Chapter 07
1710 Words
Elena's POV
I have been trying to sleep. My body felt so tired, but my brain and eyes refused to let me rest. My mind still drifted to my conversation with Grey's stepmother and his half-sister, Ameyra.
They asked me several times about the stone of life. I wasn't sure if the stone existed because I never saw them. And honestly, I hate remembering about that stone. It caused my parent's death.
I really didn't understand what the two women were saying. However, it seemed like they didn't believe what I said. It was clear on their faces that they thought I had lied.
Every time people asked me about that stone, I suddenly had a flashback to that terrible night. It was playing out like a movie. Every time the image showed up, the agony I had been trying to bury came rushing back. It was like yesterday when it was not, and the pain was comparable to a fresh, oozing wound.
My heart ached. I took a deep breath, then swallowed my pain, as I always do when the pain of losing them strikes again. It's what I live for, after all. Even now, they were in another world, and even here, I was feeling their absence like a knife to my chest. This time it wasn't just my soul that hurt, but the rest of me. My parents are long gone from this life and the sadness they caused, but they still live inside me. Sometimes that grief makes me want to scream or cry myself to sleep. Other times, however, I want to smile because the memories are still well-preserved in my mind.
I sighed and got up from the bed with the soft mattress. All this time, I had never slept in such a comfortable place. After the death of my parents, I only slept in the food storage with Clara. There was only straw as our mattress.
Clara.
My breath catches in my throat as I remember her. It's all my fault if only I hadn't committed that crime. Or if only I could control my strange powers, I didn't have to kill that damn Valkof with my own hands. Maybe Clara would still be alive today.
It was all my fault, and I was to blame.
"Ouch!"
I groaned. The pain in a part of my face was stinging me.
I didn't know where it started, but suddenly I felt like my face was on fire. It was so painful, like being burned and skinned alive. I ran to the mirror hanging on the wall beside my bed.
"No!" I screamed.
As I watched, the brownish-red burns on my face gradually reappeared. Only in less than a minute my appearance change back to that of ugly Elena. I was shocked because it happened so quickly that I could not breathe.
I glanced at the nightstand clock, which was 4 am. And now I'm back to being a monster-faced girl. It was true what Grey said, and my face is back to being an ugly face in the morning when the sun starts to rise.
I sighed.
I was back to my original face, back to being the ugly, pathetic Elena.
***
I woke up to the sound of knocking on my bedroom door. My head hurts a lot because I couldn't sleep all night. Lazily, I pushed my body to get out of the comfortable bed.
I opened the door. And I saw him. My alpha. But he has not touched me anyway. He might be disgusted with me.
"Good morning, Elena." Gray greeted.
The man was standing at the door with a glass of milk.
"Start your day with a glass of milk," he said with a smile. His handsome face looks so charming when he wears a black shirt.
"Morning," I said, looking down. I didn't dare look at him. I ashamed. I know my face is so horrendous now. And I don't want him to see me. Grey touches my chin gently and then forces me to look up.
"What is it?" he asks as I refuse to lift my face.
"I don't think you want to start your day by looking at my ugly face."
He smiles and pats my cheek softly. I can feel his warm skin against mine, and I shiver slightly under his touch.
"Please stop being shy now," Grey says, still smiling. I feel him take a step back as if to leave.
"Drink your milk. I'm leaving for the office now, but don't worry. I'll be back soon. Because there are some things, we have to talk about. Don't go anywhere, okay? If you feel bored, you can turn on the television or listen to music. Oh yeah, I also have a collection of novels. I keep them on the bottom nightstand." Grey said that before he went downstairs, leaving me behind.
I was glad to know what I was supposed to do while waiting for him.
But my head was killing me even after Grey left.
I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking how stupid I was to hide my face when he was in front of me.
What did he mean by something we have to talk about? I am curious.
After drinking my milk, which is delicious, by the way, I sleep again. Nothing I can do but sleep and spend time in this room. Besides, I don't want to scare people by seeing my hideous face. I don't want anyone to see me here. So, for now, the best I can do is hide. Although Grey didn't tell me about this limitation. But I know enough not to show myself to the servants in this house. It wouldn't be nice for them to see me looking like this.
A few minutes later, just when I was about to fall asleep again.
I heard someone knock on my door.
"Ma'am, I brought breakfast for you. Sir, tell me to bring this food to your room."
"Just put the food outside!" I commanded.
"It's too early for me to eat breakfast." I reasoned out.
"Uhm, okay!" She answered.
I peeped into keyholes and saw her place the food outside, then left immediately. After she left, I quickly opened the door, but before that, I had already turned my head to the right and left. I was making sure that there was no one upstairs. Otherwise, that person could have lost consciousness from the fright of seeing my face.
I quickly reached for the breakfast tray that the servant had prepared earlier. A large tray containing two slices of French bread, cream soup, vegetable salad, scrambled eggs, and orange juice.
My stomach started rumbling even though I had just drunk a glass of warm milk that Grey had brought. Why did I suddenly become starving when I saw that delicious food? I got the tray into my room. And devoured it until it was gone.
That's good. At least Grey treated me well, even though that man looked mysterious and suspicious.
I couldn't deny that I was inquisitive.
What was Gray's goal in saving me from them?
Why was he so sure to have me as a Luna, while Ameyra had said several times that Grey always refused to mate with any wolf but me? That doesn't make sense.
However, it didn't help that he was a handsome young alpha who didn't seem interested in me. The way he watched me, the way he made sure I had a good breakfast this morning before he left for the office, it was almost... creepy.
It was as if Grey was looking at me and trying to figure out the best way to keep me safe when I couldn't do much myself. Strange. I feel like there's something Grey is planning, but unfortunately, I don't know what it is. I have no idea.
After feeling very bored with everything in the room, I went to the balcony. However, to prevent anyone from seeing my face, I used the hoodie I found in the closet.
I stared at the view of the busy city. I thought about what it would be like to be an ordinary human like them. It seems nice. There's no thread they have to carry as heavy as the burden of a wolf full of curses like me.
It was nice to think that humans had their way of looking and thinking, not having to live under our kind. They could go on and be independent, not having to worry about their mates, families, and their friends being killed.
And maybe one day, I can be like them, free, living among humans without worrying about consequences. But for now, I just wanted to look at the view outside. That's all. The coldness, however, made me feel slightly uncomfortable. So I returned to the room before anyone noticed me—my hideous face.
***
At around two o'clock in the afternoon, Grey came home. Just like he had promised, I could hear his voice as he walked past my room while talking on his phone. I wanted to go out and greet him, but I was afraid that he would think I was being presumptuous. So I decided against it.
I stayed in my room until a knock on my door announced his arrival.
“Hey, Grey!” I chirped, stepping out of my room and waving at him.
"Did you have fun?”
"Yeah," I reply hesitantly.
"Elena," Grey leaned down. Both his hands held my shoulders.
"We need to talk," he said in a severe tone.
I looked at him, "about what?"
"You know that you and I are mates now, right? You are my Luna, and I am your alpha."
I nodded in understanding. However, I didn't understand where this was going.
"Come here, come with me," Grey commanded.
"Grey, is it okay if I go out? What if a servant sees my face?" I asked him very cautiously.
"They've all gone home. All the servants in this house only work until one in the afternoon," Grey said soothingly.
He gestured for me to follow him into a room that I wasn't sure what it was.
- Writer
