On the day of Derek and Cecilia's visit, Mom wanted to give me the day off from work. I declined. If I sat in my room, twiddling my thumbs, I'd only become more nervous, and I already felt sick to my stomach.
Distraction was much better. I couldn't afford to focus on anything else while checking on Isabella's healing wounds. At first glance, they appeared like mere bullet holes. A werewolf, even weaker ones, would heal from those overnight given that the bullets did not hit vital organs.
But they had struck Isabella with enchanted silver bullets. Nasty invention by hunters specifically designed to kill werewolves, but more widely used nowadays. It was especially cruel when other werewolves used them against their own kind.
There was no cure except for removing the bullets, dress the wounds to the best of our abilities, and pray the werewolf was strong enough to have the wounds heal on their own strength.
Naturally, the Isabella Cienfuegos was strong enough to beat a few silly bullets. Even after she'd arrived on our doorstep half-dead, she'd scoffed and said those words to us when we gave her the diagnosis. And she was proven right.
"It pains me to say it Isabella," I said, as I took the bandages off the healed wounds on her stomach entirely, "But I'm afraid you're as good as ready to leave the castle. I'll have to print your discharge letter."
Isabella pulled a face. "See, I wanted to leave this boring, forsaken place as soon as possible when I first got here. But now I don't want to go. There's something strange going on here, and I'm intrigued."
"You don't even want to stay because I, your brilliant friend River, am here?" I teased, trying to distract her, "I'm hurt."
"Don't get sentimental on me, boy." Isabella waved away my comment. "Besides, I haven't heard you deny there's something strange going on."
"Your nose for trouble nearly got you killed," I retorted. "Haven't you learned by now it's best not to stick it in dangerous business?"
Isabella's eyes sparkled. "So you're admitting there's dangerous business in the castle!"
She'd tricked me. I mentally slapped myself for sharing too much.
"No, it's not dangerous," I denied, despite knowing it was too late and I couldn't take my words back.
"Anyway, I will talk with my mom about releasing you into the wilds," I swiftly changed the topic. "Though, we should probably keep you inside the castle for their sake."
Isabella pressed a hand to her chest like she was clutching invisible pearls. "Whatever do you mean, dear River. I'm a sweet, caring woman. And as a sweet, caring woman, I can tell something is troubling you."
She poked at the spot between my two brows. "You're frowning like you're expecting someone to die."
That wasn't far from the truth. I still had to say something to Elise and Avery before I died. I didn't get to it yesterday after Luan visited and had me in a spin for the rest of the night.
For Isabella, I smiled and denied everything. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Isabella took my head between her hands, squeezing my cheeks as she pulled me down to face her on eye-level.
"You know Isabella's here for you, right?" she asked. "If anyone is trying to hurt you, I will kill them."
"Isabella!" I called out, shocked.
She snorted. "You saved my life, so I'd do the same for you. I owe you, and I don't enjoy owing someone."
I knew Isabella wouldn't talk. I desperately wanted to tell her what happened to me, offload it somewhere. But I couldn't. I'd promised Dad I wouldn't tell anyone the Alpha was here, and I couldn't risk it. Isabella wouldn't be fooled anymore at this point if I kept insisting nothing was wrong, however. I had to give her something.
I shot her a small smile. "Alright, I'm in a bit of trouble," I admitted. "I have to handle it myself, however. Trust me, I will handle it myself, okay?"
Isabella looked like she wanted to protest. Then she sighed. "I understand having to clean up your own shit. Okay, I will stand down. Take care of yourself, kid."
"You too, Isabella."
The rest of the morning flew by. I was kept busy binding and cleaning wounds. I tried calling Elise and Avery but got their answering machine and left an awkward, hurried message telling them I was happy we'd met.
Then it was time.
I changed into my neatest clothes; chinos with a white shirt. I forced my messy hair to behave with some near odourless gel, especially designed for werewolves. After tweaking my hair to perfection, I could no longer stall.
Mom called for me. With a somersaulting stomach and a pounding heart, I trudged down the stairs.
"There you are," Mom greeted me in the hall.
She immediately inspected me from every corner, plucking at my shirt and brushing her hand across my back, making sure I was entirely presentable and clean.
Mom had also made a special effort to look good. In her case, that meant being donned in a doctor's coat and doing her makeup. She adopted Dad's strategy of showing her authority with her uniform.
Mom placed her hands on my shoulders. "Act towards them as if they were your Alphas from your old pack. You remember how to act, yes?"
I nodded. I remembered all the etiquette from my warrior pack upbringing. It was simple, after all. Don't make eye-contact, follow orders, and don't speak unless you're asked to speak. On the rare occasion you were asked a question 'Yes, Alpha' and 'No Alpha' was the entire range of vocabulary needed.
Knowing what it was like to face an Alpha didn't make this any less nerve-wrecking. On the contrary: it made me even more aware of what could happen if I offended them with my presence. My chest was tight. Breathing was hard.
Mom pushed against my gelled hair one last time. "Let's go outside then. The car will arrive shortly," she muttered.
I didn't respond. I followed her outside quietly. An entire group of wolves already awaited us outside.
Dad was there, dressed in his doctor's coat like Mom. The two pack warriors, Luan's warriors, waited with crossed arms and hard eyes. Sandwiched between them was Luan, their Alphas' son.
Like every time I was in Luan's presence or smelled him, my breath caught in my throat. My heart fluttered, and I just wanted to leap into his arms as much as I wanted to run from him. My mate. An Alpha.
Luan instantly took a step towards me the moment he saw me. Instinctively. I doubted he meant to.
I cast my eyes down to the frozen grass. We'd had snow last night. I would've enjoyed the winter wonderland more, if I wasn't convinced this was my last day.
Footsteps crackled in the snow. Luan chose to stand next to me rather than next to his warriors while we waited for his parents. I wanted him close, but I wished he didn't. His scent threw me in disarray, and I needed my wits about me when faced with Alpha Cecilia and Derek.
Thankfully, Luan didn't speak to me. But the silence as we waited spoke volumes. I wasn't the only one worried about how this would end.
All too soon, my ears picked up the sound of a car in the distance. A luxurious Mercedes approached on the road leading to the castle, and I knew it was them. We didn't get many visitors by car, only witches, and they weren't scheduled to come today.
As expected, the car came directly towards us and stopped a few feet away. The windows were blinded, so I couldn't see who was inside, but the two pack warriors all but stumbled over themselves, rushing to open both the back doors before the driver could take the honour from them.
My curiosity got the better of me. I looked at the Alpha couple when the back doors opened. The man, Derek, was tall as a tree and broad. His shirt could barely contain his muscles, and his dark beard, piercing blue eyes, and perfect posture made him look like a true warrior. Luan had inherited his colour palette from his father, but he had clearly gotten his looks from his mother.
I couldn't describe Cecilia any other way than as a handsome woman. Like her husband, she was tall, lean and muscular, with a jaw more square and masculine than most women and heavy brows. Her face was still more delicate than her husband's however, and closer to what Luan looked like. Regal, strong, and intimidating.
The Alpha couple's attire: expensive looking black cloaks and calfskin leather snow boots beneath denim showed their wealth and status.
I swiftly lowered my eyes before they noticed I looked at them.
"Luan, love!" Cecilia called out.
More swift footsteps crackled in the snow, and I imagined Luan got greeted by his parents with an affectionate nose rub.
"How are you, son?" Derek's gruff voice asked. "Has Winterpeaks been satisfactory?"
"Yes, Dad," Luan replied. "Winterpeaks' staff is efficient and dedicated to caring for their patients. I have no complaints."
Alpha Derek grunted like he couldn't quite believe a sanctuary for broken wolves such as Winterpeaks could be satisfactory for an Alpha's son.
"More than satisfactory, I'd say!" Cecilia called out. "Imagine our surprise when we heard the news of our future son-in-law. You must introduce us to your mate at once!"
"Yes, Mother," Luan said. "This is River, my mate."
I stayed nailed to my spot, waiting for Alpha Cecilia to approach me. My stomach churned and my limbs tingled as she stopped in front of me.
"Raise your chin, dear, let me take a good look at you."
I nearly jolted and dashed when Cecilia's finger touched my chin, lifting my head up. I kept my eyes down and averted to the side as she studied my face. While I couldn't stop myself from trembling, I tried to stay still for the Alpha as best I could.
"Refined," Alpha Cecilia commented thoughtfully. "Very beautiful... from a warrior line, but not a warrior himself. Interesting."
I couldn't tell whether interesting was good or bad. Everyone else was dead silent until Alpha Derek sighed.
"Are you planning on making the pup piss himself with nerves, Cecilia?" he grumbled. "Let us go inside to talk."
"Excellent idea, Alpha Derek," Dad said. "We have prepared the North wing for your visit. Please, follow us."