The Amorous Mate

Chapter 44: Discovering Mystery

Chelsea felt safe walking in the middle of the dark night.

She did not hesitate walking in the middle of the forest, on the path towards the Silver Feather Mansion. Of course, she is with Lord Matthew that is why she have the courage to walk in the middle of the seemingly savage forest. The canoe they were to use to sail through the river guiding to the Silver Feather Mansion was still far from them to reach.

The night was somehow serene and calming for Chelsea. There is something in the shine and glow of the moon which made her not worried of anything savage that might or might not appear tonight. She felt as if the moon will be protecting her, as if its silver radiance would be its protective cloak.

“Hey, Matthew,” Chelsea called. Lord Matthew was walking quite faster than Chelsea. She was afraid that she will be left by him. “Can you please wait me for a while? You’re walking faster than me, can’t you tell?”

“Then you must walk fast, your Highness,” returned Lord Matthew.

“What? Why would I do that? You must be the one who should adjust to me because I’m clearly the disadvantaged here, right?”

“It is not my fault for you to have shorter legs than mine, I bet.”

Chelsea grunted in frustration. Despite the fact that she was able to meet Lord Matthew tonight, he was noticeably treating her differently.

She could not get the reason why he was acting sassy, making her wish she did not went along with him. However, she was now in the middle of the forest, and if she would turn her back, to the Chesterfield Square, there will be no one who would escort her back—she could not trust a cocky Lord Matthew in this very moment.

That is why, she had no choice but to continue following him, for even though the night seemed calm, she was aware that there were still a chance that savage attacks from wild animals or even werewolves would come in her front—or at her back. She does not want to have such kind of encounter tonight.

“Matthew, what is the problem with you tonight?” asked Chelsea as she chased the quick strides of the Lord. She was still wearing her dress, making it harder for her to chase him.

“Nothing,” the Lord replied, but clearly, there is a problem in him. However, he was keeping it only to himself.

They managed to find the small boat they are to use. Fortunately, Lord Matthew has (at the very least) waited for Chelsea who was a hundred steps behind the Lord. She had an irritated expression, but the lord ignored it, instead silently waited for her to get into the boat.

“Damn you, Matthew,” she cursed the moment she hopped inside their transport.

Lord Matthew sighed. Still, he kept himself quite; not bothering to open a conversation with her. He was busy paddling for the boat to move, along with his deep reverie as he succumb himself in the silence.

Chelsea sighed. She must have committed something wrong, making her ignored by Matthew. She was trying to find what was the cause of his acts, but she could not think of any. The closest of the reason she could think was, maybe, he felt mad for making him wait for her for a long time. That must be the reason—but then, why was he making a deal from it, when he knew that she too has responsibilities as a princess? Yet, his reason may be because she has already promised to him of this night, and she was doing something he was not told of, giving him all the reason to be mad.

Yet, that was a childish reasoning, wasn’t it? Besides, she was already joining him, so there is no clear point to his anger—if that is what he was mad of.

They stopped from their own reveries when at the far end of the river, the silence was broken by a loud and long howl. A chilling one, at least for Chelsea.

She was certain that it was from a werewolf.

“It is about to start,” Lord Matthew mumbled, but in his tone was enthusiasm and thrill.

“What about it? What is going to start, Matthew?” Chelsea asked, confused.

Lord Matthew did not answer her, nor even made an effort to look at her. He completely ignored the princess.

Yet, Chelsea noticed how the lord quickened her paddling, making the boat sail faster than earlier.

“Matthew, you are bringing me here, yet you haven’t told me yet what was going to happen,” Chelsea said, worried of what she might see.

Still, the lord ignored her question. He continued paddling through the river, aiming to reach the Silver Feather Mansion as soon as possible.

The long, loud howl only appeared once. There were nothing that followed onto it, because the silence came back into the surrounding once again.

Maybe it was a warning type of howl, Chelsea thought. Perhaps, it was something that says whatever was going to happen, will be happening after a few threading of time.

Hopeless that Lord Matthew will give her a hint, Chelsea only sighed. She kept herself quiet, wishing that she did not join the lord, for it seemed she was being unwelcomed by him.

Soon enough, they already reached the river bank where the Silver Feather Mansion was nearest. Even though they hadn’t set their feet on the soil yet, Chelsea immediately noticed that the Mansion was busy.

As busy as the celebration in the Chesterfield square, the residents of the big mansion—and the surrounding small houses—were busy preparing for a specific party they have set up only for them.

Chelsea could not help herself anymore, but ask the lord. “You did not tell me your people here are going to have a party.”

“It is a celebration, Chelsea. The Chesterfield City may be having that lavish celebration, yes, but my pack wanted to liven this very special day as well.” Finally, Lord Matthew answered one of her questions. Somehow, it made her relieved that he was not ignoring her anymore.

“Ah, so that means, you are celebrating the festivity brought by the first full moon of spring, just like what we’re doing in the square?”

“No.”

Her forehead creased in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You humans are celebrating for the bounty blessings you will receive in this season. But for us, we celebrate for something different.” Lord Matthew started walking towards the mansion.

Chelsea bit her lips. Just as that, she remembered something that pulled her as the reason to be with Lord Matthew and this Mansion.

Somehow, she forgot that Lord Matthew was not a normal human. No, he is not human at all, because that is what they believe to be. He is a creature different from the capacities of normal human being; he is something terrifying.

She remembered that Lord Matthew is a werewolf. And apparently, the people in the mansion are . . . the same as him. Werewolves.

She could not process the fact that she had been in and out of a wolves’ den, unscathed and alive. She had been expressing her fear and probably disgust about the existence of the terrifying creatures, not knowing that the people she had been meeting every time she went in this mansion were of the same creature she was terrified of.

She shivered from the fact that there are a lot of wolves that was in the place, and she wondered, what if she accidentally upset one of them. Surely, she would die. Shiver ran down her spine. Indeed, she was reconsidering the thought of what if she did not agree with Matthew to be in this place for this very time.

She could feel something—a terrifying aura that has been lurking in the mansion. She does not know, however, if it was real or it was just brought by her imagination.

“Finally, the guest is here.”

Chelsea was flustered when someone appeared behind the door. She quickly learned that it was Beatrix, making her relieved even for a moment of time. She knew that Beatrix was a werewolf just like the others, but at least she was sure that she could trust her. She was her closest friend she could have here.

“Beautiful as ever, your Highness,” said Jullian whom Chelsea realized was beside Beatrix. They were holding their hands tightly, as if they do not intend to ungrasp from those defined entwining.

“Hi, Beatrix, Jullian,” Chelsea greeted.

Lord Matthew went to face the two couple as well. “I believe everything is prepared, Beta?” he asked towards Jullian.

“Indeed, Alpha. Everything is settled. Everyone is . . . is just waiting for the time.”

The moment that Jullian uttered his answer, her grasp to Beatrix’s hand tightened.

“Wait, what is this Alpha-Beta thing you have been calling each other? I know I have heard it already back to Miss Kress’ Mansion, where I was abducted. Lord Matthew was called an Alpha, while Jullian as Beta. What does that mean?” suddenly, Chelsea interrupted Matthew and Jullian’s conversation.

“It could be a long explanation, I fear, your Highness. Yet, to make it simple, the Alpha is responsible to lead the pack—a leader. While his right arm, if you may know, is the Beta,” Beatrix answered her question.

“Does that mean . . . “ Chelsea looked at Lord Matthew, then, it went towards Jullian.

“Might you be thinking that Lord Matthew is the Alpha of our pack, and Jullian is the Beta, you are not mistaken.” From her back, a voice appeared again, and she could not be mistaken to whom it belonged. “It is nice to meet you safe and unharmed, your Highness.”

“Is that true, Gwyneth? But . . . how come such young gentlemen be your . . . leaders?”

“Are you perhaps saying you are doubting my capabilities, your Highness?” suddenly, Lord Matthew asked.

“N-No. It’s just that . . .”

“It is hard to believe, I know,” finished Gwyneth. “Yet young as they may be, but their prowess overflows and even dominates other experienced Alphas and Betas of different packs. I stand as witness,” she defended.

“That is enough, Aunt, the ceremony would start any minute from now,” interfered Lord Matthew. He placed his hand to Jullian’s shoulders, and directly looked at her.

Jullian stiffened, as if he was already expecting what his Alpha will be saying.

Yet, Lord Matthew’s face suddenly went serene with a calm and genuine smile curving on his lips. “Do not be burdened by your worries, Jullian, Beatrix.”

Jullian and Beatrix’s gazes locked on the ground. Even Chelsea could notice that something was bothering the two.

“She listens to the pleads of our heart. There is nothing to be worried of,” Lord Matthew added.

“Indeed, there is nothing to be worried. Youngsters these days, they are too binded with their constricting emotions,” Gwyneth followed.

Chelsea was finding hard to process everything that she has been hearing from their conversation. She could not quickly follow whatever the relation of they were talking, for she was clueless of what was the worries of Beatrix and Jullian.

She was not a fool. For once, when she was a real Chelsea, she was the top of their class, and has been a reliable class president. Yet now, since because she was in a completely different, unknown world, it felt that she became a fool.

“Let us go, Chelsea,” Lord Matthew said, not hesitating to call her by her real name despite other people being present in the place.

That made Chelsea thought that there is a high probability that they already knew about her secret—at least Jullian, Beatrix, and Gwyneth.

“To where?” she decided not to mind that realization, instead ask the Lord—the Alpha—about where they would be going.

“To watch them,” answered Lord Matthew.

Chelsea’s forehead creased again. “What’s good in making everything mysterious, almighty, highly-respected freaking Alpha of the Silver Feather pack? Can’t you just directly tell me whatever is that thing we are going to watch? I’m tired of thinking here, don’t you know?” she blurted.

The corner of Lord Matthew’s lips subtly raised. He shook his head in disbelief, for he was as if insulted by a human, a woman, to count, and someone who has been inhabiting the body of his love interest.

Yet, instead of being mad, he was amused by her. “I certainly believe, Chelsea, the fun of discovering about us and our mysteries would be spoiled once I tell you about it. Hence, you must witness it direct from your eyes, I convey.”