02. Isaac Kingston

Raquel POV

Turning my face away and lowering my head, I dared not look again. I stood motionless with an upright posture and a rapidly beating heart, waiting for him to approach with the people behind him.

"Alpha is very handsome and strong," praised Saphira.

Since the distance between us was not too far, I could hear those words very clearly.

Saphira may not have thought anything was wrong with her praise, but those who knew the truth seemed a bit frozen. Even Beatrix, who immediately pressed Saphira's hand and whispered, "Don't say anything inappropriate. Remember, he's your sister's alpha."

"I know." Saphira snorted irritably, then glanced in my direction before saying in a voice only we could hear, "You're quite lucky."

Even if I could hear the sour tone in Saphira's voice, I felt no joy at all—only disgust and anger in my heart. I looked towards my father, the man showed no emotion. He remained silent and stern as usual.

I sighed helplessly.

Isaac stopped a few steps in front. I could feel his gaze directed towards me, and honestly, it made me a bit scared.

Then, in the silence, his cold and indifferent voice rang out.

"Apologies for our tardiness, my wolf got a bit lost."

Father flashed his formal smile and replied politely, "No problem, I understand. It's just that my daughter has been eagerly awaiting your arrival, Alpha Isaac."

Without responding, Isaac took a step towards me. With his cold and seemingly arrogant gaze, he asked, "Are you Beatrix Collins's daughter who is to be my wife?"

My eyelashes trembled slightly, I bit my lower lip tightly.

Of course, I'm not Beatrix Collins's daughter, but what should I say?

If I'm honest, will this man kill me? Just like he did to his previous fiancée?

Fortunately, before I could answer, grandmother spoke first.

"Beatrix is a daughter-in-law of the Welch and Raquel families... she's their daughter."

Even though grandmother was very skilled at speaking and manipulating the truth, she was quite old and showed a bit of oddity. Not only was I nervous, but everyone here could feel the pressure from Isaac, making them unconsciously anxious.

I peeked a little and saw Isaac furrowing his brow, unclear about his emotions and thoughts. One thing was certain, Isaac didn't question the oddity in grandmother's words.

It seemed Isaac simply accepted that I was his future wife.

"All right, I'll take her to the Kingston now."

No one objected to Isaac's words, I could even sense what was on the minds of the people from the Welch family. Surely, they wanted Isaac and his entourage to leave with me. After all, rumors about Isaac's cruelty had become common knowledge.

My father nodded and handed my hand to Isaac.

As Isaac's large hand held mine, my heart raced as if it could jump out of my chest. Even my face blushed slightly. I felt embarrassed and confused, but the omega wolf inside me leaped with joy.

I took a step towards Isaac, standing beside him calmly. Looking at my father, stepmother, and finally at Saphira. I certainly displayed a thin, shy smile.

However, for Saphira, who always got the best of everything, my smile was a provocation.

Saphira sneered, shifted her attention to Isaac, and with her sweet voice interrupted between us, "Alpha Isaac, why don't you rest at our house first?"

Saphira's words successfully made everyone look at her with a certain meaning. As a well-raised 18-year-old daughter, Saphira surely didn't understand much about the turmoil outside the pack, especially about the Dark Abyss Pack at the edge of the Cursed Vale.

Saphira looked around in confusion and a bit embarrassed, then shrugged her shoulders. However, she still asked a question in her mind, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my words?"

No one answered her. Just when everyone was puzzled about what to say, Isaac's voice was heard again.

"I will return to Dark Abyss now. By the way, you should call me brother-in-law."

"W-what?" Saphira looked surprised at Isaac's cold attitude.

Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Isaac turned, still holding my hand, walking away from the Welch family residence. Followed by his werewolves, we transformed into wolves one by one and ran into the forest.

Dark Abyss Pack was at the edge of the Cursed Vale, not only far from the Blacklight Pack but also distant from other packs. Werewolves there also didn't interact much with werewolves from other packs. That's why Dark Abyss Pack is often referred to as the most mysterious and frightening pack because creatures tend to fear what they don't know well.

It seemed like Isaac and his entourage used a shortcut to arrive faster at Dark Abyss Pack because the 2-day journey had to be completed in one day. Although I didn't know it well, I could gather it from some people talking during the night rest.

Isaac disappeared from my side, and a female beta approached me, inviting me to talk.

"Is there something important Alpha Isaac is doing? Why doesn't he seem to be anywhere?" I asked the beta woman, Elsa.

Elsa shook her head and whispered, "Alpha Isaac experiences physical discomfort every midnight, so he has to hide himself first."

I nodded and didn't inquire further. Leaning against one of the trees, I gazed at the night sky covered with thin clouds, but the moonlight still shone brightly.

Tomorrow night is the full moon, which means the night when Isaac and I become mates fully.

I sighed helplessly and closed my eyes to rest for a moment.

Angry growls were heard in the distance, and the scent of the forest became very intense. I furrowed my brow in confusion, not understanding what I was smelling. It was like the scent of a forest separate from the one where we rested.

Regardless, I felt compelled to seek out that scent. Unconsciously, I stood up and took steps away.

I was anxious and afraid, but deep in my heart, I wanted to find the owner of that scent. Like the mysterious and dark forest strangely giving me a sense of security.

Deep in the heart of the forest, a man stood facing the moon. His back looked straight and upright, but for some reason, it carried a touch of loneliness.

My feelings were mixed between approaching or staying put, all I knew was I didn't want to leave.

The scent was so vivid, trapping me within it, even the omega within me enjoyed it.

It only took a few seconds for me to stand still, my heart seemed to tickle, urging me to get closer. Taking a few steps forward, I chose to hide behind a tree.

I thought I had hidden well, but the voice that sounded was familiar in my ears.

"Why are you here?"

I held my chest in surprise, stretching my head to peek from behind the tree.

Not far from me, Isaac turned to face me. His handsome face looked even more captivating under the moonlight, creating an illusion of warmth.

However, I was stunned when I saw his eyes. Isaac's right eye was blood-red, shining as attractively as the white moonlight.

The most unexpected thing was his aura was very different from the silent Isaac before.

Though frightening, I wanted to get closer to him. Closer and closer. Until I could feel the warmth of the man.

I tilted my face and gazed at him. I sniffed the scent, like that mysterious dark forest.

As if hypnotized, I lifted my face and dropped a kiss on the man's neck.