This was the second week for Isabella to stay in the castle. Although she has stayed for two weeks, she was still not comfortable around the people present in the palace. She has spent most of her time away from the people but now she was forced to stay among them. She often found herself stuck somewhere or in some situation. Lucky for her, her father left her in the care of the head chef, Peter.
Peter was a nice guy and he always tried to make her as comfortable as he could. He has seen her troubled expression whenever he asked her to do something. She was a bright student. Whatever he told her to do, she was capable of doing after she sees him doing it for once. He never came into her personal space and always let her help with the cooking. He never forced her to talk to people after seeing how much confused she will be.
He once sent her to ask for mint from the garden and came back hours later. She could've come early but she had to ask the gardener for mint leaves and the gardener was busy and didn't notice her until he decided to take a break. All this while she stood at the side and didn't bother him because he was busy.
That day, Peter realized that she can never bother someone even when she is asked to. Be it her nervousness, fear, or some unknown reason, but whatever was that. He knew that she was not comfortable and she was different. He was trying her best to keep her at ease although it was not enough, he yet was trying his best to ease her.
Learning auras has always been a difficult task for Isabella. She has tried very long and hard to master learning auras but she still has some problems learning them. Especially since now there are a lot of new auras at once, it makes her feel confused and makes it harder to distinguish between everyone.
All other maids have always kept observing her. Young ones gave her side eyes, looking for things to gossip around while old ones were observing her for picking out her faults. All the female maids were jealous of her beauty and all male workers wanted her attention on them.
The auras surrounding her were consisting of different types. Some were filled with adoration, some were vicious, some with kindness, some with hate, etc. The main problem with their auras was that their auras changes with time. One moment they will be something else next moment they are something else. Since their auras sometimes change with time, it was becoming more for Isabella to learn them.
Isabella was helping Peter with cooking meals. This was one of many things she liked to do. She used to cook various things at her human mother's place which she occasionally brought for her pack. The difference was, there she was yelled but here no one seems to mind what she is doing. Suddenly she heard footsteps coming closer with a new aura that was venomous. She went rigid. All her senses seem to stop working. Her body started to shiver in fear. Her eyes frantically started searching around as if to find the one emitting the venomous aura.
Peter observed the way she started acting all of a sudden. He too saw around once to see if something odd was there which scared her. But he found none. He turned towards Isabella to ask her when suddenly a man stood beside her. He was none other than the royal advisor for the late King.
"What do you think you are doing? Why is the feast not ready yet? Do you wish to kill our guest with the delay in the meal?" He asked, more like a spat at Peter.
Peter was dumbfounded at this sudden accusation. He was told to serve the meal by early noon. Although the dishes are about to be made completely, it was yet earlier than the fixed time.
"King said to give them the meal in early noon. There is still some time left for the food to be prepared."
Peter's mind was still recalling if he was told to serve an early meal but he missed it. Even after trying hard, he couldn't seem to remember if someone informed him. That means one thing that nobody informed him about the meal but now he is here to collect some.
He was thinking about what to say when his eyes suddenly fall on the scarred face of Isabella. Her fear-struck face made him feel guilty. His aura was already scaring her and his strong word were not giving her any ease. He knew how easily she could get startled and scared.
Peter wanted to send him away quickly so she could be at ease. He was still thinking of a way when a sweet aroma entered his nose. The aroma made him recall the sweet dishes he was making. He was making all of them at once because he wanted Isabella to taste them.
"We have some sweet dishes which can be served as starters till the meal is prepared."
The man rubbed his chin as if thinking of something. A frown appeared on the man's face and then he accepted the sweet dishes. But rather than leaving Isabella alone, as Peter wanted, he ordered her to come along with others to serve the food.
Now here she was, standing in a line in the presence of various auras at once. She tried to focus on herself. She tried to think about the forest, her pack, the wildness, the peace, but it was an unsuccessful attempt. All the voices which she heard around made it harder for her to think about them. She wished to go back and stay in the kitchen if she can not go into her room.
She was extra cautious of her surrounding. She was lonely, and now she has no one to help and support her. She was without her pack. She remembers the words of her father,' A wolf pack is the strongest bond. No distance can tether the bond.' After recalling words she took a deep breath and focused on the tray she was carrying. Peter has told her to never let it fall.
There were many auras present at once. Mischievous, warm, curious, she can deal with any kind of aura, but she can't handle being enveloped in the venomous.
The venomous aura makes her feel ill. It makes her weak and she finds herself getting easily shaking. It was emitted by the ones who were the most dangerous ones. Such ones keep a facade to act harmless and they will attack you the moment they will get the chance. Such ones are no one's friends.
She still remembers the day she encountered it for the first time in her life. There was a female wolf who was new to the pack and thus she had no rank yet. She was a weak fighter. She was unable to make it in the deltas, the fighters of the pack. She was made omega. At that time, her brothers were some of the best fighters in the pack. They may take the position of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma in the future, but right now, her wolf father and others were strongest and yet undefeated.
The she-wolf also knew that her brothers were strong and were one of the best fighters in the pack. She also knew that they haven't founded their mates yet and being their mates will make her female of that very post. In other words, she will get a higher rank by just being mates with someone of high rank.
The male wolves have learned about mates since they were little. How much they are precious and important to every wolf. Other than their mother and Isabella, they were not very close to any other female.
The female wolf decided to befriend Isabella to get close to them. She acted as if it was in her best interest. Her father, the Alpha knew what was happening. It was rare for wolves to go for someone who is not their mate, but it was also pretty much normal as natural instinct of the females was to mate with strong males who can give them security from other animals. But using her to achieve that was something else.
Her Alpha knew what was happening but he let it happen. Because according to him, she was required to face it so she could better her future. Although her father let her face the situation on her own, yet he stayed vary of the female.
One day Isabella was playing hide and seek with her mother when her father has gone hunting. The she-wolf didn't know that the Alpha female was around and attacked her. The moment Isabella realized she was attacking her, she screamed in a high voice. But before the she-wolf could reach her, the Alpha female jumped over the she-wolf and snarled at her face. It was a close call. It all happened in a blur. One moment, she was the prey, the next minute her mother was standing over the she-wolf. She howled for his pack and in mere seconds, her pack stood beside her defending her. She could never forget that incident.
It was one of the scariest encounters of her life. It was her first encounter with that aura and it left a huge imprint on her mind. There were moments when she would wake up shivering and whimpering because of the nightmares and would only go back to sleep after her parents and brothers will ger curled up around her.
Finding herself in the presence of the same aura surrounding her when she was alone and unprotected, was not a good thing and she knew that.
Before she could react, a man stood in front of her and tempered with plates arranged on her tray. There was no doubt in her that he was the one emitting that aura. She didn't know anything about him but it was suffocating her and making her like running away from there. It was once again making her scared and wish to run away.
It was as if God heard her prayers, the doors were unlocked and they started serving people. But she was told to serve the king at the head of the table. She dare not raise her head in front of him. She could feel his dominating aura, and it was helping her.
His dominating aura was reducing the effect of the venomous aura on her. Her state was already weak due to being suffocated and pressurized under the auras, and being under the venomous one made her state more disturbed. Before she could react, she stumbled across the slightly uplifted part of the carpet which she missed seeing. Her feet accidentally got wrapped in the carpet. The tray got slid from her hand and fell on the floor along with the food which was carried by her. Before she could react she also felt herself falling along with the tray.
In fear, she closed her eyes waiting for the impact but it never came to her.