Chapter 58: Welcome To Your New Home
1137 Words
Elena's POV
Ray let out a loud laugh, tossing his head back like he’d just cracked the best joke in the world.
I didn’t even really catch what he’d said, but it made the girl across from us smile softly.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice gentle.
She turned toward me, her eyes calm. “I’m Luna. The royal healer.”
My breath caught. “You’re the one who saved me… when I was in that coma.”
Luna gave a small nod, her expression soft. “And this is the first time I’m seeing you. It’s good to finally meet you, Princess Elena.”
“Same here,” I said, unsure of what else to say. “And it's just Elena, no more of this princess s**t. That goes for you too Ray," I said turning to him.
“But princess —"
“What did I just say?"
“My bad."
Without a word, Luna reached into her small pouch, which she slung over her shoulder, and pulled out a crystal-clear bottle. She handed it toward me.
“Here,” she said. “Drink this. It’ll calm your nerves.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I don’t have nerves,” I muttered, though I could feel the knots in my stomach twisting harder than ever.
Ray grinned and snatched the bottle before I could say another word. “Then I’ll take it.” He lifted the bottle and took a long gulp, only to pull it away and look disappointed.
“It’s just regular water.”
Luna laughed, a quiet, soft laugh. “What else did you expect?”
Ray wiped his mouth. “Well, with your title, I don’t know… something magical, maybe.”
Luna rolled her eyes, “Sure, because I'm some kind of magician, right?"
That’s when I noticed something outside the window; the trees were thinning. The tall forest that had wrapped around us since we left home was now giving way to something else. Tiled roads stretched ahead.
Luna tilted her head and looked out, too. “I thought we’d stay in the woods. Do you know where the car’s taking us?”
I nodded slowly. “Not all werewolves live in the forest like we do. My dad actually grew up in the city before he moved the entire pack into the wild.”
She blinked at me. “This is my first time leaving the forest.”
I smiled, resting a hand on hers briefly. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
The driver cleared his throat. “We’re almost there,” he said. “When you see the Alpha, be sure to bow your heads. Touch the ground with your hands and sit. Show respect.”
Ray scoffed beside me. “Sounds like royalty, alright.” He rolled his eyes.
Luna looked tense now, the way a deer freezes when it hears a twig snap.
Minutes later, the car slowed, then stopped in front of an enormous mansion. No, not a mansion—a fortress. Its walls stretched high, more like a royal palace than anything I’d expected.
I stared at it and let out a laugh. “It’s bigger than my mum’s house.”
The driver stepped out and opened our doors. “Your belongings have been taken to the guest rooms upstairs.”
I stepped out first, the stone driveway beneath my boots feeling too solid, too perfect. Luna and Ray followed closely behind.
Suddenly, a crash rang out from ahead. A man came flying through the mansion’s front doors, hitting the ground so hard I winced. His body skipped across the stones.
Then—BANG! A gunshot cracked through the air.
The man on the ground screamed, clutching his leg. Blood rushed out from a new wound.
A figure suddenly stepped into view. Tall.
A shadow wrapped around him like a cloak. His eyes were hidden behind dark shades that he had on, but even without seeing them, I could feel the weight of his stare.
“Dispose of him,” the man growled to his guards.
Two men in black rushed forward—disoriented, dragging the wounded man away.
Ray leaned in close to me, whispering. “That must be the Alpha. Damn. He is as ruthless as they say.”
Before I could respond, another figure rolled into view, this one in a wheelchair. Dressed in all black, a team of bodyguards followed him like he was some celebrity.
His presence was cold, but commanding. Still, something was nerve-wrecking about him.
“Welcome to my home,” the man in the wheelchair said, his voice harsh like a blade. “I am the Alpha of this pack.”
“Wait, if he's the Alpha, who was—"
One of his bodyguards stepped forward and barked, “You fools! Bow when the Alpha speaks.”
I lifted my chin. “I bow for no one.”
The Alpha didn’t seem offended. Instead, he laughed. It didn't sound like mocking laughter. It was genuine.
He rolled forward until he was in front of me. “You must be Princess Elena. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“My condolences for your father."
Bastard! It was your men who killed him!
I didn’t reply.
He nodded at his guards, and they stepped aside. Then he turned to the rest of us.
“Get comfortable,” he said. “This is your new home.”
Ray cleared his throat. “Wait, hold on. If you're the Alpha, then who was that guy earlier—the one who shot someone? Who was he?”
The Alpha paused, his back still to us. Then, slowly, he turned his head just slightly.
“I see you’ve already met my son,” he said. “And the one you...” he looked directly at me now, “will marry.”
My heart sank into my stomach.
Ray stiffened beside me.
Luna’s eyes widened.
And I… I couldn’t breathe.
Was that madman really the man I was going to marry?
The Alpha left with his men and went back into the house.
I had questions—so many questions, but none of them formed in my mouth.
I just stood there, trying to make sense of the words ‘the one you will marry’
I thought I was ready. I definitely wasn’t. Not for this.
Not for him.
“Luna, I think I'm gonna need something to calm my nerves, after all," I said to Luna.
“Don't we all?" She replied as she looked at me with an expression that read ‘We’re so cooked.’
I had just arrived, and I was already wishing the ground could open up and swallow me.
How the f**k am I gonna survive here for 3 whole months?
- Writer
