ELORA’S POV
THE next morning, I was greeted by an empty room. Maira was no longer on her bed. She probably woke up early to do her chores.
Meanwhile, I silently thanked the goddess for this opportunity. It would be hard for me to prepare for my journey if Maira was still around. Without wasting any more time, I started packing. I couldn’t contain the happiness I was feeling. For today, I would be leaving this place, making everything that happened in the past few days nothing but unwanted memories.
‘Are you sure you wanted to leave? Is there anything I can do or say that would change your mind?’ Arwen asked. Her face was a picture of sadness.
I shook my head and continued packing my things. “Start forgetting him, Arwen. He’s not worth it.”
When I was done packing, I tiptoed near the door. As I pressed my ears to the hard, wooden door, I heard some footsteps on the other side. The earthy, manly smell indicated that the guards assigned to watch over me were just standing by.
My face turned into a frown. The door was not an option now.
Fisting my hand, I looked around to find another escape route. My face lit up when my eyes found the unguarded window and I peeped through it. It was only then that I realized that I was on the fourth floor of this building.
Oh, shit. It was too high to jump even for a werewolf like me. If I were to shift, it would definitely draw some attention.
‘So, what now?’ I asked myself.
It was then that I noticed a window to the room below ours. Judging by its position, it would be easy for me to reach it should I still follow this route. I could only hope that the room adjacent to it would be empty or else, I would be caught. And yet, it was a risk worth taking, as I was certainly out of options.
I scanned the room for a thing that could support my weight. It was then that I found a rope sitting quietly in a corner. I immediately grabbed it, tied it to my waist, and attached it to one of the legs of my bed. After securing everything, I looked at our quarters one last time before jumping out of the window stealthily.
Luckily, the window below our room was opened. As soon as I entered the empty room, the addicting smell of Alpha Dominic welcomed me. It stunned me for a moment before asking Arwen. “I wonder why the Alpha King’s smell was all over this place.”
‘What’s left to wonder? This is his castle, remember?’
“Hmmm...right,” I responded.
I scanned the neatly arranged books and files, careful not to make any sound. If the Alpha King comes here very often, I would not risk getting caught for sure.
I gathered enough courage to walk around, trying to check for a possible exit that I could use. I was scanning through the left corner when I noticed a wooden door. My face lit up. Perhaps this was the exit I was desperately looking for.
‘Are you sure about this, Elora?’ Arwen asked when I touched the knob.
“I didn’t have much choice, do I?” I took a deep breath, ready to face whatever thing was waiting on the other side. So, I pushed the door carefully. But nothing prepared me for the sight that welcomed me.
Seated in the middle of the mysterious room was a silver cage. But what was utterly terrifying was the crimson-red liquid that covered the whole thing.
Blood. Wolf blood, to be exact.
‘It’s the blood of our mate,’ Arwen mumbled, completely lost.
“I… I know,” confirming her suspicion after inhaling the scent a couple of times.
The room was eerie and dark and I wouldn’t want to know what horror lies deep within these walls. Even without touching the silver cage, I could sense its dire effect on me. Having it near me made me really uncomfortable. I wonder how Alpha Dominic’s blood ended up on its surface.
Could it be that he was hurting himself?
But, why? That didn’t make sense!
‘I wish I could answer that, Elora,’ Arwen uttered. It was at this time that I remembered the burned marks on his palm.
Did he get those marks from this cage? If so, why did he let himself be confined to it? He is the most powerful alpha on the continent. Had he gone totally stupid for letting himself hurt?
Ah, questions…so many questions lingering inside my head. But I shouldn’t concern myself with this anymore. I would let the heartless alpha deal with his own shit. After all, I will be out of this pack in no time.
‘Are we going to leave even after seeing that cage, Elora? What if…’ Arwen’s wolf eyes looked begging.
“He’s fine, Arwen. I don’t think he needed us by his side. Have you forgotten about her slut, Ashley?” I scowled, irritated by her constant side comments convincing me to stay.
I was a few steps away from getting my freedom back when I heard some footsteps from the corridor. Judging by its sound, the footsteps belong to more than one person. A spike of fear emerged from me.
Shit… This isn’t good.
My heart pounded wildly as I carefully scooched myself at the back of one of the bookshelves. I covered my mouth, careful not to make a sound. I could only hope that the smell of the old books and files was enough to cover my scent. If not, it would be my end.
“I have so many things to deal with.” The deep, familiar voice of the Alpha King echoed in the secret room. Suddenly, I felt the urge to run into his arms and throw him a hug but I controlled myself. “Tell me, Alpha. What is it that you wanted to talk about that you requested a private conversation with me?”
“Forgive me, your grace, but I need your help,” the other man answered.
Shit! I recognized that voice. That’s…That’s…
‘Elora, it’s him…’
Beads of sweat started to form on my forehead. My body started to burn in rage, remembering the man responsible for my parent's death. My eyes began to warm, as tears started to stream down my face.
Three years had passed but the image of that horrible man still lingered in my head vividly. The devil from my nightmares had returned.
Because the man talking to my mate was none other than my cunning uncle, Lucian Knightlock!
Elora’s POVI had gone from hell and back since my parents died. And today, it made me remember all that.My breath hitched as I tried my best not to let my sobs hear. It had been a while since I last heard my uncle’s voice but the memories it imprinted on my mind were as clear as water. My nightmares were filled with his croaky, cold vocals. I thought I had forgotten it but obviously, I didn’t. Now, my system was filled with unwanted memories. All because of him. ‘Calm down. Your uncle hasn’t seen you in three years. He might have forgotten how you smell.’The words of my wolf gave me some assurance. She was right, three years was quite a long time for him to remember how I smell. I also shifted to my wolf form around this time so it affected my scent. Arwen got a solid point about her argument. ‘Breath, Elora. You can do this,’ Arwen added. After a few seconds, my heart rate became normal and I could feel that my body was no longer tense. Thank the goddess, I had a reasonable and
Dominic’s POVI slammed the papers on top of my desk, frustrated that until now, the paperwork didn’t seem to end. I had been scanning my eyes through this the moment I woke up and yet, nothing seemed to enter my head. Lazily, I leaned my back in my office chair and looked at the ceiling. I had been an Alpha King for years and the administrative tasks were part of my life. I ate mountains of paper for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if there was no training, pack convergence, or out-of-the-pack trips I had to attend. These never bored me, for I took my duties and responsibilities very seriously. Some even joked that I was married to my post, which I didn’t mind for it was the truth. So what’s wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way? I only started acting strange ever since Victoria Collins entered my pack. Ah, that woman. She hadn’t been here for a week but the damage she inflicted was far beyond any rogue had done to the Royal Cavern. She constantly quarreled with sweet Ashley, the
Elora’s POVMy feet went to a sudden halt hearing him utter my real name for the first time. I remained rooted in my spot, still trying to figure out what I should do next. ‘He already knows the truth, Elora. What are we going to do?’ Normally, Arwen was the one who would tell me what to do. But now, even she was caught off guard by the turn of events.A few hours ago, I was so sure that I would be leaving this pack for good. But now, my very existence was being threatened by the truth that I was desperately hiding for three years. There was no point in hiding the truth from Dominic. He was an intelligent wolf and probably read between my lines. I wanted to scold myself for being so emotional. Maybe, I wouldn’t be caught lying only if I hid my emotions expertly in front of the Alpha King. Yeah, I screwed up, and would probably be the end of me. But, no! I wouldn’t let myself be handed over to my evil uncle that easily. I would not give him the satisfaction. If I had to fight Domini
Silence engulfed us over the next set of minutes. I turned my head on him, and he did the same. Our eyes met in the process. Lub-dub!My heartbeat became louder. It was like my chest was going to explode. I knew to myself that I hated the Alpha King but at that moment, I saw something different in his eyes making me think twice about what I felt for him. Is that a hint of concern? Compassion? I have no idea. His eyes remained fixed on mine, making me uncomfortable. It was different from the way he looked at me in the past. His gaze was full of warmth. Finally, he moved. He lifted his hand and began caressing my upper arm. In a normal circumstance, I might have shoved his hand away. But this moment was different. No, it was he who suddenly became different.Is he beginning to sympathize with me? ‘Can’t you feel it, Elora? Dominic’s heart is aching for us’ Arwen stated.‘How did you know? Have you talked to his wolf?’ I asked her back in my thoughts.‘No, I haven’t,’ Arwen answered
Elora’s POVIt had been two days since that confrontation with the Alpha King Dominic about my troubled past. Contrary to that fateful day, the next set of sunrises and sunsets were typically boring. I heaved a deep sigh, looking at the ceiling, staring at it blankly. I haven’t seen anything aside from the four corners of this shabby quarter for two days straight. And as a rogue who lived in the woods for three years, this was lowkey torture. ‘I’m bored, Arwen,’ I told my wolf inside my head. ‘I want to get out of this barless jail.’‘You know you can’t do that until the pack convergence is over, right?’ Arwen answered. I could see her sitting in a corner and grooming herself. ‘Your uncle and his men are still inside the royal pack land.’‘Yeah, I know,’ I responded, covering my head with a pillow. ‘I just need…company. I want to talk with another individual, that’s all. Maira is serving in the convergence from dusk until dawn. She barely has time to chitchat with me before bed beca
Elora’s POVI fastened my steps and wasted no time changing into my omega uniform. I almost forgot to tie my long hair but good thing I remember. The omega leader hated to see the omegas with messy and untied hair. The last thing I wanted was to have unnecessary confrontations with her for something as trivial as untied hair.Careful not to make any sound, I pressed my ears to the wooden door and listened if the guards were still there. I cussed on the wind after hearing their irritating laughter. It was almost midnight but they seemed to not let me have even a tiny opportunity to leave this room. Perhaps this was one of the many distinct qualities of a royal guard. They treated the Alpha King’s order very seriously. So, it led me no choice but to use the rope I hid under my bed. It was the same rope I used when I attempted to escape and ran away last time. Good thing I decided to keep it for emergencies like this.After tying the other end to one of my bed’s legs and the other end
Dominic's POVJust like any other day, I was back to my study and thinking about the things that happened in the past days. I shook my head in disbelief whenever I think about how an ordinary pack convergence turned into something very complicated. I had known Alpha Lucian Knightlock of the Moon River Pack since time immemorial. He was an ally to my father and a loyal subject of the royal pack. I had seen him quite a few times here at Royal Cavern during the days of my father’s reign. He was there when we held my father’s last rites during his funeral. He was also one of the alphas who personally witness my ascension ceremony. So to cut the story short, he was a constant figure in my life and bore no ill feelings toward him. But my perfect depiction of him shattered when I heard my mate’s story. Never in my wildest dream that I pictured him to be as ruthless and merciless as how Elora described him to be.The goddess knew how much I restrained myself from clawing his face out wheneve
Dominic's POV“Tell me, soldier. Where did she go?”The goddess knew how much I tried to keep my cool. My eyes were heating up, and I almost let my primal urge take over. But I reminded myself to calm down. Because if not, I could kill these two dumb soldiers for being careless. Do I need to repeat myself, soldier? I said, where is she?” I held the soldier’s shirt tighter, making him see my eyes in closer range. Through my orbs, I could see how his body shuddered in fear, with tears of fright forming in his eyes. On the other hand, the other soldier bowed his head. Through my flaring nostrils, I could smell both of their distress. They should be because they obviously failed that one job I assigned them to do. “Please, your majesty. We didn’t know anything,” uttered the shaking soldier. The other one supported his colleague's claim. Both of them were teary, pleading their hearts out for me to consider. “We swear to the goddess, we didn’t leave this post—”“Then tell me where the fuc