The next morning, the pack was buzzing with rumors that couldn't let me to have a good sleep.
I could hear the whole pack's noises before I even reached the main grounds—soft whispers carried on the crisp morning breeze, hushed tones of excitement and confusion all over the pack house.
The usual monotony of my life felt so different on this day.
I wasn't really sure why, but I could sense the change in the air—that wasn't even a familiar one.
When I reached the clearing area, I saw why the noise didn't make me sleep.
A group of strangers stood at the entrance of the pack's main hall, their presence impossible to ignore and this caused the whole buzz within the pack.
I froze where I stood, my heart suddenly thudding in my chest with anxiety that I couldn't understand.
They were standing tall, with broad shoulders, which they carried themselves with an authority that made the air around them heavy with tension and questions.
Their clothes were finely made; rich leathers and furs, far too luxurious for common travelers or a mere slave like me.
They looked so important and also dangerous.
"Who are they?" I asked myself as I fought to get a better gaze at the men.
My stomach tightened as I watched from a distance, while still trying to get a better view.
I had learned long ago to avoid drawing attention to myself, but the pack didn't seem to share my caution at this moment, since everyone's eyes were fixed on the men.
Already, a small crowd had gathered in the scene, watching the strangers who stood at the entrance, with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
The pack's Alpha, Gregor, stood at the front, his thick arms crossed over his chest as he spoke to the leader of the group—a man with sharp features and piercing gray eyes, which are good qualities of an alpha from another pack.
I couldn't hear what they were saying though, but whatever it was, Gregor didn't look pleased with it at all. Of course, Gregor rarely looked pleased at anything, this was a normal thing we all know in the pack.
I lingered at the edge of the clearing, unsure of what to do, as I hid my face not wanting anyone to figure out I was standing.
A part of me wanted to retreat, to slip away before anyone noticed I was there, but still I was eager to know more about the men.
But something about these men drew me in and I just couldn't explain.
It wasn't just their appearance to me, though they were undeniably striking with their handsomeness.
It was… something different. Something I couldn't quite place and understand.
I hadn't seen anyone like them before since my first day into this world.
Not in our pack, and not in the nearby territories of the pack.
They had an air of power that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and it was totally weird for that to happen to me.
They were high rank wolves—I could sense it, but not like any wolves I'd ever known or seen.
My eyes darted back to Gregor, who was clearly struggling to maintain his usual air of dominance of the three standing men.
It wasn't often that he was challenged, especially not by outsiders of this pack. To him it can be strange and also for the entire pack, but to me it's like a wish come true.
But these men didn't seem intimidated by him in the slightest, but In fact, it was the opposite of what usually happened when anyone dared to challenge him.
They were here for something big or here for someone.
Just as I was about to turn away and go back, since I have seen enough to feed my eyes, Gregor's voice rose above the murmur of the crowd.
"Crystal!"
I flinched, my body going rigid with fear and anxiety. Of course, he'd notice me now, now that I stood still on a particular spot.
Slowly, I stepped forward with my chest pounding, forcing my feet to move as every pair of eyes in the clearing turned toward me.
The feeling of me being watched, judged, never got easier on me this time around.
It was like a weight I carried everywhere I went, it was like a constant reminder that I didn't belong anywhere, it's already something that has been planted into me.
I didn't need to be told twice about myself and my fate.
With a quick nod, I turned and fled back toward the packhouse, my heart pounding in my chest with fear and also with thoughts of what I have put myself into.
The three strangers' words echoed in my head, over and over.
"You're not what you seem."
I didn't know what they meant though, but for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were right about their words. I couldn't shake off the feeling that they would help me .
*****
Later that same night, I lay in my small, drafty room, staring up at the ceiling as the events of the day replayed in my mind like a movie.
The strangers had already settled in for the evening in the pack with their presence still looming over the pack like a shadow and also like a big threat to the alpha.
The pack members whispered about them non-stop, asking themselves question which they can't give answers to, who they were, and why they had come.
No one seemed to know the truth about them, but everyone had theories and questions.
The most common one was that they were here to challenge Gregor, our pack Alpha.
To take over the pack as theirs.
It wasn't uncommon for packs to challenge each other, and given how powerful these men seemed to look like, it wasn't a far-fetched idea, if I'm to say.
But then, why had they looked at me like that when I was called out?
I couldn't shake the memory of the look and the question rang in my head.
"Why did they look at me?" I asked myself, still gazing at my celling.