Chapter Seven

Elora’s POV

I had gone from hell and back since my parents died. And today, it made me remember all that.

My breath hitched as I tried my best not to let my sobs hear. It had been a while since I last heard my uncle’s voice but the memories it imprinted on my mind were as clear as water. My nightmares were filled with his croaky, cold vocals. I thought I had forgotten it but obviously, I didn’t.  Now, my system was filled with unwanted memories. All because of him. 

‘Calm down. Your uncle hasn’t seen you in three years. He might have forgotten how you smell.’

The words of my wolf gave me some assurance. She was right, three years was quite a long time for him to remember how I smell. I also shifted to my wolf form around this time so it affected my scent. Arwen got a solid point about her argument. 

‘Breath, Elora. You can do this,’ Arwen added. After a few seconds, my heart rate became normal and I could feel that my body was no longer tense. Thank the goddess, I had a reasonable and smart spirit wolf within me. If not, my emotions might have taken the best of me and who knows what had happened.

Now, back to business. 

“I have so many things to deal with. Tell me, Alpha. What is it that you wanted to talk about that you requested a private conversation with me?” 

My forehead creased at what I heard. Even I was curious about my Uncle Lucian’s plans. I wondered what he needed from the Alpha King that he had to drag him here to his study. It was very unlikely for him to do that. 

“Forgive me, your grace, but I need your help,” he stated with a pleading voice. “I am looking for a woman, my only family to be exact.”

Once again, my heart raced inside my chest. Could it be that…

“I was wondering if you happen to encounter a rogue named Elora Knightlock. She is my niece and has been missing for three years already.” 

There, he said it. I didn’t expect that he would stoop this low just to get his hand on me but I guess he was on the brink of desperation. If not, he wouldn’t dare to ask such a ridiculous and trivial matter to the Alpha King himself. 

What is it about him capturing me that made him do this? He already had his hand on Moon River Pack. What else does he need from me? He took everything from us…from me. 

Will it ever be enough to satisfy his greed? 

‘Good thing you didn’t tell our mate about your real name. Good thinking, Elora,’ my wolf remarked. I posed a faint smile, telling myself how I did a great job thinking this through ahead of time. I was pretty confident that Alpha Dominic would not tell him anything. Posing as Victoria Collins was the best decision I did while staying in the royal pack. 

“I never heard of the name. I also knew that if my trackers do, they will let me know,” Dominic answered. Hearing this, I puffed a sigh of relief. “What happened to her?” the Alpha King asked afterward. 

“Oh, dear. This will make me cry a bit so pardon me, your grace,” Uncle Lucian said. I smirked in silence. Playing the victim was his field of expertise. 

“Elora was the daughter of my older brother, the previous alpha of Moon River. Ten years ago, our pack was attacked by rogues. Unfortunately, he and his luna died in that war. Meanwhile, Elora’s older brother, Fritz, remained missing until now. Everyone believed that he is dead already but not me. Until now, I am still hoping that my nephew will find his way back to us.”

‘You forgot to tell Alpha Dominic that you are the mastermind for my parent’s murder and the reason why my brother remained missing until now,’ I stated inside my head. I would never forgive him for what he did. If only I had a  choice, I wouldn’t waste my time listening to his lies. 

“My niece was only eight years old when she lost her family so she went through a trauma. She often jailed herself inside her room and refused to talk to anyone. But I didn’t lose hope. I helped her recover. I also tried to train her to be my successor while we are looking for her older brother. But as the years passed, she got worst. She began hurting herself. Worst, she hurt others too, and became very dangerous to the people around her. Until one day, she ran away.”

‘Liar! That’s not true!’ I yelled inside my thoughts. Once again, Arwen reminded me about our situation. One wrong move and our location would be disclosed to my sly uncle. 

“So I implore you, great Alpha King, to help me find Elora so I can bring her home.” Uncle Lucian’s voice broke stating his last sentence. From a tiny hole in the bookshelf, I could see his teary face, an act he often use to get what he wanted. 

I blinked a couple of times, trying to prevent my tears from falling. I wasn’t crying because I was touched by his words. Rather, I cried because hearing him lie in the presence of the Alpha King made me hate him even more.

I rolled up my sleeves and gazed upon my upper arms. There, the scars of Uncle Lucian’s physical abuse were revealed to me. The numbing pain I felt every time his whip touched my tiny body went back to my senses. It was an obvious reminder of how evil my uncle was.

“I understand. Rest assured that I will let you know once I got some clues about her whereabouts. You can now leave,” Alpha Dominic uttered. Seconds later, I heard the door open and closed again indicating that my uncle already left. 

At that moment, I could no longer contain my emotion. Finally, I let all my tears out. 

I guess my life would be like this until I die; running away from the people who wanted to hurt me. First, from my Uncle Lucian. Now, from the mate that the moon goddess had given me. Will I ever find any peace in this life? Why is it that I feel that I didn’t belong in any place that I went to?  

It seemed that I would never fit anywhere in this world. 

‘You’re wrong, Elora. This is where you belong. Now that your uncle was here and asked the Alpha King’s help, it would be dangerous for us if we would escape now. Who knows if his men were roaming around the territory and looking for you? I am sorry to tell you but the royal pack would be the safest place for you. For us. At least, for now.’

I was left speechless, grasping the truth of Arwen’s words. Once again, my wolf was right. We couldn’t continue our plan to escape because of the situation. I hate to admit it, but the most terrible place for me would be the safest too. 

And so, I decided to stay. Even if I had to deal with Ashley’s bitchy attitude. Even if I had to continue being hurt by my mate’s indifference. 

In order to survive, I had to continue living as the rogue omega named Victoria Collins. 

I was in this moment when Alpha Dominic went in my direction, the old, shabby bookshelf sitting in a dark corner of the room. He scanned through the files as if he was looking for something. Finally, he took an old, dusty book from it and turned his back. But before he stepped away, his voice echoed in the room. 

“Come out now. I know that you are here.”

Oh, shit! I am doomed…