Staying Hidden

I spent hours talking about dresses, looking at materials and colours. May has begun to work on it. I watch her from across the room. While I slept, she did some work on the dress, then got some sleep but returned to it this morning.

"What do you think?" She turns to me. Walking over, I pick up the fabric; it's beautiful. It's a gold fabric with black sheer fabric over the top. The two colours mix perfectly.

"It looks amazing, so do it." I smile and sit with her, talking about random things. She turns and smiles at me.

"You know, they weren't lying. Your video got the most views, comments and everything. Barely anyone mentioned Prince Kellan, just you."

I highly doubt it makes a difference.

"I won't be winning this May. Even I know the public will change their view when it gets close to picking the final winner." I'm in no way a Luna.

"Oh, I don't know. People saw the showdown between you and Lyra. It made people question things. The way you spoke." She nudges me.

Even so, I am far from what they want from a Luna.

"Should you not be outside with them?" She points to the garden. I look and see Kellan and the contestants. We were told this morning Kellan would be in the gardens for those who wanted to join him.

After Darius' warning, I am staying right here.

"I would rather not." Smiling at her, I play with the fabric.

"I thought you and Prince Kellan enjoyed each other's company?" She tilts her head.

"He's nice to speak to, but I don't want to get comfortable. I know I will be gone soon."

After this event, someone else is leaving. Considering it is around wolves, it means I am getting zero points. Not even one. So, there is a high chance that my time at the palace is over.

Unless I get the highest points in the ball after, it may just save me. Sighing, I look at the fabric. Sitting, we talk; I leave for dinner and walk down. I am grateful to see neither the king nor prince joining us.

Sitting by Sage, I smile at her.

"Right, so the wolf event." Elara turns to me.

"Will be your ticket out of here, Mutt." Aurora laughs. I ignore her words and nod to Sage to continue.

"You need to talk to wolves. From what I hear, it's about those who make a strong connection with the wolves." So, it is one I will fail at.

"Prince Kellan was so pleased to see you didn't join us today." Aurora grins at me.

"Well, I'm glad you felt like you got the attention you needed with me gone, Aurora." My eyes roll, and I turn back to Sage.

"So, if you stay next to me, I will help you. We're allowed to join in each other's conversations."

"Thank you, Sage." It will help me. I can't communicate with wolves, with her by my side, though she can tell me what the wolf says.

"Elara." I look up and see Prince Kellan. I stand, unsure of why he is here and speaking to me. "You didn't come this morning. Can we talk, please?" He gestures for me to walk to him. I told Darius I wouldn't do this.

Yet, refusing him in front of the cameras will look bad. Distasteful. I walk towards him and don't miss the glare from Aurora. Kellan walks from the room, and I follow.

"Are you feeling okay?" He stops and turns to me.

"Yes, why would you think I'm not?"

"You didn't join us today?" He stands confused.

"I thought it was optional. I apologise if it was not."

He chuckles slightly. "It was. However, all the women came out except for you." He looks at me like he's trying to work things out.

"I apologise. We had spent a lot of time together, and I didn't want people to think wrong or come up with stories." The king also told me not to indulge in you, Kellan.

"Which stories would they be?" He leans closer to me.

"That I'm getting special treatment. Maybe I'm still here because I had your help and the other women didn't?"

He smiles and laughs slightly. "They still believe you got through because I was sitting with you, right?" He leans closer.

"What are they meant to think, Prince Kellan? That one move has made me a target of their hate. I don't blame them for it either." I don't. I would feel hard done by if I was one of them.

"Then they will surely hate it more tomorrow." His eyes darken, and he leans closer.

"Tomorrow?" I don't get it.

"Darius and I are to choose one woman to accompany in the event. I picked you."

Oh shit. "You don't need to do that."

"Do you not want my help?" His head tilts.

"I have Sage to help me." Which is good enough for me.

"So you don't want my help? Are you refusing my offer to join you tomorrow and suggesting I pick someone else, maybe Aurora?" I bite my lip at his words.

It sounds damn rude if I refuse.

"I'm not sure the king will be accepting of you joining me." My words are quiet.

"My brother already knows and has approved of it. So your worry that he won't accept it is unneeded."

"Fine, okay." I give in. "Thank you for choosing to join me at the next event."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" His smile grows, and I feel like he lied and Darius has no idea that Kellan is going to sit with me. I can't be blamed, though.

"We also never got a chance to finish our conversation yesterday." His eyes go to my shoulder.

"There was nothing more to say. I wasn't bitten or claimed by my mate. I didn't even have a wolf when it happened." It isn't like I have a mate.

"How old were you when it happened?" He looks at me, waiting.

"I can't remember."

"So, you can't remember when it happened, but can remember that you didn't have a wolf?" I bite my lip; yeah, I got myself in a corner.

"My birthdays weren't celebrated. I only found out my age when I was sixteen. It was sometime before that." That isn't a lie. I had no idea of my age or my birthday. I only uncovered that when I found my file in Alpha Draven's office open on his desk. Since then, I have ensured I tracked my own birthday.

"So you were a child." He looks at me, shocked.

"I suppose."

"You suppose? You either were or weren't Elara."

Sighing, I nod. "Yes, I was a child, not that it matters." Why is he so caught up on it? He said he wouldn't say anything but brings it up and asks more questions about it.

Silence builds between us, and he simply smiles at me as he leans closer to me.

"You're a fascinating person, Elara. There is so much to uncover."

"I assure you, nothing is interesting about me." He's looking at the wrong person.

"Really? You're bitten and claimed without a wolf. You have no last name, no pack. What about that isn't interesting? Have you tried to find out who you really are and where you came from?"

I laugh slightly. "Why would I? Just to be rejected again by those who dumped me when I was young? No good can come from me knowing the truth." I was dumped, which says that whoever my parents were, whichever pack I was born into, didn't want me then and certainly won't now that I don't have a wolf.

We hear footsteps, and he moves away from me; everyone is standing watching. Yeah, the closeness of our bodies raises questions, but I would rather he was that close when asking about me being bitten and claimed.

"Thank you, Prince Kellan." Turning, I walk off and hear him following me. Why? I glance behind and see he is following, and the other contestants are also following.

"Elara." I keep walking and ignore him. "Elara, please stop." Sighing, I turn and see him waiting, his grin wide. Oh god, what is he going to do? Everyone is watching; the cameras are zoomed in on us.

"I would like to request that I join you at the next event. Our dinner conversation was fascinating. Do you accept my offer?" He looks at me, waiting.

"Yes, thank you, Prince Kellan." My words stop, and I see Darius standing behind everyone, shaking his head.

"Kellan." His word comes out as an almost growl.

"Oh, brother. You heard, that's good." Kellan smiles and watches as he walks through the contestants to meet him.

"We need to speak in private." He turns to the contestants. "Good afternoon ladies." Smiling at them, he walks away, with Kellan following. I finally suck in a breath and rush to the corridor where we sleep.

It's the one place where the cameras are not allowed. When I reach it, I relax slightly. Darius had no idea, so Kellan had lied. Why? I thought I had done well to avoid him today; I didn't join his little get-together this morning.