Chapter No 3 Unknown Gesture
1152 Words
I looked at myself in the mirror, my reflection framed by the long, red cross-back dress Selena had chosen for me. The sleeves were short and puffed, the long tail brushing the floor, my hair cascading over my chest. It was perfect. Too perfect. Yet behind the beauty, my green eyes reflected something else—sadness that no dress could hide.
"I’m sure this will look amazing on you for the engagement," Selena said, adjusting the fabric gently.
I smiled faintly. A smile that didn’t reach my heart. Marrying someone who was not my mate felt like a trap. Alpha Nathan, the man I had never chosen, would claim me as his bride. I was just a golden cup handed over by my father, a tool for his ambition and a means to secure a male heir.
I handed the cashier the card my father had given me.
"Your payment is already made," he said.
"Who? Alpha Nathan?" I asked suddenly.
"No ma’am," the cashier replied.
"Then who?" I pressed.
"A woman came this morning. She said Alpha’s daughter would select this dress," he said nervously.
Selena’s brows furrowed. "What woman?"
"I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know," he said firmly.
I snatched the box, expressionless. "It doesn’t matter. Whoever it was, it’s useless now." I walked out of the shop, feeling like nothing could touch the numbness settling in my chest. Selena sighed but followed.
---
“Nothing should be changed, Nathan. The deal is the deal,” my father said, his voice sharp as he lifted an eyebrow.
Nathan sat across from him, expression unreadable.
"I know how desperate you are for a male heir," Nathan said slowly, almost amused. "I’ll give it to you, but in return, I want affiliation with your territory. After all, the heir will be mine." He smirked, cold and calculating.
My father exhaled and shook his hand, sealing my fate.
---
“Where are you? Hurry up! We’re getting late,” Selena shouted, waving the green mask she intended to put on my face.
“Oh come on, Selena. I don’t want to wear this,” I said, pointing at the strange concoction.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to be a bride soon. Stop acting like you’re going to a funeral.”
I gave a bitter sigh. This felt more like a funeral than a wedding.
Her expression softened, and I knew she was speaking through mind-link. “Selena, I’m leaving. Alpha said I have to patrol tonight.”
I chuckled softly. “If I were Alpha, I’d make you go with me. You hate those patrols on the edge of the territory.”
“See you in the morning,” she said and left.
Alone, I whispered to the empty room, “I wish I had a wolf. None of this would have happened.” I sank onto my bed, closing my eyes as a tear slid down my cheek. “Oh Moon Goddess, if I’m to remain wolf-less, please make me human instead.”
Suddenly, anxiety gripped me in a way I had never felt before. My heart pounded violently.
“What is happening to me? Maybe I’m just stressed… relax, Ember, you’ll give yourself a heart attack,” I muttered, trying to calm my racing thoughts.
I needed air. I needed space. Slowly, I rose and walked to the window. Night had fallen, and in a day or two, the full moon would rise. I wondered what wolves felt under its light—I had never known.
I climbed out onto the ledge, my fingers gripping the cold metal pipe. Below, the forest waited, dark and silent. My father would never allow me to go there. And that’s exactly why I was going.
I landed softly on the ground and moved silently through the shadows. Soon, I reached the lake—a hidden place, forbidden to most, dangerous to many, but my sanctuary. I had always come here when my father’s cruelty became unbearable.
I slipped into the lake, the icy water shocking my skin, sending a shiver through every nerve. My hair floated like dark silk around me, the moon’s silver light dancing across the ripples. I slipped into the lake, the icy water sending shivers down my spine. The chill bit at my skin, but it also made me feel alive, aware of every curve, every line of my body. My slim shoulders cut through the water, my arms drifting lazily as I floated. My long legs glided beneath the surface, the cold heightening every sensation, every heartbeat.
My hair, a cascade of dark brown with shades of red that shimmered under the moonlight, fanned out around me like liquid fire. It drifted across the surface, curling and twisting with the ripples, reflecting the moon’s silver glow and painting a halo around my face. I closed my eyes, letting the water cradle me, my reflection merging with the night, my thoughts melting into the calm.
But then… I felt it. Eyes. Watching. My heart froze, every nerve standing on end.
Two blue eyes emerged from the shadows at the edge of the forest, glowing in the darkness. They pierced through me, icy and intense, and for the first time that night, the serenity of the lake vanished. For a moment, I let myself breathe, letting the cold calm my racing thoughts. For the first time that day, peace touched me.
But then… I felt it. A presence. Not human. Not wolf. Something watching, a presence. Something shifting in the darkness.
I opened my eyes. Someone was watching.
I froze, muscles taut, every nerve screaming. The forest was silent, the wind whispering through the trees—but then I saw them. Two piercing blue eyes, glowing in the shadows, fixed on me.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. The eyes… they belonged to someone—or something—dangerous. Something I had no idea I would face tonight.
And then… the eyes blinked.
“Who’s there?” My voice trembled, stronger than I felt. I was alone, naked, and utterly vulnerable in the middle of the forest.
And yet, I wasn’t.
Something—or someone—was out there.
I froze, every muscle taut, heart hammering in my chest. My green eyes scanned the dark treeline, but nothing moved. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying a faint rustle that made my pulse spike.
“Who’s there?” I called, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound strong. Silence answered.
Then, a shadow detached itself from the forest. Tall. Broad. Dangerous. My breath caught in my throat as two glowing eyes locked on mine, piercing through the darkness.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But something in those eyes stopped me. Something primal, dark… and impossible to ignore.
Before I could react, the figure moved closer, stepping into the moonlight. My stomach turned, my pulse raced.
- Writer
