CHAPTER 4

The blonde lycan parked a black SUV in front of us when we were out of the pack house. 

“Where are we going?” I asked Alpha Logan when he opened the car and guided me inside. 

I glanced at the pack house, hearing subtly the sounds of celebration continuing inside.

”Aren’t we going to ask permission to Alpha Hans to go away now?” A resounding laugh suddenly rang. 

I looked at the blonde guy who was sitting on the driver’s seat. 

“This pack basically belongs to Alpha Logan now. If there’s anyone who needs to ask permission, they should be the one doing it. Not the other way around.”

The man turned to look at me and smirked. He had striking brown eyes that almost made his sandy blonde hair look more light. 

“Blake is the name, Luna. Nice to meet you.”

”N-Nice to meet you, too.” I took his hand when he offered it. We shook hands briefly before the other side of the car opened. Alpha Logan came in and sat beside me. 

“Drive. We need to get to Shadow Pack to sign the partnership before we go home.”

“Right away, Alpha.” Blake followed enthusiastically, despite the commanding and brooding presence of the man beside me. He’s way too cheerful considering the other’s mood.

“We’re going to Shadow Pack? B-But my things…” 

“I already had it packed. The rest will follow with your baggage. You didn’t really have much.” I just nodded and sat properly on my seat. 

Indeed I barely had any clothes. I already outgrew most of them, and some I’ve continued using for years. Whatever new clothes I have are from Regina. She said she’s throwing it to the trash, which is my closet. 

I didn’t really mind, since there was no other way I could get something new. They wouldn’t even let me out. They never let me out if Regina is just in the pack house. 

Clyde used to sneak me out of my room. Those times with him were the only taste of freedom I had all my years in Lunar Pack.

“Who is he?” Alpha Logan suddenly asked, breaking the silence that suddenly filled the car.

I turned to him. He was just looking ahead, but I could see the curiosity in his eyes. He actually had expressive eyes, he’s just good at masking them.

”You mean Clyde?” His jaw tightened at the mention of the latter’s name. 

“Is he a boyfriend? He’s hurt that you were made to marry me instead?” There was mockery in his tone. Like he’d kill the latter if he ever does something to oppose the marriage. 

I just stared at his angry face and answered.

”No. He’s my mate—ex mate. He… he rejected me. So being married to you is not a problem.”

Both hazel and brown eyes went to me. 

I averted my attention towards the car window. Staring at the trees that we were passing by as we exited Lunar Pack. The place I called home. 

I’ve never been out of the pack. They never allowed me to. I was only allowed to tend to the Alpha’s family, especially Regina. Except that, I really didn’t do anything else.

But now, maybe being married wasn’t such a bad thing at all. Even being married to a man who had a bad reputation. Whose darkness reeks off of his gorgeous features. At least I get to go out of the cage I was in. 

I was free.

We exited the borders of Lunar Pack and I stared at the huge statue of the werewolf and lycan in the center of the town square. It was the heart of the kingdom. I’ve never seen it up close like this. 

“You look like it’s your first time being in the town square.” Blake chuckled as he joked. 

“It’s my first time being here. I’ve only seen it in photos.” I smiled, gawking at the tall buildings that surrounded the center of our lands. It’s where the main city is. Where everybody passes through.

”Really?” Blake sounded so shocked. I just nodded and smiled at him. 

“It looks better than in pictures.”

”You’ve never been out of the pack?” He asked once again, still sounding like he couldn’t believe it.

I sat properly on my seat and nodded once again. His brown gazes looked confused as I met them in the front mirror. 

“I am a mere servant. I am only allowed to go out if the Alpha gives me a command.”

”That is no servant, that is a caged slave…” I didn’t hear much of what he said. 

“Come again?” But Blake shook his head. He was now frowning. 

“We are going to Shadow Pack. I bet it’s also your first time there? It’s the closest one to your pack.” I just nodded and peered out of the window again. 

Maybe being forced into this truly is not that bad. 

The car ride was quick and we immediately arrived in Shadow Pack. 

People greeted Alpha Logan with such high respect. I just walked behind them, but he suddenly took my hand, making me stand beside him. 

I looked into his eyes and there was a certain tenderness in them that I didn’t see when we were still in Lunar Pack. 

“Welcome, Alpha Logan and Beta Blake. It is our honor to be graced with your presence.” What I could feel as the Alpha of Shadow Pack greeted the two. I just looked down, forcing myself to be inconspicuous as a force of habit. 

But I looked up when I was suddenly introduced to everyone. 

“This is Isabella.” People immediately bowed at my presence. My hands instinctively gripped on his. I wasn’t used to being the center of attention. 

“H-Hi,” I just said when they smiled at me. 

Blake immediately escorted me to my room before he followed Alpha Logan who immediately continued on with his business. 

I guess getting wed wouldn’t stop him from working. This day isn’t special for him after all. 

“Enjoy the view.” Blake said before he went out of the room, glancing towards the balcony.

”Thank you, Blake.” I smiled. 

“No problem, Luna.”

”Please call me Isabella. Or Isa.” I insisted before he could get out. His boyish smile appeared. 

“Isa. Hmm, I like the sound of it, Luna.” I frowned, which made him laugh. 

“Alright, Isa. See you later.” I nodded. I was then left alone. 

I smiled to myself, feeling rather light after everything that has happened. 

I immediately scoured through the huge room that they gave me. This was as big as Alpha Han’s master’s bedroom. I gawked at it before walking towards the balcony.

I sighed when I saw the huge statue in the town’s square earlier. The huge lycan and werewolf on his side. It was a symbol of unity among the two genetically close creatures living in the same land. 

Although lycans are far stronger, they are fewer. The werewolf community acknowledges their power, and the lycan people recognizes our numbers. They have decided to have peace with that and just live harmoniously together. 

Well, as harmoniously as we could. 

I stayed in the balcony until the sun had set from the sky. The sky had darkened and the stars were bright. A servant in the pack gave me food to eat and I finished it heartily. 

She suddenly gasped and pointed at my calf. 

”Y-you are bleeding.” I looked down and saw dried blood on my feet. 

It was where the shard of wine glass pierced me. I didn’t even feel it anymore. It must be the adrenaline of the day’s event. 

”It’s alright. I can do it,” I told the servant when she immediately knelt down to help me. 

“What’s your name?” I asked.

”Melinda, Your Grace.” She looked away and bowed. But I shook my head. 

“No need to do that, Melinda.” She looked at me, looking a bit confused. I just smiled at her. “You can have a bit of rest. I’ll take care of it.” 

“Thank you, Your Grace.” I just smiled a little once again, feeling conscious of the honorifics she’s called me. I don’t feel like they were for me. I don’t feel like a royalty, nor do I know how to be. 

The doors closed and that’s when I suddenly felt all the pain on my legs. Like an instant pain activating once I was alone. I grimaced but started taking the first aid Melinda brought. 

I was getting the shard out of my calf when the door to my room suddenly opened again. 

Alpha Logan looked at me confused, before they saw what I was doing. His eyes sparked in anger. 

“What happened to you? Who did this?” He grabbed my leg, making me jolt. 

“I’m sorry,” he quickly said and let go of me. He looked worried. 

“Let me call for their healer.” He started walking out.

“No,” I stopped him. “It’s okay. I can do it. This is just little.”

He went silent and just watched me as I once again tried taking out the glass on my skin. I bit my lip and exhaled loudly when the glass finally fell on the carpeted floor. 

“Are you not in pain?” I saw him watching my lip as I released the bite I had on it. 

I looked away and shook my head. “It’s nothing.”

”Don’t pretend like you don’t feel the pain, Isabella.” I shivered, hearing my name roll out of his tongue. 

Something tugged in my chest and I had to inhale a deep breath to recover.

“Stop acting like you don’t feel hurt.” He continued. But I just smiled a little. 

“It’s really nothing much. This is nothing compared to… some other things I’ve experienced.”

”Like beatings?”

I just kept quiet. Silence filled us after that. I heard him sigh as I continued cleaning my wound. After a short while, he suddenly knelt in front of me. 

“Let me.” He took the bandages and started wrapping my calf with it. I could no longer do anything, knowing it would be futile to protest against someone like him.

We both fell silent as he continued wrapping my wound. I watched as he gently did it. Each touch of his fingers firing a spark in my skin. 

For someone who had many deaths pointed at his name, he was very gentle. I never expected the infamous lycan prince could be this comforting. All I heard about him were violent things. 

But rumors really are just mere rumors. He doesn’t even look any sort of deformed. He was perfection. Like a carved statue. He’s gorgeous.

“Done.”

”H-Huh?” I stuttered when those hazel eyes went to me. 

He saw me gawking at him. I shook myself out of my daze. But a slow smirk already made its way on his face. And he just ultimately looked more handsome in my eyes.

My cheeks suddenly felt hot. 

“W-we should finish up. It’s been a long day for both of us.” I said, feeling out of breath.

”Yeah, we should.” 

I watched in horror when he suddenly stood up and went near the bed. 

My eyes widened when he started unbuttoning his shirt. 

“W-what are you doing?” He chuckled deeply.

”I am stripping down, Isabella. I don’t like sleeping with clothes on. You said we were finishing up. It’s been a long day.”

”B-But this is my room. You can sleep in yours.” I protested.

”Oh, Bella,” I gasped when he called me that. 

But not because Clyde was the only one who used to call me by that nickname, but with the way he grinned and sat down on the bed with me. 

“This is our room, and I am sleeping in it with you. It’s our first night together, as husband and wife, dear wife.” He stared at my lips all throughout his words. 

I swallowed, feeling my heartbeat in my throat.