It's been days since Gareth went to Nightshade pack, and although he had recently left the pack to go visit his aunt in the neighboring pack, he still had his eyes and ears in Nightshade pack as the other warriors were doing a very great job with their assignment.
So far, Gareth's thoughts about Alpha Enzo had been proven right…the dude was not even himself. He was acting very strange, like a dummy or rather, a robot. Stella, his wife, was the one handling the pack affairs while he remained in his bedroom all day long. He hardly spoke to anyone and whenever he did, he ended up spewing nonsense. It was truly a strange sight but that wasn't Gareth's business.
Meanwhile, Zade, the former Alpha of the pack and Elena's uncle became a puppet, following his daughter's every command like a kid. The times when he wasn't with Stella, he'd spend it in the pack hospital where he would wait for his son to miraculously wake up.
As for the reason why they traveled to Nightshade pack, so far, they had found out the kind of life Elena led there. She became nothing but a slave, treated like trash until she ended up in the dungeon where she lived for years.
When Garreth discovered this, he got angry and pitied Zade for he knew he'd lose his life once the King found out what he did. The King might not care about his wife, but Zade had broken the one simple request the King asked of him.
Years ago, King Killian made a deal with Zade…he sent him money, millions, to buy Elena and asked Zade to take care of her until he was ready for her. Unfortunately for Zade, he had squandered all the money on himself and his children, forgot Elena, and started treating her like trash.
"King Killian sure is going to make your death painful. Because of you, his wife is scared and socially awkward." Beta Gareth thought.
Though he knew about what Alpha Enzo did to Elena, he decided to keep that to himself and not inform the King. He still needed to investigate Enzo because the man seemed like he had a loose screw in his head.
As for the final task, Garreth had checked Elena's parent's bloodline, and King Killian wasn't wrong about them. They were exactly the people he met back then and Elena was his destined bride. The King was never wrong, he only needed to be sure.
"Now that you all have finished with the task, round up and return to the city." Beta Gareth mindlinked.
"Okay, Beta." The leader replied and the link got cut off.
Just then, a knock on the door came in, and a pretty middle-aged woman walked in. It was Gareth's aunt, his late mom's twin sister.
Because Gareth was close to her pack, he decided to pay her a visit. He loved her just as much as he loved his late mom.
"Come on Gareth, breakfast is ready." Miss Gattina said, her smile wide and reaching her ears.
Gareth smiled, rose from the bed then walked over to her. He kissed her cheek before muttering, "Only you know how to take care of me."
****
That night, Elena and the King went out to the festival, dressing very casually. King Killian wore a simple black T-shirt that clung to his body like a second skin, making his toned arms visible. He paired it with a grey sweatpant.
Elena did not mean to dress similarly to King Killian, but when she came out, she realized she was wearing the same thing as him. She wanted to change but the king had stopped her.
According to tradition and for the fun of it, they were supposed to run in their wolf forms to the venue but since Elena couldn't shift, she had to take the car with King Killian.
Soon, the duo got to where the festival was being held. The place was full of life and color. Lanterns hung from the trees, glowing softly. Ribbons and decorations were tied between branches, moving with the breeze. Small wooden stalls stood at corners, selling food, drinks, and handmade items. People laughed, music played, and the whole forest felt warm and cheerful. The sight brought tears to Elena's eyes. It was exactly as she remembered it. They still honored the moon goddess like they did years ago.
Meanwhile, the kids nearby noticed Elena as she stepped into the forest and were amazed at how beautiful she was. They thought she was a fairy because of her long red hair and red eyes, and they wasted no time in running towards her, yelling, "Fairy! Fairy! Please grant us a wish!" They kept yelling, tugging on Elena's shirt.
Elena allowed a wide smile to reach her face and she briefly turned to face Killian. However, when she turned to the kids again, they were now looking at King Killian, eyes wide in horror, bodies pale, and jaws dropped.
"Arghhh!" Piercing cries filled the air as they ran away in fear. King Killian was too big and the hard expression on his face made him look scary. Though the kids could not understand it, his aura suffocated them and it made them even more scared. Their little legs carried them far from the duo as they ran in fright.
Elena sighed in disappointment as she watched the little kids go, but it made King Killian very satisfied. Their noises were already irritating to him and he was sure if they had stayed another second near him, he'd have done something crazy. Not hurt the kids, though, because he believed they were too insignificant to harm, but perhaps the parents?
Elena looked around and realized that most people were dancing around the bonfire while others sat, watching them. "L-lets go sit over there?" She requested, pointing at the empty log ahead.
King Killian did not say a word, he just grabbed her hand and led her there. He watched Elena take her seat before gracefully sitting next to her…his face was still hard as stone. He was very huge, almost covering a huge part of the log he sat on. The people sitting next to Killian had to run away from there because of how intimidating he was. Yes, people recognized the King and were weary about him but still decided to carefully have fun while hoping not to be unfortunate enough to anger him.
While Elena was happily enjoying the festival, softly moving her body along to the beat of the music, King Killian was brooding. He hated the place and thought everyone was simply making noise. He believed they were all engaging in meaningless activities.
Suddenly, a little girl walked towards Elena, "Please dance with me. Please! Please!" She kept begging, squeaking in excitement.
"U-uhm." Elena felt awkward and wanted to decline, but the kid gave her these sad, teary eyes, and she was forced to accept. "Fine, let's dance together," Elena said, smiling and the kid yelled in excitement.
"Are you sure?" King Killian suddenly asked and Elena nodded.
"I'll be back soon." She replied then ran along with the kid.
Elena and the kid joined the crowd dancing around the bonfire. Laughing, singing, and having a good time. The people immediately liked Elena and were so nice to her.
King Killian couldn't help but scoff, not because he found the activity to be very stupid, but because he thought he found Elena cute. The way she was dancing and giggling made him think she was pretty which was very silly to King Killian. How could he think she was pretty?
King Killian could not stand the sight and wanted to tear his gaze from Elena but he realized he couldn't for some strange reasons. What's worse, he was looking forward to those soft smiles she'd throw at him whenever their eyes met.
What was this about?
King Killian only managed to tear his gaze from Elena when he noticed the insignificant creature tugging at his shirt. He growled in irritation, his eyes turning red in anger. The kid instantly stopped, eyes wide like saucers and then he yelled and ran away. Screaming, "Monster! Monster!"
King Killian now turned to face Elena but to his surprise, she was not there. He rose, now alarmed as he scanned the crowd.
He shoved his hands in annoyance when he couldn't find her. "How convenient." He muttered to himself before moving to go search for her.
He angrily pushed past the crowd, searching for his wife like he was a lost kid. He was about to do something crazy when he saw her by a stand, drinking and laughing with some strange girls. Thought she was socially awkward.
King Killian wanted to walk over to her, but he stopped, staring at her and studying everything about her instead. She was insanely beautiful, something he had not noticed earlier, and very soft.
The way she spoke, laughed, and moved her body, she did it in a soft, feminine way…if these were the right words to use. There was just something about her that was calming the raging storm inside the King.
King Killian did not even know his heart could skip a beat until Elena turned to face him. She smiled, bid the girls farewell then began walking towards him. "Hi." She muttered shyly when she reached him.
Sorry, I–"
"Let's go home." King Killian ordered, his eyes turning dark. It was the place, it wasn't Elena making him feel all these kinds of strange things. It definitely was the place and he needed to leave.
Hearing this, Elena felt her heart breaking. She did not want to leave especially since she had started having fun. However, she knew she could not protest so she bowed her head in shame and muttered. "Okay."
Just as Elena took a step forward, a man bumped into her. "Oh my. I'm so sorry—" The man suddenly paused, his eyes now filled with awe.
He pointed at Elena. "Y-you are supposed to be dead."