Chapter 8

Zenaya pov

Not long after, she came back, holding some kind of leather clothing in her hands. I frowned slightly as I tried to figure out what exactly she was carrying. From where I stood, I couldn't make out the details clearly, but the dark material immediately caught my attention.

When she reached me, she held the clothes out to me.

“Yeah, put on these clothes. These are the clothes the lady soldier put on,” she said as she handed them over.

I took them from her slowly, my fingers brushing against the unfamiliar material. I looked down at the clothes in my hands, examining them carefully. They looked nothing like the clothes I was used to wearing, and judging by how heavy they felt, they were probably made to last.

“I’ll be waiting for you outside,” she said.

Before I could say anything, she turned around and walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

I stared at the clothes for a few seconds before slowly placing them on the bed. My eyes remained on them as I tried to process everything that had happened since I arrived here.

Then, I turned and walked toward the mirror.

I stood in front of it and stared at my reflection, wondering what exactly was in store for me in this place. I had only just arrived, yet everything was already moving so quickly. I barely had enough time to understand what was happening before another thing was placed in front of me.

It was difficult not to feel overwhelmed.

I didn't even know what I was supposed to expect from this place or what they truly wanted from me. Everything felt unfamiliar, and I wasn't sure whether I should be excited, nervous, or simply worried about what would happen next.

But then again, what could I possibly think about properly?

Especially when the man in question, the Alpha, didn't seem to have a heart.

I still remembered the coldness in his eyes and the way he carried himself. There was something about him that made it difficult to forget how dangerous he could be. And the fact that he was Ronan's brother only made things worse.

They were both cruel and dangerous in their own ways.

My hands curled slightly at my sides as Ronan's face crossed my mind.

I hadn't forgotten about him.

I was going to deal with him.

That was one thing I was certain about.

“This is why I need to work hard, get strong, and deal with him,” I said as I stared at myself in the mirror.

My voice was quiet, but I meant every word.

I couldn't remain weak forever. If I wanted to face Ronan and make him pay for everything he had done, then I needed to become stronger. I couldn't depend on anyone else to fight my battles for me.

After staring at my reflection for a few more seconds, I finally turned away from the mirror.

Then, I walked toward the bed and grabbed the leather clothes. I held them in my hands for a moment before slowly unbuttoning the gown I was wearing.

After carefully unbuttoning it, it slid down and fell to the floor.

I grabbed the leather pants first and put them on.

The inside of the fabric was soft, almost like wool, while the outside was made of very strong leather. I ran my fingers over the inside of the material, finding it surprisingly comfortable against my skin.

I guess putting wool or cotton on the inside would prevent the skin from getting irritated or sweaty. Whoever had made these clothes had clearly thought about comfort as well as durability.

So, it was built properly.

After putting them on, they fit perfectly, revealing all my curves.

But who cares?

I wore the shirt as well, and it fitted perfectly against my skin. At first, I thought the leather would feel uncomfortable, especially because I wasn't used to wearing anything like this. But surprisingly, it wasn't bad at all.

The material felt firm against my body, yet it still allowed me to move properly. It was also kind of stretchy around my body, which made it easier to move my arms and waist without feeling restricted.

I looked down at myself for a moment before walking toward the mirror.

When I saw my reflection, I almost didn't recognize myself.

I mean, I had never worn pants and a shirt before. I was so used to wearing gowns that seeing myself dressed this way felt strange. It was different from what I was accustomed to, but I couldn't deny that I liked it.

“This is kind of beautiful,” I murmured to myself.

I turned slightly from one side to the other, examining the outfit properly. It actually looked good on me, and for the first time since I arrived, I felt a little more prepared for whatever was waiting outside that room.

But then my eyes moved to my hair.

My expression changed immediately.

My hair was definitely not ready for whatever I was about to face.

I needed to do something about it.

Slowly, I gathered my hair and packed it tightly, making sure it wouldn't fall all over my face while I was moving around. I noticed a ribbon lying on the cupboard where the mirror was placed on top, so I reached for it and used it to hold my hair together.

After securing it tightly, I braided the tip of my hair.

I looked at myself in the mirror again and nodded slightly.

At least that was better.

I didn't know what I was up against, so I needed to prepare myself as much as I could. I had no idea what the military pack was like or what they expected from me. I couldn't afford to walk out there looking completely unprepared.

After making a few final adjustments to my clothes and hair, I stared at my final look.

I looked okay to go.

But then my eyes dropped to my feet.

My expression changed again.

My feet.

I needed to do something about them.

I couldn't possibly walk around like this, especially if I was actually going to be around soldiers.

So, I turned and walked toward the door. I reached for the handle and opened it, but surprisingly, I found the lady standing right outside.

She was holding a pair of boots.

I blinked as I stared at her, wondering how long she had been waiting there.

Her eyes drifted slowly from my head down to my toes. She examined me for a moment before finally nodding.

“Yes, you look vibrant, and it's good. Yeah, I forgot to hand over the boots.”

She held the boots out to me.

I took them from her and nodded.

“Thank you.”

I went back into the room, sat down briefly, and put on the boots. Once they were properly fitted around my feet, I looked down at myself again.

The entire outfit actually looked okay.

Better than I had expected.

I stood up and made sure everything was in place before heading out of the room once again.

The lady was still waiting for me.

“Follow me,” she ordered.

I nodded and walked alongside her.

I wouldn't lie; I wasn't familiar with this place at all. I had never come out before, so everything around me felt new. As we walked through the hallway, I couldn't help but look around, taking in every little detail.

The hallway was carved with military symbols.

My eyebrows pulled together as I stared at them.

This...

Was this really a military pack?

I slowed down slightly, looking at the symbols again.

How come I hadn't even heard that this pack was a military pack?

Why were they hiding it all this while and claiming it was a normal pack?

Suddenly, so many things started making sense.

No wonder no pack stood against them.

No wonder no pack stood against them and won.

This pack always defeated their enemies because the Alpha was training all his pack members to become soldiers.

I couldn't help but feel surprised by the realization.

Wow.

Ronan's brother was smarter than I thought.

I had underestimated him.

I had always known he was dangerous because of the stories I had heard and the little I had seen myself, but this was different. He wasn't simply leading a powerful pack. He had built the entire pack around strength and military training.

So, for you to survive, you had to choose between a pack and a mate, not even a normal life?

The thought made me frown.

There were so many things I really needed to know.

As we continued walking, I noticed just how huge the pack house was. There were different rooms and long hallways, and everything looked carefully arranged. I guessed this was the house the Alpha stayed in.

It was huge.

I looked around again, still trying to take everything in.

“Do the military stay in this place?” I suddenly asked the lady.

She immediately shook her head.

“No. This is the Alpha's house. You are lucky he even brought you here. We have a hut, a tent, should I say, and a house built with cement, yeah, but not too great, where the soldiers stay. We are soldiers, not normal pack members. We're not supposed to sleep comfortably,” she said.

I stared at her for a moment.

And I almost rolled my eyes.

“Who says so?” I said under my breath.

“No one needs to say anything before we can follow any rules,” she replied.

Oh, I forgot. She's a wolf.

They can hear even when you whisper under your breath.