When Elora reopened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the oddly quiet place.
The silence was heavy, and unfamiliar.
Not the comforting quiet she was used to in her kingdom where the soft rustle of trees would sound behind her room nor could she hear the sound of winds blowing through her windows.
No, this place was eerily silent.
A sweet scent mingled in the air and Elora slowly sat up in the bed, her gaze disoriented.
She gradually took in the sight of soft velvety bedsheets that were beneath her fingers, and her eyes scanned the room she was in.
The room was warm, with soft candles reflecting long blue drapes that cascaded down the windows.
The fire cracked at the fireplace, and the sound coupled with the sweet scent in the air gave her a warm fuzzy feeling.
But it did nothing to ease her mind.
In fact, her anxiety spiked. This wasn't her room.
It was huge and beautifully decorated.
But the sheer intensity unnerved her
Where am I?
Her head throbbed with a headache and she groaned rubbing her head gently as the memories came rushing back to her head all at once—the marriage ceremony, Kenan on the floor bleeding, the wolf king claiming her as his mate, his cold touch, and the baffled faces of her father and everyone in the hall.
And the man—no, the wolf king, who held her hands in his before her vision went blank.
Azazeal.
The name resounded in her ears.
The High King of wolves … Alpha of The Crimson Sky pack.
Where Beastly wolves and powerful werewolves lived far away from the humans.
The place where most feared Alpha in the entire world resides.
And he had claimed her, as his mate.
She knew what a mate is. After all, they were taught about the werewolves and their ways of living by the scholars.
It was an important study to know what makes the powerful creatures either aggressive or calm.
Their mates had an overwhelming effect on their moods and how they behaved.
So how on earth is she the one chosen for the wolf king?
The soft unfamiliar silk nightgown brushed against her bare body as she slowly stood up from the large bed.
Her brows furrowed
Who changed my clothes?
The marble floor was cold and they made her already freezing feet even colder.
She took weak hesitant steps towards the huge windows pulling the red curtains open.
She gasped
The huge castle sat on the tip of a mountain, surrounded by vast forests and foggy mists that stretched endlessly into the darkness.
Dark towers are built in every corner that surrounds the castle. The sky was filled with dark clouds and a mixture of red.
The night was dark and quiet and heavy. No stars, no moon, no wind—just the boundless emptiness of the black and red sky staring back at her.
The crimson sky pack
She was in the wolf king's infamous castle.
Her heart raced when a knock sounded on the door, the door slowly creaked open to reveal a tall lean woman in a maid uniform
"My lady," she bowed respectfully. " His highness is out with the pack hunters, you haven't had anything to eat since you got here, if you would like, a meal has been laid out for you in the Eastern wing of your quarters."
Elora felt the muscle in her eye twitch slightly.
He went hunting. He didn't even think to give her an audience or for them to have a conversation, she would just be kept here as a queen to his kingdom.
A sigh escaped her lips, what had she been expecting?
At least she wasn't in danger nor was she being maltreated.
She really wanted to believe she was safe in this castle. But a bit of fear still lingered in her mind.
" T-thank you," Elora's voice was cautious and barely audible.
The servant bowed and disappeared after throwing a quick smile in Elora's way.
" They don't seem to be any different from humans "Elora muttered to herself as she watched the maid walk away.
Eventually, she took a step out of the room, moving quietly and cautiously in the quiet hallway of the castle
The only thing she could hear was the soft footsteps of the werewolves in the castle who bowed deeply as she walked past
As she sat down to eat, Elora noticed their eyes watching her keenly, af if she were some rare artifact.
"My Lady, would you like some more fruits or is that enough?" A maid who introduced herself earlier as Irene, asked, blinking her wide doe eyes as she offered Elora some more grapes.
She's cute. Elora thought to herself
A short nervous laugh escaped Elora's lips
" Thank you Irene" she calmly appreciated earning another kind smile from the maid.
Elora found it weird that they all treated her with kindness and respect. She had expected to be ostracized in this place even more than she was at home.
Not the soft smiles and gentle voices
This isn't even strange enough, where in the world is my supposed mate, shouldn't he be here with me so that we can figure out how to move toward in this weird marriage. Her fists clenched in agitation
He probably didn't want anything to do with having a mate, much less a mere human princess that was practically forced onto him to ensure protection.
Elora heaved out a defeated sigh.
Despite the fact that they were not treating her with cruelty, she could not program herself not to remember the last time she had been respected and not shamed.
Not even in her past life
Her heart lurched at the thought of being in that demeaning situation again.
She had hopes and dreams that she would finally find her happy ending in this second life, but tears welled up unconsciously in her eyes as she realized her dreams had been ripped away from her this quickly.
The castle was majestic, and the people here hadn't shown any animosity like she had expected, but she still felt like an unwanted guest in a predator's den.
The palace guards here were high-ranking wolves, with gleaming eyes and Tall frames.
They were fierce and they oozed with brutal strength
She missed her quiet solitude at her father's kingdom.
Even with the fact that she was a lonely outcast with people unwilling to speak with her, she was at least on her own, herself.
Not wondering when the infamous beastly husband will call for her attention.