Bella's pov
The moment we stepped outside, the night exploded.
Fireworks burst across the sky—bright and loud—painting the darkness in gold, red, and silver.
For a second, everything else disappeared.
"Wow," I breathed. "It's beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it," Logan said softly.
He was standing too close.
Way too close.
I could feel his breath on my cheek—warm, slow, calm.
I didn't look at him. I couldn't. Looking at him would only make things worse.
So I kept my eyes on the sky, on the fireworks, on anything that wasn't him.
Then someone cleared his throat behind us.
I turned and saw an old man. He was dressed neatly in a black tuxedo, silver hair slicked back, glasses resting on his nose. He looked important—dangerous, too, in a quiet way.
He bowed low.
"High Priest," Logan said with a smile. "I almost thought you wouldn't make it."
The old man smiled back. "You know I wouldn't miss your engagement for the world. I was held up by work."
His eyes moved to me.
Slow. Sharp.
He adjusted his glasses, studying me like I was a book he didn't trust.
Logan smiled. "This is Bella. She is—"
"Your mate," the old man finished.
Logan smirked. "Seems the whole kingdom knows already."
The man turned to me and stretched out his hand.
"My name is Gideon. But everyone calls me the High Priest."
"Bella," I said, taking his hand.
The second our skin touched, everything went wrong.
His grip tightened. Too tight.
His pupils vanished, leaving only white.
His body started shaking violently, like he was in pain.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked, panic rushing through me.
Logan didn't panic at all.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "He's not going to hurt you. He's having a vision."
A vision?
That did not help.
A few seconds later, Gideon let go of my hand. His face was pale. Sweaty. Whatever he saw—it wasn't good.
"Alpha Logan," he said quietly. "Can I speak with you?"
Logan nodded. "I'll be back," he said, tapping my shoulder.
The High Priest forced a smile at me. "It was… nice meeting you."
I smiled back, even though my hands were shaking.
"You too."
I watched them disappear into the crowd.
I turned back to the fireworks, trying to calm my breathing.
Then—
Someone bumped into me from behind.
Hard.
I spun around—and froze.
It was a wolf.
Not a dog.
Not a normal wolf.
This thing was almost taller than me. Broad shoulders. Thick fur. Sharp eyes that looked way too intelligent.
Fear locked my body in place.
Run.
Scream.
Do something.
It gave me a short nod.
I don't know how, but I understood it.
Sorry.
"It's… fine," I whispered, even though my voice shook.
The wolf walked away.
That's when I really looked around.
And my heart dropped.
The place was a freak show.
No—worse.
It was like a nightmare circus.
People with glowing eyes.
Men with horns curling from their heads.
Women with scales shimmering on their skin.
Tall shadows that moved on their own.
Creatures with wings folded behind their backs.
Others with claws instead of hands.
Things I didn't even have names for.
I was surrounded.
My legs started shaking like noodles.
How did I end up here?
What kind of nightmare was this?
All my life, I hated animals.
Dogs. Cats. Rats.
I never liked any of them.
Now I was surrounded by monsters.
Hundreds of them.
All watching.
All breathing.
All real.
The world began to spin.
The air felt thick, pressing down on me.
The space around me shrank.
I couldn't breathe.
My chest tightened.
I grabbed my heart.
"I can't—" I whispered.
My knees gave out.
I was falling—
Strong arms grabbed me from behind.
I crashed into a hard chest. Warm. Solid.
"Are you okay?" he whispered against my ear.
His voice was low. Soft. Too close.
I was breathing fast, like I'd just run for my life.
"Bella," he said again. "Calm down. Breathe."
His arms wrapped around me, strong and firm, pulling me tight against his chest.
"I won't let anyone hurt you," he whispered. "I promise."
That was the worst thing he could have said.
Because instead of calming me, it ignited something inside me.
My heart went wild—not fast, crazy. Like it was trying to jump out of my chest and run away on its own. My body felt hot and cold at the same time. My knees went weak.
The more he held me, the harder it was to stand.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I just met this man today.
My head was screaming.
Move.
Push him away.
Get out of his arms.
But my body didn't listen.
And that scared me more than the wolves. More than the monsters. More than this strange world.
I hated men. I did.
Men were liars. Players. Heartbreak waiting to happen.
So this feeling wasn't mine.
It had to be magic.
It had to be something else.
Because tell me why—tell me how—my face turned toward him even while my brain screamed no.
I looked up.
And there it was.
His eyes.
Blue. Deep. Calm.
Like they knew every secret I was trying to hide. Like he was reading me without touching me at all.
How can a man look this dangerous… and this beautiful?
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I shouldn't have left you alone."
That did it.
I hiccupped, panic rising again.
No. No. No.
I would rather get eaten by one of those wolves than fall for a man like this.
So I shoved him.
Hard.
He stepped back—and laughed.
He actually laughed.
I frowned. "Why are you laughing?" I snapped.
"Because you're cute when you're nervous," he said lightly. "Your face turns red—like you're about to explode. A very angry tomato."
My hands flew to my cheeks.
Traitor.
"I'm not nervous," I said quickly. "I'm scared. This place—these people—I don't belong here. I just want to be in a bed and wake up in Italy."
He smiled, softer now. "You did very well for an outsider."
Then he held out his hand.
"Let's go inside."
"Not yet," I said quickly. "That man—the High Priest. What did he see? Was it about me?"
His expression didn't change. "No. It wasn't about you."
"Oh." I swallowed.
"What about those scary men in hooded outfits? Aren't you worried about what they told you?"
He smiled. "Don't worry about that. I won't die."
"Then it's none of my business."
He wiggled his fingers at me. "Are you going to take my hand?"
I stared at it.
I didn't want to.
I could still feel his arms around me. My body hadn't recovered.
"Come on," he said gently. "We still need to keep up appearances."
I didn't move.
So he took my hand himself.
His fingers closed around mine—warm and sure.
"You're really stubborn," he said with a smile.
I didn't answer.
I was too busy telling my heart to behave.
Inside the hall, Logan introduced me to more of his friends.
So many faces. So many names. I smiled until my cheeks hurt.
We finally ate—thank God—because I was starving. And surprisingly, the food was really good. Not "fancy but tasteless" good. Actually delicious.
I even made a new friend.
Her name was Kate. She was short, with brown hair and bright green eyes. Very cute. And, apparently, Spike's sister.
Yes. That Spike.
I finally got a proper look at him when Logan introduced us. He was tall, with jet-black hair and blue eyes—just like Logan's.
Logan casually mentioned he was his best friend.
Spike was… hot.
I won't lie.
But still—Logan was way hotter.
No contest.
Kate, on the other hand, was amazing. She stuck close to me and gave me a quick rundown of everyone in the room. Who to avoid. Who was harmless. Who smiled too much and meant trouble.
I liked her instantly.
I was having fun talking with Kate, laughing and relaxing for the first time since arriving… when my body suddenly betrayed me.
I felt tired.
No—exhausted.
I leaned closer to Kate. "Hey… what time is it?"
She checked her watch and smiled.
"12:05 a.m."
I froze.
"…What?"
That was impossible.
The last time I checked the time, it was 11:55 p.m. in Italy—right before I was ripped out of my life and thrown into this insane world.
Ten minutes.
Only ten minutes had passed for me.
Yet it felt like I'd been here all day. Like hours had been carved out of my bones and swallowed whole.
Time didn't just move differently here.
It bent.
It lied.
It played by its own twisted rules.
As if that wasn't enough proof that I wasn't in Italy anymore, I asked the one question that sealed my fate.
"Hey," I said casually, "do you celebrate Christmas here? It's tomorrow."
Kate blinked at me.
Once.
Twice.
"…What's Christmas?" she asked.
That was the final nail in the coffin.
Definitely not Italy.
Definitely not Earth.
My energy drained fast after that. My eyelids felt heavy, and my body ached like it had run a marathon.
I leaned toward Logan and whispered, "Is it possible for us to leave without offending anyone? I'm really tired."
He didn't hesitate.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "We'll go together."
And just like that, we made our rounds. Said goodbye to relatives. Smiled. Nodded. Promised to see people soon.
Then we finally headed out of the hall.
"It's okay that you're leaving your engagement party early?" I asked. "I hope it won't cause you trouble."
He stopped and looked at me.
"Are you worried about me?"
I rolled my eyes. "Who said that? I just don't want to be the reason you get into trouble."
"No one can put me in a tight spot," he said, smirking.
"Wipe that smirk off your face," I muttered. "You're impossible, Hastings."
I walked ahead.
He followed close behind.
"I didn't know you'd like me this much," he said lightly. "We just met, and you're already worried about me."
I spun around and glared at him. "I don't like you. You're delusional."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
We stared at each other.
Then—
We stopped.
We were standing right in front of his door.
He was about to open it when I stopped him.
"Wait."
He turned, one brow lifting.
"I'm sleeping here?" I asked slowly. "With you?"
I stared at him like he had completely lost his mind.
"I thought you'd give me my own room. Or a guest room. Or literally anywhere that is not your room."
"There is no way," I added firmly, "that I'm sleeping in the same room with you."
He didn't answer.
He just smiled.
That annoying, calm, knowing smile.
Then he opened the door.