Chapter 7

Elara

My eyes fluttered open, breaking me out of the dreams that I was stuck in. The room was still bathed in darkness, but I could feel that I was not alone. There was an unfamiliar scent in the air that had me jolting to a seated position. Almost immediately, the curtains were pulled open, flooding the room with light that burned my eyes, causing me to hiss in pain.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't sure how to wake you up without scaring you and I was trying to figure that out before you woke up yourself. Are you all right?" a girl asked, and I turned toward her.

She looked to be my age, maybe slightly older, and she had a certain wariness in her eyes as she addressed me that made me cringe. It was the same wary look that seemed to be dancing within the gazes of everyone I met in this place. It was obvious that they were hiding something from me, and I knew that it had everything to do with my birthmark and the "prophecy" that had been whispered about. It made me uncomfortable and cautious. I hated the feeling.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just wasn't expecting to wake up to someone in my room," I responded, pulling myself into a more comfortable position.

"Alpha Kai requests that you join him for breakfast. I've prepared a bath for you and your dresser drawers have been filled with new clothes, courtesy of Alpha Kai. Just let me know if there's something specific, you'd like, and I'll look out for it the next time I go shopping," the girl said, and I nodded, offering her a small smile, which she thankfully returned.

"Thank you…" I trailed off, realizing I didn't know her name.

"Rose. My name is Rose," she offered

"Thank you, Rose. I appreciate your kindness."

"Of course. Will that be all you need?" she asked, and I nodded, which in turn made her hum in satisfaction.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," she responded before making her way out of the room.

"Rose?" I called, causing her to stop in her tracks before turning toward me again.

"Is there a problem?" she asked with concern on her face, and I quickly shook my head.

I wanted to ask her what she knew about the prophecy. I wanted to ask if she knew what my fate would be within this pack. I wanted to ask what the moon mark meant to the pack. For some reason, I couldn't find the right words to ask any of these questions. Or maybe, a part of me knew she wouldn't give me any of the answers that I sought.

"Will Rhys be joining us for breakfast?" I asked a safer question instead, and a small smile danced on her lips.

"No, he won't be. He's on border patrol, but he picked those for you," she responded, pointing, toward the dresser at the far end of the room.

A small gasp escaped my lips at the sight of the white flowers. They were similar to the one he had plucked and handed to me last night. I immediately stumbled out of the bed, barely registering Rose exiting the room and closing the door. The flowers, delicate and fragrant, held an allure that seemed perfect to me at the moment. There was a note attached to it and I plucked it out to read it, a smile threatening to split my face in half.

"I hope these flowers brighten your day. Rhys."

The scrawl of his writing was messy, and it reminded me of Silas' penmanship, but I pushed down the bile that threatened to rise in my throat at the thought, choosing instead to focus on the sweet gesture.

My encounter with Rhys came flooding back. After he had left, I had gone to my room, but sleep was still very far away from me, this time for a different reason. I couldn't get the thought of Rhys out of my mind. The familiarity in his eyes and his mannerisms all called to me, but I didn't know why.

Although that familiarity scared me, there was just something about him that kept pulling me in, like a force I couldn't quite explain or resist. I felt the same way around Kai, except that I found him too intimidating for words. Speaking of which, he was expecting me down for breakfast. I gently set the flowers back on the dresser, making a mental note to ask Rose for some water for them later.

I hurried through my bath, enjoying the way the warm water helped to soothe my strained muscles. Once I had rinsed and dried off, I began sorting through the clothes I had gotten. I settled on a flowery dress and some sandals, brushing my wild hair out before taming it by plaiting it into a single braid.

The image that stared back at me in the mirror looked decent enough, and with a heavy sigh, I made my way out of the room.

My heart was slamming in my ribcage as I made my way out of the room. I had to fight the urge to run back to my room and remain there until the day was over. The thought that I had to be in Kai's presence made a shudder run up my spine.

There was just something about the Alpha that was intimidating and that made me restless. I completed my walk down the stairs without having a heart attack or falling flat on my face, and I internally cheered at that small win, urging myself to just get through breakfast.

I found the dining room easily. It was a beautiful room with a large dining table. An elegant chandelier hung over it, casting a shimmering, otherworldly glow over the entire room.

Alpha Kai sat at the head of the table, his spine straight, his aura powerful and dominating. He oozed confidence and so much appeal. Even though I felt very intimidated and wary of him, I couldn't deny the fact that he was a very good-looking man.

Too good-looking, actually.

His entire body gave off an aura of strength that I could taste on the tip of my tongue. His tailor-made clothes fit his strong, muscular body so perfectly that it gave me a decent glimpse of the body underneath. Kai was so attractive that it almost seemed unfair.

The Alpha's scent filtered to me, a heady mix of sandalwood and something primal and untamed that lingered in my memory, a constant reminder of the forbidden desires warring within me. It was a scent unlike any I had ever encountered before, and it was both intoxicating and unsettling. It fueled a yearning deep within me, a yearning I couldn't explain or control.

He refused to look at me, his long, lean fingers tapping impatiently on the glass surface of the dining table. I noted some sapphire rings adorning his fingers that were catching the light.

"I've been waiting for you." His deep baritone voice had a sensual lilt to it that made something curl in my gut.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," I said, straightening my spine while I spoke.

Kai finally raised his eyes to meet mine, and he looked like he had something to say. However, the moment his eyes landed on me, he only let out a heavy sigh. The intensity of his gaze made breathing difficult. It felt like his eyes could pierce through me and read my soul.

"Join me," he eventually said, and I walked over to the seat that had been pulled out closer to him.

I watched as Kai began serving some food onto my plate, occasionally asking for my preference as he chose from the different foods spread out before us to adorn my plate with. My stomach rumbled at the sight and aroma of all the food, and once he was done filling both of our plates, I thanked him and immediately began eating.

"Thank you for the clothes. I really appreciate you letting me stay in your pack," I said, and Kai huffed.

"You might not be staying for very long if you can't give me the answers that I seek." His voice was calm, but I could feel the frustration that coated his words.

"There's not much to tell, though. I already told you all that I have to share."

Kai stopped eating as I spoke and his piercing grey eyes held me captive for a fleeting moment. It sent a shiver down my spine and forced me to look away. Thankfully, he didn't say much else and only returned to his food, but sadly, my own appetite was lost. The tension in the room was suffocating, and it was pressing down on me with an unrelenting weight.

The tense silence felt like a simmering storm trapped within my chest, a constant reminder of the impossible situation I found myself in. I was here, and my fate rested in Kai's hands while I stayed here, yet he was the very person that I clashed with so intensely. Yet, my body seemed to betray my mind, yearning for the Alpha in a way I couldn't understand.

Unable to bear the stifling atmosphere any longer, I rose abruptly from the table. The scraping of my chair against the floor echoed in the sudden silence, drawing Kai's attention.

"I need some fresh air," I blurted out, my voice barely a whisper. "Thank you for a lovely meal," I said, before rushing out of the room without another word, ignoring the look of confusion on Kai's face as he watched me go.

I decided a walk to the garden might help clear my head. The moment I stepped out of the house it was immediately as if I could breathe better. The stifling air was gone and the morning breeze washed over me, bringing me relief. However, as I walked along the winding paths, my steps faltered. A low growl resonated in the distance, and fear ran through me at the sound, but then another sounded out, and it began pulling me toward its source. Curiosity momentarily overrode my trepidation enough for me to follow the sound.

The growl grew louder the closer I got to it, and I stepped into a secluded training ground hidden amidst a grove of towering trees. Pushing through the undergrowth, I emerged into a clearing, and my breath caught in my throat.

There, in the center of the clearing, stood a man. His stoic demeanor was matched by a fierce concentration that was admirable. Sweat glistened on his toned body, his muscles rippling with each powerful blow he delivered against the wooden training dummy in front of him.

He was shirtless, his skin gleaming in the dappled sunlight. He had long, beautiful hair that reached his shoulders and looked like it was well cared for. His movements were a blend of raw power and graceful precision, a dance of sheer athleticism that captivated me.

Suddenly, he stopped his movements, which in turn, made my heart skip a beat. Before I could think about sneaking away, the man turned to face me, causing my heart to drop to my stomach.