The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 18

James and Chase thought he couldn’t raise the flag; maybe his past traumas had made him detest women. But now he was feeling a feverish heat, his body responding instantly at the sight of her rosy lips. He swallowed hard.

He quickly helped her into a clean nightgown, tucking her in under the covers. He then stepped out of the room.

After a while, he couldn't help but walk back in to check on her. After making sure she was sleeping peacefully, he finally returned to his own room and lay down. Visions of Natalia's skin marked with hints of redness danced in his mind, lulling him to sleep only when the dawn broke.

The next morning, Natalia woke up startled from a series of nightmares. It was already ten in the morning. The curtains had been drawn open by the housekeeper. Sunlight streamed in through the cracks of the windows, and the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks reached her ears.

Natalia turned her head gently, feeling a sharp pain all over her body, and her head was spinning. At that moment, May pushed the door open and walked in. "Miss Natalia, you're awake. You were bitten by Perth, and you had a fever last night. Mr. Magnus took care of you all night," May entered the room with a cheerful smile. "You must be hungry. I made some oatmeal for you. Eat something before the doctor comes to change your bandages."

It was then that Natalia remembered what had happened last night. She had wandered into the backwoods and almost been eaten by a wolf. The last thing she remembered was someone carrying her away before everything went black.

"May, who was it that saved me yesterday? I almost got eaten by that wolf," she recalled, her palms breaking into a cold sweat again.

"Linden saved you. That wolf, Perth, was imported from Africa by Mr. Magnus himself. He's usually not vicious, but he didn't recognize you and that's why he hurt you."

Keeping a wolf as a pet? And it didn't recognize her? What was he thinking by keeping such a dangerous creature? It nearly ate her, and they said it wasn't vicious.

She thought this person was strange; even his pets were ferocious. Natalia slowly sat up. She was dressed in a clean nightgown, her wounds had been treated, but her head was still dizzy.

She draped a robe over her shoulders, and May brought the oatmeal, "Miss Natalia, eat something. The doctor will be here soon."

"Thank you, May," Natalia replied, her stomach growling at the sight of the oatmeal. She hadn't eaten anything since last night and was now so hungry she could eat a whole pig.

"May, why does he keep a wolf as a pet? Doesn't he know how vicious wolves are by nature?" Wasn't she just lost? How come she end up so close with being eaten by a wolf?

"Hehe. Mr. Magnus has his reasons for keeping Perth. That year, there was a sudden attack on the island, and he, because of his leg, was almost killed. But after he brought Perth home, the next time bad people tried to attack, Linden released Perth and scared them away. No one has dared to attack the master ever since."

May finished her story and looked at Natalia, "Mr. Magnus is a good man. You'll be happy if you marry him. He's always been the one getting hurt, and he's never hurt anyone."

Natalia finished two bowls of oatmeal and wiped her mouth, "Thank you, May. And thank Linden for saving me." Would she be happy? She had never thought about it. The man was unpredictable and had a bad temper. She was scared of him. She was even more afraid that one day he would find out she was not her sister and would kill her, or throw her into the backwoods to feed his pet wolf.

May cleared the dishes and left. Soon, the family doctor came in. He was a man in his fifties. He politely changed the dressing on Natalia's shoulder wound, gave her instructions on medication, and then left.

Natalia didn't leave her room, just lay on the bed thinking about what May had said, "Mr. Magnus took care of you all night."

Was it really him who took care of her? She vaguely remembered the warm embrace from last night. She was taken back. Could it be Magnus?

Impossible, he hated her so much. How could he hold her? She remembered him telling her to stay three meters away from him yesterday.

Knowing her sister was Mr. Lucius' lover, why did he still want to steal her?