Chapter 4 Encounter

Iris jolted as soon as that person caught her, his strong arms steadied her. There was this uncomfortable tingling sensation that enveloped her entire body and she let out a surprised gasp.

"Careful there." His breath tickled her ear and she couldn't help herself from struggling to get out of his grip on her waist.

This foreign sensation made her panic and anxious. She subconsciously just wanted to evade and get away.

The man still didn't let go of her. If anything, his grip became tighter. "What makes you so anxious to go?"

She found herself attracted to his voice... and now she suddenly was curious about what he looked like. His tall figure towered over her petite body, and the top of her head only managed to reach his jaw. He wasn't as robust as Caleb, but there was this power looming inside of him that might be even more explosive than Caleb.

She couldn't help her curiosity and looked up. Her body froze as soon as her eyes met his.

Couldn't bear looking into his eyes for too long, she was the first to break eye contact between them.

His looks haunted her mind. The pair of devilish dark eyes, combined with chiseled jawline and high cheekbones. He was like a sculptor's most prized masterpiece.

It was unknown when, but she found that now there were only two of them here. Mary, Caleb, and others had slipped away when her attention was occupied.

"I need to go to the bathroom." She said in a small voice, still unable to process all of this.

As soon as she said that, she felt his grip loosened, and she hurriedly took this chance to dash toward the bathroom. A loud chuckle followed from behind her, which caused her to feel slightly annoyed and embarrassed.

Was he making fun of her?

However, after she got into the bathroom, all those superfluous thoughts were gone. What left now was the despondent mood she couldn't control, as well as the growing panic building up inside her heart.

She couldn't believe that she actually stumbled upon the man she didn't want to meet the most. Biting her nails, Iris tried to figure out what was currently going on. There was a few things she was confused about though.

Why was that man so friendly toward her? Was it his personality or had he hadn't found out that she was going to pretend to be Selia? To him, perhaps she was just another unknown she-wolf?

Iris found the answer after she came out doing her fake business in the bathroom. She couldn't slip away in time. As soon as she came out, he was still standing in the same spot the whole time.

"Finished? Let's get some meals." He looked at her, then shifted his attention to the other werewolves, who instantly scrambled around to execute his order.

Iris blinked, and before she could process what had happened, she already sat across from his table.

"Miss Selia, I hope that the food is to your liking," Mary said politely. Iris' smile went stiff.

She couldn't help but to take a peek at the man whose name she didn't know yet. So, they, and especially him, regarded her as Selia for real?

She and that man had touched each other earlier. It was impossible for him to mistake his mate. His reaction confused her; he didn't seem to notice that there was something wrong with her.

He was treating her as Selia. But... he wasn't supposed to feel the mate bond between them, right? The confusion caused her to plunge into silence. They seemed to take her silence as something else; Mary immediately ordered for the people to change the meals.

"No, this is fine," Iris hurriedly said. The treatment they gave to her was a bit overwhelming that she didn't know how she should react.

"All of you, leave," He ordered. People scrambled to leave the room, causing Iris to almost feel despair.

She didn't want to be left alone with this man.

"Aren't you hungry? Don't just keep staring at me. I am not the food." He raised an eyebrow at her. Iris froze as embarrassment crept to her face.

She didn't respond and started eating the food served on the table. They ate in silence.

She waited. Fifteen minutes passed. Then, half an hour.

Even after they finished eating, he still didn't call her out on being a fake. It that confused her further. They touched each other earlier, right?

"Let's continue the journey to your pack. I believe it should be close around here, right?" The deep, piercing eyes stared at her with such intensity.

Iris nodded, feeling extremely conflicted. She had an urge to tell him the truth; his real mate was gone and that he should spend the time looking for her instead. However, there was this tugging of foreboding that caused her to remain silent.

Everything was so baffling that she needed to contemplate her next step. She should get to the bottom of things; because she had a feeling that things were simple. They included Selia's disappearance and this man's odd reaction to her.

They packed up and headed toward her pack. It only took less than an hour to arrive there because everyone shifted to their wolf form. They took a quick sprint through the tall trees and high vegetation.

As soon as the group arrived, her pack instantly welcomed them with excited yet nervous faces, including the elders and the Alpha. There was also Luna Lucy, the Beta, and the Beta's son, Danny.

Hurriedly, they escorted the group to the houses they had prepared before. It wasn't until Iris shifted to her human form that she earned some stunned looks from the people around. She didn't show any expression on her face.

"I see that you have met our daughter," Arthur Wellington said politely and Iris fell into deep thought.

The man who had been teasing her earlier now was like he had transformed into another person. Oppression and power radiated off his body, almost rivaling the Alpha of their pack. It was with the note that he was restraining his power.

His face was expressionless and cold. His aura noble and unapproachable. Regarding Alpha Arthur's words, he simply nodded.

After the small conversation took place, Iris went to her own house. She was so baffled about everything that her heart was itching for an answer. Right now. One of the suspects was that suspicious liquid she was forced to drink. When it was near dinner time, the thought couldn't keep her sat still anymore; she went to find Danny.

"Hey, Selia." She heard his mocking voice. He already saw her figure approaching from afar.

Iris directed her sharp eyes at him. "Watch your mouth."

"Oh, after becoming the mate of a large pack's son of an Alpha, you are already showing your claws, are we?" He continued in a nonchalant tone, but his words triggered her rage.

His betrayal was still as clear as a day.

"I only treated her as Selia's substitute. It's fun. How could I like her for real?"His voice had haunted her dreams and left a gaping hole in her heart.

He was always like this. His mocking and sarcastic words always hurt her. Likewise with his repeated reminder he told his friends that he only treated her as a substitute.

Then he would coax her with all sort of words. She had long developed immunity to them, but it was his delusion who refused to believe it.

She raised her bandaged hand and smashed the table in front of him. The table, which was actually made of a very good wooden material, split into a few parts.

Danny's pupils constricted upon seeing her destructive power. Had it been his arm laying there, would she have smashed it bloody too? What shocked him further was that she actually possessed such great power.

"I know that you think I am stealing Selia's mate right now." She took a deep breath to calm herself. There was a hint of tiredness in her voice. "I also don't want to be caught in this situation, so if you can get me out of this, please do it. I don't want her mate."

Danny fell silent. His answer was clear. Fine! She thought.

"Now, tell me. What was that liquid for?" She changed her question and looked at him seriously.

For a moment, Danny had the illusion that his fate would be similar to that table if he didn't answer her truthfully. However, knowing her, he discarded that thought.

She was always so obedient to him, so it was impossible. Some coaxing and she would be soft for him again.

"It's a potion." He finally answered truthfully. "We weren't so sure about the efficacy of that potion, but we know that it works now."

Iris already had a faint inkling what it was for, but she couldn't help but ask, "What is it for? Be clear."

"It can make werewolves mistake someone as their mate. As long as the ingredients have their true mate's aura in it," Danny replied hesitantly.

Iris took a sharp breath and muttered under her breath, "You are crazy. You are all batshit crazy."

She held her temples and rubbed them, occasionally throwing Danny a look. He didn't notice it at first, but he gradually noticed the blood red color that was becoming darker in her bandaged hand. Her wound was opened.

Danny stood up and walked toward her, who was pacing back and forth. He grabbed her hand and the unsuspecting Iris was surprised by the sudden movement. Nearly falling down, she stopped and balanced herself.

She was about to glare at him, but an icy voice interrupted them first.

"What is happening here?"

It was the son of the Silver Royal pack's Alpha.