CHAPTER 9 A Brave Little She-wolf

Lily allowed Adam to lead her through the villa to the dining room. She couldn't stop herself from trembling. So much had happened in a matter of days. Lily didn't understand how she hadn't collapsed into tears yet. 'Because we are strong. That's why. Don't think about anything else,' Dina said.

Lily sat at the table, where delicate dishes had been laid, and candles lit, looking like a candlelit dinner. Her stomach growled loudly, but she was not at all interested. How could she eat when this man had literally bought her from her father? She couldn't just sit here and act like everything was okay.

'Yes, you actually can,' Dina said.

'I was fine when it was my choice to screw over Matthew, but that was before I learned that my father was going to use us as a sacrificial lamb. This is different. This wolf can do whatever he wants with us because he paid for us. Aren't you upset about that?' Lily exclaimed.

'Of course, I am, but this is our life now. We might as well make the most of it,' Dina stated.

The rumors about Garrett came to her mind thick and fast. He was ten years older than her, was rather old, and had weird hobbies. On top of that, she had heard he was bad-tempered and looked ugly.

'Who cares about that? If he can treat us and respect us, then looks don't matter,' Dina argued.

'I mean, everything seems to be wrong with him,' Lily countered.

'Can we at least meet this man before we judge him? You're almost as bad as those reporters,' Dina grumbled exasperatedly.

Lily wanted to be positive; however, she couldn't help but think that he didn't make a move on her because he was sexually impotent. Or perhaps he didn't find her beautiful. All she wanted to do was go home. After handling the embarrassing interview, she felt like she had set a trap for herself, and now she had to be here with Garrett.

Just then Adam's voice brought her out of her thoughts: "Sir, please come in."

Lily stood up instantly out of fear, but hit her knee on the table, making her yelp in pain. As soon as Garrett entered the dining room, he saw her bending down to rub her leg, grumbling painfully.

He raised an eyebrow with amusement, and he asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"

Lily looked up in a hurry and paused in horror. Half of his face was scarred, as if he had been burned. His eyes were startling. One eye was normal, while the other was the eye of a wolf. Garrett looked at her as if she were prey.

'He looks younger, but he is badly burned. How did he get that scar? I never knew a werewolf could be permanently scarred without wolfsbane being involved,' Dina, who was mildly interested, said. 'And his wolf seems interesting.'

Garrett frowned as he could see the fear in Lily's eyes, but Lily didn't make any move to run. However, he could see that she was trembling. Garrett reached out to assist her, but she backed away. She drew away from him, looking terrified.

"Just, uh, give me a minute. I bumped my knee," Lily explained. She wanted to stand, but the weight of his gaze made her want to shrink back in submission. His aura was overwhelming.

"Are you still afraid of me even after I told you no harm would come to you?" Garrett questioned. He straightened up and looked down at her. His somberness frightened her. Lily closed her eyes to build up her courage and calm herself.

'Stop it, Lily. Pull yourself together. We dealt with Brandy our entire lives. We can handle this,' Dina said, trying to reassure her.

Garrett turned surly and pulled at his collar irritably. It was natural that she was scared of him, but... he still felt uncomfortable seeing her shake and was reluctant to be close to him. He didn't want his wife to be afraid of him. If she couldn't accept him, then she was not the wife nor the mate he was looking for.

"Send her home," Garrett said coldly as he tossed his tie away and walked out of the dining hall.

Adam sighed in disappointment, thinking that this woman was no different from the other women who only judged people by their appearance. He really hoped that perhaps she would be the one, especially after how boldly she spoke in favor of Garrett to the reporters.

He went to her and said, "Miss Bray, let me send you back. The engagement between Mr. Hunter and you will be canceled. He'll keep his promise and help your family. He is a man of his word; you can rest assured."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected good news. She had assumed that Garrett would be just like everyone else who dealt with her family. Yet he was different. Garrett was still going to help without sacrificing herself. Did he really mean that he was willing to woo her first before going through the mating ceremony?

She quickly got up from the ground, refused Adam's help, and ran away. Lily refused to go home to a family that never cared about her. Adam looked at her and shook his head as she exited the villa. Then he went to the study and knocked at the door.

"She's gone?" Garrett asked.

"Yes, sir," Adam said helplessly.

Mr. Hunter's interest did not happen to be with many women. Miss Bray didn't understand nor value the chance she let slip by. Adam hoped that the Goddess would bless Garrett with a proper mate soon.

Garrett gave no further response. 'You scared her off. You should have been more kind!' Berric, Garrett's wolf, scolded him. Garrett ignored him. It didn't matter anymore. She made her decision.

The next day, when Adam went outside to take out the trash, he saw a person lying on the ground and unexpectedly found that it was Lily.