"Peach blossom pastry…"
I was about to hand over the package of pastries when Eren Wagner turned and walked away, his steps hurried.
I understood. He had ambitions and goals. I had watched him train and lead the pack for years, and I wasn’t the type to cling or cause trouble. I wouldn’t interfere with his path.
It’s just that… there were so many things I wanted to say to him.
Like how Sister Clara was expecting her third pup, how Alpha James had taken his thirteenth chosen mate, or how Beta Sarah had marked her mate… But these things probably didn’t matter to Eren anymore.
It felt as though we had nothing left to talk about.
I was lost, uncertain, like a rogue wandering without a pack. There was a faint ache in my chest, subtle but impossible to ignore.
Wayne Kelley stepped closer to me. The sun wasn’t particularly strong, but he adjusted his collar, his sharp eyes scanning me up and down. His lips curled into a smirk. "So, you’re the girl Eren’s been keeping at the edge of the territory? A bit rough around the edges, but not bad otherwise."
What did he mean by that?
I took a step back, instinctively wary. Men who were too handsome were like the poisonous plants in the forest—beautiful but dangerous.
Wayne chuckled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth, and turned to his attendants. "Paulina, Adalyn, take her and clean her up properly. My quarters can’t afford to have anything… unsightly."
I was speechless.
Alright, then. I was the belle of the edge pack, but compared to this man, I might as well have been an Omega.
Soon, I was taken to a guest room and thoroughly scrubbed clean. It had been days since I’d last bathed, and as I watched the two attendants prepare another tub of water, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
When I saw Wayne again, he was in the courtyard, brewing a pot of herbal tea. He was meticulous, almost too refined.
"Alpha Wayne," I stammered, trying to mimic the polite phrases I’d heard in the pack, "thank you for your hospitality."
Everything here felt foreign to me, and I couldn’t help but feel out of place.
Wayne glanced at me, then at his attendants. "Starting today, use the pack’s healing salve on her skin."
I wanted to refuse, but I remembered his earlier comment about not tolerating anything unsightly in his quarters, so I kept my mouth shut. Pack life sure had its quirks.
Wayne added, "The Silver Fang Pack is complicated. Don’t wander around aimlessly. If something happens to you, don’t say I didn’t warn you."
I nodded obediently.
Wayne scoffed, though I couldn’t tell what he found amusing. His laugh was both wicked and charming.
For the next few days, I lived a life of luxury in Wayne’s quarters. Good food, good drinks, and attendants to wait on me. Aside from the daily healing salve treatments, I was bathed in fragrant herbs.
Adalyn said, "Lilian, don’t take it the wrong way. The Alpha just wants the best for you. And, well… he really can’t stand anything unsightly. Even the herbs in his courtyard are carefully selected."
I understood by now. After all, Wayne’s attendants were all strikingly beautiful.
Over the past few days, I had learned a bit about the Silver Fang Pack. Wayne was the eldest son and the Alpha heir, but his father had a second chosen mate and another son. The succession for the Alpha title was still undecided.
Wayne was known for his rebellious nature. He didn’t train or lead like others did. Instead, he spent his days indulging in leisure and pleasure.
As the gossip went—Wayne had nothing but his looks to his name.
But I couldn’t help feeling… that he was pitiful in his own way.
Back at the edge of the territory, the twin sisters next door had a strict stepmother who arranged their marking ceremonies to hunters in exchange for favors. It made me wonder if Wayne, too, was trapped in a similar web of pack politics.
