At the Ball.

It felt as if her environment had gone silent as she heard his words. Even her heart didn't seem to be beating fast at all by how shocked she was at the moment. The pause was only for about two seconds, she could feel the blood rushing through her veins as soon as she snapped out of her trance. 

Luckily, Her face had held that same stoic emotion. She hadn't given anything away that he was possibly right, and she gave him a quick retort, "Since I'm neither of those, I guess I'm not in any kind of trouble then," She smirked lightly at him before she turned and walked away, leaving him stunned by her perfection. 

Gerald had watched her for quite some days now. He's had someone keep an eye on her, and so far there hasn't been any enticing report about her apart from the fact that he had overheard Nico on the phone with Ezekiel the other day. 

Gerald was well aware that Ezekiel buys Omegas in the past. They work for him till he finally frees them, but he's never made so much effort the way he was making with this particular woman. Gerald was surprised when he heard and confirmed the rumor of Zeke kissing Arielle in public. It hasn't been long since Elle was sold to him, and even though she might be his mate he fell for her too fast. 

It didn't make sense to him. 

All the time he's known Zeke, there's never been an opening of weakness for him to explore. Even those he found turned out to be useless as Zeke would simply ignore it but now that Arielle was in the picture, it was definitely about to get interesting. 

The King of Euscarria is back. He would be very busy these few weeks before finally settling into it all. And from what he's been told, the King hasn't gone to see Elle these past few days. She probably came here to the training ground to search for him. 

Gerald almost laughed out loud, and a flicker ran past his eyes. It was time to start messing with Ezekiel Alvarez. 

.

.

Arielle was surprised to see a dress waiting for her when she returned to her mansion. Astrid had been worried about where Elle had gone but had told her the dress was for the ball being hosted tomorrow evening. According to Astrid, Zeke himself had letters of invitation sent around and hers had been delivered too. 

Arielle's hands became sweaty. The dress was very beautiful. Zeke had sent it himself, but she was suddenly nervous. She's never been to a ball before filled with Royalty. Even though those silly Princesses didn't bother her so much, she was just afraid of slipping up after all, these things were new to her. 

The day went by in a flash, and Arielle found herself standing in front of the mirror the next evening. She was wearing the blue dress, and she had to admit she's never thought she was a beautiful woman until that moment. The dress fit her perfectly like it was designed just for her. 

It looked so expensive and well-designed that she suddenly felt like one of those princesses. The cloth was way beyond her, and her face was devoid of any makeup. Astrid had suggested helping her with make-up but Arielle had tightly declined. She didn't like the idea of being touched. 

Astrid escorted her to the Royal Hall where the ball was taking place. It was already filled up as Elle had taken a lot of time staring at the mirror, and some were already swaying on the dance floor. The dress was kind of voluminous so Arielle had to hold it up a little as she climbed the stairs and stepped into the open double doors. 

Beautifully decorated chandeliers greeted her brown eyes, reflecting in them as they cast a beautiful golden haze upon the room. The floor was marble, and everywhere had been decorated beautifully. 

Her first instinct was to look for the King, and when she sighted him talking to a few people by the side she didn't know why but she ducked out of sight when she noticed he was beginning to stare in her direction. Elle was nervous since it's been a few days since she last saw him, and he was looking as handsome as ever. 

Finding an empty seat, she took it and looked around again. She was sitting around the corner and hoped no one would see her from there. But she should have known they wouldn't let her be so easily. 

Astrid found her first, "My lady! You're not supposed to be sitting alone in a corner," she complained. 

Elle rolled her eyes, "I don't think anyone has spotted me yet,"

Astrid frowned, "My lady, you do know you have a scent right? Infact, your scent is one of the thickest I've ever inhaled, and this hall is filled with nothing but werewolves. Werewolves with royal blood that have sharper senses than normal wolves. Do you really think that you still didn't get spotted?"

Arielle rolled her eyes. She already knew that already. She was just hoping Astrid would leave her alone. Elle wanted nothing more than to just be alone for the whole night if possible. She wasn't afraid to go out there and meet those lousy royals, she was too nervous to see the King himself. 

"I do not want to go out there. Excuse me," Elle tried to wave her off then. 

"You're already there! If people come over and confirm that you're actually hiding from them, don't you think..." 

"They can think whatever they want. I'm staying here because I want to, not because of them," Elle cut her off. She was getting tired of the conversation that didn't seem to be going anywhere. 

"But my lady..." Astrid tried again with urgency and anxiety when a feminine voice interrupted them. 

"You should learn to respect people's words," Princess Olivia came over looking as elegant and graceful as ever, "If she wants to hide there, then let her be. She knows it's not her place to step out here and Join the crowd," She added calmly with a kind voice. It sounded as if she was just stating the facts and not trying to downgrade anyone, but judging from their past encounter, Arielle knew the woman was already tipping her chin like some high and almighty being. 

"Princess!" Astrid bowed in respect. 

"You're excused. Leave," Olivia instructed. Astrid gave Elle a worried glance before she obeyed and walked away. 

"How have you been?" Olivia was smiling again. Elle deeply hated how the woman openly switched between two faces. 

Elle made to stand up as if to walk away but Olivia immediately reacted and pressed a palm to Elle's chest, keeping her there. 

"You're not allowed to move. We are not done talking." 

"Who said I was interested?" Elle didn't bother holding back this time. The woman had the audacity to touch her and even hold her back which pissed the hell out of Arielle. Arielle was an Omega and Omegas are known for their rough tactics, after all, they need to be cruel and harsh in order to survive alone. 

"You're being very disrespectful!" Olivia was still smiling as she said it, "Just because you're the King's guest doesn't give you the right to. I shall have you punished for this, so you'll never dare to not look me directly in the eye next time. So you'll acknowledge that I'm greater than you in every way, and learn your place in this world," She stated. 

Arielle almost laughed this time, "Learn my place?" Did she ever have a place in the first place?! "Greater than me?" Elle actually chuckled this time, then pushed Olivia away from her. Olivia had made sure to use a considerable amount of wolf strength while holding Elle down and was taken by surprise when Elle easily slapped her hands away. 

Arielle stood up and looked at the woman eye to eye, "I already told you, didn't I? You want the King, then go after him. Don't come here indirectly looking for my trouble because if it's trouble that you want, I've got loads of it and I would gladly help you with as much as you desire. You must be bothered, thinking I'm close to the king," Elle scoffed, shaking her head, "Don't let it get to you too much, or you might slip up one day!" She whispered into her ear then walked away, slightly brushing the Princess out of the way. 

As soon as she stepped into the light again, the next person she saw was Gerald. She had described the man she met at the training ground to Astrid, and Astrid had told her who Gerald was. Apparently, he was Zeke's distant cousin and the substitute ruler of Euscarria before Zeke had returned. 

She also informed Arielle that Gerald had a lot of power here too, especially that of the military. That his family had been a strong part that supported Euscarria right from the very beginning and also had a strong hold on the country. The people trusted him. 

Arielle's head began to throb. That uneasy feeling ran through her as she locked eyes with Gerald. He had just smiled and taken a step toward her when something else grabbed her attention. 

"Arielle!" Zeke's deep and enchanting voice called out to her, and she turned to see him walking toward her. The world seemed to fade away as her entire focus was on the gorgeous Lycan coming to her looking so breathtaking in his Royal outfit. He definitely stood out amongst others. 

Getting to her, he took her hand with a smile and squeezed softly.

"Elle," His eyes danced, and she could already feel all her worries going away. His presence was everything. Even though it felt deadly and Mysterious, it was enthralling and soothing. 

"Zeke," she murmured. 

Still holding her hand, he suddenly faced his front and it was then she realized everyone was staring at them. It seems he had called her name out loud on purpose for this, and now they stood in front of the crowd. 

"As you should all know by now, Arielle here is my guest." He began speaking, his voice filling up the room. She felt him squeeze her hand as if to reassure her that everything was ok, "Arielle here was sold to me, and she is an Omega!" He added without hesitation, and this time Arielle couldn't keep the shock from showing. 

Her heart began to pound, and the ache built up in her head. Why is he doing this? Why didn't he tell her he was gonna inform everyone that she was an Omega? Did he even have to add the part where she was sold?!

 Before her thoughts went rampant, Elle managed to get a hold of herself again. She didn't want to jump to conclusions since he wasn't done speaking. 

"In a civilized world like ours, Omegas are rare. Wolfs never abandon or get thrown out of their pack. I'm a man who seeks out omegas around, by will or by force, nurtures them, and gets them to join a new pack. If I had known Arielle was the Omega that was gonna be sold to me, the kidnappers wouldn't have left that place alive!" He growled as he said so, making Elle's heart skip a beat. 

Zeke continued, "Rumors have been spreading around concerning both of us and that is why I'm making everything clear right now." He paused, and Arielle's breathing paused too in anticipation, "Arielle belongs to me, and I belong to her. She will be joining the Darkhorse pack making her a beta, my woman, my mate...and the future Queen of this country," 

The whole room was quiet. Some were flabbergasted, and some of them stared in disbelief and resentment. 

"You may say or decide that my relationship with Arielle is forbidden..." Zeke pulled her into his arms when he noticed she was getting weak. Something was wrong with her, he would have to excuse the both of them as soon as he was done. Arielle's head was now banging loudly, and she could feel herself slipping out of control. Oh no, her body was...

She placed her head on his shoulders and her claws involuntarily grew out and dug into his arms, creating a deep wound. Her eyes turned blue, and her head fiercely snapped to look at the crowd. She was breathing heavily, looking dangerous and vile. She looked bloodthirsty. 

Arielle's conscience was trying to take back control, but it was above her. Whenever it happened, she had always been powerless against it. She didn't hear what he said after that. But it had caused a big stir. 

The whole speech had caused a stir, and the dangerous impression she had given to the whole crowd added to the problem. Zeke had made things clear to them, but it was just the beginning. 

Arielle could feel it. Things were about to start tipping off the edge, and hopefully, she would be able to hold on.