Chapter 3

The silence in the car was suffocating. She sat quietly in the leather seats as the drive felt long and lonely. The city lights blurred past, as they drove but she hardly noticed. She had made her decision but it didn’t feel like victory— it wasn’t. She was certain that this was a trap.

Her mind was a mess of tangled thoughts, regrets and fear. But nothing scared her more than when the car diverted off the main road into a dark isolated road. There were no streetlight, no passing cars, it was just them. Was this it?, was he going to kill her she thought to herself.

“Where are we going?”, she asked, her voice was weak, barely above a whisper.

“It’s a private road” he said calmly. “Noone is trying to kill you”

How could she believe this man?. The drive seemed endless, they kept on going deeper into the dark, then suddenly, the car approached an enormous golden gate. Without a word, the door swung open and Sophia’s jaw dropped at what she saw. She had never seen anything like it.

The world beyond the gate wasn’t normal. It was like stepping into an entirely different world. It was majestic and intimidating. Towering trees lined the roads, lanterns cast an unsettling but beautiful glow. From afar, she could see a gigantic and luxurious mansion, it was like a palace out of a fantasy novel.

They got to the mansion and the car stopped, her eyes widened, “this…this is where we’re going?” She stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Richard didn’t respond. Instead he got out of the car, his movements were careful and powerful. Sophia hesitated for a moment, then she forced herself out of the car and followed him behind.

The second she stepped out, the mansion doors swung open, and that was when she saw it.

A wolf.

A huge powerful beast stood beyond the entrance. It’s piercing yellow eyes locked onto her and then it ran straight towards them.

Sophia’s breath hitched, panic surged through her brains, she looked at Richard and he didn’t even flinch, he just stood there like it was very normal. She was terrified and the more the wolf got closer, the more her heart pounded and without thinking, she ran.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her legs burned but she barely noticed, she was desperate to get away from that thing, to get away from this place. This place was a nightmare—the entirely different world, the mansion, the spooky lights and now a wolf, charging right at them?.

Before she could run far, something yanked her back. She screamed terrifyingly as she struggled to free herself, “let me go please, I can’t stay here”. But the grip was like iron, keeping her locked in place.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Richard’s voice was sharp but laced with irritation. “You just got here and you’re already trying to escape?”

“Did you see that?” Sophia gasped, her chest rising and falling speedily. “It’s a wolf!”. Tears welled up in her eyes, she was right, she shouldn’t have come here, this was a mistake. This was a trap!.

Richard let out a long breath, realization dawning on him. She wasn’t trying to run away, she had never seen a wolf before. He gripped her shoulders, his expression softening “calm down”. His voice was gentler now. “It won’t hurt you”.

“It won’t hurt me” she whispered to herself. This was the nicest he had ever been with her, how could she trust him?, or what if he was just trying to manipulate her. She swallowed hard, she looked back at the beast, which had stopped a few feet’s away, it stared at them with unsettling stillness.

“This is a werewolf pack” Richard said calmly.

“A werewolf what?” Sophia’s blood ran cold. “I thought werewolves only existed in movies and fiction books but never in real life”.

Richard’s grip tightened slightly before he let go. “Well, now you know it exists but it’s not going to hurt you, I promise”. He paused for a second and took a slow step back. “That wolf you saw, he’s my brother…I am also a werewolf and I’m advocating to be the Alpha of my pack”

Sophia nearly passed out. She turned back to the beast— just in time to see it shift. The sound of bones cracking, limbs twisting. The transformation was both mesmerizing and horrifying. And within seconds a man stood in the wolfs position. She couldn’t stop looking at him.

He stood tall, easily over six feets. His jet black hair was messy from the transformation, his dark blue eyes held her captive. She had never seen someone so handsome but she couldn’t shake the feeling of his transformation. A playful smirk played on his lips.

“I’m sorry if I scared you” the man said smoothly, his deep voice was laced with amusement. “What’s your name?”

Sophia was too stunned to respond immediately. She opened and closed her mouth several times before she finally forced the words out.”Sophia”

“Nice to meet you Sophia.” He extended his hand “I’m Seth. Richard’s younger brother”

Her hands trembled slightly as she shook his hand, still unsure if she could really trust him. They walked back to the house and before she could process what was happening a voice echoed through the room.

“Babyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

Sophia flinched, Baby?. Richard had someone already?.

Everyone turned to the direction of the voice and a beautiful lady ran towards Richard with excitement in her eyes. Sophia watched in awe and before she could register it, the woman threw herself into his arms. Richard smiled.

Her heart twisted painfully, He smiled. That was all it took for Sophia’s world to crash. Why, why had he forced her into this situation?— he made her to chose between marriage and giving up her child, why did he do it if he already belonged to someone?. Sophia clenched her fists, willing to stay composed. She would not cry, she would not show weakness, after all she wasn’t In love with him, this was just a contract.

Richard didn’t seem to care about her, he gently brushed the woman’s hair back, his touch, tender and affectionate. And then, in a voice that sent shivers down Sophia’s spine, “I know the news has spread by now. This is Sophia—the woman carrying my child”

The woman’s playful expression didn’t falter, but something flickered In her eyes, Hatred. Richard turned towards Sophia, the soft expression he had when he was talking to the lady had vanished, his expression became cold and unreadable “Sophia, this is Lilith”

Lilith’s lips curled into a slow, sickening sweet smile. “Hey there Sophia, so you are the human carrying Richards child”.she said, her voice filled with fake warmth. She stepped closer to Sophia, and looked at her from up to down, her eyes filled with contempt.

Sophia felt it, the silent hostility, the unspoken war. But she wouldn’t blame Lilith, she had taken something away from her. And then, Lilith hugged her. The hug was forced and stiff, Lilith’s lips brushed close to her ear, and she whispered to Sophia “you’ll regret this. I am Lilith and no one takes what’s mine.”

Before Sophia could react, a piercing howl echoed through the air, followed by urgent footsteps. The deep harsh voice roared “she doesn’t belong here! Get her out before it’s too late!”

The atmosphere instantly changed. The warmth in the room became cold, Richards entire body tensed, he never expected this to happen. His golden eyes darkened, his wolf already struggling to break free— this was a warning.

Lilith moved closer to Sophia, while everyone was distracted, she whispered “i prepared for your arrival, bloody human” she mocked. “I hope you don’t survive this one”. Then she looked behind Sophia and nodded her head in approval. Sophia turned to look at what was behind her and she saw it—a big black wolf.

Sophia barely had time to breathe before the wolf locked eyes with her. It exposed its fangs, saliva dripping out of its uneven teeth.

Then it charged at her.