CHAPTER THREE

FIONA'S P.O.V.

I woke at six in the morning to prepare for the journey. I'd heard that guards had been sent to the house prepared for me in the human realm so that when I arrived, I could settle in.

Getting up from my bed, I saw that Ina had picked out some clothes for me to wear. I took a long bath, then got dressed in the red long-sleeved dress with a brown jacket and boots.

After getting dressed, I went downstairs to eat with my parents, brothers, and best friends.

"Good morning, Fiona. Are you ready for the journey?" my father asked, still looking worried.

"Morning, everyone. Yes, I'm well rested and prepared to go to the human realm," I told them as I sat down to eat.

After finishing my meal, I went to my room to get some of my clothes, which I had packed in a black bag, then handed it over to one of the guards who would go ahead to prepare the house and transportation.

I wasn't leaving until six in the evening since it would be dark by then, and I would raise less suspicion in case people were around the area. We'd been informed that there were people living near the forest where I would be teleported, and since we didn't want to risk them seeing me, I would go in the evening.

When it was finally time to leave, we went to the portal that would take me to the human realm, and my parents bid me goodbye. My brothers and Jeremy wished me luck, while Ina cried like a baby and said she was going to miss me.

I wasn't going to die, so there was really nothing to worry about, but she seemed to think otherwise. The elders opened the portal, and I entered it only to be blinded by bright white and blue colors. I felt like I was floating in the air. After a while, I felt solid ground beneath my feet and opened my eyes, only to close them again because my sight was blurry.

After opening my eyes for the second time, I looked around and saw that I was indeed in a forest with lots of trees. All that was left was for me to leave the forest and meet the guard who would take me to the safe house.

After walking for about five minutes, I smelled something strange in the air—quite different from the smell of plants and dirt. Trust me, dragons have a great sense of smell.

I continued walking but heard something that sounded like a growl. Hmm, weird. I didn't know wild animals lived in this forest. Well, I could handle myself if I ran into any wild beasts, so I ignored the sound and continued walking.

I heard rustling in the bushes behind me, and when I looked back, two men emerged. The first man had black hair, blue eyes, and was quite tall. He looked at me with caution, but I didn't care, so I looked at the other guy.

He was taller than the first by a few inches. He had blonde hair and brown eyes that narrowed immediately when they met mine. Okay, they were showing hostility, so I folded my arms across my chest and stared at them.

After seeing my defensive position, they looked at each other, then back at me, before the blonde guy finally broke the silence. "Hi, what's your name? And what are you doing here?"

Deeming it rude not to reply, I answered him. "I'm Fiona, and I'm just passing by. I'll be leaving now."

The first guy smirked at me, then said, "Sorry, but you're not going anywhere."

I really was starting to consider roasting them to crisps, but I remembered that I couldn't reveal what I was to humans, and I couldn't cause trouble either.

Instead of going with my initial plan of roasting them, I resorted to asking, "What do you mean? Why can't I leave?"

"Well, you're in our territory, so technically you're trespassing, and we have to take you to the Alpha to decide if you're dangerous," said the blonde guy.

"Alpha? Your leader is a wolf?" I asked, confused. They looked at each other for some time as if having a silent conversation before the black-haired one answered my question.

He laughed before giving me a reply. "No, our leader is a man. We just call him Alpha as a form of respect, and we need to take you to him now."

If I refused, then it would seem like I was hiding something—which I was—but I didn't want them knowing that, so the best option was to follow them to their so-called Alpha.

"Okay, let's go. But first, what are your names?" I asked.

They both looked surprised, like they were expecting me to refuse, but I wouldn't do that. The blonde guy said his name was Jace, and the black-haired guy was Mark.

Jace led the way with me behind him and Mark bringing up the rear. After walking for a while, we came to a clearing with several houses and some huge buildings, but none was as big as the one in the middle, which was the largest.

It was like a castle, but a modern one—the opposite of my castle in the Dragon Realm—and I couldn't help but stop and stare at it. I was still staring until the blonde guy told me to follow him.

We went inside the biggest house, and I saw so many people who all stared at me as we passed them. But I didn't care because I was too busy staring at the designs all around the house: the gold staircase we were climbing, the colors of red and gold on the walls, the paintings, and the furniture. They were all so beautiful and elegant to me.

After many flights of stairs, we reached the top and turned right before heading to a closed door, which I guessed was the Alpha's office.

My guess was right when Jace knocked on the door and a deep voice said to come in. The voice made something tingle inside me, and I wondered who it belonged to.

Upon entering the room, I saw a man sitting behind a desk. When he looked up at me, I got a good view of his features.

He had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and looked pretty muscular from what I could see. I noticed something about his eyes immediately when they landed on me. They seemed to turn d

arker, and he stood up sharply before muttering one word: "Mate."