Chapter 7

NARAH'S POV

As we drove to Alpha Van's home in a jet black SUV, I felt my heart pounding out of my chest. I was sitting next to Gina who kept stealing glances at me, every chance she got.

She had left her friends at the Café on Alpha Van's orders, so they could take me to their abode.

Van was sitting at the shotgun seat, not minding us at the back seat. He had his eyes fixed on the road, but twice, from the side mirror, I caught them flickering towards my direction, sending bolts of electricity through my bones.

What was that? That feeling I got when I felt his eyes on me? Fate must be playing some kind of cruel joke on me after all, I thought.

A couple of weeks ago, I was just an ordinary girl from a small town far away from here. I pinched my left arm and cursed underneath my breath. Deep down, I wished I had never regained the memories of my past life.

"We're here." Van's voice broke the deafening silence that once engulfed the vehicle's cabin.

The gates opened wide the minute we turned into the driveway, and my eyes were graced with the majestic exterior of a white painted mansion that stood in the middle of a vast green land.

In front of the building, was a grand fountain that erupted crystal clear water that cascaded down flowers of various colours that encircled it.

My jaw fell to the ground as my eyes took in the beauty of the estate.

"Hmm! Poor people," I heard Gina whisper as she pushed the door open. Instantly, I was hit with the aroma of sweet smelling flowers that enchanted the place, before she slammed the door in my face.

"You can come out now," Van said as he got down from the car.

I swung the door open and stepped down, still observing the wonder in front of me. Alpha Van ordered the driver to take my luggage into the mansion.

Then he turned to Gina as if to say something, but nothing was said. A swift gloom covered my face while I watched him walk silently into the mansion, leaving me alone with her.

"Honestly, I don't know why I asked you to come here," Gina admitted.

"I don't know why I accepted to come here either," I lied.

With big bold steps, she closed the distance between us and lowered her gaze to meet mine, staring deeply into my soul.

"There's something about you I can't quite understand," she said in a low voice, "I know you're not human. You can fool them but not us. We recognise our kind."

I felt my heart rate drop at this point, how did she know I wasn't a mere mortal? Now that humans lived amongst the wolves, I thought I could mask my identity, and since I had lost Minsi, no-one would be able to sense I was a werewolf.

But clearly I was wrong. I had forgotten that wolves had a strong sense of smell, we could identify a fellow werewolf in a crowd of humans.

"What are you talking about?" I said, pretending not to understand what she meant.

Gina muttered, "Please, spare me the act. What are you? Wolf-less?"

Her narrowed eyes pierced deeper into my soul. I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Suddenly, her once fierce glare brimmed with tears.

"No, you're not," she said, with a crack in her voice. "There's only one person I knew who was wolf-less. I couldn't sense a thing in her... but not you. There's something in you. I can sense it. I can't quite understand it, that's why I asked you to be my maid here. It was never about the stupid top."

"What do you sense?" I asked, my eyes locked in her teary gaze. She wiped the corners of her eyes and forced a smile.

"A wolf. You're one of us."

Gina was smarter than I thought. Perhaps, I was the stupid one. It was at this point I was so grateful that Benny had dyed my hair. Somehow, Gina would have put two and two together, and figured me out in no time.

But a wolf? I thought I had lost Minsi. Unconsciously, I placed my hands on my chest and acknowledged softly,

"You're not entirely wrong."

"I'm never wrong," she said.

"Never?"

Gina shook her head. "You'll live here until I figure you out."

"I'm not some science project," I screamed as she steadily strutted with grace and confidence, making her way into the mansion.

I heaved a sigh of relief and followed behind.

The interior of the mansion was even more magnificent. I was escorted to a room by one of the maids. A room that wasn't small, neither was it big, it was just the right size. It had a medium sized bed in the middle, and I met my luggage by the corner of it.

"Your uniform is in the closet," said the maid.

I turned to see her looking at me with a smile across her pale face. Her blonde hair was packed in a sleek bun, making her chubby cheeks more pronounced.

"The name's Narah."

"I'm Cindy," she said. She took a quick peep outside the room and then, when she was sure nobody was approaching, she quietly closed the door behind her and charged towards me.

I was taken aback.

"What rank are you?" She said with excitement in her voice and eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not an omega, are you?" She asked. I shook my head. "Why is Luna Gina making you serve? We have enough maids as it is."

"I spilled a drink on her top."

Cindy's eyes widened, she covered her mouth with both hands to muffle her imminent scream. "How are you still alive?"

"Lucky, I guess," I said, almost laughing out loud.

"The hell, you are! Well, it's nice to meet you," She uttered sweetly and exited the room.

It wasn't even up to a day that I arrived, and here I was, already calling attention to myself. I fell flat on the white sheeted bed and took in deep breaths.

The room seemed to spin, I shut my eyes, hoping if I opened them, I would be back to my old life as Reina, right before I learned about the truce.

I sniffed my shoulder and realised I needed a bath, so I forced myself up from the soft bed, and sluggishly headed to the bathroom. I undressed and stepped into the shower.

As the warm water drizzled on my head, running down to my back and below, caressing every inch of my skin, my racing heart felt a calm peace.

At that moment, the water washed away the lingering thoughts of Gina, and it seemed like I watched them swirl down the drain.

When I was done, I turned the shower off and reached out for the blue plush towel that hung on a hook over the shower door. I wrapped it around my bare body and headed back to the room.

My heart almost jumped out of my mouth. With eyes wide, I froze by the door. I tried to speak, but it seemed as though my voice was trapped. It had tangled up, and was strangling my throat. After much effort, my voice finally trembled,

"Alpha Van?"

His lips curled into a smile.