My eyes widened in surprise as I stared at her. Thank goodness my mouth wasn’t hanging open. Isabelle? Like Ryder’s former mistress? By the Moon Goddess, she was even more beautiful up close!
“Nice to meet you,” I stretched my arm for a handshake, trying to sound calm with a fake smile plastered on my face.
Isabelle’s expression remained reserved as she eyed my hand, just staring but never moving.
“Likewise,” she said. “Welcome to the pack, Jasmine.”
I nodded, feeling a bit awkward. I didn’t know what to make of Isabelle or her connection to Ryder, but I was determined to find out.
Still facing her, I was lost for words. Here I was, stuck in another ugly, awkward situation, unsure of what to say, and all that came out was another apology. “I’m sorry…” My voice trailed off. There was nothing more to say.
Isabelle tilted her chin up, huffed, and rolled her eyes, making me feel absurd. “Keep your apologies to yourself, Jasmine. They’re not needed here.” Now I remembered I wanted to roll my eyes at her. Maybe I should have, because her words felt like a very painful sting, but I kept quiet. I was lost. The last thing I wanted was to shoo away my proud savior.
“Follow me,” she said, turning to walk away. “I’m heading to the pack room anyway.”
I trailed behind her, my mind racing with thoughts. What did she mean by “keep your apologies to yourself”? And why was she being so cold towards me? It wasn’t my fault she was dumped; hell, I’d only known her lover boy for barely a week when he whisked me to this… palace?
As we walked, Isabelle spoke up again. “Enjoy your time with the Alpha while it lasts, Jasmine.”
Halting in my movement, I raised my brows, a pang of confusion forming inside me. “What do you mean?” I muttered.
Turning around to face me, Isabelle’s smile was icy, and I decided she was no longer pretty. “I’m betrothed to him, after all. Our families have arranged it for years.”
“Betrothed? To Ryder?”
I didn’t know,” I stuttered.
Flipping her long hair, she shrugged. “Of course you didn’t. You’re just a passing fancy, Jasmine. I wouldn’t take him seriously if I were you.”
I felt a surge of anger rise up my throat at her words, but I kept quiet, not wanting to escalate the situation. My eyes stung with tears, but I wiped them before they could roll down my face, making sure not to sniffle.
Surprised was an understatement for how I was feeling at that moment. My mind was racing with thoughts, all of them centered around Ryder and Isabelle. No one had told me they were mates-not even Seraphina. I thought, a small frown forming on my face. She’d told me everything except the most important detail.
Halting at another hallway that had two turns, Isabelle pointed down the corridor, her rouge-painted fingers indicating the route I should take.
“After the fifth door on the left,” she said.
Nodding my head slowly, my thoughts were anywhere but here. I wanted to apologize again, but damn it, it wasn’t my fault. If she wanted to be angry at anyone, she’d have to direct her anger toward Ryder. After all, he’d brought me here forcefully.
I parted my lips, about to say something, when my eyes fell on the tall frame walking toward us. Folding my arms over my chest, I raised an eyebrow questioningly, my foot tapping slowly against the floor as I shot him a cold look. My eyes never left his face as I watched his expression pull into a frown upon seeing Isabelle, his lips turning downward at the corners.
His pace quickened as he approached me, brushing his fingers over my hands. He was about to wrap them around mine when I jerked my hands away. If he was upset by my actions, it didn’t show on his face.
A contemplative expression swept across his face as he stood between us, staring at Isabelle first, then at me. The tension loomed over us like an eagle about to catch its prey.
Now I was caught in that classic awkward situation where your current girlfriend meets your ex, but in this case, I wasn’t his girl. I was his “lady”? Just the girl he’d brought to his pack house for reasons I was yet to understand. Rolling my tongue against my teeth, my insides were brewing with annoyance as Ryder’s gaze moved past Isabelle and settled on me. His lips moved like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Kade appeared again, his eyes nervous as he sent Ryder a distressed look.
As though they had a sort of telepathic link, Ryder’s eyes widened before he nodded.
“Jasmine, go back to your room and wait for me there,” Ryder said, his back turned to me as he rushed in the opposite direction.
How typical. I almost snorted, feeling my anger spike at his words. For real? Was I some sort of obedient pet he could order around? Well, I was done playing the good girl.
“And when will you stop ordering me around?” I huffed, but Ryder was already in the distance, too far to hear what I was saying.
Isabelle stood transfixed, watching the scene unfold before her. I could feel her cold eyes on me, and without a single care in the world, I ran after Ryder. No way was I going to let him order me around.
Ryder’s speed left me panting, my feet pounding the ground as I dashed after him. I wanted to yell at Ryder to stop, to demand answers, but damn it, Lycans were fast-maybe too fast for their own good. Ryder and Kade were already disappearing into the distance, their figures blurring as they ran.
I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning with each stride as I tried to keep up.
They were too fast, too powerful. I slowed to a stop, my hands on my hips, and watched as they vanished into the trees. Even if I wanted to stop here, I couldn’t. I was lost. We were outside the pack mansion, far away from it.
“What is it about Lycans and how incredibly fast they can be?” I muttered to myself, frustration and anger welling inside me as I placed my hands against my throbbing chest.
Their pace had slowed down, and I was able to follow them from a distance without panting. As we neared a cleared area marked with a wire fence, I nearly tripped over my feet. The sight in front of me almost made me hyperventilate. Some parts of the fence were ripped, and about seven men in dusty dark outfits, armed with knives, moved stealthily toward Ryder and Kade, their expressions ruthless.
Fear gripped my chest tight, and I felt every muscle in my body weaken. This was not what I had signed up for. I’d never been so scared in my life. Now I felt stupid for ever thinking that I could handle this. I should have gone to my room and waited.
“Ryder, no!” I screamed, but he was already transforming into his wolf form, his body contorting and changing in a matter of seconds. His fur was snow white and thick with streaks of gray, his wolf over four feet in height. Its large paws flew through the air as he rushed toward the rogues, fangs sharp and as white as his very fur.
Lunging at the rogues, his teeth bared, his eyes sparkled with fury. I could only watch in dismay as he took down six rogues in mere seconds. The speed and power of his attack were breathtakingly gruesome, but also terrifying. I lost count.
Of how many rogues there were, and I wanted to run back to the safety of the pack mansion-I’d seen enough.
Turning around, my mouth dropped, my heart pounding hard against my chest. “No,” I whispered, taking slow steps backward.
One of the rogues, tall and burly with a long mark on his face, was already walking toward me, his hand wrapped around a knife in his pocket. His movements were calculated and frightening.
“Moon Goddess, please,” I muttered to myself, my heart racing with fear.
The rogue’s eyes were fixed on me, and I could see the hunger in them. I knew I was in grave danger. I tried to step back, but my legs were frozen with fear. I tried to scream, but no words came out.
My eyes darted to Ryder, but he was too busy fighting off the other rogues. I was on my own. The rogue took another step closer, his knife making a hissing sound as he unsheathed it. I shut my eyes.
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