Tour PT 1
1145 Words
Claire's POV
"Woah!” I exclaim when we enter a big picture room with huge and small pictures and paintings.
"It's like we just travelled through time." I say out loud and Ethan chuckles.
I stare at the biggest painting on the wall at the far end of the room.
"That's King Alaric. The first king of Artea. My father was named after him." Ethan speaks with pride and I nod and smile.
He lets me wonder around a bit and I stare at the pictures of his ancestors and great great grandparents as I compare their resemblances.
I keep on looking from paintings to no coloured pictures to coloured ones until one picture causes me to pause.
I almost gape then gasp.
"Is that..."
"That's my father." Ethan stands beside me and looks at the photo too.
"What was his name again?" I look to Ethan who seems so stuck on the photo.
"Alaric, King Alaric the second.” He responds still looking at the photo.
"I don't mean to bring up any past memories, but what happened?" Ethan stops looking at the photo and turns to me.
I catch the pain in his eyes before he smiles at me.
"Rogues.” He responds and I nod though I wonder how some bunch of rogues can attack a huge kingdom like this and kill the alpha.
I don't want to push it so I let the curiosity go.
Ethan looks back at the photo and I somehow sense his pain.
I also lost two people who were very important to me, all in a day.
It's not easy to let go.
I slowly connect my hand with his and he stops looking at the picture to look at me.
I smile then he smiles back.
To relieve more tension I look at Ethan then his father then Ethan then his father again.
I squint my eyes at the photo then Ethan and he lets out a sexy chuckle.
"Little wolf, what are you doing?” He asks smiling.
"Is that what you'll look like in your forties?" At that he laughs even more.
"Maybe. Why are you asking?" He nods and I also shrug.
"I don't mind. Your dad looks hot.” He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge between his eyes before laughing again.
I move to the next picture then crease my forehead. This guy looks a bit like Ethan's father but with blonde hair and the usual green eyes. Does handsomeness and sexiness run in the family or what.
"That's my uncle.” He answers my question with disdain in his voice.
I'm guessing they don't talk much so I'm not gonna push it here too.
I move on to a picture of King Alaric and Katherine's wedding before I stop at a baby picture.
"Oh my Gosh!" I gasp out loud and Ethan quickly stands in front of me blocking me from his baby picture.
I laugh then just move to one where Katherine is holding him then to a family photo then to his teenage years.
"Okay let's move to the next place on our list." He grabs me by the waist and pushes me out of the picture room.
I can't help but laugh then giggle until the laughter suppress.
"Please forget you ever saw that." He whispers into my ears but I shake my head.
He turns me around to face him with my smiling face and when I do he smiles back at me but with a different kind of smile.
"It has been a while since you smiled and laughed like that.” He stares at me with those mesmerizing eyes and I roll mine.
"Next place." I grab his hand and start moving in any direction.
Ethan ends up leading me and we past through strange routes with guards at every point.
They bow at us when we pass and I'm about to ask where we are going when we turn onto a long hallway.
There are guards again at each side of the hallway and at the end is a huge heavily built vault which looks highly secured.
The guards at the door upon seeing us begin to unlock the vault and they open it just in time for us.
Ethan goes in first then stretches his hand towards me.
I take it and walk inside only to be struck by so much wealth and beautiful jewelries that I've never seen before all held in one room.
I look around the huge room with my mouth wide open even though the glittering gold and diamonds are supposed to make it impossible for me to look around.
"A treasury. You have a treasury?” I turn to Ethan looking all shocked but he just smiles.
"This is where thirty percent of our wealth lies." At that my eyes widen.
"Thirty percent!" I exclaim out loud and he chuckles.
"The rest are in highly secured bank accounts across the country and in business investments around the world."
Okay, Did he just say he's the richest man in the world without actually saying he's the richest man in the world?
"Oh Gosh.” I close my eyes when it hits me.
"How did you feel sleeping in a small room in a small pack house?" I ask out of guilt and taking him by surprise.
"What do you mean?" He quirks his eyebrows at me.
"I mean I reduced someone like you to live an ordinary life like mine.
And never once did you protest.” I turn to look him in the eyes.
He chuckles at my expression and I playfully hit him on the chest to stop laughing.
"What do you think?" He asks and I shake my head.
"It was actually nice to live an ordinary life which no one knew who I was." He responds and I just widen my eyes at him.
"Okay, how would you and your family have treated me if you knew?" I squint my face in deep thinking at this question and he laughs.
"Okay. One, you would have hated me more. Two, I faced a possible rejection. Three, I didn't want to put any stress on your family.
Four, I was living in the moment." He smiles at me and I chuckle.
"Living in the moment huh?” I chuckle again then shake my head.
"Well now it explains some of your weird behaviors.”
"Wait, what weird behavior?" He asks looking all confused and I laugh.
"Never mind.” I reply.
"Besides, in the werewolf world I'm only seen as the alpha of the most richest pack, but to the world, I'm just a king.”
"Just a king.” I whisper to myself then chuckle.
We reach the far end of the room and we stop before something that causes me to freeze.
- Writer
