Chapter 3. A foreigner

Camila was still sobbing. She hadn't thought that one day she would wrong her father and be sent away from her pack. She had seen how her father banished some of their pack members, and gradually, their numbers were dwindling as some Eastern Wood members fled before the news of their sins reached him.

Camila was so absent-minded that she didn't even realize Henry had arrived home while she waited to be taken to the refugee house. She knew no one in the Western Wood Pack, nor did she have any family there. She was also aware that the former Eastern Wood members whom her father had banished would seek their revenge on her.

"Get out of the car," Henry’s deep, masculine voice jolted Camila back to reality. She immediately snapped out of her trance as she stared at him. He stepped out and walked to her side to open the door.

Fear gripped Camila as she stepped down from the blue car. She hadn't even looked to see that it was a Porsche; her mind was preoccupied with her sins and the reason for her banishment, as her father showed no mercy.

"Follow me," Henry said. Only then did Camila snap out of it; she looked around and was amazed by the magnificent white mansion that stood before her.

"Is this the Western Wood Pack's refugee house?" Camila asked, shocked. She hadn’t even noticed when they arrived at the mansion. Henry laughed before coldly replying, "No."

Camila gulped. She had thought the Western Packs were wealthy enough to have such a magnificent building for only foreigners and werewolves without homes. As they approached the front of the mansion, she noticed Henry had parked farther away from the mansion’s entrance and in the garage.

Camila was astonished by how large the exterior view was; the white mansion was three times bigger than her father's. She could see the guards at the entrance, all bowing to Henry as he walked in front of her.

Henry approached the front door and unlocked it, saying, "Wait here."

Camila watched him walk into the mansion as she stood outside, staring around and wondering what would happen to her next. She couldn’t trust anyone from the Western Wood Pack—not after all her training and teachings from her father.

Soon, two young ladies came out, and Camila was shocked. She had expected an older man, perhaps someone her father's age, to step out and judge her for her sins. The two maids said to her, "Follow us."

Camila gulped silently and followed the maids as they walked to the back of the mansion. The two maids stopped, and one picked up a hose from the floor, connecting it to a tap. She then said to Camila, "Strip off your clothes."

"My what?" Camila looked embarrassed at the thought of the two maids in blue uniforms wanting to undress her. She wondered what they were up to. Did they want to prepare her for that man to sleep with her?

"No! I cannot strip my clothes! Please let me go; I mean no harm."

Camila could see that the two young ladies only glanced at each other, the moon symbol on their heads indicating they were loyal servants to the Alpha. She knew how devoted her maids at home were. Finally, one of the maids said to Camila, "You're a foreigner here, and we don't have time to interact with you right now since we don't know your purpose in our pack. But Alpha Henry sent us to wash you and ensure you're not carrying any dangerous weapons beneath your clothing. Please be fast; Alpha Collins and Luna Ruth are waiting to meet you in the Grand Hall."

Camila gulped, realizing she could not protest any longer. She stripped off her light nightgown, exhausted and needing a place to rest so her wounds could heal.

After Camila had stripped completely naked, one of the maids handed her soap and a sponge to use for bathing. Camila shivered from the cold, still drenched from the heavy rain that had just stopped.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion in the Grand Hall, Henry faced his father, who spoke sternly, "Henry! How can you breach our pack's laws and bring a foreigner here, straight to our mansion? Do you want to risk our lives?"

"No, Father... Actually, I'm—" Henry began, but his father cut him off.

"You have no right, son, to bring a total stranger here, especially from the Eastern Pack. She needs to go to the refugee house now, and once she’s done with whatever the maids are doing, we don’t mingle with foreigners or live with them. If you fail to keep your guards up, they will trample upon us and potentially turn rogue to take over our pack."

"I'm sorry, Father," Henry apologized, feeling the weight of his father's stare. His father sat on the throne, while his mother stood with his two younger sisters, curious to see the foreigner Henry had brought home. Henry had never made such a mistake before.

"That's alright. Send the guards to take her to the refugee house, and tomorrow they should bring her here first thing in the morning. I want to see her and determine if she is telling the truth. If she is, we will allow her to join our pack, but if she is found guilty of lying, she will be punished severely and forbidden from being a member of our pack."

"Okay, Father. Can I go out now to check on other matters?" Henry asked.

"As you please. But send the guards to take her away once she's done with whatever you are doing with her. And like I said, let this mistake never happen again. Good to see the rest of the pack members are in their homes; none should be aware that you dared to bring a total stranger to our mansion."

"I'm sorry, Father," Henry said again as he sensed the anger in his father's voice. His father dismissed him, saying, "Leave my sight."

"As you wish, Father," Henry replied and immediately walked out of the mansion while his mother and sisters followed him, eager to see the foreigner.

Juliet and Madelyn, his twin sisters, were both angry as they trailed behind their mother, wanting to see who Henry had brought into their home.