His face had a saint smile and it did nothing but vex me, “You are a very delusional man Fang!” It was stupid of him to expect that he could use me to get to the crown or even that I would consider taking him as my partner in future.

Fang turned towards me with one hand in his pocket, “If that is what you think it is, but people who know me will tell you how goal-oriented person I am. I get what I want, by any means possible, little one” His feet took slow steps towards me and my back was against the trunk in no time, but he did not come too close, “Don’t you want the fruit? I guess I should tell you the price then”

My hazel eyes glared at him with intentions to kill if I get a chance. If he would have told it to me a few minutes ago it could have been done with. “I do not wish to fulfil any of your selfish wishes!”

There was a noise from the tree below and in mere seconds a young boy climbed up the tree, he surely came here after inspecting an unexpected fruit on the ground that Fang had thrown, after which the proximity made my scent evident for his werewolf nose. The boy had sharp features with eyes that disregarded everyone around him.

The moment he saw Fang, he stopped his climb and bowed to Fang, “Alpha, I noticed an unknown presence here, is everything alright?” The sharp eyes checked me out getting the answer to his question but he waited for Fang to agree.

Fang looked at me staring at my gulping throat, “No, the Lady and I were having a short conversation. But you wait here, I might need your help” Fang gave me a polite smile that I knew was fake, internally he was telling me that if I did not agree then he would be taking me in for trespassing his land which technically speaking I hadn’t!

“Yes, Alpha!” The young boy bowed and turned his back at us as respect towards Fang’s personal matters. The boy looked barely 18 years old, but his demeanour was unexpectedly mature for his age.

My eyes went back to Fang who was waiting for me to register that there was really no way for me out of this if I wanted to win the competition for Beta or to even return to Winterwells. “What is the price?” My voice was low and the question only coaxed him, the rabbit was in the sly fox’s trap.

“Well, do you agree to it?” Fang asked and my face crinkled in ridicule, was he expecting me to agree before I knew of the condition?

“What do you mean by that? I am not agreeing without you telling me the condition and let’s make this clear I don’t want to marry you” My words were stern and that only brought an amused curl on his lips.

Fang removed his hand out of his pocket and checked his nails casually before looking back at me, “Don’t worry little one we can take it slow, at your pace, how about we start with a simple date!”

Why was this man so adamant about getting close to me? The date was only a start for the series of events until he proposes marriage again. But the fact was that I was currently in a situation where there was no use refusing, a simple date was okay with anyone but with Fang that was like walking on a tightrope suspended over a blazing fire!

“Okay”, my voice was so low that even I couldn’t hear it.

Fang titled his head, “Talk louder or I will take it as a no”

“Okay!” I shouted at him and this had the young boy get into attack mode for me disrespecting his Alpha, but Fang made him turn back with a simple wave of his hand and said to the boy,

“Bane, bring the fruit that hangs by the root of this tree”, as soon as Fang gave the command the boy jumped down to obey it.

The fruit was never in Waterwoods, it was in the No Man’s Land hanging by the upsidedown hair, the roots, of this stupid crooked tree! If I were to notice the last line of the puzzle before, I wouldn’t have come here and be cornered by Fang into that stupid date. But all I could do now was curse myself.

“So next time we meet it’s a date” Fang reminded me only to rub salt on my bad decision.

There was nothing for me to say and I simply took a seat, the fatigue of my bad choice or my bad luck was taking over me. It has been barely hours but Fang made it all overwhelming. My head simply nodded to Fang’s words as there truly was no way for me to evade it this time, he even had a witness to tell I actually agreed to it.

The boy returned in no time with a small fruit and I immediately got up gathering myself, there was a lot to do and no way I was letting a future date bother me right now.

Fang took the fruit and dismissed the boy, “Here you go, hope you win little one” The way he smiled just got on my nerves as if giving me true wishes. Well, of course, he would be happy to get what he wanted!

I had nothing else to do here so I took the fruits out of Fang’s hand without thanking him. This was a trade and there was no need for gratitude. I jumped on the adjacent branch getting my distance from Fang and squeezed the fruits into my tiny jeans pockets, why can’t they stitch big pockets for us girls!

Sitting down I got ready to descend the tree, Fang suddenly crouched blocking my path as his one hand rested beside me and the other pulled my chin up to look at him. I couldn’t really retaliate aggressively as this tree was not my forte like it was his.

He casually came closer to me with what looked like no bad intention but I leaned backwards and away from him trying to not lose my balance as I had before, “Get away fang, don’t take advantage of the fact that I can’t fight right now!”