Chapter nine: Journey

Alina Pov:

We drove for a while, leaving the dense forest behind and merging onto a paved road. The moon hung high, casting its silver glow over everything. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the towering glass buildings that stretched into the sky. I was officially out of the pack’s territory, surrounded by humans. Their scent filled my senses—different from werewolves or vampires. It was softer, warmer, almost like colors blending together. just with the smell I could tell they were a weak specie but their size in numbers were astonishing, why would the witches target these weak creatures

Without thinking, I rolled the window down and stuck my head out. The rush of wind whipped through my hair, and I breathed in deep, letting the cool night air fill my lungs. It felt clean, crisp—free. A laugh bubbled up inside me, for the first time in a long while, I felt alive, I wanted to throw my arms out and scream just to hear my own voice in this new world. For the first time, I didn’t feel caged. I felt alive. I wanted to be greedy and I took large breaths wanting to fill my lungs with it

The window suddenly started creeping up, pressing against my chin. I snapped my head back inside, turning to glare at Valerian, who had the audacity to roll it up on me. Just as I opened my mouth to unleash my fury, the top of the car slid open. I gasped, staring up at the open sky, the stars twinkling like tiny promises. My anger melted away.

I've always loved nature—stars, the moon, when it rains or snows, the eerie beauty of trees swaying in the night. Sunrise and sunset held their place in my heart a promise of new beginnings even when this ends, though the midday sun was just an unnecessary ball of heat. But the stars... they were my favorite. I could spend hours searching for constellations, and I hated when satellites ruined the view, blinking like they were mocking me, mostly on nights when I couldn't find a single star but the sky was filled with blinking ones. I didn’t realize how long I had been staring until my eyelids grew heavy, and before I knew it, I drifted off.

A gentle tap on my shoulder woke me. I blinked groggily, following Valerian as he led me toward a private jet. The moment I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat. The polished wood, smooth leather seats, and soft, humming power beneath my feet—everything screamed luxury. I ran my fingers along the armrest, my eyes wide with wonder

Valerian smirked, watching me, but I didn’t care. I had never seen a private jet before, let alone been inside one. My family was wealthy, running one of the top businesses in the world, but I had never left the pack. This was a first.

After showing me to the bedroom, Valerian didn’t leave. Instead, he stretched out on the bed, making himself comfortable.

My jaw dropped. “Don't you have somewhere else to sleep?” I asked my brows knotting together and a slight frown made it's way to my face

He didn’t even look at me. “There’s only one bed.”

I folded my arms. “You expect me to share a bed with you?”

He let out a low chuckle “Unless you’d rather sleep on the couch? if not then we share the bed”

I scowled. “Why should I be the one to sleep on the couch?”

"Then who should?"

"You're a vampire, but in your long life, haven't you heard of chivalry? You're not a gentleman."

"And you're a sheathed doll who can't sleep on a couch but won't share. Don’t tell me, are you afraid you won’t be able to stop yourself from jumping on me?” His smirk deepened.

I scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Without another word, I climbed onto the bed, because there's no way I'll be sleeping on a couch when there's a bed, planting myself as far away from him as possible. A thick wall of space stretched between us, but I still kept my back to him, pulling the blanket up to my shoulders. I needed sleep—real sleep. Something I hadn’t had in a while.

I heard the amused huff from his side of the bed, but I ignored it. Let him think whatever he wants. He was lucky I wasn’t tossing him off the bed entirely or entertaining the idea of murdering him in his sleep. The idea was really tempting

I woke up with a start, the soft hum of the jet was gone. The light outside told me it was morning, and when I glanced out the window, I realized we had landed, why didn't he wake me up

I looked around Valerian wasn’t there when I woke up. I stretched, rubbing my eyes, still groggy, I didn't think I slept for long.

I stood, a little disoriented, and saw Valerian standing by the door, watching me. “You’re awake,” he said, voice low.

“Yeah?” I muttered, trying to shake off the sleepiness.

I stood, a little disoriented, and saw Valerian standing by the door, watching me. “You’re awake,” he said, his voice low.

“Yeah?” I muttered, trying to shake off the sleepiness.

He motioned toward the door. “We’re here.”

He might be evil, but at least he gave me time to freshen up.

"The small town we're heading to is located at the outskirts of country X. We’ll drive a few hours on the road," he informed me as we walked to the car parked outside. Two other cars were behind the one we were entering.

"My men are there," he added, noticing my questioning gaze. I nodded, entering the car. Why hadn’t it occurred to me that we weren’t the only ones going on this journey?

After hours of driving the car seemed to slow down, I immediately sat up from my seat to look outside

We were entering what seemed like a small village built in front of a forest. The car came to a halt, and everyone got out. My eyes quickly scanned the others going on this journey with us. There were five in total, and I only knew Refeal among them—the green-eyed vampire, I looked at the village that mainly consisted of a cluster of grey stoned houses

"It feels empty," I murmured, my voice feeling too loud in the stillness. My gaze swept over the village once more, my instincts screaming at me that something was off.