Chapter 3

‘So this is where I’ll be meeting my future fiancé,’ Chelsea thought as she entered the Silverclaw Pack’s manor, feeling nothing but cold indifference that remained from the betrayal that she experienced. ‘That is, if the meeting goes well.’

Currently, she was dressed in an elegant green gown that had been prepared by her parents in order to make a good impression on the Alpha.

It didn’t take long for Daniel Winston to greet her.

The doors opened nearby, and Chelsea turned around to see a tall man about her age step inside. He was incredibly handsome in a different way from Anthony’s rugged looks. Daniel’s appearance was more clean-cut, with mesmerizing ice-blue eyes that seemed as though they could pierce straight through her. He had clean, wavy black hair that was swept back in an elegant, almost princely hairstyle.

“Welcome to the Silverclaw Pack. You must be Chelsea Moore,” Daniel said politely as he approached her. “Please, come and have a seat.”

He gestured toward one of the empty couches. Wanting to be polite as well, Chelsea nodded, thanked him, and sat down.

An awkward silence fell between them, but he quickly broke it momentarily by sitting on the couch adjacent to hers.

Chelsea opened her mouth to speak, but then Daniel beat her to it.

“Are you all right?” he asked her quietly.

“Of course,” she said immediately, hoping that she didn’t sound too stiff. After all, she didn’t want to be rude. “What makes you say that?”

“News and gossip made their rounds pretty quickly,” Daniel said simply. He didn’t need to say anything more, since Chelsea already knew what he meant.

Ever since she left the Drakewood Pack, it had been absolute chaos.

It was well-known in both social circles and the media that her engagement to Anthony had been broken. Honestly, it had been a whirlwind of a week ever since she left.

In the end, having been too overwhelmed by everything, Chelsea simply decided not to stress herself out and ignore everything else.

It didn’t matter what the Drakewood Pack or Anthony thought anymore. This was her new life now, and she got to make choices for herself. She swore that she would never let a man hurt her like that again.

Which was why she had agreed to this contract marriage in the first place.

At least this way, she could get out of the Drakewood Pack and also avoid the Wellvine Pack at the same time. She thought that maybe the Silverclaw Pack might become her new home, one where she could thrive.

“Here.” Daniel’s voice suddenly broke her out of her thoughts.

Looking up, Chelsea saw that he was leaning over, offering her a cup of tea.

But when she thanked him and held the cup, she realized that it wasn’t just any ordinary tea.

“This is Whisperleaf Tea,” he told her. “It’s probably been a hell of a week for you, so I want you to drink this. I’ve heard that it does wonders for restoring one’s strength. Please try it. I’m sure you’ll love the taste.”

Chelsea’s eyes widened, and a rush of emotion immediately filled her chest.

It was ironic. The injuries and poison from her arms were already long gone thanks to her mother’s healing ability, but the lingering pain was still there. In fact, she even thought that she could never bear to see Whisperleaf Tea ever again.

But when Daniel offered it to her with the genuine intention of making her feel better, it made Chelsea’s cold heart begin to warm again.

“…Thank you,” she said softly as she took a tentative sip from the cup.

It tasted heavenly.

Daniel seemed to notice her expression and gave a small smile. “I’m guessing you do like the taste.”

“Indeed,” Chelsea admitted with a sheepish grin. “I’ve prepared this tea before, but I’ve never gotten it to taste like this.”

“Oh? How did you do so?” Daniel asked curiously. “I’ve heard that its ingredients are hard to come by.”

Chelsea suppressed the urge to wince. “I just… wanted to make it for someone,” she said softly. Her voice was so quiet that she almost doubted Daniel could hear her.

But he did, because he simply lowered his gaze to the ground and fell into a contemplative silence.

Then he spoke again, and the next words he said made Chelsea’s heart skip a beat.

“This may be a marriage born out of an arrangement between our two packs, but I promise you, Chelsea,” Daniel said solemnly, “that if you’re willing to enter this contract marriage with me, no one will ever hurt you again.”

Four hours after Chelsea and Daniel’s first meeting, an unknown figure slipped out of the Silverclaw Pack territory and sent a secret message as instructed.

Thirty minutes later, Anthony read the classified contents of the letter on his desk, his anger reaching its peak.

With a growl, he crushed the paper in his hand and threw it across the room.

“She really did meet up with him!” Anthony barked, fuming. “So she’s serious about marrying him, huh?”

He leaned back in his seat, glaring at the candid photograph of Chelsea and Daniel that his spy had taken for him earlier.

“Just you wait, Chelsea Moore… I’ll make you pay.”