The Wolf's Bride (Pause)

Chapter 7

The sun had set by the time all the commotion started, by the time I walked out of the house on my own, when no one came to call for me. I was holding my dress just high enough not to trip on it, but not enough for anyone to see the bareness of my feet. To my surprise, everyone was fully dressed, albeit not in pompous dresses and jewellery, but no one was naked, and that was already enough for me. Not to mention, everyone wore shoes, even the children. It almost made me look like the savage one.

My foot scrunched on a stick and the lively chatter died out as everyone turned to me. I hid my wince quickly. My feet would definitely bleed after this...

I counted forty people, only four different expression on their faces. The better part of them were just curious, a smaller part were fascinated, the rest untirested, then there was my husband. Cold. Distant. Disgusted almost. His expression was the one making me want to turn around and bolt into the house. He was seated at the head of the table. It didn't help that the only empty chair was the one to his left. To his right was another woman. She hadn't turned her head to me and only gave me a passing glance when I sat down.

At important dinners hosted at our house, my mother sat to the right of her husband. And when we went on visits the wife always sat to the right of her husband. Apparently, werewolves had other customs, or the woman stealing glances at me was somehow more important to him.

I found myself smiling through the pain in my feet. It was wonderful. Maybe werewolves had multiple wives. That would've been even more wonderful. Judging by how incredible she looked wearing no fancy clothes or makeup, she could definitely keep him off my back. If the child seated next to her was theirs, I might just be in for a better life than I thought.

"Alyssa, meet my mother!" Alekin clearing his throat, breaking the silence while gesturing to the woman I was shamelessy staring at.

His... mother!? She didn't look a day older than thirty! That couldn't be possible! It was just wrong! And to have my dreams crushed like that... Preposterous!

That probably meant the little guy next to her was actually Alekin's younger brother. That was just perfect...

"Nice to meet you! I'm your son's wife!" I forced a smile as I reached a hand across the table. She gave me an incredulous look, but shook my hand.

Her grip held more strength than I had imagined, more confidence than I could ever muster. There was a long scar on her arm, begining from her wrist all the way up to her elbow. I didn't question it, but subtracted my hand from hers when it felt right to do so.

The nagging feeling that everyone was staring at me, trying to find my weak points, checking for the softest part of me to pierce with their teeth made me uneasy. I was shifting in my seat, staring long at the steak in my plate. It looked normal.

Around me, outside the anxiety cloud I was sure was hanging above my head, everyone started eating, chatting faintly feeling the air every once in a while. No questions were addressed to me, even if I knew there were a lot of questions they wanted to ask me. The children at the very least, made no attempt to hide the fact that they were staring at me.

I just kept my eyes on my plate, staring at the steak. The inside of it also looked cooked, normal. My husband was staring at me suspiciously, his eyes darting from my face to my plate. I tried to keep any expression off my face.

"It's not human." he supplied, annoyance and exasperation dripping from his short response.

Heads turned at those words, not to him, but to me, bewildered glares making me want to disappear.

It was harder to breath, the air too hot and too little even if I knew I hadn't tied the corset on too tightly. I couldn't look at him. He could've been lying, or he could've been telling the truth. It didn't make a difference. The food could still have been poisoned for all I knew. His intense staring made me bring a trembling fork to my mouth and bite down on the steak. It tasted good, delicious even. Whomever poisoned it was surely a master in his field of work. I kept eating, kept trying to keep myself levelheaded and not speak a word.