"What are you doing here?" One of the two guards at the Western Wood Packs gate asked Camila, as they saw that her white nightgown had clung to her bare body, provocatively revealing her feminine shape to their view.
"Please... can you let me in," Camila begged as she stared downward, and she also used her right palm to wipe off the raindrops away from her forehead as she avoided making eye contact with the guards. "Thompson! Who's there?" The second guard at the gatehouse asked the first guard attending to Camila. "I don't know, Jack, but she doesn't look like a member of our pack," Thompson replied as he continued to stare at Camila and didn't want to let her in. "Open the gate for her," Jack replied, and Thompson knew it was best not to disobey Jack, lest he be reported to their Alpha for failing to welcome the foreigner. Camila walked carefully into the Western Wood Packs, as it was already very late, and she didn't know what time it was. Thompson flashed his torch light to see her face, but Camila continued to stare downward as her blonde hair were already scattered and covering her face and neck. "What's a young lady like you doing outside at this late hour of the night?" Thompson questioned Camila, and his eyes glowed as he looked at her. Camila replied, "I was..." "Thompson! What are you still doing there with her?" Jack asked, and he finally stepped out from the guards' house, built beside the Western Wood Packs' entrance gate. Camila shuddered in fear as she saw the tall, huge man walk out from the guards' house, and he was also holding a torch light as he walked up to meet her. "Who are you, young lady? And why are you out here by midnight?" Jack questioned, as his yellow eyes raked over Camila's seductive body. Camila didn't look her age, as she was mature and a little chubby for her 18-year-old self. "I... was sent away from my pack," Camila didn't want to lie, and she knew mentioning her father's name might anger the two guards staring at her. Camila also knew that they had four territorial packs in their werewolf kingdom, but the Western Wood Packs and the Eastern Wood Packs were the two superior packs, while the other packs were just underneath them. "Which pack are you from?" Jack finally asked Camila, as he was dressed in his navy blue guard uniform, which was more like an army uniform, and seeing how seductive Camila looked, he wanted to take her to bed, as he doubted she was telling him the truth. "I'm from..." Camila stammered to speak as she took steps backward. With the heavy rainfall that had drenched Camila's body, and with how her father had flogged her, Camila's eyes were fully awake, and her wolf, Ivy, was fully active to flee in case of any danger. "Can't you speak, young lady, or do you want us to send you away this night?" Jack asked her, as his yellow eyes burned at Camila. Camila first looked around, and she knew that if she ran away, it wouldn't take long before one of the two men would catch up with her, as she was still healing. "I'm from the Eastern Wood Pack," Camila announced, and that made Jack angry. "Let me see your face," Jack commanded, but Camila shapeshifted and ran away, following the street lights, as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. "Shit!! Run after her, Thompson, and make sure you catch her and bring her back here," Jack ordered, and Thompson shapeshifted into his wolf form and chased after Camila. Camila ran as fast as her wolf could carry her, but just then, a fancy blue car was also driving towards the Western Wood Packs' exit gate, and inside the car was the Alpha's son, Henry Dominic. Henry was a dark-skinned young man, too, and he was 21 years of age. As his father had just assigned him the position to look after their pack. Henry was still happy with his new status and position, and what he did every midnight was patrol their pack to ensure their pack was safe. Although Henry was stronger, being the Alpha's son, he trained more, and he was gifted with more healing powers that he couldn't be easily defeated in battles. Although, none in their Western Wood Packs dared to annoy him. "Shit!" Henry cussed out as he stepped on the brake, while Camila rolled off to the floor in fear, as Henry's blue car had almost knocked Camila down. So, he stepped down from his car to know if Camila was alright and who was chasing after her at that hour of the night. Henry shut his car door and rushed up to the front of his car, as he thought he had knocked Camila dead. But Camila had already recovered from the shock, and she stood up and attempted to flee, but she was caught by Henry, who grabbed her right hand, and he felt the electric sparks from having touched Camila's right hand as he pulled her back to wait. Henry's wolf form, Matt, said internally to him, 'Mate.' Camila felt nothing for Henry, as she turned to stare at his face, and she was afraid of him too, as Henry seized her right hand in a tight, possessive grip. Henry could inhale Camila's fruity scent, and Camila could inhale the smoky scent from him, but she really wanted to pull her right hand away from him. With Henry's car front light still on, Henry saw her rising sun tattoo on her forehead and knew that she was from the Eastern Pack. "Let me go! Please don't hurt me," Camila begged, as she was slightly afraid of Henry, and with the way his right hand had forcibly seized her hand. Just then, Thompson ran up to meet them, and he was breathing heavily, not expecting that Camila could run so fast, like a cheater. "Alpha! You're here," Thompson said as he tried to catch his breath, and he knelt to the sandy floor. To Camila's shock, the young man holding her hand was the Alpha. Camila's blue eyes narrowed at Henry, silently telling him to release her hand, and just then, Henry snapped out of his trance and looked back at Thompson, speaking, "Rise." Thompson stood up, and Henry asked him, "What happened?" "Alpha, we saw her at the gate, and she was wet from the heavy rainfall that had fallen, but she refused to tell us who she was and she only said she was from the Eastern Wood Pack." As Thompson was speaking to Henry, he noticed that Henry's eyes didn't even shift away from the pretty young lady he was holding, not until Thompson stopped speaking. And Henry replied, "That's alright. She will have to come with me, as I will be taking her back as one of our refugees." "Refugees?" Camila asked in shock, as her blue eyes widened at the mention of refugees. She had thought foreigners were allowed to live peacefully in the Western Wood Pack, like her father had told her. "You heard me, young lady. Now stay calm, or else you want me to torture you," Henry slightly warned Camila, as he did not want Camila to know that he was affected by her. He chained her hands and handcuffed them as he led her back into the front passenger seat of his car. "It's okay, Thompson. You can return to the gate, and if you see any suspicious person again, don't fail to arrest the person from the gate before you start questioning them, to avoid mistakes like this one." "Okay, Alpha," Thompson replied as he bowed apologetically, and he finally left, while Henry walked back to the driver's seat of his car and sat down. Just before Henry could start his car engine to drive off, he heard Camila crying, and he didn't know if it was one of her tricks to make him fall for her, as he wondered what kind of a she-wolf she was. Her blonde hair was scattered, covering her face, and as it was night, he couldn't properly see her crying face. Henry started his car, and as it was already late, he decided to drive back home to his father's mansion first. Besides, Ex-Alpha Collins' mansion was the biggest in the Western Wood Pack, and most foreigners believed they were fraudulent to own such a magnificent white building."What's with the distant look on your face?" Victoria finally asked Juliet as she approached them at the dining table."Nothing. It seems that you have gone to see our brother," Juliet managed to respond as Madeline didn't show any response to Victoria's inquiries."Yes, I went to see Alpha Henry and guess what, he gave me his debit card," Victoria giggled as she showed Henry's card to Juliet and Madeline, who both looked sad."Congratulations to you," Juliet managed to respond, and Madeline didn't say a word as she continued eating.Henry stepped out from the corridor that led to his home office. He saw how happily Victoria was showing off his debit card to his two sisters.With a shake of his head, Henry looked away from them as they heard the sound of his footsteps approaching. He was not interested in joining them for dinner, but he also did not plan to starve himself for the night.He decided to join his two sisters for dinner and took his seat on the second chair across from his
After Camila had finished all of her work and routine in the Alpha's mansion, she was given only a piece of bread to eat. She didn't complain as she sat outside, staring at the clouds. The rain had stopped and the weather was chilly. Her gown was lighter, making her shiver as she stayed outside in the cold. The head maid didn't bother to call Camila into the maid's mansion since the maids were free to roam about at night as long as they had finished their work. They were not imprisoned or under supervision like Camila and the other foreigners. Camila sat alone, feeling her stomach grumbling. She had no friends and thought about the lady she met during her confrontation in the grand hall, Susan Parker. Camila wondered how Susan was faring and decided to sink into her ocean of thoughts. One of the maids, Ella, decided to take a stroll and was surprised to see Camila sitting alone in the cold. Camila hadn't been given a sweater to keep her warm in the cold weather. Ella wondered how
Victoria's frown was the heaviest on her face as she stared angrily at Camila, while Madelyn went back into the sitting room on the second floor, leaving both Victoria and Juliet on the balcony. Victoria had a strong feeling that Alpha Henry was attracted to Camila, but she couldn't do anything to send Camila away. She wasn't the Luna yet, nor Henry's mate to control him on what to do and what not to do. She knew that the fair-complexioned lady she was seeing could be a problem for her, but she believed that now that the former Luna and Ex-Alpha were no longer around, Henry would have no other option but to choose her as his mate. Juliet murmured, "I hate that white wench! Why is brother caring about her more than us? Alpha Henry!" Juliet rushed upstairs to the third floor to see her elder brother, irritated with how Henry was caring for Camila, despite Camila being their enemy's daughter. Juliet stormed into the sitting room and immediately asked her elder brother, "Brother!! How
"What was making you smile like an idiot?" Henry asked Camila as he walked into the private ward that was given to her. Moving away from the entrance door where he stood before and glaring at her. "Nothing... I..." Camila couldn't respond, and she stared downward just as Henry approached her bed. She could sense his anger, but she wondered why his pack had thoughts of claiming her father's pack. Her father wasn't just known to be ruthless; he couldn't be easily defeated either. "Mm... You are aware that the pack's mating ceremony is starting next week. As a slave here, you aren't supposed to be on the bed recuperating but making arrangements for it and tidying up the packs," Henry said, and Camila's head was still bent low. She didn't know if she could speak when Henry was talking to her, as she was a foreigner and also below his level. Henry's red eyes calmed as he knew it wasn't Camila's fault. He heard the sound of the clinic door, which led into Camila's room, pushed open, an
The following day in the Western Wood Packs, Henry held a meeting with all the chiefs.They discussed the burial rites for his late father and the pack's month-long memorial period. All activities, including those leading up to the mating ceremony next week, would be suspended in honor of the fallen Alpha and the armies that had accompanied him to war against the Eastern Wood Packs.Henry stood silently in the hall, refusing to take his father's seat on the throne. He couldn't bring himself to accept it yet, hoping his father and the armies would soon return."Alpha Henry," the oldest elder and chief spoke, "what do you say about the pack observing a month-long memorial in respect to our late king? All activities leading up to the mating ceremony next week will have to stop. Afterward, we can set a date for all unmated males and females over 18 to mark themselves and present themselves before the Moon Goddess.""We cannot shift the Full Wolf Moon Festival," Henry replied. "It occurs on
Camila was still in shock after Henry left her room. She stared at the paper containing the roasted pork meats he had given her. She was hungry, and her wolf was weak, so she resumed eating the meat. It tasted delicious.Since her abduction and enslavement in the Alpha's mansion, she hadn't been given anything good to eat, let alone "meat." She had mostly been given bread and water, lacking proper nutrients. She devoured the delicious meat, and once her stomach was full, she went to her private bathroom to wash her hands. After that, she retired to her bed to sleep. +++Henry left Camila's room with a calm heart, though troubled by the lack of news about his father and the war. He had received no feedback. He was worried but had to wait for their informant to return. The results would be available the following day. He would know if his father and the accompanying armies had returned safely, or if they had lost their lives in battle.Henry made his way back into the mansion, not wa