Chapter 24|The Legendary Forest.

**ISABELLE'S POV.

From the day Old Beatriz told me about the predicament Alexander was in my soul burned to the core. My position as the total outcast in their home made my soul ache from the dilemma we all were in. To top it all off, she told me the most vital and important to do was to avoid him altogether until time gave way to truth.

My brows scrunched tight at her words, they weren't straightforward for a person to comprehend easily. She did her best in assuring me that everything was going to be well as long as both I and Alexander cooperated with her demands. She said it was as necessary as the very air we breathe in.

She succeeded in cooling me down but failed in doing the same to the burning organ in my chest. It was in a scorching type of pain that was too much to bear.

When she suggested I be presented to the Pack as their guest I felt uncertain, What if everyone hated me? What if they found it hard to welcome strangers that weren't of their type? All sorts of questions went jumbling up and about in my head until I felt it pounding relentlessly with a terrible ache.

Francis' presence doused the fire in my chest, his charm was apparent as well as his acceptance of my presence there. I couldn't say the same for Alexander's Delta who was polite but distant as well as his Brother, Lucas, he was too indifferent towards me as though I didn't exist. The woman on Alexander's arm though shot daggers at me across the dinner table. Seeing how some members of the Pack welcomed me made me feel less tensed and more comfortable but definitely not remotely close to how comfortable I was in the Forest of Eyre.

"You should get some rest, you've been doing the same thing for the past three hours." Old Bea placed a hand softly over my left shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Being in any place that's not the forest gets me pensive, I lived there for quite some time alone and with only the company of all things natural. Parting with it feels hard."

Old Bea smiled and took a seat beside me taking both my hands in her gnarled yet soft ones.

"My sweet little girl, the Forest of Eyre's name makes others shake of fear while it makes your eyes lit whenever you speak of it. Was it really accomodating to you?"

My cheeks pinkened as I thought of how it was before Alexander came and how it became while he was there. It certainly felt different but I cannot imagine how anyone else could be afraid of it.

"You know those who had the privilege of being there and coming out alive are but a few." She explained.

"Why is that?" I asked unable to put a damper on my curiosity.

She released a sigh before speaking. "According to our forefather's tales it was the place where the first Werewolf Pack was created when rogues from all over came together to create a Clan for protection purposes and to grow their brood. There were wolves, faeries and witches. Gradually black magic evolved and was used by the wolves who grew power hungry to own the highest rank of the hierarchy to lead. That time the Alpha was a wolf of course but he had the same powers as the leader of both the Faeries and the Witches. A group of wolves from a community attacked the faeries who were the minority, this created a separation between the creatures and so two Packs were formed, one in support of the faeries and the other in support of the Wolves." She paused to take a deep breath as I stared intently at her, drawn deep into the story I could literally envision it fascinatingly.

"The wolves that supported the Faeries were backed up by most of the Witches while a few supported the rebelling Pack. They decided to divide the forest into two, one half was for Werewolves mainly to have superior powers and full authority to reign while the other half's Wolves, Witches and Faeries ruled side by side. The rebellion Pack was named The Octagon while the other was named The Pack of Eyre after the forest. The members of the former Pack began to war among themselves, in no time they were subdivided into clots of Packs until there was five different packs in total, their witches fought against them forming a Clan of their own, they fought hard until their land was soiled with too much blood. An edict came for them to desert the forest for they had tainted it with too much blood. Vexated, the leader demanded the half of the Pack of Eyre when no crop grew from their land and all their sources of water dried up. When the Alpha of the Pack of Eyre helped them they made a pact to take him down but he was too strong for them and so the two packs fought for the last time until most of the members surrendered to the Pack Of Eyre's warriors." She paused to take a deep breath.

"Those who refused to bow were exiled from the Forest of Eyre and so they dispatched themselves into several states with leaders of their own. The Alpha of the Pack of Eyre had Eight sons, to avoid them fighting themselves over the leadership of his Pack at his deathbed he commanded them to create Eight packs of their own individually and take with them the members of his pack before swearing to the earth that the Pack of Eyre dies at his death and so they did. They created the Bane Pack, Lichen Pack, Blood-Rose Pack, De Luca Pack, Silver Dawn Pack, West Pack, Storm Pack and the Gold Ivy Pack. These Packs are connected to their roots." My brows went up at the story. I was enamored.

"After his death, annual carnivals were held in the forest of Eyre and mates are found, executions were carried out on the soil of the Octagon Pack's side of the forest while the other was void of anything vile. War between the Storm Pack and the Lichen Pack made the Forest of Eyre halt from accomodating anyone and whenever it did that person got stuck unless in situations as yours, if the trapped person finds their mates. But on the Octagon Pack's side, no wolf or human has ever crossed its border and came out alive so both you and the Alpha were lucky to have found each other at the time you did which was the most vital." She clicked her tongue.

"The question that has me wondering though is how you came to be in the Forest in the first place and to have lived for so long in peace and tranquil without meeting anyone but Alexander." Old Bea took both of my hands in hers squeezing softly without applying pressure. "We'll uncover each and every mystery attached to you my dear. I promise you this but firstly you need to trust me and avoid Alexander for the time being, I know it hurts but it'll hurt more if you stayed with him."

All I could do was nod as my brain found it hard to comprehend all of her words. The forest of Eyre was a mythical legend of its own and my being there is a bombshell of a mystery.

Both I and the old woman rose up from the ottoman simultaneously, she headed towards the large mahogany doors and paused to remind me to make sure I ate dinner before walking past the doors that separated my temporary room to the corridor.

Once she was out I plopped unto the bed with my hands across my face wondering what life I lived in.



......


Lucas let his eyes stay rooted on the woman clad in a green body fitting dress that stopped at her knees. He was both fascinated by her presence and annoyed at the reaction she evokes in him. The situation was already complicated without him catching feelings for his brother's intended. There were too many questions surrounding the betrothal as well as his brother's newly found mate.

He kept everything behind him as he made his way to Arabella who sensed his presence even before he made it known. There was something about his scent that had her senses reeling. Not on the negative.

"Hello Princess." He greeted and she fought against the urge to roll her eyes at the name he chose to call her despite her protests. The urge won against to pull not to.

"I thought we agreed to be on first name terms not on titles 'cuz if I can remember clearly, you have none now."

Hs visibly winced at her words. "Well, wasn't my idea to leave you in the dark. But it seems that my brother has cleared things up."

"Well he has. You and Alexander have not much in common." She pursed her lips at her observation sizing him up from what her dark shaded sunglasses could let her see. He might not be as masculine as his brother was but he definitely measured up in good looks. Both were smashing.

"You already on first name basis?" He asked, the skin between his brows pulling taut.

"Well yeah, he's the man I'm marrying so there's no need for titles or anything. No need to be formal." She took her sunglasses off in time to see him glaring into space. Wordlessly, Arabella began to make her way back into the Manor where the air wasn't filled with his scent so she could breath properly without fighting against the temptation to do more than merely breathe in it.

Lucas stared at her retreating form wondering what had her moving away before he gave an answer to her question.

"You can't just get rid of my presence easily princess." He was both glad and irritated at the chore assigned to him by his brother. He was glad to be in her presence and irritated to know that she was seeing herself as his brother's intended and not his anymore.

Lucas gritted his teeth at that before following in the trail she used to head into the house forming a plan in his head.