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.

"Shut it! You have the audacity to sleep with Asta, right? I'll demonstrate to you who is more deserving of him!" When the female had barely lifted her hands to smack me, my heart started sending out warning signals. What exactly was going on? After having just finished the mating ritual with Asta, this other individual ended up making such a huge issue in front of me!

When something like this occurred, I had just made the decision to embrace the new life I had been given. Should I have known better than to agree to Asta's proposition for the mating ritual? My heart couldn't help but race with questions while I tried to ignore them. I attempted to coax some sense into this young lady by pursing my lips. "Why don't you give him a call, Madam? Do you not believe it would be more effective to inquire directly about the person he envisioned spending the rest of his life with?"

The woman laughed and said, "Sure, phone him, and then I'll tell him to toss you out!" The girl scoffed at him and replied, "Sure, call him!"

My shoulders were able to relax. At long last, I found a female who was willing to pay attention to what I had to say. This was the only answer I could think of at the time. I hope he won't disappoint me. If he did it...then it's possible that today will be my final day in this place. If I were you, Asta, I would tell you to go as far away from me as possible.

Why did I all of a sudden experience a jolt of disappointment when I thought of him?

After entering, I made a fleeting glance in the direction of the woman who was waiting at the entrance. "Do as you want; you're in good company." It's possible that if I do this, this girl will finally understand that I am the one who currently owns this property.

"There's no need for you to say it to me!" The young lady sat down on the sofa and pretended as if it were her very own home. "Regardless of whether or not I end up getting married to Asta, I want to continue living here."

I scratched the top of my head. There is no use in attempting to reason with this girl since she won't listen. I just headed in the direction of the bedroom and picked up the card that was sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. On the piece of paper was a series of numbers typed out in a row.

After I had phoned the number, the other party answered the call immediately. Even though his voice was icy, he nevertheless managed to exude a certain amount of warmth. "Hello, do you need anything brought home by me while I'm on my way back?" My heart skipped a beat all of a sudden as a result of his gentlemanly actions.

"No." I used my fingers to swirl my hair around and around. "There's a female who called herself your girlfriend...," the other person said

The other side became quiet for a few seconds, which made me feel quite uneasy. Why did he remain so quiet? Did he not wish to set the record straight on this misunderstanding? Were they indeed dating each other at the time? My mind was filled with questions, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy about everything. It wasn't like I was starting to develop feelings for this man, but I was a lady with strong moral convictions. Why did he choose to mate with me if he still had a partner if he just showed up at the mating ritual all of a sudden? But before I could go any farther with my thoughts on this topic, I heard his voice once again. "I am going to go back home. Hold on a second." After then, he ended the call by hanging up.

After just a minute had passed, I found myself sitting uncomfortably on the sofa in the living room with one guy beside me having his arms around my waist and another person staring at me angrily. This was a really uncomfortable situation.

"What brings you to this place?" The tone of Asta's words had taken on an icy quality as he fixed his gaze intently on the young woman seated in front of me. The way he handled me was completely different from the way he treated this other female, which was like night and day.

"Astu, sweetheart, why are you acting like this?" The young woman's voice abruptly changed pitch, and I found myself wondering whether or not this was the same person who had come to caution me earlier. It was impossible for me to confuse this voice with the one I was used to hearing; there was just too much of a difference. The rapidity with which this girl could shift her demeanor left me feeling with though I were looking at a chameleon in the flesh. After that, the girl changed her position and struck a new posture, exposing her chest in the process. "If your goal was to incite envy in me, you have undoubtedly been successful. Why don't you just throw her out of the house?"

The arms of Asta wrapped more tightly around my waist. "I'm the leader of this group, the Alpha. Why don't you give some respect to the person who is in charge? You are well aware that my patience has its limits."

The girl seemed to be speechless. She behaved as though she couldn't believe what he had said, and tears flowed freely from her eyes as a result. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse in my chest as I thought about what I had done. Am I to understand that I just walked in on two lovers? Asta got the impression that she was honest. If they were really in love with one another, I would just inform him that I would go, and he wouldn't even have to worry about the mating rite. To my amazement, however, at that that moment, I felt a set of warm lips brush across my ears, which caused me to jump. "What exactly are you pondering?"