Chapter 5

Ophelia

"Nice name you've got. I love your hair and eyes. The deepest shade of green I've ever seen. Where did you get to dye your hair perfectly?" Ivy asked, staring at my hair with fascination. My hair and eyes were what I loved most about me, and my head swelled with pride at her question, even though her look made me somewhat uncomfortable. "Was this how friends were to behave?" I thought.

Alpha Floral must have sensed my discomfort as he interrupted Ivy's questioning. I heaved a sigh of relief secretly. Everything was moving too fast for me, and I just wanted to lie down and think them through.

"Would you like to stay here for a while as you continue your search? Of course, you can leave whenever you want." The Alpha said. My eyes lit up with happiness. I needed a roof over my head, and this might be the lucky place.

"Of course, Alpha Floral. Thank you so much." He nodded in response as Ivy held my hands with joy.

"Let me take you to your new room. Trust me, you're gonna enjoy your stay here, Ophelia. Can I call you Lia? Ophelia seems mouthful."

"Of course, you can."

"That's sweet of you. We need to get this grease from you, and then I will take you on a tour around the pack, " she said, smiling cheekily. Her smile was contagious, and I flashed her a smile in response. She stopped to stare at me, making my smile turn awkward.

"Is there anything on my face?" I asked, feeling unsure as I subconsciously patted my face.

"Of course not. You are really beautiful. Even the dirt on your face can't hide that." She answered, her eyes sparkling, which made me blush.

"Huh…thank you, I guess. You look absolutely breathtaking too." I said.

"Thank you, Lia. Come, let's get you settled. It must have been pure torture staying with those brutes." She said, I didn't know how to reply, so I said nothing, allowing her to continue.

As she led me, I noticed people staring at us or me, which felt strange. It was weird seeing so many people and their piercing eyes on me.

"Everyone's curious about who the new visitor of the pack is." Ivy answered my unspoken question.

"How did the Jews get to them so fast?" I asked, not getting it. Ivy laughed at my confused expression.

"Through the pack's mind link." She answered. "Because you are not part of a pack, that is your reason for being confused. Every wolf is inducted into a pack by swearing in ceremony and blood oath. The blood oath makes the Alpha of a pack to be able to open a link in everyone's mind, making everyone one in the pack to communicate even from far distance as long as the person is still living and as long as they are within the pack area." Ivy explained. I nodded in understanding. I seemed to have read about something like that, but I didn't think it'd be real.

"Must be nice. Does that mean you can read everyone's thoughts?" I cringed at the thought. That was an invasion of privacy.

"Yes and no. Yes, in the case that you didn't put up your wall to block everyone from hearing your thoughts. You know, that imaginary wall you put up to block out your wolf." She explained.

"Oh. That's a relief," I said as we entered a big building. It looked different from my usual cottage. The inside was cool and painted, making me seem out of place. On the walls were photographs of men and women, probably their old Alphas and Lunas, the pictures much older than the others.

The living room was big and arranged with armchairs and an oversized centre table.

"Yeah, I know, right? Most people come here. Wait till you see the kitchen and dining area. Let me show you to your room. Although it was prepared on very short notice, I think you'd like it." Ivy said joyously, taking hold of my left hand and pulling me up the stairs. By the time we got up, I was already panting. Running through the woods is much more relaxing. I wondered who the heck invented stairs.

We stopped in front of a room, and immediately, the door opened, and a young woman came out, smiling upon seeing us.

"Miss Ivy, I just finished preparing the room. Welcome, Miss. I hope you enjoy your stay here, " she said brightly before moving out of the way.

"Thank you, Miss." I said, flashing her a smile. She looked startled and stared at me. "Are my teeth yellow? I don't think it's been up to a week since I last brushed? These people are weird." I concluded.

"Thank you, Maria. You can leave," Ivy said, pushing herself and me into the room and closing the door. I looked around the room and loved it instantly. A queen-sized bed was placed at the centre of the room, covered and draped with white and blue bedding. On the wall were huge windows with white curtains surrounding them. The room was simple, and I loved it instantly.

"This is where you would stay. You can re-decorate it if you don't like anything. And also, my room is just down the hallway."

"I love it this way. Huh…I think I need to use the bathroom." I said. Ivy eyed me up and down before nodding in agreement.

"Yep. You definitely need to."

"And yes, you were talking about the lycanthrope king. Can you tell me more about him?" I yelled, not knowing why I did so. It wasn't in my nature to keep prying on something I knew the other party didn't want to discuss, but I was strangely interested in him. Her face visibly paled at my question, the look in her eyes similar to a horrified one.