Run! The Lost Princess of the Black Wolves

Chapter 20 - Homecoming

Stepping out of the vehicle, Marcus put his hands up reassuringly. "Chloe, please, just show them your documents,” he urged, his voice pleading. He gazed into her eyes, continuing through mindlink.

“Please, Chloe, just do as I say. The border guards have the authority to do whatever they please with trespassers. Don't give them any excuse to cause trouble."

“Authority my ass,” she replied with murderous gaze. She turned her gaze back to the guard.

"Here," she threw her passport and documents at him, staring the huge guard in the face."I am the Alpha daughter of the Black Wolves. But I am also Argen Crassus' niece. And I will make sure he finds out how you treated his beloved sister's daughter."

Both guards widened their eyes, taken aback by her words. Chloe was pleased to how they realized they had made a huge mistake, messing with her.

"You're the daughter of Aurum Crassus?" the smaller guard stammered.

Chloe was momentarily stunned. What did he say?

"Aurum...?" she repeated, squinting at him.

"Argen's sister. Aurum," the guard confirmed skeptically.

"My mother's name is Rebecca," Chloe arched a brow.

“It’s true,” the larger guard confirmed. “Aurum changed her name when she left the North. In the West, she lives under the name Rebecca... My apologies, my lady," he added, bowing slightly. "We won't trouble you anymore. Welcome to the North."

“Thank you,” Chloe sneered sarcastically and rolled her eyes before jumping back into the car.

"Chloe, are you out of your mind?" Freya whispered, her eyes wide with shock, as Chloe leaned back in her seat and Marcus drove away from the gates.

“What?” Chloe arched her brows.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Freya exclaimed. "You just taunted those guards! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

Chloe gritted her teeth in frustration. "I can't stand people like that," she grumbled. "All that prejudice, thinking they're better than everyone else. So what if we were Southerners?”

"You know how Northerners are, they hate Southerners,” Freya sighed. “They think the same about people from the East and the West, but their disdain for us isn't as extreme. They think they're superior to us, but that's just how they are... Though I must admit, I understand why they're mistaking you for being a Southerner."

"Oh, come on, Freya! Not you too," Chloe exclaimed. "Just because of my black hair?"

"Of course not, it's not just your hair," Freya replied defensively. "It's your features too. You have this… exotic vibe… about you. But never mind, it doesn't matter. We're here for the Winter's ball and everyone will know who you are, so you won’t have any trouble. Don’t worry, we're going to have a good time."

“But that’s not my point!” Chloe let out a frustrated sigh. "It's not about me fitting in, Freya. What bothers me is how they're judging people based on their looks and where they come from. It's just not right…”

Chloe shuddered at the memory of how her parents had been prejudiced against Isabel before they had even met her. Before they knew that Isabel was a wolf just like them, the mere thought of their son mating with a human had made them act strangely and make very questionable decisions. They had believed that Isabel wasn't good enough for their family, convinced that her human status made her unworthy, and Chloe was sick and tired of this mentality.

”You’re right,” Freya nodded. ”You know I feel the same. But we can’t change other people.”

"I guess not," Chloe replied with a shrug. "But we can at least try to be better than that ourselves. To judge people by their character, not their appearance or background."

”But sometimes appearance does give us a hint of someone’s character,” Freya pointed out. "For example, if you see a guy wearing ripped and stained clothes, resembling a homeless person, wouldn't you assume he has a questionable character?"

“Well,” Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes. “That’s not really the same thing now, is it.”

"I'm just offering a different perspective," Freya hunched.

“Yes! You are so annoying!” Chloe groaned, but her tone was playful as she burst out laughing. “And I totally love you for it,” she added, pulling Freya into a hug.

“Phew,” Freya exhaled dramatically. “I told you I'm terrified of your temper!” She grinned mischievously.

"Ain't we all," Marcus chuckled, casting an admiring glance at Chloe through the rearview mirror. "But I have to side with Freya on this one," his tone grew serious. "What you did back there was risky, Chloe. We're in the North now, and things are different here. You need to be more careful."

"It wouldn't hurt to practice your acting skills a bit,” Freya chimed in. “You can at least pretend to be polite, Chloe."

“Hey!” Chloe protested, her tone indignant. “You make me sound like a dinosaur. I can be diplomatic, you know.”

“Oh yes, diplomatic is definitely the word I would use for you, my fiery friend,” Freya laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “But hey, what was that about, your mother’s name?”

“I have no idea,” Chloe confessed. “The guard said her name was Aurum? So strange…”

Chloe knew her mother had been a woman of mystery, using different names to conceal her identity during the war... But she had always thought her birth name was Rebecca? Aurum was a totally different name, and it didn't seem to suit her mother at all.

Marcus looked at her in the rearview mirror. "You didn't know?" he arched his brows, "Aurum was her birth name. It means 'gold.' As the sister of Argen, meaning 'silver,' the Crassus siblings were named after precious metals."

Chloe bit her lip, feeling a tinge of shame. Why hadn't she asked her mother more about her past? But then her shame turned into anger. Her mother should have told her more about her life! Rebecca, or Aurum as they called her, had always been so secretive about her history, but how could she not tell her own child her real name? What other secrets did she keep from her children? Did Warren even know?

"Of course he does," Chloe's wolf scoffed. "He's her mate after all."

"But why did she keep this from me?" Chloe almost whined, feeling betrayed and hurt.

"Perhaps your mother thought it was best not to burden you with such complex matters when you were a child," her wolf sighed, clearly thinking that Chloe was overreacting.

"Well, I'm an adult now and I feel like I've been kept in the dark about something so important," Chloe let out a frustrated sigh.

Chloe realized she didn't know much about her mother's earlier life. Not much at all... She never spoke of her childhood, her family or friends. As Chloe thought more about it, she realized that all she knew was that her mother had grown up like a princess in a distant castle and had a strained relationship with Chloe's uncle and grandmother.

Freya interrupted her rumination. "Remind me, what's your cousin's name?"

"Cassiopeia," Chloe replied, crossing her legs and examining her nails. She had accidently started to chew on her nails while trying to get rid of the feeling of unease that had settled in her gut. "I guess my aunt and uncle didn't stick to the tradition of naming their children after precious metals," she continued with a scoff.

"It's such a beautiful name, though! Cassiopeia..." Freya said dreamily, her eyes shining with admiration. "So classy and timeless."

“Yeah, I guess,” Chloe shrugged. “Believe it or not, but Chloe is also an old-fashioned name, from ancient Greece.”

“No way,” Freya arched her brows. “I thought it was modern! Like ‘Honesty’, or ‘Precious’,” she winked.

“I thought your name was ‘Princess’!” Marcus chimed in.

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Chloe scoffed.

“Well, Chloe suits you,” Freya complimented her. “I don’t think ‘Freya’ means anything at all.”

“It’s an old Norse name,” Marcus interjected. “Freya was a powerful Viking Goddess.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Freya blushed. “I’m not much of a Viking…”

“No, you really aren’t!” Chloe burst out laughing. “But that's alright, Freya. You don't need to be. You're perfect just the way you are."

Several hours later, their bodies were aching from the ride in the cramped jeep and they were excited to finally arrive at Chloe's uncle's castle, her mother's birthplace. It was a beautiful place, looking like it was taken straight out of a fairytale. A breathtaking sight unfolded before them, with the magnificent castle nestled in the midst of a perfect snowy landscape. The castle's turrets reached towards the sky, glistening in the sunlight, while the surrounding snowdrifts sparkled like trillions of little diamonds.

As they got closer to the castle, Chloe noticed several incredible and massive ice sculptures lining the road. Some of them were giant wolves with sharp fangs that seemed to jump out of the ice, while others were wondrous creatures that looked like they came straight from her wildest dreams. Each one was expertly crafted with such attention to detail, Chloe could hardly believe her eyes.

"Wow, these ice sculptures are magnificent!" Chloe exclaimed in awe as they drove past a gigantic ice unicorn that seemed like it was about to take off into the sky.

"Yes, they have special ice artists that create these sculptures every year for a competition," Marcus explained. "On the first evening of the Winter's ball, there's a vote to determine which of the sculptures is the best. The winning designer not only receives a considerable amount of money but also earns the honor of being crowned the champion."

Marcus continued steering the jeep into the castle grounds, and upon their arrival they were met by several intimidating-looking men dressed in thick fur coats. They were all hefty and sturdy, with gray or white hair and long beards, except for one with fiery red hair that seemed to blaze in the cold winter air. The men moved towards the car with heavy and menacing steps, their expressions everything but welcoming.

Chloe couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as she watched the men approach. Why did they look at them like that? They should have been noticed they would arrive today already? She exchanged a worried glance with Freya, who looked just as anxious.

“Don’t worry,” Marcus noticed their concern and quickly spoke up, his voice calm and reassuring. "This is just how the Northerners look. They're not exactly the smiling type."

Stepping out of the car, Chloe took a deep breath and felt the crisp, clean air fill her lungs. The sun cast a warm glow over the castle, making it look almost inviting despite its dark and rocky surface. However, the friendly vibe was totally gone when she saw the grim expressions on the approaching men's faces.

“Papers,” the red-haired man urged, holding out his hand to Marcus, who also got out of the car.

Marcus offered him a tight-lipped smile. “Good evening, gentlemen. Is this the way you welcome your guests?”

The red-haired man ignored Marcus's words and instead focused on Chloe. “Aurum’s daughter,” he muttered with a dark expression.

Chloe didn't know what to say, feeling a bit uneasy. “Yes... That’s me..”

“Come with me,” the man spun on his heel as the other men began unloading the jeep. He led them inside the castle gates and into a beautifully decorated reception room adorned in white, silver, and gold.

“Is my uncle or cousin here?” Chloe asked, gazing around.

“Master Crassus will see you later. He has more important matters to take care of,” the man grunted. “An omega will come and show you to your rooms shortly.”

“Okay,” Freya whispered once the man left. “This is not how I imagined it. No one from the family’s coming to greet us? Was it the same last time you were here, Marcus?”

“I didn’t stay here last time,” Marcus shrugged. “I stayed in one of their other houses, as all other guests do. But your uncle insisted you stay in their home, and I refused to leave you here by yourself.”

Freya gave him a suspicious glance. “I’m sure Chloe would manage,” she scoffed. “This is her family.”

“We'll see about that,” Marcus's face darkened with determination. “I'm not taking any chances.”

Chloe couldn’t help but feel touched by Marcus's concern. She really appreciated his care and protection, however, she should be able to take care of herself. She needed to speak with him, she thought. He had to let down his guard...

“Miss Hendricks,” a woman in her fifties entered the room, wearing a grey uniform. “Welcome home,” she said, looking straight at Chloe. Two female omegas, one young and the other older, also dressed in grey uniforms, stood behind her, their eyes fixed on the ground.

“Ummm... Thank you?” Chloe cleared her throat. This really didn’t feel like a homecoming.

“Mr and Miss Borg,” the woman turned to Marcus and Freya. “You can follow Ing and Nor here, They will take you to your rooms to rest before dinner,” she gestured towards the two omegas. “They will come for you when it's time."

“And Chloe?” Marcus frowned.

“She will come with me,” the woman replied calmly. “She’s being summoned by Master Crassus.”

“I will come with her,” Marcus took a step towards Chloe. “She doesn’t know him. I’m not leaving her by herself.”

“Marcus!” Chloe frowned at him. “I’m fine. These people are my family. They won’t hurt me.”

The woman intervened. "There's no need for that, Mr. Borg. As she said, she is family. This is her home. She has nothing to fear."

Chloe smiled faintly at Freya and Marcus. "I’ll be fine," she nodded before following the woman's lead.

At least, she hoped to be.