Chapter 377: Felt glad.
Noah.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that Anabel was up to something. Ever since I spotted her, something about the situation had felt off.
No matter how much I thought about it, none of it made any sense.
More importantly..What exactly was the Lycan Prince planning by inviting her here?
The question kept circling through my mind.
He couldn’t seriously expect me to believe she was merely representing an Alpha.
That explanation didn’t add up at all.
Not when he was fully aware that her brothers were already here, living under his own territory.
There was absolutely no reason to summon her personally. Unless...there was another motive.
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious everything became.
I remained lost in my thoughts until something suddenly caught my attention.
My gaze drifted toward Anabel’s hair, and carefully tucked among the strands was an elegant hairpin. Its craftsmanship immediately stood out.
Then I noticed the symbol engraved upon it—the Lycan crest.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did the Lycan Prince give you that?" I asked curiously, unable to hide my interest.
As I waited for her answer, my thoughts immediately began racing again.
Could it be...Had the Lycan Prince actually taken a liking to her?
The possibility made me blink.
That jerk had certainly been showing far too much interest in women lately.
It wouldn’t be entirely impossible.
Still...another question immediately followed.
If he truly fancied her...then why were her brothers still being kept here?
Why would he hold the brothers of the woman he supposedly liked under his control?
That made even less sense.
I fell silent.
My thoughts pieced themselves together one by one until they finally reached a conclusion.
A conclusion that made me freeze completely.
No way...could it be...Did he intend to force Anabel into marrying him?
The thought struck me so suddenly that I unconsciously stared at her for several long seconds.
"Is there any problem with the hairpin?"
Anabel’s voice snapped me back to reality.
I blinked before realizing I had been staring at her far longer than I intended.
Quickly composing myself, I shook my head.
"No," I replied calmly. "There isn’t."
A small smile appeared on my face as I looked once more at the ornament resting in her hair.
"It simply proves that you’re very important to the Lycan Prince." I said.
Anabel merely gave a small nod in response.
It was as though my observation about the hairpin meant absolutely nothing to her.
She neither confirmed nor denied it.
Instead, she simply lowered her gaze once again, quietly avoiding any further conversation.
From her body language alone, it was obvious she had no intention of discussing the matter.
But that wasn’t what occupied my thoughts. My mind had already wandered somewhere else entirely.
Question after question continued to flood my head without pause.
None of this made sense.
Why would the Lycan Prince give her something bearing the lycan crest?
Why would she choose to wear it?
What was really happening behind the scenes?
Every possibility that came to mind seemed more unbelievable than the last.
One theory replaced another, and each one seemed to fit, only for another to immediately take its place.
I remained completely absorbed in my own thoughts, barely noticing the silence between us.
And then suddenly, an idea struck me with such force that my eyes widened on instinct.
Of course.
Why hadn’t I considered that before?
Without thinking twice, I immediately lifted my head and looked directly at Anabel.
Excitement quickly bubbled inside me.
Before I even realized how sudden my actions were, my feet had already carried me closer to her.
I stopped right in front of her and instinctively placed both hands firmly on her shoulders.
The abrupt movement caught her completely off guard. She looked up at me in visible surprise, blinking several times as though trying to understand what had suddenly gotten into me.
Meanwhile, I could barely contain the excitement racing through my mind. The more I thought about the possibility, the more convinced I became that it could actually work.
A smile slowly spread across my face.
"What do you think..." I began, unable to hide the curiosity and anticipation in my voice.
I paused briefly, watching her expression carefully before finally asking the question that had been burning inside my mind.
"...about marrying the Lycan Prince?"
The moment my question left my mouth, all the color drained from Anabel’s face.
Her expression stiffened instantly.
Before I could even react, she reached up and firmly removed my hands from her shoulders without the slightest hesitation.
The movement was quick and almost forceful.
"Get away from me, Noah!" She said, as her voice rang with unmistakable anger.
She immediately took a step back, creating distance between us before deliberately turning her face away as though she didn’t even want to look at me.
I blinked in surprise.
Had I really upset her that much?
"Relax, Anabel," I said, lifting both hands in surrender. "It’s just a harmless question."
I offered a small, reassuring smile, hoping to ease the tension between us.
"And besides..." My gaze drifted toward the elegant hairpin nestled in her hair once again. "The fact that you’re wearing that pin tells me you’ve already accepted him."
I spoke matter-of-factly, convinced my reasoning made perfect sense.
Her reaction, however, was immediate.
"Shut up!" She yelled, as leaned closer, her movement caught me completely off guard.
She faced me head-on, her eyes blazing with unmistakable irritation. There wasn’t the slightest trace of amusement on her face.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about." She said, her voice firm and unwavering, leaving no room for argument.
She held my gaze without blinking, as though daring me to challenge her.
"But whatever it is you’re imagining..." She paused briefly before finishing with even greater emphasis. "...makes absolutely no sense."
The conviction in her voice should have made me reconsider.Instead, a quiet chuckle slipped past my lips.
I simply couldn’t help it.
Why was she trying so hard to act innocent?
What exactly was she hiding?
There was nothing embarrassing about liking someone.
People fell in love every single day.
It wasn’t some terrible crime that needed to be denied so passionately.
If she genuinely had feelings for the Lycan Prince, then why refuse to admit it?
Why reject the idea so fiercely?
It would have been much easier to simply acknowledge it.
To my surprise...I realized I was actually glad she liked him. The thought settled comfortably in my mind.
Because if my assumption was correct...things could work out better than I had expected.
In fact...It might solve far more problems than Anabel herself realized.
Perhaps we could even help her avoid whatever uncertainty lay ahead and at the very same time...we might finally find a way to save Maria as well.
The more I thought about it, the more reasonable the idea seemed.
That possibility continued to linger stubbornly in the back of my mind.
Finally, after a long moment of silence, I let out a small sigh.
"Alright, Anabel," I said calmly, softening my tone, as I raised both hands slightly in a gesture of surrender before offering her a faint smile. "I won’t force you."
I gave a small shrug before adding the only thing that truly mattered to me.
"Just make sure you stay away from Maria."
The moment those words left my mouth, Anabel let out a sarcastic scoff.
"I don’t even know whether she’s in this pack." She said, as her eyes narrowed as she looked directly at me. "So tell me." She asked. "Is she here?" She paused briefly before continuing. "And if she is... under what pretext?"
My eyebrows immediately lifted.
I hadn’t expected her to ask that.
She continued speaking before I could answer.
"I mean..." Her eyes twitched, as she looked around. "She’s not an Alpha." She said casually as her tone remained steady. "So why exactly would the Lycan Prince invite her to his wedding?"
For a brief second, silence settled between us.
I couldn’t help but let out another soft chuckle.
I knew exactly what she was trying to do.
She wanted information.
She was carefully trying to get me to confirm whether Maria was truly here.
I wasn’t about to fall for it.
She definitely was here to cause more problems of Maria at this point. See how curious she is.
I simply remained silent.
The longer I said nothing, the more obvious it became that she wasn’t getting an answer.
Anabel stared at me for another moment before letting out an exasperated sigh, and then she rolled her eyes dramatically.
"If you’ll please excuse me," she said coolly, brushing past me. "I need to find my brothers."
There wasn’t the slightest intention of continuing the conversation.
Without waiting for a response, she turned gracefully and walked away, leaving me standing exactly where I was as I watched her disappear into the hallway.
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