CHAPTER FIVE

Elara’s POV

I bent my head quickly, trying to avoid his eyes, but it was too late— his eyes had already found me. 

His steps echoed louder and louder as he stepped closer. For a moment, I thought he was going to stop in front of me, but thankfully, he walked past.

I let out a sigh of relief. “He probably doesn’t remember me.” I said, trying to make myself feel better. 

“All rise!” His tone was intimidating and sweet all at once. 

Now he was sitting by the side of the stage where all dignitaries sat, his chair higher than others. 

The rest of the ceremony was nothing but blur to me. The cheering, the clinking of glasses—it all faded like echoes underwater, distant and muffled. My body was here, my eyes on the stage, but my mind couldn’t hold onto anything except the moment his eyes found mine. Those same ocean-blue eyes from that night, the ones I had been seeing in dreams, the ones that had haunted me every time I closed my eyes. Only now, I knew the truth. He wasn’t an angel. He wasn’t some fleeting stranger fate had thrown into my path. He was the Lycan King. The man everyone whispered about in both fear and reverence. The man whose name was tied with blood, whose throne was said to be stained by his father’s death.

My heart thudded painfully against my ribs, each beat a sharp reminder that this wasn’t a dream. This was real. He was real. 

I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. My body betrayed me, keeping me rooted in place even though my mind screamed to run. His gaze didn’t falter, didn’t shift even once to acknowledge the cheers or the elders who scrambled to show their respect. 

I can’t believe I made it through the rest of the party without passing out, his stares made it difficult for me to breathe or even think of anything other than him. His eyes, his voice from that night that didn’t stop echoing in my head even after I passed out. 

Shit! I threw my pillow across the room. I can’t be thinking about him in that way. No! 

He isn’t even present in this room, yet he has managed to steal my attention. 

The slam of the parlour door brought me back to reality. My father must be back. I ran out, not because I had anything important to tell him, I just wanted to know if the Lycan King had left. 

Without thinking twice, I made my way to my room door. But as soon as I opened it, I saw my father standing in front of me, looking like he had just met with a ghost. 

“Dad?” I asked, unsure of what this was about. “What’s the matter?” 

He swallowed hard, his eyes barely meeting mine. “The Lycan King...” He started, counting his words like they were too heavy to say.

“The Lycan King did what?” 

“He commands your presence at the Alpha’s office.”

“What? Why?” I panicked. 

“What does the Lycan King want with Ela?” My mom who I hadn’t noticed standing by said. 

“I don’t know for now, just get dressed and come immediately. The King has low tolerance for disobedience.” 

The news left me shattered, devastated. I didn’t even know how to feel, but no matter how I felt, I had to obey. 

Now standing in front of the Alpha’s palace, I took a deep breath to steady myself before I finally stepped in. 

“Goddess please help me.” 

I could already feel his aura heavy in the palace as I stepped in. With the way my heart was pounding, I thought it was going to fall out. 

“There’s no two ways about this!” I heard a firm voice as my father and I approached the Alpha’s office. 

I looked at him, but he refused to return my gaze. He probably already knew what this was about and he was leaving me in the dark. 

My father knocked, “She’s here your majesty.” 

“Come in!” 

Those words felt like permission and trap all at ones. The door fell open. 

I tried to move, but my legs refused. I couldn’t make them move, couldn’t force myself to take even one step toward him. My chest ached with the weight of it all, my thoughts tangling into a mess I couldn’t escape.

I remembered the stories. The whispers of how he had torn through his enemies, how his own father had fallen under his hand. Some called him cursed, others called him heartless. Women who had stood at his side never lasted long—rumors swirled of broken bonds, of mates who disappeared without a trace. What if he devoured me too? What if I was nothing more than another body left behind in his wake?

And yet, even as the fear swirled inside me, my traitorous eyes couldn’t stop tracing the lines of his face. The sharp jaw, the dark hair framing his forehead, the lips that looked far too perfect for a man like him. My breath hitched as my thoughts slipped, imagining what it would feel like if those lips touched mine, if his voice said my name with something softer than command.

I snapped my head away, shaking myself violently. No. I couldn’t think like that. I couldn’t be deceived by handsome looks, not when danger wrapped itself around him like a cloak. He was not salvation. He was destruction dressed in beauty.

Still, his eyes never left me.

“Will you come in or do I need to assist you?” 

I snapped out of it, finally walking towards him. 

“Seat!” 

I sat, my eyes darting from my Alpha to my father and to Jude. He was there and I had no idea why.

“Your majesty, you—” 

“Yes I did.” He cut me mid-sentence. 

“How many men have you been with?” His question was so straightforward and unexpected.

I was taken aback for a few seconds before I finally replied. “I’m sorry but what do you mean by that, your majesty?” 

“I’m sure you’re not dumb.” 

I almost rolled my eyes at his reply, but I could equally count myself dead if I did. 

His eyes remained on me like he was awaiting my answer. “I’ve dated just one guy,” I said, my eyes involuntarily moving to Jude who was already boiling with anger. “But we never did anything other than kiss.” 

He looked satisfied with my answer, but I was still in confusion. What does he need the information for? 

“That’s all I need to know.” He said plainly.  “Now go pack your things, we leave before dawn.” 

“What?” I blurted out in outermost disbelief. 

I expected an explanation or maybe just a reason why I would be leaving my family and everything I knew behind to come with him. But without any further explanation, he stood up, adjusted his suit and walked out with his Beta, leaving me drowning in nothing but confusion.