After giving it some more consideration, I came to the conclusion that my strategy was sound.

"The Forest pack trip will start very soon." After a lengthy period of stillness, Asta made the decision to speak out. "The trip will take about four hours to complete. If you feel the need to revitalize yourself, feel free to do so."

Four hours?! I pressed my lips together. From the city, it was a six-hour bus ride out to the mating camp where I was staying. If I were to hold my pee for another four hours, there is a good chance that I might pass out from the strain. It's possible that Asta was correct. I nodded, and then I went in the direction of the ladies' room.

After waiting for five minutes, I cleaned my hands and was about to leave when I came into contact with another person. Seriously! What was it with me that caused me to run into folks almost every time I emerged from the restroom? I fell backwards, scratched my nose, and bowed to the mystery man standing there. "Please forgive me!" I didn't even dare to move my head to look at his face, but there was something off about the way he smelled. Due to the fact that I'm a werewolf, I've always had a heightened sense of smell. Therefore, I was able to discern that this man was not Asta.

But I should have known better-who would have believed the person who came before me wouldn't make things easy for me?

"Watch where you're going, you sassy little thing!" The guy spoke in a harsh manner.

I dipped my chin and pursed my lips in response to her question. "I am very sorry. I had no idea you were going to show up!"

"Are you unable to see? I just finished making a call while leaning against the wall. And you simply struck me. Do you want to die?!"

My body jerked in response to his stern reprimanding of me. "I-I'm so sorry, I completely missed you!"

The guy snorted in derision. "You naive little whore. Have I got this right, that you did this on purpose? I have to educate you on this subject."

My eyes widened as I observed his feet approaching from a closer distance. What kind of move was this man going to make?! First, I had a chance encounter with Asta, who ultimately decided to make me his mate. And now, I've run across someone who believes that I did this on purpose to aggravate him, and it's happened to me! Why did my day seem to keep getting worse and worse?

I had the impression that the guy was about to put their hand up, but then someone rushed up behind him, grabbed both of his arms, and yanked him back with such force that he was actually flung in the other direction. The guy yelled as he dropped to the ground, and as he did so, his back ran into the next wall. He supported the arm that was shaking so badly that it seemed to be fractured with the other hand. As he scowled at the guy who had rescued me, the expression on his face deepened. That would be Asta.

"Alpha Ernest, I believe you have a desire to end your own life." When Asta stated that, she had an icy tone to her voice that sent shivers down my spine. But when he took me outside, he did not pause for a moment to pay attention to the other guy.

I had not yet come out of my haze. Was he the Alpha Ernest we were looking for? Who was this person that all the young werewolf females admired for his good looks?! It was hard for me to imagine that someone with such a prominent public profile could have such a cold heart. When I contrasted Asta's demeanor with that of this other person, I couldn't help but draw my lips into a tight line. Simply put, the distance between them was insurmountable!

After a period of four hours, I discovered that I was standing in front of a golden gate that was adorned with many pink and red flowers. When I saw it, I was really taken aback. Someone unlocked the gate and shouted, "Alpha is here!" when the gate was opened.

When they heard many gasps, everyone stuck their heads outside to see what was going on. I bowed my head in submission. I had no idea that these individuals would design the space with such attention to detail. The path that went inside was covered in a crimson carpet, and there was a road that led there. On top of the red carpet, there was a scattering of flower petals that extended across the floor all the way to a home in the rear that had two stories. A glistening fountain could be seen to my right, and chairs could be found all around it. There were still several old folks sitting over it, but their eyes were glued on Asta the whole time. Everyone, including the little ones and the old, was clothed in clean clothes. There were rows of residences on the left side. With Asta's direction, we were able to navigate our way to the first home on the left amid the buildings.

"That building," Asta said as she pointed to a structure in the distance that had two stories. "This is where our pack gets together, and this is where we eat," he said as he pointed toward the first residence. "Is where I call home."

After Asta, I followed her inside the room, only to discover that it was quite strange. It was very much out of the ordinary. Whenever I moved my eyes from one area to another, all I could see were artifacts that were either hung on the wall or set on the table for the purpose of adornment. Since he had purchased the sofas, I got the impression that no one had ever sat on them since they were so spotlessly clean. The walls were covered with stunning abstract pictures, most of which were red in hue. In addition, there was a humongous television in the living room.

After seeing his home, the only thing that kept running through my head was, "How opulent! However, it seems that he does not own anything that has a purpose other than to adorn his home.

I was extremely awake, so I just lay there on the bed and stared at the starry ceiling above me. I got the strangest thought for a second that maybe I had somehow wandered into a planetarium. I made a face at the wall while I did so because I was thinking that notion at the same time. Regardless of how lovely the scene was, I was unable to get any rest here.

Oh, how I long for my stuffed animal! I just can't go to sleep if Kelly isn't here!

When I thought about where I lived, I couldn't help but feel sad. I want to go asleep surrounded by the comforting aroma of my bed! My mother is still unaware of what took place during the mating rite since I have not yet informed her. It's a good thing I didn't live with her since I left our apartment exactly one year ago to move into a dorm room with other students. If it weren't for that, I'm very sure she would have gone crazy and phoned me a thousand times by now. Even more surprising is the fact that she had no idea I would be attending the mating rite.

When I was thinking about it, I couldn't help but let out a moan. My mother was one of those individuals who unquestioningly believed the allegations about Asta. She thought she knew her best friend. She had a healthy amount of dread and respect for this individual. After learning about my predicament, I was curious about her reaction and how it would play out. Even just thinking about it made me feel like I had no control over the situation. Do you now realize that it wasn't truly my fault at all? How could I ever compete against a strong and powerful male like Asta?

In any case, I didn't have a father there to watch out for me. I was unable to voice my displeasure to anybody and tell them that I did not want to be married to a man who had scared the very daylights out of me the first time we met. If others were in my position, maybe they could communicate with higher-ranking family members or acquaintances, but I was unable to do so.

That was the reason why I couldn't find my teddy bear. It was the last gift that my father had ever given me. After seeing the nurses pull my father's lifeless corpse, I found it very difficult to fall or stay asleep that night. It seemed as if he had passed away from a heart attack. Who would have guessed that a werewolf could pass away in such a manner?

When I thought about it, I let out a sigh and turned to face the window. The fact that Asta would not allow me any feeling of privacy was an additional source of frustration for me. Even in my own bedroom, I couldn't find a place to sleep. But he simply showed me around and gave me freedom to do anything I wanted, with only one warning: I had to sleep on his bed tonight. Of course, I had anticipated Asta to force upon me, but he just showed me around and gave me freedom to do whatever I wanted.

At first, I was terrified throughout the day and would jump at the slightest provocation. If a loud noise came from the television, it would cause me to startle and cause me to spill the cup of coffee. After that, I would look over and see Asta shaking his head, looking helpless.

As soon as I recalled what had happened, I reflexively covered my face. How could I have done anything that would make me seem so foolish?

And most significantly, the members of Asta's pack were infamous for being known for their ruthlessness and harsh nature. Although I had no way of knowing whether or not that was the case, I couldn't help but feel unsafe in this location. My mind was racing with so many different ideas that it was difficult for me to sleep or even just shut my eyes and relax. Even though I knew that wasn't the case, whenever I cast a peek toward the open window, I couldn't help but have the impression that someone was spying on me from outside.

Damn! I had completely lost my mind! After pursing my lips, I moved up to the entrance after first discarding the blanket and then closing the window. Finally, I went inside. I believe you said it was locked. If someone wanted to murder me, they wouldn't come at night, would they? Simply entertaining the idea was sufficient to induce a feeling of dread inside me. I was so terrified that I couldn't help but shake. It was a really poor decision on your part to consent to Asta's marriage. I should have simply run away for my own safety and lived a solitary existence away from any pack, but I didn't do that. While I was thinking, I gently made my way to the door and attempted to open it in the usual manner, but I found that it was locked. As I let out a sigh of relief, I also made sure to relax my shoulders. My heartbeat became more manageable once I rubbed my chest. "I had absolutely no reason to be concerned."

"What exactly are you up to?"

After being startled by that sound, I turned around to see Asta looking at me with her eyes furrowed in concentration. He had not moved from where he was resting on his bed as he put his hands on top of his head. "Go back to sleep," the voice said.

That evening, I had no idea what possessed me to act the way that I did. I simply couldn't help but tell the whole truth. "I-I'm terrified. I need my teddy bear." As soon as I accidentally let it go, I quickly covered my mouth with both of my hands. How could I ever say such a thing? When in the world did I become so direct?! As I turned my head away from you, I pursed my lips into a narrow line. My first encounter gave the impression that I was a young girl who was easily terrified. And at this point, my behavior demonstrated that I was not only terrified, but also insane enough to check whether the door was locked in the middle of the night and blurt out that I required a teddy bear to be able to sleep.

After meeting Asta, was I going to lose my mind? I had the want to just go ahead and bury myself! At this, I couldn't help but feel a little red in the face.

After taking in my appearance, Asta most likely had some pity. After that, he stood up, walked over to the cabinet that was to my right, and grabbed something out of it. It was a worn out stuffed animal bear. The color seemed to be so murky that I was unable to determine what color it really was since there were foams coming off it everything. My eyes betrayed a little flicker of uncertainty. Even though I had a routine of sleeping with a teddy bear, I wasn't very concerned with keeping that item! It seemed as if years had passed since the last time it had been cleaned!

But as soon as I seen the icy expression on Asta's face, whatever reluctance I had vanished, and I went ahead and grabbed the teddy bear. I pursed my lips together and said, "...It's quite nice." with some reluctance. I lied. I couldn't tell this person that I didn't want this sort of teddy bear because if I had declined his offer, I had a feeling that he would have simply murdered me right there and then. Therefore, I couldn't tell him that I didn't want this kind of teddy bear. The very concept of that made me quake, and I clung to the toy even more tightly.

A satisfied expression appeared on Asta's face, and she nodded. "This is the teddy bear that I cuddled with when I was a youngster," I said.

Is it the reason why this teddy bear seemed to be this way? I swiftly shook my head as I gazed down at this toy and saw a younger version of Asta clutching onto it as I did so. I then looked up again. That picture was just too strange to even consider! I find it hard to believe that such a terrible person as Asta would do anything like this. It's possible that this person was only trying to cheer me up by saying it to me.

The next day, I spent the day by myself at home. The only thing I could recall was Asta walking out the door and hesitating in the middle of his steps. "I'm going to go away, but I'll be back for supper," she said.

I confirmed this with a nod and then headed to the kitchen. At this point in time, it was impossible for me to avoid being preoccupied with my own thoughts. In spite of the fact that I was terrified of Asta, I couldn't help but relax my defenses. After we were married, he treated me quite nicely, and he didn't do anything that may have made me feel uncomfortable or humiliated. Even yet, he maintained his distance at all times!

Perhaps he wasn't as awful as he seemed. At that very moment, the oven beeped. I got up and went over there before turning it off. When the doorbell rang, I had just put on the gloves and was going to take the food out of the cabinet when I tightened my hold on the handle. I was taken aback, and I grimaced thereafter. It was reported that Asta wouldn't show there before supper. The question is, who was it? Did he omit anything important? I made a beeline for the living room and opened the door, only to be greeted by the sight of a lovely woman standing there. It would be an understatement to say that she had a lovely face. Her hair was a silvery gray tint, and it was resting on her shoulders as her blue eyes peered intently at me. As soon as she had seen me, the look on her face changed into one that seemed to be distorted, and she suddenly became enraged.

"How dare you? Do you recognize the owner of this house?"

I cocked my head to the side in bewilderment. I had no trouble recognizing whose home it was at all! How could I have been so ignorant? But what was the motivation behind this woman's statements? And, what is of utmost importance, who was she? "I know."

"And you can yet have enough self-respect to call this place home? Keep in mind that you simply participated in a mating rite; it's not like he received a marriage license!"

Have I got these two confused with anything else? Even though I was more perplexed than before, I maintained my silence. I didn't want to infuriate her any more than she already was, so I refrained from saying anything. After viewing my appearance, she gave off the impression that she was irate for some reason. Did anything become stuck to the side of my face? I touched it, but I couldn't detect any sensation. It was business as usual for me. So why was she acting so angry? I couldn't hold back the words any longer. What is your name?

"Just who am I? I'm Asta's girlfriend!"

I was taken aback, and I remained there in a stupor, looking blankly at the girl who was standing in front of me. Was it simply my imagination, or did I just hear anything regarding Asta's girlfriend? My ears seem to be humming. I cocked my head to the side in bewilderment.

It's possible that the look of confusion on my face made this woman even more irate. Instantaneously, she seized hold of my wrist.

"Hey-" When I started to speak, she interrupted me with her very loud voice and stopped me in my tracks.