Chapter Three

A week later, the mansion didn't feel like home anymore. She had never seen so many strangers under one roof, and all this was because of her.

Servants scurried through the halls, carrying gold jewelries and gifts sent from the Blackthorn Pack. The smell of small paint clung to the wall where cracks had been covered and sealed. Everything was made to look perfect for the upcoming ceremony.

To everyone else, it was a celebration, a promise of unity and peace between two families.

But to her , it was the sound of being caged for life.

She had learned to move carefully, to wear the calm expression that her mother expected. Every smile, every polite nod at the council dinners, was rehearsed. She had become an actress in her own life, forced to play a role she didn't choose.

But behind the fake smiles, her mind never stopped working. Not even for a second.

She watched the visiting envoys that came in from the Blackthorn pack. She studied their movements and body language as well as memorized their names. She noticed how differently each of them acted, from avoiding eye contact when her father spoke or made a comment to those who whispered after meetings.

Something about the so-called "alliance" didn't sit right with her.

There was too much secrecy. There were too many hurried meetings behind closed doors. Too many guards posted where there barely used to be any.

Her mother had apparently stopped looking her in the eye lately, and that was its own kind of confession . She didn't need anything more happening to know something was fishy.

At night, Isabella would sit by her window, the cool breeze carrying the faintest hum of the distant wolves. Somewhere behind those walls was the life she dreamed of to be free, and that was what she couldn't reach yet. She convinced herself to be patient to play the filial and dutiful daughter, the obedient fiance. For now.

Because soon the truth behind this alliance would come to light and when it did she'll be real to face it.

The day began quietly. Maids whispered about dress fittings and gowns. A councillor ran past nearly colliding into a wall as he adjusted his paperwork. Nothing unusual. Or so she thought . She strolled through the halls towards the garden and her safehaven hopefully to have a moment alone. She passed by the library and the thick door was slightly opened, which was strang because her father rarely left it ajar. He valued privacy too much.

She paused, and voices drifted through the crack.

"...and cannot delay this any longer,"someone said sharply.

Her father's voice answered low and tense. " I didn't ask for delays. I asked for discretion."

Another voice cut in, one she didn't recognise. " Discretion is impossible at this point because they're already watching closely." The northern packs are suspicious. It'll be bad for us if they get wind of what's really happening.

" We have to act fast. If not, she won't survive the next strike,and we don't know how or what form the next attack would come in. "

She froze. She won't survive?

Another voice answered sharp and unfamiliar Lord Marius of Blackthorn pack.

" We warned you this would happen. You should have reached out months ago."

Her father exhaled angrily. " Reach out and reveal our weakness? There was no proof 6 attacks were connected."

Her heartbeat quickened . Attack? What attacks?

Her mother's voice broke in soft and strained. " They weren't just attacks they were warnings. And now they're getting closer.

She felt her knees weaken . Warnings getting closer to her?

Her father spoke again, voice heavy with the weight of unspoken fear." They've been tracking her movements. They know her routines. The carriage tampering, the incident with her room window two months ago...

Her breath caught painfully in her throat.

Her window? What about it?

Her mother whispered, voice cracking," We didn't tell her how it happened. We didn't want her frightened. "

Frightened. They didn't want her frightened while they discussed warnings, tracking, and attacks behind her back?

Lord Marius stepped closer. She could hear the scrape of his boots across the floor. "This is precisely why the alliance must happen, and it has to happen quickly, With Blackthorn pack's protection, they can not touch her. Our security network is stronger than anything your family can muster. "

Her father responded tightly, "We're not questioning the necessity. We're questioning the speed. "

" The threat isn't slowing down," Marius snapped. " She is the last unprotected heir connected to that dispute. They will come for her, and next time, it won't be a warning."

Her mother's breath itched. " Please, we agreed to the alliance. We only need a little more time to prepare her...

"You don't have time." Marius voice cut like a blade. " You are already behind time."

Silence.

An awful suffocating silence.