CHAPTER 3;THE SELECTION

Alex's pov.

The moment I stepped into the hall, I was drawn to her.It wasn't only because of her beautiful physique, which easily stood out among every she-wolf in the room.

It was the fact that she didn't seem to realize it.

While the other women were doing everything they could to catch my attention, she barely seemed interested in looking at me. In fact, the moment our eyes met, she quickly looked away.

That caught my attention more than anything else could have. I noticed Vivian ,She was already staring at the girl, and the jealousy in her eyes was impossible to miss.

I hadn't held a selection like this in a long time.Not since the first one,the last breeder had arrived from a neighboring pack.Vivian had brutally murdered her the very night she arrived.

At the time, I hadn't cared enough to punish her for it.Having an heir wasn't important to me then.

For the longest time, all I had wanted was to find my mate, build a family, and live a life that wasn't dictated by the curse.But that dream had been taken from me.

After years of searching without finding my mate, I eventually gave up on it.Vivian becoming Luna had never been my choice.The elders had pressured me into accepting her position, insisting that the pack needed a Luna beside its Alpha.

I agreed on one condition,I made Vivian sign an agreement stating that if I ever found my mate, she would willingly step down from her position and I would never mark her.

That way, I maintained control of the situation.No matter what happened between us, she could never claim the position permanently.

Besides, the curse made one thing impossible.Even if I slept with Vivian, I couldn't get her pregnant.

The curse prevented it.For years, I'd accepted that as my fate but recently, I had discovered something that changed everything.

The curse could be suppressed.Only temporarily, but long enough for conception to be possible.That was the real reason I had agreed to this selection.

I needed to find a she-wolf whose body could withstand the effects of my curse long enough to bear my heir—and, if possible, help cure me completely. I couldn’t let Vivian find out. She thought this was simply my way of getting a new plaything.

Someone who could suppress it who wouldn't break beneath it.My gaze returned to the unfamiliar girl.

For some reason, I couldn't look away from her.There was something different about her.Something I couldn't explain.my wolf stirred inside me for the first time in years,Who the hell was she?

One by one, each she-wolf stepped forward and introduced themselves.

I barely listened.I'd heard enough names to last me a lifetime, and none of them sparked the slightest reaction from my wolf.

Liam's wife stood somewhere nearby,She was a witch.

I had hated witches ever since the incident that had left me cursed, and for a long time, I couldn't stand being in the same room as one.

But she was Liam's mate.Eventually, she became the only witch I trusted.For this selection, she had agreed to help me. She was searching for something specific—a mark she had seen in one of her visions.

According to her vision, the woman who could help me suppress my curse would bear that mark.

So far, she hadn't found it.I was already growing bored when Vivian stepped forward.

“Alex, perhaps you should rest,” she suggested sweetly. “I can help you finalize the selection, just as I did last time.”

I turned my head slowly toward her.Did this woman really think I was a fool?After what she had pulled the last time?The memory of the dead girl flashed through my mind.

I wasn't about to let Vivian choose another woman for me.

“I’ll see it through myself,” I replied firmly. My tone left no room for argument.

Vivian's expression froze. She clearly hadn't expected that answer.

“Of course,” she murmured.

I ignored her and faced the girls. Another girl stepped forward. She looked nothing like the others. It was the same girl I had spotted earlier.She wasn't dressed to impress anyone. In fact, the clothes she wore looked worn and far too simple.

She lifted her head then introduced herself “My name is Isla.”

I studied her for a moment before asking, “What pack are you from?”

She hesitated before answering, “I’m not from any pack.”

I frowned at her response. Her answers didn’t add up.

“Then where are you from?” I asked again.

“I don’t know,” she replied almost immediately.

Her answer made the hall fall strangely silent.

I stared at her. “You don’t know?” I repeated, struggling not to smirk despite my surprise.

She shook her head.“I don't even know how I got here.”

It was obvious she was lying but I couldn't help but find humour in it, people were usually too scared of me to pull this kind of stunt in my presence.

That was when I noticed her hair.It was an unusual blend of white and black, the colors almost intertwined perfectly and her eyes were a bright purple.

My wolf stirred again,Something about her was right and wrong at the same time Or perhaps just different.

I turned to Liam and mind-linked him.“Where did you find her?”

Liam replied through the mind-link. “The warriors found her near our borders. She was injured and trying to escape. When they questioned her, she couldn’t explain where she came from.”

I looked back at Isla.It was difficult to determine what she was. She doesn't have the scent of a she-wolf, but she isn't human either.”

My eyes narrowed,A strange woman appears injured at our borders with no memories, an unusual appearance, and no identifiable scent.

That was not a coincidence,I studied her again.

Could she be a witch?

My jaw tightened,If she was, then why couldn't I sense her magic? Why was my wolf reacting to her?

I glanced toward Liam's wife,She was already staring at Isla.Her expression had changed,She looked almost stunned.

I followed her gaze and mind-linked her asking “Do you know what she is?”

She didn't answer immediately.She had the mark, Alpha.Susan's voice suddenly echoed inside my head through the mind link.

My eyes immediately snapped toward Isla.

“The mark?”

Yes. The exact one I saw in my vision.For a moment, I said nothing.So it was her.

After all these years, I had finally found the woman Susan had described.I didn't need to think twice.

“I want her,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

My decision was already made.

“I choose Isla,” I repeated slowly, my eyes fixed on her.

The hall erupted in whispers.Before anyone could say anything, Vivian's voice cut through them.

“Alpha!” she shouted.

I turned toward her, finding her face twisted with disbelief.

“You can’t just choose a strange woman as your breeder!” she protested.

I stared at her coldly,“And who made that rule?”Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

I took a step toward her.“As far as I remember, I'm still the Alpha of this pack.”

Vivian’s eyes dropped as she quickly replied, “Yes, Alpha.”

I didn’t bother responding. I turned to Liam and ordered, “Take her to a room opposite my quarters.”

Liam nodded immediately.“Yes, Alpha.”

I glanced at Isla one last time.She looked confused, almost overwhelmed by everything happening around her.

My wolf was still restless, consumed by her appearance I didn't know where she came from.And I certainly didn't know why she carried the mark from Susan's vision.

But I planned on finding out and I was determined to keep her by my side for a long while.

Without another word, I turned and walked out of the hall.When I returned to my office, I barely had time to settle in before a letter was delivered to me.

I broke the seal and unfolded it, immediately recognizing the handwriting.

It was daimen, a young boy I had taken in years ago. He had grown into one of my best warriors. From an early age, I had noticed something different about him. He had the instincts of a fighter, but he also possessed a sharp mind for business.

While most warriors his age were busy training their bodies, Daimen was studying contracts, investments, and trade.

I had encouraged both sides of him.Now, it seemed that decision was paying off.

My eyes moved across the letter.He had successfully secured a major contract with the Tiger Beast Clan.

I leaned back in my chair, studying the information again.The beast clans had always been a mystery to me.

For as long as I could remember, they had kept to themselves, rarely interacting with werewolves,humans or other supernatural species unless it was absolutely necessary. Their territories were heavily guarded, and they seemed determined to remain separate from the rest of the supernatural world.

But recently, things had started changing.First, the Lion Beast Clan had become more aggressive. Everyone ignored it because it was their mating season even with their women they were known to still target lower beast clans to mate with.

Daimen had managed to secure a contract with the Tiger Beast Clan.That wasn't something that happened easily.I tapped my fingers against the desk, my thoughts returning to the strange girl we'd found at our borders.

Isla.A woman with no pack, no memories, an unusual appearance, and a scent I couldn't identify.

Could her appearance in my territory have something to do with the changes happening among the beast clans?

I frowned.

Perhaps it was nothing.But after tonight, I wasn't willing to dismiss anything as coincidence.

I folded the letter and placed it on my desk.There was something happening among the beast clans and I had a feeling Isla was connected to it.