9. Carter

Wanda wasn’t being helpful, and since it was dark, we didn’t see who was there apart from Wanda.

‘I will get flowers. Meet you soon, buddy!’

She takes off, leaving me with my words tied to my throat.

“That is so wired,” I tell myself as a small group of wolves appears.

We had left for the castle.

We needed to meet with the elders.

My pack was inside the walls of a castle.

The entire place was made of stone, but inside, it was warm. I felt safe here.

There were oil paintings on the walls, torchers to give us light.

The floor had been made of old strong wood, and there were small tables with decorations on top of them, little details that made the place look like a medieval castle.

In no time before these people started asking us some questions, I do know that we were asked our status.

After John and Jonah replied, Luna Valery said.

“Carter is my bodyguard. He will stay in the room next to mine and Vanessa if the Queen agrees, that is.”

I turned my head with them to see what crap Luna Valery was pulling, first the Alpha, now his mate?

Before I could say a word at all, I heard a very prominent man speak in authority.

“Luna Valery, the King and Queen have instructed that to start your f*e payment, your most important omega is to work in the cottage repairing it, alongside the assistance of the other omega that has just arrived to do the same. You are behind on taxes, tolls, and many more. As their appointed representative, follow my warriors and maids to your rooms. You will be seen with your Alpha tomorrow morning. Your omega will return to you once the payment has been completed or till our King and Queen state otherwise.”

The man said.

I could feel his aura backing me up a bit.

About to take a step back, the man brought me by my shirt, and pulls me to almost fly on my steps ahead of him.

“You are her favorite so you are paying for the late fees, follow the wolves they will lead you to the cottage.”

I blinked at the man, then looked at a shocked Luna Valery, my eyebrows up slightly.

I said, “I will behave, Luna Valery, I’ll stay safe.”

I waved goodbye.

No reason to have them feel I would fuck them over.

If anything, goddess, please do not let the King and Queen return me to those crazy people.

These wolves walked me straight through this vast castle.

We passed a central recreational area.

It looked perfect.

There were chairs for board games, a pool table, and a small bakery on the side.

This part was to have those who were working take a small break.

On the other side, there were doors to rooms, and around the corner, I saw the entrance to a library that looked huge.

That place had my attention.

I wondered what this castle had to offer to those who came here.

I might get a chance, but only time will tell.

We leave the castle and into the beautiful backyard, flowers of many colors everywhere.

They are well-trimmed, and many are like wolves running around.

That was funny, considering a wolf was walking me to the cottage.

There were many more bushes with shapeshifters that weren’t wolves.

Passing a big gate wrapped in flowers, we walked to a secluded small woods.

I was already tired from walking; it was a large castle, and the entire place couldn’t be walked in one day.

There was just zero logic behind the sheer size of the palace itself.

That small exit felt like the end to an opening because these woods were of trees with fruits growing from them.

In the middle of these trees was a badly looking, beaten-up cottage.

And right in front of the cottage was Wanda with a mouth full of roses and her tail wagging behind her.

“You sure are persistent, Wanda.”

The wolf in front of me stopped with a flinch.

What the living heck was up with this wolf?

He looked between Wanda and me then bowed at Wanda.

I furrow my eyebrows.

“Aaaa, what was that just now?”

I asked her, intending to know what that was, but she walked to me and then jumped on her front paws on my chest.

The sting was starting to be felt. I took the flowers from her mouth fast so she would get off me.

‘Nothing they know, I know them, you know wolf too.’

She started rambling but stopped abruptly, her face changed into a sly one, with her eyes closed in a big smile on her face.

Wanda got down from my chest to run past me.

Looking behind me was an older man in a casual button shirt and dressed in pants.

He had short hair and reminded me of these hot grandpas with toned bodies.

“Late night, it seems, a pleasure to meet you, Carter. I’m Grandpa Endy, just that name, no adding on the old please. I can’t for the life of me survive being called old,” he adds jokingly, and I smiled politely.

Grandpa Endy looked like the cool grandpa.

He walked closer and extended his hand.

I shook it.

“How do you know my name?”

He smiled at me.

“I know a lot of things, but I’m here to give a briefing. Like this cottage, it belonged to my daughters. They are all grown up now, and I’m a grandfather, as you know by the nickname. But when they grew up and left this cottage, each one had the same effect my wife and I had. I built this cottage years ago. At first, it was just a cottage to escape reality until I fell asleep. Once, when I woke up, I met my wife. After that meeting, it’s been a family tradition to meet one’s fated mate in this now untouched cottage, but one has to let it outgrow to grow within others.”

He said his words as if he was stuck in some memories from the past.

I wondered what were the stories this cottage had to tell from the inside.

“So Grandpa Edy, how would we make the cottage? Just as it used to be or?”

I trailed off, but he shook his head after I said as it used to be.

Then he adds, “No, you and the other omega will be fixing this to your desires. Think of this as a payment to getting out of those packs. Both of you had suffered and endured enough suffering, I’m sure,” he said almost sure that he was there with me.

Odd was an understatement of how I felt about his words.

I had just met Grandpa Endy, yet I felt like I had known him all my life.

It was the weirdest thing.

‘Father always knows what’s happening,’

Wanda tells me.

Grandpa Endy looked sternly at Wanda, whose tail goes in between her legs, and she crouched her head with ears afraid of Grandpa Endy.

“Um, am I missing something, Grandpa Endy?”

I asked him.

I realized some stuff: this guy knew me, and somehow, I felt he knew me better than I knew myself.

I took my shot and asked him flat out.

“Grandpa Endy, the King and Queen of the castle, know you are giving me orders on their behalf?”

I asked him because I knew that what he was wearing wasn’t something a King wears.

If I were a king, I wouldn’t wear my usually crummy clothes, common sense.

He smiled at me and said.

“I’m Grandpa for a reason, Carter. Just trust that my word is final. The warriors around here will stay as much as possible, but try as much as you can to stay in these parts of the castle, alright? The cottage has two bedrooms, so don’t worry about that department. These wolves are in your favor, it seems. I say you should use them to your advantage.”

He says, scratching his nose and looking at Wanda with a warning face.

Looking from one to the other, I asked as he walked away.

“And how would you know Wanda knows where to go?”

He stops and then looks back at me.

“Wanda? Who’s that? You mentioned that name twice now.”

He asked I replied, a bit confused myself, “I don’t know how she just popped out of nowhere and before anything she linked me, it was the weirdest thing, I mean linking my pack was easy but her linking me is still really wired.”

He laughed with me a little as Wanda looked confused, “well I think it suits her, well now I have to be on my way, sleep tight Carter.”

He tells me, then walks away. I guess I have no option but to make the best of this cottage.