My Arranged Marriage with the Last Wolf King

04. Potential Intruders

Fortunately, Emily easily found the train station just three blocks from the port. The fare was only 35 cents, and luckily, she found a currency exchange to change the few dollars Mother Superior had given her when she left the Saint Mary orphanage.

"This will be enough to live for a week, Emily. Go to Mrs. McKenzie; she'll give you work as a seamstress. I told her you would go, so she's waiting," one of the nuns had said as she left.

‘If only she knew I never visited Mrs. McKenzie for that supposed seamstress job…’ Emily thought while sitting on the train heading to her interview at Wolfsbone mansion.

Fortunately, the route was not crowded—leaving Emily's train car nearly empty. Only a few people were scattered. Despite several open seats, a man sat next to her. Emily—fascinated by the passing green landscape outside—turned to see who had taken the seat. He was a young man in a top hat and decent clothing—neither too poor nor too rich.

She glanced at her seatmate and then quickly at the other vacant seats. It felt strange, but she chose not to say anything and settled back in her seat, gripping the edges of her hat between her fingers.

Two hours later:

When she arrived at her stop, Emily was the only one to get off. After a few minutes, the train continued its journey. The young woman sat on a long bench nearby, pulled out a brush, and began to comb her hair. She arranged her braid and draped a knitted shawl over her shoulders. Then she hung her hat on her suitcase and walked toward her destination.

"It seems the mansion is farther than I was told; I can't make it out," Emily whispered, considering how isolated this place must be.

She walked and soon found the path leading to the mansion, but noticed it was heavily trafficked with wagon tracks on the ground. Although she knew this, she couldn't shake off the fear of seeing dense forest on both sides of the road—a perfect hiding spot for criminals ready to attack helpless young women like herself.

"I hope that doesn't happen to me," Emily thought as she quickened her pace.

Despite being surrounded by trees, she heard no birds singing or any other sounds indicating animal life; fear gripped her, but she continued walking toward the mansion.

"I'm too far to turn back. If I don't get this job, I don't know where I'll sleep." Emily murmured as she realised there was no Plan B. She had to find work that day or risk spending the night in that mysterious forest with no options left.

Meanwhile, at the mansion, Mr. Campbell sat in the kitchen worried, as he drank a glass of water. Hours had passed since Mrs. Duncan left, and he couldn't hold her back. The woman was too frightened, and they had now lost their cook. The butler leaned on the table, with his head in his hands, looking defeated. Next to him was Thomas, another servant who also served as the chauffeur and gardener, since their original gardener had left earlier that year.

"Thomas, can you cook?" Campbell asked, eyeing the young man from head to toe.

"I don't think His Highness Alexander is interested in eating only potatoes and fried fish; that's all I know how to make," Thomas replied.

The butler sighed in frustration and rubbed his face. "Now it's just you and me taking care of our King..."

"Looks like we're back to being the original pack again," Thomas replied with an ironic smile.

"This isn't the original pack..."

Thomas immediately stopped smiling and shrugged. Just as he was about to speak, they heard a knock at the front door. Thomas and Campbell exchanged alert expressions while the butler asked grimly:

"Did you invite anyone, Thomas?"

"No," replied the young man as his nails slowly began to turn into claws.

The doorbell continued ringing as they remained alert while approaching the door, inhaling deeply to sense who might have come uninvited. They were also werewolves—pure alphas like their lord Alexander. Slowly, claws began to appear on Campbell's hands just like Thomas's.

"Her essence seems human; I don't sense anything unusual although it smells really good..." Thomas glanced sideways at Mr. Campbell as he continued towards the door.

"Regardless, we must stay alert. I don't think Jaime invited anyone; you know how our lord is..." Campbell commented almost at the door while sniffing more like a dog searching for a trail, "the scent is of a woman."

But just as Thomas and Campbell approached cautiously, imagining the worst-case scenario, they heard a loud crash from Alexander jumping down from upstairs toward the entrance.

"Who dared enter my territory without my invitation? Did someone bring guests without telling me?" Alexander asked as he sensed someone at the door. He couldn't see who it was since his room didn't face it; he also detected another scent.

Alexander's sense of smell was sharper than Thomas's or Campbell's; despite being werewolves themselves, they didn't possess his sensitivity. Alexander didn't stop until he reached the entrance, ready to open the door.

"My lord! Don't open it! It could be dangerous!" Campbell exclaimed, trying to stop him. But Alexander didn't care.

"If it's a hunter, I'll kill them myself! Besides, it'll help me relieve some stress—I woke up in a bad mood today," Alexander said while Thomas murmured under his breath: "It never starts off well."

Emily on the other side of the door felt fear. Although she knocked repeatedly on the huge solid wooden door, no one came out to greet her. She had managed to cross through the gate protecting the mansion which oddly stood open. What she didn't know was that this sturdy lock, barring entry, had actually opened for her—as if she had been invited.

"And all windows are shut tight..." Emily whispered since she couldn't even glimpse inside because of the large ground-floor windows.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm here for work," Emily said. Just after uttering those words, the door swung open, revealing a tall man with messy blonde hair and scruffy clothing, still attractive in Emily's eyes.

He was so captivating that she held her breath for a second before speaking; she'd never seen such a handsome man before.

Alexander looked Emily up and down; at first glance she seemed like an ordinary girl—unkempt and malnourished. Nothing was interesting about her except perhaps that’s what they wanted them to believe by bringing such a girl into their domain. The first thing he noticed was her suitcase which instantly raised questions in his mind: "How did this woman get in? Have hunters devised new tactics?"

Without hesitation Alexander snatched Emily's suitcase with one swift movement, assuming something harmful lay inside it.

"Why did you do that!" Emily exclaimed, shocked by how easily her suitcase flew away from her grasp.

Before she could continue speaking, that too-handsome-for-reality and strange man interrupted:

"Are these new tricks from your organization? How did you get in here? How much were you paid to dare step foot here? You smell like those bastards!"

Alexander roared stepping outside his mansion.

Emily's eyes widened in shock at being called a w***e among other words she didn’t understand. Unsure what action or words were appropriate, she turned around to look for her suitcase, just as Alexander revealed his wolf-like claws—sharp as double-edged knives—ready to shred her with his own hands.

Campbell and Thomas peeked out, readying themselves for an attack, watching Emily run after her belongings, trying to leave as quickly as possible. At that moment, Campbell noticed a piece of newspaper lying on the ground—Emily had held it when arriving at the door; reading it revealed it was today’s newspaper ad.

“If she wasn't sent by the organisation, why does she smell like that?” thought Campbell, filled with more questions than answers in his mind.