Chapter 6

VICTORIA

"Could it be true that I'm this handsome man's mate?" I asked myself as soon as he mentioned the word. It sounded too good to be true. I mean, I was a wolfless wolf, despised by everyone in the pack, both the exalted and the lowly, locked up in a house away from where the occasion was supposed to take place, so it was hard to believe that any good could happen to me.

I wondered how he was able to locate me. The thought made me a bit wary of the man since only very few people knew that I was at that house. I was sure that my father told no one that he didn't trust, about my whereabouts. He didn't want me to be found by his guests but here I was, right before the very man that he tried to hide me from. Indeed, fate had a very strange way of doing things.

"How did you find me?" I asked him, breaking free from my thoughts to see that his gaze was still fixed on me.

"Your smell. I could smell you as soon as I got into this land."

Well, it wasn't uncommon for wolves to smell things and people. It was a gift that all wolves possessed, all wolves except for me. However, it was really strange that he could smell a wolf that he hadn't met, especially one that was almost human, amid lots of wolves around. I guessed it had something to do with me being his mate.

"Are you going to keep staring or would you get dressed?" His question snapped me back to reality a second time. I couldn't say that I was to blame. This man was gorgeous. With a bulky frame and beautiful brown eyes, he was likely every wolf's dream. Yet, to me, he was more than that. He was hope. My chance of being free from the wicked hands of my father and everyone in my pack. I was grateful to the goddess for a chance like this. Perhaps, I wasn't so unfortunate after all.

"Yeah, I–. Let me put something on."

I dashed out of the bed and quickly walked to the place where I had dropped the clothes that I had worn to the room. It was nothing flashy, just a mild dress fit for a loser like me. I put it on in a haste and he motioned for me to follow him. As I walked to him, I remembered that my father warned me to stay put and not be seen around the venue of the occasion for any reason. I knew he was going to be upset but I couldn't stop myself from going.

***

We arrived at the venue to see the other guests of the pack, talking, laughing and enjoying themselves. Everyone looked so excited and I scanned to see where my dad was. I wanted to see the look on his face when he'd see his daughter walking hand-to-hand with the wolf that everyone was expecting.

On sighting me, the faces of most of the wolves in my pack changed from that of excitement to disgust. I expected that. I had that effect on everyone. They spat on the floor, and made faces at me, probably wondering why and how I was there. All of a sudden, they were all smiles again, well, more than that. The place erupted with loud cheers and claps. They had seen the man I was with.

With a broad smile on his face, he waved at them. He seemed to love the moment and he made sure to enjoy every bit of it. They probably forgot that I was with him and I took that chance to look around in search of my father.

It felt weird. He was supposed to be there. My father was never one to keep a guest waiting. He always made emphasis on punctuality and had hit me more than a few times for showing up late for any occasion he allowed me to be in. Maybe, he was a hypocrite after all.

"Welcome back! You took so long."

I was wrong. My dad was there. It seemed like the alpha had already shown up at the occasion before he reached out to me. My father sat on his favourite, well-decorated chair and waved at the man from there. Everyone clapped as soon as he spoke. He stepped down from his highly elevated chair and walked toward us with a smile on his face. He walked with such poise and swagger that showcased how important he was. His confidence was over the top and his grin sent shivers to every member of the pack.

"Victoria? What exactly are you doing here?" On seeing me, he stopped abruptly and his countenance changed. He was visibly angry and I began to wonder if the presence of the people around would stop me from getting what was about to come; his palms and fists on my delicate face.

My face turned red and I felt my eyes widening. My heart pounded so hard and my hands were shaky. I was terrified and I couldn't hide it. He approached me and held my right hand, fuming as he stared at me. He must have changed his mind about hitting me because he usually didn't take that long.

"You'd go back to the house where I asked you to stay and you'll do that very quickly."

"Ye– Yes Sir."

I turned to leave but I was held back by someone. It was the man who stood with me. Indeed, he must have been very important because no one had ever stopped someone from carrying out my father's commands. No one dared challenge or oppose my father.

"She's with me, Alpha Henry," he said, much to the bewilderment of everyone including my father. "She's my mate."

The whole place went quiet, save a few whispers here and there as everyone was gripped with confusion. I looked at my dad and his mouth was just wide open. He was surprised and it wasn't hard to tell why. But he didn't look angry anymore. His previously disgusted countenance had disappeared and he simply coughed and scratched his head.

"I didn't know that," he said to the Alpha, as he began to smile again. "I felt she was being disobedient to her Alpha."

As soon as he said that, he turned around to go back to his seat while I looked at the alpha who returned my gaze with an assuring look. I felt safe. I had never felt safer in my life. It was all new to me and I wished it'd never end.

"Get away from here, you bitch!"

It was Rania, my elder sister, screaming as she approached the alpha and I with an angry, fierce look on her face. It wasn't unexpected. She was furious because she had an eye on the alpha. She felt she was going to be his mate, only to be met with the greatest disappointment of all. Being beaten to the alpha by her weak sister, especially when she was dressed for the occasion.

She put on a very long, black gown and very high heels and gold jewellery to match. Her smell, or her smell, she smelled like rose mixed with cinnamon. I could swear that the fragrance she was wearing was extremely expensive. She was pure class, but it seemed that class was not enough, contrary to what she might have thought and she wasn't going to sit back and let things be.

As she came close to me, I went behind the alpha's back, using him as a shield as it forced Rania to stop right in her tracks. Yet, she was still fuming, cursing and swearing at me for being no good. The alpha tried to calm her down but she wouldn't listen. My father, who had walked towards his seat for a bit, had to turn back. The scene was an embarrassing one and I was certain that it didn't go down well with him. All these could have been avoided if I had only stayed in the house, but I guess the goddess had other plans.

The people around had stopped eating and drinking as they watched the drama that just unfolded right in front of them. Most of them stood as they sensed the trouble that was about to ensue. I was still hiding behind the alpha's back like the coward that I was, while he was doing his best to get Raina to calm down a little. It was a fruitless attempt. Raina was not about to stay put. She was as energetic as ever and all that energy was directed at me.

"Come on, bitch," she said, as she unsuccessfully tried to get past him and lay her hands on me. "You can't fight? Yeah, you can't fight? Call out your wolf then."

On hearing that, I knew what was about to come. I was quite surprised that I didn't figure that out earlier. How on Earth could a person come after another, without revealing the deepest secrets of the other person? She was going to reveal that I didn't have a wolf form, in a bid to get the alpha to think twice about what he wanted to do. I didn't know what would become of me if she did that and I didn't want to know.

"What is it? Are you getting scared already? Does he know that–"