NEXT DAY...
Elora woke up with a start. She looked beside her, but couldn't find Damon in bed. She tried to stand up but was hit by a throbbing headache.
"Ouch!" She exclaimed, placing her palm on her forehead.
When the pain subsided, she sat up and ran her hands through her hair. Her mind drifted to what happened in the middle of the night, and she rubbed her neck. Standing to her feet, she rushed to the bathroom, and threw the door open. Nothing was there.
Returning to where she stood up from, she concluded that it might have been a hallucination.
"But what hallucination would feel so real and painful?" She questioned herself, but the more she thought about it, the more things didn't really fall into place. It didn't make sense. There was no way Dexter could enter the palace without the palace guards getting a glimpse of him.
The door to the room was locked, so there was no way he might have entered the room either. And if he had entered, for instance, she should have felt his presence. Damon wasn't a deep sleeper, so he might have noticed something if truly Dexter entered.
She concluded she was being panicky and sighed.
"It's not real," She muttered and stood, then forced a smile. She had to forget about all these and focus on the pack she was to rule.
She stepped into the bathroom and realized that her bath was already ready. She stepped into the bathtub and allowed the hot water to calm her nerves and ease her body of the stress of the previous day.
After that, she took a bath and stepped out. She wore casual clothes and as she sat in front of the dresser, fixing her hair, Zora walked in with a smile on her face.
"Zena," She called with a smile.
"Good day, your highness." She bowed.
Elora smiled. "It's nice to see you this morning. Hope your night was good?" She inquired.
"It was more like a toss and turn kind of thing. I was worried about you, so I couldn't get enough sleep last night." She sighed and collected the dryer from Elora to help her dry her hair.
Elora smiled. "Thanks for caring about me, Zena." She was grateful.
She wondered what it would have been like if she hadn't helped them when they came as rogues. She was glad she took them in, now they cared about her and were ready to do anything for her. The way they worried about her like she meant the whole world to them was heartwarming as well.
"I have every right to worry, Luna. I couldn't imagine seeing you get hurt, and it made me uneasy. I would have slept here with you to monitor your improvement if not for the beta. He's very overprotective of you." She scoffed jokingly.
Elora chuckled. "Yes, he is, but he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. He has been through thick and thin with me, and I'm lucky to have accepted him."
Zora furrowed her brows. "You didn't accept him before?" She asked.
"Hell no!" She chuckled again as she remembered those days she used to insult and look down on him. She even resorted to telling him mean things, so it would hurt him, and he would leave her alone, but eventually, she fell helplessly in love with him. Occasionally, she was happy she died and got reborn. If that hadn't happened, her eyes wouldn't have opened to see what had been going on around her and most importantly, she wouldn't have been able to own up to her feelings for Damon.
She didn't know how to start sharing everything with Zora, so she decided to cut it short.
"I loathed him and despised it when I found out we were mates. I didn't trust him, but he gave me every reason to and soon, I found myself falling for him and now here we are," She narrated and Zora chuckled even though she wished within her that Elora would just shut up. "What about you, Zena?"
"Huh?"
"How did you meet Luca?" Elora asked, curious to know how the two of them met. She found them entertaining to watch especially when they bickered at the dining table. It was funny and she would like to know how these two met in the first place if they couldn't stand each other.
Zora cleared her throat. She wasn't expecting that question before. She started thinking of what to say.
"Well... um... it was a very weird encounter, though," She cleared her throat again. Elora was excited to hear what she had to say. "We met during the mating ceremony at our formal pack... uh... I didn't like him at first too because I saw myself as classy, and he looked like a farmer,"
Elora laughed.
"Well, I made him go through hell before I accepted the mate bond and found myself loving him. That was how we got married and here we are. We were living well before that tragic thing happened, and we were sent away from the pack." She made her expression look sad, and Elora felt bad for reminding her.
"You don't have to feel hurt whenever you remember. You've started a new life and that's all that matters. The moon goddess has given you a second chance here in my pack, the same way she granted me life again. So, all you have done is accept the new fate and live well, enjoy every bit of it."
Zora nodded. "But what do you mean by the moon goddess granting you life again?" She was curious. She felt there was something about Elora that she must have missed, and she needed to know.
Elora just smiled. "I can't tell you that now. But with time, I'll sit you down, and you will get to know more about me."
Zora sighed and nodded. "Sure, I understand you," She was done drying her hair and took a brush. "I love how silky and soft your hair is, and the color is totally out of this world. It's been a long time since I saw someone with beautiful red hair." She complimented without even realizing it.
"Thank you," Elora smiled at the compliment. She suddenly remembered that Zora was the only one that praised how beautiful and silky her hair was. She sighed as she remembered how beautiful their friendship was, but then, even the most beautiful friendship could turn sour and that's what had happened to them.
Zora was done, and they walked out of the room together. "What's your plan for today?" Zora asked.
"I need to meet with Elder Blake in the throne room. Something happened and we need to talk. After that, I'll go out for a walk and continue my training with Damon."
Zora nodded. "Alright then. Don't forget to call us to have a walk with you. I'd love to see more of the pack."
"You and Luca can go out whenever you want. You don't need to wait for when I'm leaving before following me." Elora smiled.
"Really?"
She nodded.
Zora smiled, bowed and rushed to the room.
Elora smiled and headed for the throne room. When she got there, she gasped at what her eyes saw.
Lying on the floor were two wolves, clawed, dead and in the pool of their own blood.
"Blood.. again?" Her head spun and she moved back quickly. Damon turned and when he saw her, he rushed to her.
He had prayed for her not to come see this. Why did she come before he got rid of them?
"Wh... what's..." Her words got stuck in her throat as her head spun in different directions.
"We have no idea, Luna. We were at the field this morning and found them dead. I think they were killed overnight," The leader of the guards said, and Elora gasped. "Oh, and we found this on them." He handed the paper to Elora.
Damon wanted to take it from her, but she didn't let him.
She opened the paper and her eyes widened.
Written on it was "GAME ON" in blood.
She and Damon exchanged looks as she continued to stare at the paper in her hands, her heartbeat accelerating and her hands shaking.
She knew Dexter meant business this time around.
He meant every fucking bit of it.