's words snapped her back from her thoughts.
"You don't have to worry about anything; I am sure father will reply," Levi said, getting close to Maya and hugging her. She knew how her mother suffered through all this."I regret everything. I am sorry. I can never repay you for what you both lost because of me," Maya's tears started falling from her eyes as she began crying."Anyone in your place would have done the same, Mom. And we are glad you didn't leave us in that pack. We don't want to live without you," Levi hugged her tighter, not wanting to see her mother cry.Maybe she had always been a bit angry or in pain because of what she never got, but that didn't mean she didn't see her mother doing her best for her and Rish.She did sometimes miss her father, but she suppressed all urges, knowing it wasn't something her mother was at fault for.It's just that time was like that, and nobody could stop anything. Everything was meant to happen, and it did."Still, that doesn't mean I should have been so selfish to take you both awa