Chapter 3 Stuck in my mind

~Keith~

My mind was filled with so many questions that I couldn’t seem to find the answers to as we went back to our Pack.

For some odd reason, my mind kept going back to the girl who my father had taken with him.

I haven’t been drawn into someone the way that I was drawn into her. And it wasn’t just me. My wolf had gotten too excited the moment our eyes clashed.

It had taken all of my powers for me to tear my eyes away from hers. And even now, I can still picture that perfect face.

Had the alpha king taken her as a maid? But then again, I know that the family that we went to wasn’t a lower-class family. The man who had given her over to my father was an alpha, and with the way the family fussed over her, I could tell that she wasn’t just a maid.

I was starting to go out of my mind and I knew that only answers to these questions would make me calm again.

“Who was that girl?”

My beta, Matt, who had been dozing beside me suddenly jerked up and looked at me. “What?”

“The girl who my father took with him…who is she?” I repeated, pretending to scroll through my phone mindlessly.

Matt’s brows furrowed slightly. “Why are you asking about her?”

“Just answer the damn question” I snapped, my patience growing thinner than usual.

He studied me for a moment before letting out a sigh. “That’s Sage.”

The name lingered in my mind like a whisper that refused to fade. I could see her face just by that name. The delicate curve of her jaw, the fire in her eyes that couldn’t quite be masked by her strict composure.

She wasn’t just beautiful; she was captivating in ways that left me restless.

It wasn’t just her beauty. It was the way she had gazed at me for the briefest moment. There’d been something in that gaze…something raw…and unspoken.

That single glance was a hook that I couldn’t shake off, and it frustrated me to no end.

I didn’t know her. Hell, I hadn’t even spoken to her, but she was there, haunting my mind like a thief.

“She’s your father’s new bride.”

My fingers froze mid-scroll and I turned to look at Matt. “What do you mean by my father's new bride?”

He shrugged. “It means, he got Sage as a new wife. You know, when a wolf has primal needs and wants to let off some steam…”

“I don’t need you to explain all of that to me,” I said, interrupting his unsolicited lecture.

This was becoming something of a habit to my father. Picking up young girls and making them his wives, then dumping them when he doesn’t feel the glamour anymore. For him, it was more of feeling younger than his age.

“I don’t know…this just doesn’t feel right. It feels like he’s just collecting these young girls at this point and then discarding them when he gets tired. How many girls has he gotten married to in the space of two years?”

“Probably around ten or thereabout,” Matt replied. “But he’s the alpha king, Keith. Nobody can refuse him. This is about power. This is about alliance through marriage. Besides, it looks like you inherited that part from him. How many girls have you played with within the last two months?”

I scowled at him deeply, but decided against responding to that. I mean, it isn’t my fault that girls find me heavily attractive.

“Isn’t she too young to be with him though? Did you see her face? She looked like she had been pushed into something she didn’t want. That kind of beauty shouldn’t be in such a relationship!”

I must have sounded more passionate than usual because Matt narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. Then he made a cut-it-out gesture and shook his head.

“No, no, no, Keith. Whatever you’re thinking, or feeling, just cut it out. Your father’s bride is off-limits. You can’t deal with the king’s fury. Sage is his property now. She’s not yours to want.”

“I’m not—"

I stopped myself, the protest dying on my lips. What was I thinking? What was I feeling?

Obsession?

Curiosity?

Something deeper?

Finally, we got to the Pack and I went straight to our house. I didn’t get a glimpse of her this time. I guess she was starting to settle into her role as my father’s wife.

In order not to bump into her, I decided to finish up some work in my office.

With the help of Matt, I was able to sort through complaints, petitions, and every single document that had been addressed to the alpha king as my father had delegated most of his authority to me and barely interfered in the works of the kingdom unless utterly necessary.

By the time I was done, the sun had gone down and shadows had started to creep in.

I stood and stretched, checking my watch to make sure that there was no way I would bump into her. Utterly convinced, I started to make my way to my room.

When I got into my room, the temperature was surprisingly hot. I was never one to heat up my room, so this was unusual.

A familiar scent lingered around, and I heard the sound of a running shower. I moved closer cautiously, wondering who the hell had the audacity to use my bathroom.

I leaned against the wall, waiting for whoever it was to come out. Soon enough, the shower stopped running.

Nothing, and I mean, nothing on earth could have prepared me for the sight that appeared before me: my father’s new bride in all her glorious nakedness, standing in front of me.