Isabella's POV

A heavy silence wrapped around me. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the handsome man before me. Alpha Alaric’s gaze felt like a predator locked onto its prey. Slowly, he licked his lips as if he were staring at a feast.

‘Wife?’ I thought. ‘What the hell is this man talking about?’

I had never even had a partner before. My life had been devoted to caring for my twin cousins. After all, I didn’t want to love someone who might just hurt me in the end. Before I could make sense of anything, Alpha Alaric immediately closed the remaining distance between us.

Without warning, he fiercely crushed his mouth to hers.

The kiss was both unbearably soft and terrifyingly intense, reaching into the deepest parts of my being. I froze, unsure. It was the first time anyone had ever kissed me. I knew I should push him away. I knew I had to. But my body seemed to hesitate.

Alpha Alaric skillfully parted my lips, his tongue hungrily seeking the taste of my mouth. He was so good at doing this, and that thought almost killed me. I heard a soft moan escape his lips, and I swore the sound he made tickled my core.

‘This isn’t right!’ I shouted to myself.

My trembling hands pressed against Alpha Alaric’s broad chest. Instinctively, I shoved him away with all the strength I could muster. He staggered backward and collapsed to the floor.

“Master!” Miss Kenton cried out, hurrying to his side.

In a flash, Beta Ryder lunged forward, seizing me by the throat and slamming me against the nearby wall. “What the fuck did you do to the Alpha?” he shouted as his grip tightened around my neck. “Speak, or die!”

I gasped, my hands clawing desperately at Ryder’s tense arms. Before I could think of a response, a growl reverberated around the room, stunning everyone.

Alpha Alaric’s frame began to tremble and shift as if something threatened to take over. His eyes gleamed, veins bulged along his arms, and his fingers elongated into sharp claws.

Swiftly, Alpha Alaric rose to his feet and swiped his hand, hurling Beta Ryder across the private office. He crashed into the wall with a sickening crunch before collapsing to the floor. Blood trickled from his nose, and his stare fell to the ground.

“Do not touch my wife!” Alpha Alaric commanded, his voice cutting through everyone’s earshot. His words seemed to shock everyone. No one dared to move, breathe, or speak at all.

Now kneeling on the floor, Beta Ryder bowed his head lower, his hands trembling at his sides. “My apologies, Alpha…” He wiped the blood from his arm, then looked away, as if ashamed of what he had done.

Alpha Alaric’s fierce gaze immediately found mine, dismissing everyone. His face eased slightly the moment he looked at me, though the beast inside him still simmered dangerously beneath the surface. His voice was low as he commanded, “Leave us…”

The guards immediately obeyed. Miss Kenton hurried to Beta Ryder's side, helping him to his feet. Ryder cast a brief glance at Alpha Alaric and me before they silently exited.

The private office now seemed to shrink around me. The silence almost suffocated me as I stood alone with Alpha Alaric. My mind raced, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. My heart thundered against my ribs, and the taste of his mouth still burned on my lips.

‘I have no idea what’s happening,’ I thought, ‘but I hate this. I hate all of it.’

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. I desperately hoped that this was all just a terrible dream. That soon, I would wake up to the familiar sight of Aunt Eva and the twins. But when I opened my eyes again, harsh reality crashed over me. This was my new truth now.

Alpha Alaric was already taking a slow step toward me. His intense gaze locked firmly onto mine. And his face revealed nothing at all to assure me that everything would be alright.

I wanted to speak, to demand answers, but only soft breaths left my trembling lips. I had been transported into a world I couldn’t understand, bound to a man I didn’t even know.

But still, there was something between us. It was a pull I couldn’t name, a current that unsettled me to my very core.

‘What is this?’ I wondered, my heart pounding in my chest. ‘What am I feeling?’

When only an inch separated us, Alpha Alaric slowly lifted his hand. Instinctively, I took a quick step back. Something crossed Alpha Alaric’s face as he watched me flinch away. His brows drew together.

“I will never harm you.” His voice softened. “You must believe that.”

A small part of me wanted to believe him. To trust that, despite everything, he really meant it. But trust was not something I gave easily, not after everything life had taken from me. I clenched my fists as I finally found the courage to say, “W-what do you want from me?”

"I want you to understand who you are," he said softly. "And what you truly mean to me."

I swallowed hard, biting my lips. I tensed as I edged farther away from him. "I don't have to," I said.

Alpha Alaric’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

"But you are my wife," he insisted, as if he were speaking what his heart could not.

My chest tightened at the sight of him, finally realizing what had happened. This guy they called Alpha Alaric seemed to struggle against the broken pieces of a memory that didn’t exist. A part of me pitied him. But I couldn’t feed into a lie, no matter how desperate he seemed. This could be just another trap.

"I’m not your wife," I said gently, almost apologetically. "I'm just a maid here.” I looked away from his gaze. “Nothing more..."

Alpha Alaric’s frown deepened, and his striking features darkened. He shook his head slowly, as if trying to shake off a fog that refused to lift.

"No... that can’t be right," he murmured, licking his glistening lips before raking a hand through his hair. "I know you. I feel it... deep inside me."

My back hit the wall with a soft thud. I clenched my fists at my sides. "I'm sorry," I said through gritted teeth. "But it’s the truth."

Alpha Alaric didn’t seem to hear me. Or maybe he simply refused to. Instead, he moved closer, and his mere presence overwhelmed my thoughts. His hand then rose to cup my chin gently. His touch was so tender, almost calming my limbs and lulling me to sleep.

Slowly, he tilted my head upward, forcing me to meet his gaze one more time.

For a long moment, Alpha Alaric didn’t move, just taking his moment. “Don’t lie to me,” he whispered near my ear. “I can feel it. There’s something between us… something real. It’s as if you were meant to be mine.”

The longing in his eyes softened my heart. Alpha Alaric leaned forward, towering over me, his lips mere inches from mine. Despite the storm swirling inside my chest, I didn’t move. I stood my ground, placing a trembling hand on his chest to gently push him away.

“Please,” I whispered. “I can’t do this.”

Alpha Alaric paused, his eyes searching mine. “Who… who am I?” he murmured, as if desperate to find himself in my gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I added quickly, my heart almost leaping out of my throat. “But I really need to go now.”

I began to turn away. I knew I had to escape from all this. I didn’t want to involve myself here anyway. Besides, he hadn’t hurt me yet, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that someday he might.

After all, Alpha Alaric was the Master. The one I had been warned to avoid at all costs. My gaze flickered away from him, fixating instead on the nearby door.

But before I could even take a step, Alpha Alaric’s legs gave way beneath him. His body swayed, and he clutched his head. He staggered for a moment, groaning hoarsely, until he collapsed to the floor.

“Alpha!” I cried out as I hurried to his side. I knelt beside him, my hands shaking as I gently shook his shoulders, but there was no response. “Someone, please help!” My voice cracked as I cradled his head in my lap.

The door flew open, and several servants and guards rushed inside, led by Beta Ryder and Miss Kenton. Their faces hardened at the sight of Alpha Alaric’s frame sprawled on the floor.

I reached out to him, brushing a stray lock of hair from his sweaty forehead. My fingers lingered on his skin, which was now cold to the touch. Something was terribly wrong.

“Lilia!” Beta Ryder barked to someone.

Immediately, a middle-aged woman knelt beside me, her hands already moving to check Alpha Alaric’s pulse. “What happened?” she asked urgently.

“He… he just collapsed,” I murmured.

Lilia’s brow furrowed as she gently lifted one of Alpha Alaric’s eyelids, inspecting his eye. Then, her attention shifted to his lips, which were taking on a faint blue tint.

“This isn’t natural,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly glanced at me, then at Miss Kenton and Beta Ryder. “I fear Alpha Alaric has been poisoned.”